July 25, 2026

Saturday - Cloudy and rainy and humid

I woke up this morning when my alarm went off. F and his mother still were in the house, but they left just after I woke up. I went downstairs and then came back to the room. I went back to bed for a longer snooze. I watched a few videos and then just as I decided to have a nap, F came in the room. It was fine, he had a nap too and we both relaxed for a while.

I suggested going over to Sakata and having Thai food for lunch. We’ve gone to the restaurant a few times and I thought F liked it. However, he grumped about it and wanted to go to the fish place at the ferry port instead. I didn’t want to go there at all. He grudgingly agreed to go to the Thai place. He said that he didn’t think the meat was fresh there. It’s interesting that he has said this about the three ethnic restaurants that I like. I am so bloomin’ tired of Japanese food. It’s boring and frankly, not very good at times. 

I got dressed and then we drove over to Sakata. I took my iPod and so we had some good tunes. For some reason, my iPod kept playing Cliff Richard Christmas songs! I skipped them…it may be 5 months to Christmas today but I’m not starting to play Christmas songs yet!

We got to the restaurant and went in. We ordered and quickly got our food. I had Gapao rice and F had Thai ramen, which of course he didn’t like. I thought mine was very nice. 

On the way out of town, I mentioned that I’d like to go to Kaldi, the import food shop, but told F that I didn’t have to go today, just sometime in the next month. He didn’t take me. He offered to take me to Don Quihote but I didn’t really want to go today.

When we got into Tsuruoka he took us to the Muji store which was fine! We bought some snacks and then came back to the house. 

I turned on the AC and stripped off my outside clothes. I spent time on my computer and relaxed for a bit. F did too until he went downstairs to cook for K. We were supposed to leave the house at 7:30 but didn’t leave until almost 7:45. I wasn’t sure we’d have enough time to go to the restaurant and then get to the cinema.

We went for udon and tempura at the chain restaurant. It was really busy tonight. Luckily, we were 3rd or 4th in line, but it still took a while. I can’t eat noodles quickly, but I did my best. We left the restaurant and then drove to the cinema. By now it was raining. We arrived at Machi-ne Kinema and went in and bought our tickets. F had a free movie ticket so it didn’t cost all that much. We went to see The Smashing Machine with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. It was an okay movie with good performances. 

We came back to the house via the new convenience store that opened. F suggested getting some ice cream and I was okay with that!

Back at the house, it wasn’t so hot upstairs, so I didn’t turn on the AC. F has gone to bed, but I’m still up for the moment. I’ll be getting to bed soon. 

I have no idea what we’ll get up to tomorrow. We might go to the Art Forum, or we might just buy our groceries. I have no idea. Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

July 4, 2026

Saturday - Hot and Sunny

I woke up a little early this morning, but went back to sleep. Then, my alarm went off at 9 am but F and K hadn’t left yet! I got up and went downstairs then came back to the room and sorted out my clothes. I started to get dressed and then F came back into the room. I was getting ready to go and finished. A little while later, F and I left the house and drove over to Cocos. 

We had a lovely (mine) and grudgingly okay (his) breakfast at Cocos. It was good. I had waffles, scrambled eggs, salad, bacon and a sausage and hash browns for breakfast. It was very nice.

 

We left and then started driving out towards Mt. Chokai.  On the way there, F started saying that his shoes were broken and he should get a new pair. Hmm. I suggested going back to the house and changing them out, but instead we ended up at the Mall in Mikawa. F got himself a pair of summer sandals/shoes and after I bought us something to drink, we were on our way again. 

We stopped at a Michi-no-Eki to have a washroom break and to buy a treat at a bakery, then we went further on our way. We ended up most of the way up Mt. Chokai. We stopped to take pictures in a couple of places. I was getting a bit nervous about the time. We’d taken a while to drive out to the mountain and we had to be back at the house by 4:30. F said we could do it. 

We drove back and part of the way used the highway. We stopped into the udon chain restaurant in Tsuruoka so we could get something for our very late lunch. We got take-out and ate it back at the house. 

I headed upstairs to relax and F stayed downstairs to wait for his mother to return. After she came back, he came upstairs and took a nap. 

Around 6 F made dinner for his mother and then we left to have ours. We went to Misono, it was F’s idea and it was fine with me. We ate and I liked mine, F well...same as usual!

We drove over to Machi-ne Kinema but since we were early, went to the drugstore for a while first. I got a drink there, and picked up some pasta sauce and pasta. It’s cheaper at the drugstore. 

