September 6, 2025

Saturday - Hot and sunny, cloudy at times, cooler at night.

I got up this morning a bit early for me. I woke up around 6:30, went downstairs and then fell back asleep. I next woke up around 9:30. I was supposed to meet my friend at 10:30, so I had to get up and get dressed right away. I did that. I was ready to leave the house at 10 am, but then F decided to take a shower! ACK.  Still it was fine. We were a few minutes late, but I had texted her to let her know we were on the way.

We met up with M and her husband at Doutor and spent about an hour together. Our husbands got to talk to each other in Japanese and we got to speak in English. It was lovely to see her again. It’s been a couple of years. We chatted about our families and what we’ve been doing this year. It was nice. We also gave them some pointers for things to see in the area, and suggested the Kamo Aquarium to them to see the jellyfish and maybe have lunch. 

We spent a couple of minutes in the mall after they left and bought some onion powder at Jupiter. I use it a lot when I use my air fryer. After that, we went to have lunch. We decided on going to Coco’s Curry. I had the handmade chicken cutlet with half an order of vegetables and a lassi. It was really good. F had handmade pork cutlet and also a lassi. 

We hit up a drugstore after our meal. F came in with me, but then went back to the car. His back was really painful today.

We came back to the house, which I didn’t want to, but I was tired too. I ended up going upstairs and taking a nap. A long nap! I basically slept from 2 pm to 5:30 with only a short break. It was lovely though.

F asked me about feeding his mother, so he did that. I wasn’t quite ready to go and eat when he finished so we waited a while. Around 7:30 I got dressed, and then we discussed where to have dinner. I listed off three places and let F pick the one he liked most. He chose Misono.

We drove over there and went in. We both ordered some food, F had the kara-age set meal and I had the pork piccata without rice or miso soup. 

We finished our meals. F made me eat some of his kara-age so I was quite full when we left. After he paid, we left and drove over to Machi-ne Kinema. We went in, paid our money, and went to see Begin Again. I had seen it at the same cinema when it first came to Japan. F didn’t see it. We both really enjoyed watching it tonight. 

We came back to the house after the movie and I came upstairs. It was cooler outside so I didn’t turn on the AC, I just opened a window and it seems cool enough. 

So, that’s about it for today. Tomorrow in the early afternoon we have a visit from K’s Care Worker and after that, I’m just not sure what is going to happen. I imagine I’ll be doing my usual grocery shopping and such. Come back later if you like and hear about my day. Until tomorrow….

September 3, 2025

Wednesday - Hot and sunny, cooler at night

I woke up after F left this morning, but before my alarm. I went downstairs and then came back to the room. I did go back to bed and watched a few videos before falling asleep again. I woke up later and got up. I dressed and went downstairs to make my breakfast which I brought upstairs to eat.

I had a quiet afternoon. I watched some YouTube, I did a few cleaning things downstairs and I eventually had lunch too. I decided to do another episode of Buffy, so I watched that. It was a little bit creepy so that was good!

F called after 5:15 to say he was on his way back. I asked him to pick up some potato chips. I thought they’d be nice on the side of the plates. I went downstairs around 5:30 and got started on dinner.

Tonight I had a “thing” at 8 pm so I wanted to be done early. I had decided to make sandwiches for tonight. I made some tuna salad, and some chicken salad. I sliced up some cucumbers and I also pickled a small red onion. I had bought some nice bread yesterday. I got small croissants and some very long buns. I made tuna salad with cucumber slices sandwiches with the croissants, and cut the long buns in half to make chicken salad and pickled onion sandwiches. I took one of the long buns, cut it in thirds and made a vegetable sandwich with cucumber and pickled onions. We had a salad on the side. I used some old paper plates. They were a bit curved, but they worked!

Dinner was good and we ate everything. We had a few potato chips with our salad and sandwiches, the change of texture was nice. After we finished eating, I quickly cleared the table. I washed the dishes that needed washing but I didn’t dry them for a change. I also did up the garbage in the kitchen.

I went upstairs and got to my meetup. It was another movie watching event and it was a lot of fun. The person was showing Peter’s Friends which I hadn’t seen since it came out….in 1992! I enjoyed seeing it again. It had Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Rita Rudner and Kenneth Branagh, amongst a few other people. It was fun. The reviews were horrible on Letterbox’d, but I really enjoyed seeing it again.

After the movie, I went downstairs to take a shower and to put the dishes away. I found F in the kitchen. I think he was trying to help, but he was putting things in the wrong place so it annoyed me a little and he left the room. I finished and then I took a shower.  

I went upstairs and chatted with F. He was okay. I asked him to make some rice and he obliged. I don’t need it, but him and K might. They might appreciate having rice after two nights without rice. 

