Saturday - Cloudy and cooler
A good day.
I slept in quite late this morning, but there was a reason! I woke up at 6 am because the phone rang. I woke up next time at 10 am when the phone rang again. Ack. I got up, dressed and went upstairs to have breakfast. I can't go into details, but a friend of my hosts had some difficulty last night so there was a reason for the early call.
After lunch and a bit of looking at my niece's homework, we went off to watch my nephew play hockey in Edmonton. He is a good player, but is much bigger than most of the other members of his team. He got three penalties in the game, but apparently only one of them was deserved! His team did win the game though.
We came back to Beaumont and had dinner. Dinner was pizza that was ordered before we left the hockey arena. I can't remember the last time I had delivery pizza! It was good.
Soon afterwards, some guests came over and we had a fire in a fire cage in the yard. Most of the others were drinking, but my sister and I just had water.
The party broke up after midnight and the guests went off home. It was nice to be outside and talking with people about crazy or interesting things. I rarely speak with new people in Japan!
So that is about it. Tomorrow there is another hockey game, but I'm not sure if I'm going to go to that one. The family is also going out for dinner tomorrow night, so that will be exciting. The place we are going is supposed to be one of the top ten restaurants in Canada. How's that for cool?
Come back tomorrow if you are up to it and find out how my Sunday went. Until tomorrow....
Showing posts with label September 2017. Show all posts
Showing posts with label September 2017. Show all posts
September 29, 2017
Friday - Warm and Sunny
A good day.
I didn't sleep too well last night. It was probably too much coffee at dinner, but it could just be me not going to bed early enough either.
I got up this morning, had breakfast and then got dressed and waited for my sister. She was. waiting for me too, so we were a bit late in leaving! She dropped me off at the LRT station and was on her way. I bought my ticket and was on my way soon. I got downtown and decided I would check out the Art Gallery. Unfortunately, the Art Gallery was a tad expensive and there wasn't anything on that I knew about, so I decided to skip it. Instead, I walked through the park and in front of City Hall. I saw this sign commemorating Canada's 150th year, so snapped a picture.
A good day.
I didn't sleep too well last night. It was probably too much coffee at dinner, but it could just be me not going to bed early enough either.
I got up this morning, had breakfast and then got dressed and waited for my sister. She was. waiting for me too, so we were a bit late in leaving! She dropped me off at the LRT station and was on her way. I bought my ticket and was on my way soon. I got downtown and decided I would check out the Art Gallery. Unfortunately, the Art Gallery was a tad expensive and there wasn't anything on that I knew about, so I decided to skip it. Instead, I walked through the park and in front of City Hall. I saw this sign commemorating Canada's 150th year, so snapped a picture.
I went into the mall in Edmonton Centre and tried to find my way around. It took a while to get my bearings, but I finally did. I did a little shopping in some of the shops, tried on some clothes and bought some of them. I had lunch upstairs too. I had poutine and also a Greek wrap that was good.
As it was getting a bit late, I quickly checked out one more shop. I tried on a few things, but only bought one shirt and then left the mall. I had a hard time finding the LRT station, and then the one I did find was quite a long walk. Still, it wasn't bad at all. I got a seat on the next train going my way, and had a nice trip back to Century Park.
My niece arrived just as I got there, so we both had great timing! She drove us back to Beaumont and a little later we all had dinner. We watched a movie later on but after that, everyone was quite tired and went their separate ways. My niece had gone to bed earlier too.
And that is it for today. Tomorrow I have a couple of family things that are going on, in fact, most of this weekend will be family oriented. I don't mind, after all, I hardly ever get to see people in my family.
If I can, I will try and update tomorrow night. Don't wait up for me though! Until tomorrow....
September 28, 2017
Thursday - Warm and Sunny
A good day!
This morning I got up a bit earlier than the last couple of days and went upstairs. My sister had gotten up early because my nephew had an early hockey practice. Poor thing. I didn't get up!