Then, we went back to the cinema and went to see The Life of Chuck. We both liked it a lot. I know that not everyone does like it, but I thought it was cool. The cast was amazing, lots of great people like Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Hamill and Karen Gillan.  Mia Sara was in it too and I haven’t seen her in anything in yonks. 

We were on our way back to the house when I asked F if he needed anything for K’s breakfast tomorrow. He decided to go to the big grocery store to get something for her. We drove there, went in and F bought her some fish and a few other things. 

We came back to the house. We came upstairs and F went to bed and fell asleep almost immediately. He’s very tired. He drove a long way today. I’m tired too. I got up earlier than usual, but it was a nice way to spend the day, so I didn’t mind. I’ve always told F that if he makes plans I will get up! I did today. 

I’m not sure what we’ll get up to tomorrow, but if you want to find out too, come back a bit later. Until tomorrow….

June 28, 2026

Sunday - Hot and Sunny

I woke up at a decent time this morning, went downstairs and then came back upstairs and went back for a snooze. F came into the room around 11am and suggested going over to Sakata for lunch at our favourite yakiniku place there. I wasn’t sure that we should do that, but F wanted to. I updated my app for the restaurant and a few minutes later got dressed and off we went. 

We got to the yakiniku place and almost immediately had a fight. We had a coupon for a free plate of beef but F didn’t know how to ring it in the touch panel. He asked a waiter and he explained how to do it, but honestly, I thought it was obvious! We both had bibinba and they were really good. 

After our meal, F asked if I’d like to go to the bakery near the big park. I said fine, but I thought it might be busy again. Sad to say, it was and we couldn’t find parking. We continued on our way.

F took us into to the new shopping area and we went to Kaldi (even though I didn’t really need much). We went over to the Muji store too and both picked up some treats for ourselves. I got some decaf drip coffee which is nice to have. 

We drove back to Tsuruoka and on the way F suggested that we go straight back to the house. He had a headache and wanted to rest. I was okay with that. On the way I asked him if he wanted to go shopping first, but we decided not to. 

Back at the house, I came upstairs and it was hot so I had to turn on the AC. I relaxed with my computer, F came up much later and took a bit of a nap.

He went downstairs and made dinner for his mother. He even brought us both up some of his bifun noodles. They were darn good!

A little later he wanted to go out for dinner. He also talked about going to see the fireflies but then he left without grabbing things like flashlights so I didn’t think it would happen. We didn’t really have a plan for dinner so I suggested either a gyudon shop or a sushi place. We ended up going for sushi. 

Dinner was courtesy of Kappa-Sushi and it was fine. We didn’t have that much actual sushi, more things like fries and onion rings. Still, it was okay. F didn’t like it as usual. I don’t understand how he can dislike everything that we eat at night!

Next up, we went to the grocery store and I went in and did the shopping. I basically only got food for one night as F is taking Tuesday off. He’s got to check in with his surgeon again, the three year anniversary of his knee operation was last week. 

We came back to the house and I put away the groceries. F did some ironing and I went upstairs. I decided to watch some TV so I ended up watching some Apple TV. I watched Margo’s Got Money Troubles and then another episode of Loot. I enjoyed both of them.

I turned off the TV and got stuck into my end of day things. 

Tomorrow, I should maybe do some laundry as I’ll lose my usual laundry day. I might do some mending or some Postcrossing or….Well, who knows. Come back later if you like and hear all about my day. Until tomorrow….

June 14, 2026

Sunday - Hot but a bit muggy

I woke up this morning quite early. F was still in bed, but not asleep. After I went downstairs, I came back to the room and went back to sleep. I woke up a couple of hours later. I dragged myself out of bed and went downstairs and grabbed my yogurt. I brought it back up to the room to add some cereal and then eat my breakfast. F had gotten up a couple of hours earlier and had fed his mother and done some household chores. 

I ate and then dressed. A little while later I went downstairs and we got ready for the social worker’s visit. She arrived on time today and things went well. Things went well but next time she wants to bring people from K’s Day Service and it has to be during the week, so F will have to take time off. Honestly, I do major eye rolls at this whole thing. They are basically going to try and put pressure on me to send K during the week but I am not going to do that. When F finishes work, he can do it if he wants, I don’t want. K won’t go for me, and I don’t care if she does or not!

After the visit, and after I got gifted with the clean up of glasses etc, F and I went out. He wanted to go to some noodle factory in Mikawa. It was closed when we checked it out yesterday…I told him it would be closed today too. I mean, it’s a family business. If they are closed on Saturday they are going to be closed on Sunday too, right? Of course I was right and they were closed. I didn’t gloat overly much.