I watched Grey’s Anatomy. It was quite the show tonight. A couple of the doctors have decided to open up their marriage and one of the doctors had a one night stand with someone she shouldn’t have had. Oh well. And Meredith is going to study female patients for her research.

F said that it was cooler outside so we turned off the AC and opened a couple of windows. I’m actually finding it cold now! 

Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

August 30, 2025

Saturday - Hot and sunny, humid

I woke up around 9 this morning and went downstairs. I thought that F would be gone but it turns out that his sister came over and she took their mother out to the Day Service. I went downstairs and then headed back to bed. I snoozed a bit and then got up and dressed myself. I waited upstairs to hear what F was up to, but after a bit of computer time I went downstairs and just talked to him. 

We talked about lunch ideas and I suggested either the hotel we went to last week or the restaurant in Fujishima that we go to. F liked the latter idea so he called and made a reservation. We drove out to Fujishima and went in. 

We ended up having the same thing the pork saute, the Japanese set meal. It’s quite nice, a little gingery and the side dishes are nice too. I think we had the restaurant to ourselves, but that could be  because we were a little late when we got there.

After our meal, F wanted to get ice cream and go back to the house. I was a tad sad about that, but whatever. We made a stop at the grocery store, F picked up a few things and we got some ice cream.

Back at the house, F and I ate our ice cream in the living room and then I went upstairs. I spent some time on my computer. F came upstairs a couple of hours later and made to take a nap. I tried to take a nap too, but he was watching stuff on his phone without headphones, I tried putting in my earplugs, but I could still hear it. I ended up getting up a few minutes later.

F went downstairs to make dinner. He invited me to join him so I grudgingly said okay. Tonight he made a stir-fry…it was his infamous “salt stir-fry” and it wasn’t great. He hadn’t used any seasoning besides salt and it was pretty bland. However, it wasn’t as bad as I was worried it would be. He’s just not a great cook in my opinion. This was edible, but all he’d planned for dinner was rice and stir-fry. There wasn’t much stir-fry and he hadn’t cut up the meat so some pieces were huge and hard to eat. I’m complaining, but it was nice to be able to just leave the living room when I was finished eating. I did carry some stuff to the kitchen before I went upstairs!

Upstairs I relaxed and enjoyed myself. F came upstairs a bit and actually talked about going to karaoke tonight. Although I’d love to go, I reminded him that it is expensive at night. I took a chance and let him know that there were a couple of movies in the area that we could just about get to in time. At Mikawa there is the new Karate Kid movie in 40 minutes and at Machi-kinema Once was playing in 30 minutes. I let F know that Once was an old movie but he liked the idea.  Besides, it is much easier to get there in time!

I changed into going out clothes again and we drove over to the cinema. We bought our drinks at the machine and then our tickets. We went to see Once and it was great. I had seen it before on TV but F hadn’t. He’d heard the song a few times of course because I’d sung it at karaoke and played it in the car a few times. After the movie F kept asking me if “Falling Slowly” was used in another movie. I didn’t think so, but I’m not sure really. 

We stopped off at a convenience store on the way back to the house. I got something for tonight and also something for my mini-lunch tomorrow. K’s Care Worker is coming over early so we won’t be able to go for lunch, at least not early!

Back at the house, I watched the last half hour of FBI and then turned off the TV. I’m taping a movie now, who knows when I’ll be able to watch it!

So, today turned out to be a decent day after all. I was worried that we’d fight again, but so far so good. 

Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

August 10, 2025

Sunday - Rainy and cloudy most of the afternoon and evening

I woke up quite early this morning. F was still in bed beside me, but he was awake. I made a trip downstairs and then went back to bed for a while. F went off later to make breakfast for his mother. I didn’t see him for quite a few hours. I slept on and somewhere around 12 F came back upstairs and asked if I’d like to have lunch?  He had no ideas where to go but liked my idea of Arpeggio.  We ended up leaving sometime around 1. 

We were able to get into Arpeggio today and both had the same dish, the sasame chicken. It was very nice.

After lunch I asked if we could go to the Muji Store as I wanted to pick up some origami decaf coffee packets. I drink a lot of instant decaf, but once in a while it is nice to get some decent stuff. We drove over there and were able to find a parking space along the building which was nice as it was raining and we didn’t want to get wet.

We did a little snoop through the shop and picked up a few things. F got some socks and we bought some snacks as well. I bought a couple of packets of the decaf coffee, and some cold brew tea for the kitchen. I hope that F and K will try it. 

Next up, we went grocery shopping and F picked up a bento for his mother and some food for her breakfast tomorrow. We came back to the house and F did exactly what he’s done a lot of lately…announced that he couldn’t go out later on. He went to bed, wrapped himself up in the quilt because the air conditioner was too cold for him (it was set around 25 degrees). I understand if he really is sick, but sometimes he just whines for a while and then rallies in the evening. 