After breakfast and showers, she drove me into the city where she left me at the LRT station. I hopped on the next train and then got off at Southgate. From Southgate Mall, I transferred to a bus and then got off at Whyte Avenue. I did a brief stop at the bank I used to work at, but then walked down the road. It was quite amazing to see all the differences, even just in the last two years.
My brother in law had recommended a restaurant to me, so I went there and tried it out. I quite liked it, although I enjoyed the starters a lot more than I enjoyed the main course. I had Chicken Masala Perogies to start (just a half order) and then Chicken and Waffles with a kimchee coleslaw. It was okay, but not great to be honest. The waffle got quite soggy and there wasn't a big enough difference between the spicy and the sweet of the dish. Still, it wasn't terrible! Here's a couple of pictures!
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| Chicken Masala Perogies/half size |
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| Chicken and Waffles |
For the rest of the day, I explored Whyte Avenue. The weather was really amazing, and it was lovely to be out and about in my old stomping ground. I even went to look at my old apartments. Of course, I couldn't see in them, but I went to the outside of the buildings and they really haven't changed that much!
I stopped at a Second Cup for a cup of tea and a bit of a rest. During the day I bought some books at the Wee Book Inn, got some stuff at a drug store and at a bulk food shop. I also got a few souvenirs at the Chapters bookstore.
I had to hurry along the street a bit to get to the restaurant in time for our reservation, but just made it! However, my friend was running late because of a transit problem. She wasn't very late though.
When we met it was great! We were in The Continental Treat, a restaurant that we've been meeting up at for the last few years when we get together. It is a lovely European restaurant with great service and amazing food.
We had mostly the same food during the evening. We both started with the famous Dill Pickle Soup which is really incredible. We followed it up with Pork Wiener Schnitzel with pan-fried potatoes. My friend says that it is the closest she can get to Ton-katsu in Edmonton. For dessert, we shared two desserts, the Chocolate Brownie and the Chocolate Torte. We had them with coffee. It was so good.
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| Dill Pickle Soup--yum! |
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| Pork Wiener Schnitzel |
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| Chocolate Torte |
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| Chocolate Brownie |
We did burn off some of the calories by walking over to the University LRT stop. I was earlier than I had said I would be to my family, so I phoned my sister and talked to my nephew to let them know that I was going to be early. Happily, my brother in law was already on his way. I caught a train and about 10 minutes later I was at the meeting place. I didn't see his vehicle anywhere, so thought I'd wait closer to the lights when I heard someone yell my name. It was my BIL!
We drove back to Beaumont and had a good natter in the vehicle. When we go to the house we watched TV for a little while and then went to our respective bedrooms. I'm still up much, much later!
Tomorrow I may go shopping again as there are a few things I'd like to pick up, or I may stay at my sister's house and help her clean. Ha ha ha!
That's it for me. Come back on Friday night and see what I get up to. Until tomorrow....
September 27, 2017
Wednesday - Sunny and Warm
A good day.
I overslept again today. I didn't have quite as many problems falling asleep last night, but it still took a while. I am not sure what is going on with that!
I got up finally and had coffee and breakfast. After showers for both of us, my sister and I went into Edmonton. We went to Cabelo's, a store for outdoor people. I got a couple of things for my hubby and a few things for my MIL. Yay me. I'm so nice. My sister bought a few things too.
We visited another store in the area too and then came back to Beaumont. We ate lunch. I had a frozen entree lunch, which was a little spicy, but very good. It was Thai. My nephew came home soon after lunch and the rest of the day was a bit of a blur. I did a bunch of laundry. I washed a lot of my new clothes. The good thing is that I'll be able to take them in to be hemmed soon after I get back and won't have to wait until I wash and dry them there.
Dinner was grilled chicken breasts with baked potatoes and salad. My sister is a very good cook when she wants to be!!
I watched some TV with my family, chiefly Jeopardy and Criminal Minds and then came downstairs where I have been ever since. I should try and have an earlier night tonight as I'm going out tomorrow. I'll be doing my visit to my old stomping grounds in the city. Hope it doesn't get too cold at night!
Come back in a while and see how my Thursday goes. Until tomorrow....
A good day.