We went to the mall in Mikawa to have a very late lunch. It was busy and F decided in about 2 seconds what he wanted at McDonald, I did not. He was up at the machine trying to order but I told him I wasn’t ready yet. He basically walked off and refused to order there. I ordered what I decided to have and then paid. I got my order and went looking for F. He’d gone for takoyaki which he said wasn’t that great. He’d also told me that there were people behind me in the line earlier that were complaining about me. I didn’t hear anyone and frankly I don’t care. When I got to the machine there was NO ONE behind me. 

We ate and then left the mall. We went to Don Qihote and did a little shopping. F got some stuff, I got some stuff and some cereal which is what I was looking for. Oh, and some sunscreen. The cereal was cheaper than the grocery store, so woot. 

We got drinks for the drive back to Tsuruoka, paid, and left the store. We went to the next store, Nitori. F’s been looking for cushions for the dining table chairs and we found some there. Honestly, I didn’t think we needed any as the chairs are padded, but summer is coming and the leather/leatherette does get sweaty. 

We  bought the cushions and some hangers for F, then headed back to the car. We drove back to Tsuruoka. 

F wanted to do our grocery shopping before going to the house, so we went to the grocery store and went in and did our shopping. I think I got enough stuff, but I can’t be sure. I got stuff for the next two days, fingers crossed. 

We went back to the house and I got to put the stuff away plus take some of the stuff upstairs. I relaxed for a bit with my computer. 

Around 6:30 or so, F wanted to know about feeding his mother. I was in favour of it! I don’t know why he asks me all the time. Feed your mother.

After he gave her the bento, it was our turn. We talked about a few ideas and then decided to go to Cocos. We drove over there and were seated right away. We got a good table for a change, not a booth. I had carbonara with a salad set and F had a Japanese meal of fish and chicken. He complained about it as usual so that was perfectly normal. I thought our meal was nice.

We left the restaurant and drove to a drugstore. I got to go in and do my shopping in private so that was good. I got personal things and some snacks. I came back to the car and then we came back to the house. 

F took a shower and I went upstairs and watched the finale of The Boys. It was good, but I’m glad it is over. I did tell a friend that she shouldn’t watch it though as I knew it was too violent and bloody for her. 

And, honestly that’s about it for the day. Tomorrow we’re back to our normal lives again. F has a medical check at work and I’ll be cooking dinner again. 

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

June 13, 2026

Saturday - Hot and sunny, muggy

Today was a really nice day which surprised me, but I’m happy that it turned out that way!

I woke up around 7:30 this morning and went downstairs. I went back upstairs, and went back to bed. I tried to sleep and did fall asleep finally. F came back upstairs around 10 am and wouldn’t let me sleep anymore! I got up and went downstairs and took a shower, then came back to the room. I finished getting dressed and then we went out.

F had asked me this morning to try a new restaurant with him. I didn’t know anything about it and honestly, neither did he! We went and we were the only customers at first. The place was very small and they had very small stools up at the bar. F wasn’t sure if I would sit on them but it was okay. I had fried rice with pork, he had ginger pork on rice. Mine was really good, but F complained that his was too salty. He gave me a piece of his pork and it really was salty. 

After our meal, we visited a drugstore for a drink each and the washroom, then we went for a drive. We went quite far and ended up out at Gassan, at the old Bungy-Jumping place. They don’t do bungy jumping now as there was a fatal accident a few years ago. There was a coffee shop and we had an ice cream cone each and then did a little exploring. 

The view from the coffee shop where we were eating our ice cream. Those are grape leaves around the window.

We came back to our area. F wanted to visit a noodle factory so we went there but it was closed. We came back to Tsuruoka and decided to go and have a drink at our local cafe, B-Flat. 

We were in B-Flat for about an hour. I had an iced cafe latte and F had a hot cafe latte. They were nice drinks.

We then came back to the house and relaxed. F waited downstairs for his mother, I came upstairs and chilled with my computer and some YouTube. 

F relaxed and took a bit of a snoozed. He made dinner for his mother sometime after seven pm. Then, it was our turn. We didn’t really think about where to go until after 8 pm. That meant that many of our favourite places would be closed or closing. I did a Google Map search and came up with a few ideas. One idea was Hana, a fish and tonkatsu restaurant. They stayed open until ten according to the app.

We drove over there and we were able to go in and have dinner. F had a keisen-don, or raw fish on rice and I had the tonkatsu. Mine was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. F said his was okay, but not great. 