After a while I joined him on the bed. He did seem really hot and I got him to check his temperature which was normal. He went downstairs to give his mother her bento and then came upstairs and was ready to go over to Mikawa to see the movie. 

I suggested to him that we eat in Tsuruoka so if he felt bad again we didn’t have to drive back right away but he said he was fine. 

We drove out to Mikawa and bought our movie tickets. Then, we went over to the bibinba place and I ordered a cheese bibinba. F bought himself some yakisoba and okonomiyaki that the next door shop was selling off. With my movie ticket I got a free drink too. We had a seat and a few minutes later I got my food. 

While I was eating, a family came over to talk to me! It was a mother and son (and the father too I think). He was one of my students from my L’Eikaiwa days. He was a child student, I taught him first when he was 4 or 5, now he’s 30 and well on his way to being a doctor. He’s tall and his English is pretty good. It’s lovely to think that I had a small part of starting him out on the way! They were in the mall to see the same movie as us!

After I finished eating, we went over to the cinema and bought our popcorn and drinks. We went to see Jurassic World: Rebirth tonight. It was okay. It was a typical summer movie where you shouldn’t think long and hard about the plot or what happens.

We drove back to Tsuruoka and stopped at a conbini along the way. I was peckish for some protein. I’m not sure how much was in the bibinba honestly. I got a chicken bar and a salmon, broccoli and tartar sauce sandwich. It was better than it sounds! 

I didn’t turn on the TV tonight, but I didn’t need to really. F went to bed a while ago. I hope he has a good sleep. 

I’m not sure what we’re going to do tomorrow. I do have to buy groceries for the next couple of days and hopefully have a little bit of fun tomorrow too. I’m not sure if we’ll go and see another movie. It’s a little hard justify going to see a third one, especially since it’s an old movie that we’ve already seen. It’s a good one though, the original Bridget Jones film. If we don’t, I may go and see it later in the week. It’s only here for one week so it’s this week or never!

Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow…. 

August 3, 2025

 Sunday - Hot and sunny

I woke up fairly early this morning, for a Sunday! I looked at the thermometer and it was already 29 degrees in the room, verging on 30. I went downstairs but before I did, I turned on the AC. 

When I came back to the room it was much cooler. I went back to sleep for a while and it was lovely getting to sleep in without guilt!

I got up later when F came up to the room and talked about going out. He had asked if we could go to see a cruise ship come into Sakata and I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but decided it is nice to be able to do something with him! I got dressed, but F took a bit of a snooze. He claims he wasn’t sleeping, but there was snoring so….

Finally, we got up and left. I suggested just stopping at a convenience store to pick up something for my brunch. F was surprised that I didn’t want to go to a restaurant, but he wanted to  see the ship arrive. 

We drove out to Sakata and found the port. I was surprised how far out of the city it was. There were some booths set up to sell local products to the people on the cruise ship. We had a brief look at them but they were expensive and things that I didn’t need. It might have been nice though if I was on the ship. We were too late to see the ship arrive, but it was cool to see the huge ship up close. 

Norwegian Spirit 

We stayed a few minutes and then left. It was so hot and there was no shade at all. Although I had put on sunscreen before leaving the house and I wore a big hat, I was feeling the sun. F wanted to stop by the other port in Sakata, so we drove there. 

We went into the food court area and looked around. F wanted some food, so he ordered some. I got myself a blueberry lassi at the place I usually order fish and chips at. It was lovely, if a tad expensive.

I saw this sign from the car and got a chuckle at it.
It says,"Falling Love with Squid". 

Next up, we drove back to Tsuruoka. I’m afraid I fell asleep on the way. I suggested that we go and do our grocery shopping before going back to the house. F was okay with that. 

I went into Mina and picked up the food. I forgot to get myself lunch meat, but I’ll survive. I got stuff for dinner for the next couple of days too. I came back to the car and we drove to the house. 

I put the groceries away and then went upstairs. The room was 34 degrees so I’m afraid I did a bit of a strip as I turned on the AC! I also turned on my water pot and later had some tea.

I relaxed for a while. F came upstairs and then decided to feed his mother the bento I bought her. I got her a fish one with her favourite fish so she liked it.

F wanted to go out but he wouldn’t suggest any place for us to go. I finally came up with a couple and F picked one of them. We went over to China House and were lucky enough to get a table.

I ordered the yurinchi - a crispy chicken with a sour sauce with lots of onions on top as a set meal, and F had his favourite yakisoba with five different toppings. He liked his, I really enjoyed mine.

After we finished eating we headed over to Machi-kinema to go and see Paddington In Peru. We drove there and parked, bought our drinks and then our tickets. We ran into an old student of L’Eikaiwa and said hello to her. I remembered her, she wasn’t my student, but we often chatted after classes. 