I overslept again today. I didn't have quite as many problems falling asleep last night, but it still took a while. I am not sure what is going on with that!
I got up finally and had coffee and breakfast. After showers for both of us, my sister and I went into Edmonton. We went to Cabelo's, a store for outdoor people. I got a couple of things for my hubby and a few things for my MIL. Yay me. I'm so nice. My sister bought a few things too.
We visited another store in the area too and then came back to Beaumont. We ate lunch. I had a frozen entree lunch, which was a little spicy, but very good. It was Thai. My nephew came home soon after lunch and the rest of the day was a bit of a blur. I did a bunch of laundry. I washed a lot of my new clothes. The good thing is that I'll be able to take them in to be hemmed soon after I get back and won't have to wait until I wash and dry them there.
Dinner was grilled chicken breasts with baked potatoes and salad. My sister is a very good cook when she wants to be!!
I watched some TV with my family, chiefly Jeopardy and Criminal Minds and then came downstairs where I have been ever since. I should try and have an earlier night tonight as I'm going out tomorrow. I'll be doing my visit to my old stomping grounds in the city. Hope it doesn't get too cold at night!
Come back in a while and see how my Thursday goes. Until tomorrow....
September 26, 2017
Tuesday - Sunny and Warm
A good day.
Last night after I blogged, I watched the first episode of Game of Thrones and then I watched a bit of TV. It had come back while I was watching the DVD.
Then, I tried to go to sleep. I failed miserably. I couldn't fall asleep. I finally turned the light on again around 4 am and read a magazine for a bit. Then, I tried again and finally managed. I slept through my alarms and dragged myself out of bed around 9:45 again. Yikes.
I had breakfast. My lucky nephew didn't have school today, so his mother decided to take us into the city and have his hockey skates sharpened. We went after lunch.
My sister dropped off the skates and then we went to Canadian Tire to have a look around. I looked for stuff to buy, but I didn't find anything! She picked up a few small things though. On the way out of the store, the store alarm went off. My sister figured it was me that set it off and fairly soon we worked out that it was something in my purse. Apparently, the medicine that I had picked up last week had a magnetic tag on it that the sales clerk hadn't deactivated properly. It's kind of funny because everywhere I went for the last few days I heard alarms go off, but thought that it was for someone else. I will take the medicine out of my purse now.
We came back to my sister's house and relaxed a bit. My nephew got himself into a bit of trouble for being mouthy and my niece FaceTimed us which was nice. I'll see her on Friday I think.
My sister cooked dinner a little while later and then we ate as a family. Her husband came home during the cooking. We had steak done on the barbecue and boiled potatoes with salad and raw veggies. It was yum.
We watched a little TV and then I came downstairs to check out my email and to blog.
If we have time tomorrow, my sister and I may go into the city for a bit to see if I can find some of my "stuff" at a shop they are recommending. I hope that happens.
That's it for me for today. Come back on Wednesday if you will and see what I get up to! Until tomorrow....
A good day.
Last night after I blogged, I watched the first episode of Game of Thrones and then I watched a bit of TV. It had come back while I was watching the DVD.
Then, I tried to go to sleep. I failed miserably. I couldn't fall asleep. I finally turned the light on again around 4 am and read a magazine for a bit. Then, I tried again and finally managed. I slept through my alarms and dragged myself out of bed around 9:45 again. Yikes.
I had breakfast. My lucky nephew didn't have school today, so his mother decided to take us into the city and have his hockey skates sharpened. We went after lunch.
My sister dropped off the skates and then we went to Canadian Tire to have a look around. I looked for stuff to buy, but I didn't find anything! She picked up a few small things though. On the way out of the store, the store alarm went off. My sister figured it was me that set it off and fairly soon we worked out that it was something in my purse. Apparently, the medicine that I had picked up last week had a magnetic tag on it that the sales clerk hadn't deactivated properly. It's kind of funny because everywhere I went for the last few days I heard alarms go off, but thought that it was for someone else. I will take the medicine out of my purse now.