After our dinner we made a stop at the grocery store and then came back to the house. We came upstairs and relaxed for a bit. F ended up going to sleep, I stayed awake and watched
which was pretty good!

After midnight I’ve started watching YouTube and doing my end of day things. It was a good day today.

Oh, and what K was trying to tell me that she didn’t want to go to Day Service today. F told her that she needs to tell him earlier if she wants a weekend off. There’s a charge for food if she doesn’t go, so we’d be wasting a bit of money. 

Anyway, that’s it for me for today. Tomorrow we have a meeting with K’s social worker and then we’ll have to do the usual grocery shopping. I hope things work out with that.

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

May 6, 2026

Wednesday - Hot and sunny

I woke up reasonably early this morning. I got up and had a chat with F. I asked him how he was and he said he was feeling better. He said that he’d like to go on the road trip that we talked about going on the weekend. The weather was gorgeous and there was no reason not to go!

We got dressed, F popped out to the store to get something for K’s lunch and then we left. F wanted to be on the road by 10 am and we were. We started out before 10!  We did stop at a convenience store so I could get something for my breakfast and we could both get drinks for the car. 

We drove to a place called Takahata, but stopped for a break at Sagae. We had lunch at a roadside stop in Takahata. I had kara-age and F had niku soba. We liked our meals. Yay.

We ended up at an old quarry in Takahata. We walked around and saw a few places where the stone was taken out of the mountain. I asked F what kind of stone it was and he had to translate it. He said it was tuff and I’d never heard of it. I had to look it up and apparently it is stone that comes from volcanic ash. It looked a bit like sandstone, but more porous. 

Marks on a wall that show the cutting measurements.

Close up of the stone. Some people had put coins in the holes!

After visiting the quarry, we went looking for the old railway station building as it was built out of the quarry’s stone. It took a little bit of driving around to find it, but finally we did. There was a lovely park next to it so F parked the car and we walked around the building. The building wasn’t open, and neither were the trains that were outside, but we enjoyed walking around and having a little look in the windows.

The Old Takahata Railway station

We left and F took us to one more place. We went up to a temple. I have no idea what the name of the temple was, but he drove part of the way up the mountain and parked. We walked up to the temple. I wasn’t sure that I could do it. I did it, but I had to send F on ahead as I couldn’t climb at his speed. It was a lovely little temple in the woods on a hill. I don't know why, but I didn't take any photos of it!

On our way down the mountain, we stopped into a little resting room and had drinks. There was a lovely room with air conditioning, vending machines and tables and chairs. Oh, and clean washrooms! F and I sat for a while and just relaxed before going back to the car. We each had a drink in the building and then bought another drink for the car ride back. Honestly, I still had some of my morning drink left, but it wasn’t cold anymore so I wanted a new drink. 

We drove back to Tsuruoka but stopped in Sagae again for a break. We bought some stuff from their bakery, a treat for both of us and then one to bring back for K. I had a custard pie stick and it was lovely. 

On the way back, we talked about dinner and what to do. I suggested checking the restaurant that we go to in Kushibiki, F agreed. When we got there, it was closed.They’d taken today off by the look of it. No worries. I suggested a couple more places to F, one of which was the Chinese restaurant on the other side of the park. We tried it, they were open and we went in. 

Today we shared 3 dishes and it was nice. We had some fried rice with 5 things in it, some gyoza and a pork/egg/wood ear fungus stir-fry thing. It was very good. We left after our meal and then headed to the grocery store.

At Mina we went in and did our shopping. I’m going to do chicken drumsticks tomorrow and have them with salad and a vegetable. I’m not sure if F made rice. I think I mentioned it to him, but he might have forgotten. Oh dear!

We came back to the house and I put away the groceries and then headed upstairs. I had to change my clothes and then I went downstairs and did up the garbage. We haven’t had any garbage pick up this week, so we really needed to get the burnable stuff out today. K had piles of it. I got the garbage from the drain and even cleaned part of the sink for good measure in the kitchen. 

I came back upstairs and relaxed in our room with some Youtube. At 11 pm I watched The Irrational again and it was okay. I’ve been enjoying the show but I’ve heard that it has been cancelled. Sigh. 

F went to bed around midnight and I spent a few minutes with him. This has probably been the best Golden Week that we’ve ever spent together here. I am glad that we got out of Tsuruoka, I wasn’t sure that we would. 

Tomorrow F is back at work, but only for one day! He’s got Friday off for personal stuff. I’ll be cooking dinner and we’ll see what else gets done. I’m planning on some laundry as I haven’t done any in almost a week. 

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