We watched the movie and it was great. I think the first two movies were better, but this was still really good and I enjoyed it a lot. I did get a little teary in places too. 

We came back to the house after the movie and I came upstairs again. F set up the rice cooker for me and I turned on the AC in the room upstairs.

So, that’s about it. It’s been a pretty good day really. I may have a sunburn, but I don’t think it is very bad as I’m not in pain so that’s good. 

Tomorrow, if I can rouse myself, I plan to go out again to Machi-Kinema and see another movie. If I can’t I’ll have a quiet day at the house I think. Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

July 26, 2025

Saturday - Hot and Sunny

I got up this morning after F took K to her day service. I went downstairs and F came back around then. I said hi to him and then went back upstairs and slept on for a bit.

F joined me for a while on the bed and we talked about where to go for lunch. I came up with a couple of suggestions and F proclaimed that he would never say no to my suggestions. It’s funny…he doesn’t really say no, but he never says yes either. He always gives me “the look” that says how dare I pick that place!

Anyway, the first place I picked was booked up, the second was really busy and had no parking left…so I came up with another idea. I suggested the place in Kushibiki. We were able to get in there which is very cool! We both had yakisoba…mine with mapo-dofu and F had the five things topping.

We came back to Tsuruoka and stopped at a dessert shop. We picked up some ice cream bars for ourselves (very cheap!) and some frozen desserts to keep for a bit longer. 

Back at the house, we ate our ice cream bars and then I brushed my teeth. We got ready and left the house a little late. Yay us. We drove to my dentist’s office and got there about a minute before the time. I checked in and was taken in almost immediately. Basically, they brushed my teeth today. Sigh. They gave another plug for the rinse that they made me buy and then the hygienist brushed my teeth for me. Apparently, my teeth aren’t too bad so they told me to come back in October for a cleaning and a fluoride treatment. Okay, I don’t mind that, maybe. 

I’m really conflicted, I like my dentist, but I don’t like that she’s always trying to sell me things that I don’t need or use. I don’t want the rinse that she is selling. Mint tooth things sets off a gag reflex on me AND I don’t have a “safe” cup in the bathroom that I can use for it. K has no respect for other people’s property so she would use my cup for drinking probably. I’m a bit germ-phobic at times. 

Since I didn’t have any prohibition about drinking, we decided to go for a drink. We went to a local coffee shop and had a couple of cold drinks. I had an ice tea and F had iced coffee. We enjoyed the wifi and the atmosphere for a while and then came back to the house. 

I went upstairs and F stayed downstairs. I relaxed for a while and then K came back to the house. After a bit, F went out to get something for K’s dinner. F had been feeling under the weather since last night, so I had suggested he get some medicine at the drugstore. He forgot!

I let him sleep for a while and then I asked him how he was feeling. He said he was okay. Since I wanted to give his stomach a break, I suggested going for udon at the chain restaurant and pick up some medicine on the way. F liked that idea!

He got his medicine and we went to the udon restaurant. We both wanted cold udon. I had one with meat and grated daikon, F had a salty broth one. We both picked up some tempura to have with our meals. It was a nice choice for dinner, not too expensive and hopefully easy on F’s stomach.

I checked with F again about how he was. I didn’t want to force him to sit through a movie when he didn’t feel good. He said he was okay, so we drove out to Mikawa. There was an ambulance behind us, so F had to pull over when it got close to us. 

We found a parking spot at the mall and went in. We got our tickets and then we got some popcorn and drinks. 

We went to see The Fantastic Four: First Steps tonight and it was a lot of fun. I loved the retro 60’s vibe and the story was fine. The cast seemed to like each other and I just enjoyed it. 

After the movie we got in the car and I checked with F that he was okay to go to Don Qihote where I wanted to go to buy some cereal! He said he was, but when we got out to the main road, he turned the wrong way. Sigh. He ended up doing a U-turn on the empty road to come back the right way! 

We did a little shopping at Donki. I didn’t buy any cereal as they didn’t have any that I wanted. F got himself some ramen and some socks as well as a few other things. I bought some spaghetti as we needed some and the price was good. I did see some earphones in the audio section that looked interesting. They were over the ear ones. I can’t stand things in my ear and these might be just what I am looking for. They were around 6000 yen, so not cheap-cheap, but not too expensive either. I’m thinking of saving up for them. I probably should have taken a picture of the brand name so I could look them up at the house.

We bought our goods and then left for the house. We came straight here and came upstairs and relaxed. I did put the spaghetti in the kitchen!

We had a quiet rest of evening. F went to sleep fairly quickly, I’m still up doing my blogging and other internet stuff. 

Tomorrow we have a meeting with K’s care manager and then we’ll have to do our usual shopping and finishing up the weekend. It should go well if F is feeling okay tomorrow.

Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….