We came back to my sister's house and relaxed a bit. My nephew got himself into a bit of trouble for being mouthy and my niece FaceTimed us which was nice. I'll see her on Friday I think.
My sister cooked dinner a little while later and then we ate as a family. Her husband came home during the cooking. We had steak done on the barbecue and boiled potatoes with salad and raw veggies. It was yum.
We watched a little TV and then I came downstairs to check out my email and to blog.
If we have time tomorrow, my sister and I may go into the city for a bit to see if I can find some of my "stuff" at a shop they are recommending. I hope that happens.
That's it for me for today. Come back on Wednesday if you will and see what I get up to! Until tomorrow....
September 25, 2017
Monday - Sunny and Warm
A good day.
I had a great weekend with my BFF. She and I have known each other since we were 15 and spent the weekend shopping, eating, swimming and going to see The Princess Bride. It was amazing to see it on the big screen again! It was hard to come back to reality today, so I didn't!
I slept in today at my sister's house. I think that means I'm getting over my jetlag. Yay for that. I dragged myself out of bed around 9:45 and went upstairs. I had breakfast and a little later did about 30 minutes on her treadmill.
We did some grocery shopping at the local shop and then came back to her house and had lunch. I had a brand new bagel...yum yum yum. Soon after that, she left to pick up her son.
She planned to take him into the city tonight to get him some new clothes. He needed new dress shirts, shoes and jeans. He's only twelve years old, but is big and tall for his age. I didn't find anything for myself in the Menswear store, but I got myself a pair of runners in the shoe store and found quite a few great things in Mark's Work Wearhouse. I got a pair of pants, a set of pyjamas and a couple of pairs of socks too. Yay me.
We came back to Beaumont and Van made dinner. It was quite nice...we had ancient grains pasta with Alfredo sauce and some veggies in the mix. We watched the Star Trek episode that we weren't able to record all of last night and then the next one too. This is the new Star Trek, Discovery. It has potential I think.
Somehow the regular cable is out tonight. I checked the website, and they are working on it, but don't know when it'll be fixed. My nephew's school also has a problem! Today when they were working on the water pipes, one broke. They don't know if they will be able to fix them overnight or not. If they aren't able to fix it, the school will cancel classes tomorrow. My nephew is quite hopeful of that! We won't know until 6:30 am however.
Since I can't watch my regular crazy TV, I'm going to put on the first episode of Game of Thrones and see how it is. I've heard so much about it that I really want to check it out.
Come back later if you like and hear all about my news from the day. Until tomorrow....
September 24, 2017
My internet isn't working in the computer so I will try to update later!
[Sorry, never did get around to updating this. I had a busy day.]
[Sorry, never did get around to updating this. I had a busy day.]
September 21, 2017
Thursday - Cold and Rainy
A good day.
I had a bit of a bad night last night. I didn't go to bed until quite late, around 2 am. I woke up at 5:30 and wasn't able to fall asleep again at all. I did try.
I dragged myself out of bed a bit after 7 and had some coffee and cereal as I said goodbye to my nephew. My sister did a work out and then the two of us headed into the city. She dropped me off at the mall and I spent the next couple of hours shopping. I didn't buy a lot today, but I did get another bra and then after lunch I found a couple more things. I got a shirt and a pair of shorts for next summer for under 20 dollars. I thought that was a good deal. Lunch was nice today too, I had Greek food from the food court and it wasn't bad.
I wanted to shop a little more, but my sister was due to pick me up so I went to the meeting place, and there she was! She drove me and her son back to Beaumont.
We had a good but quiet evening. I helped my nephew with his homework a bit, did a little cooking and did some laundry too. It was quite a good time.
After my brother in law came back from work we were all settled in on the couch but I could tell I was fading. I came downstairs to get ready for tomorrow and visiting with a friend.
Unfortunately I won't be able to update for the next couple of days, but please don't worry. I should be back on Sunday night. Come back then and find out about my weekend. Until Sunday....
A good day.
I had a bit of a bad night last night. I didn't go to bed until quite late, around 2 am. I woke up at 5:30 and wasn't able to fall asleep again at all. I did try.
I dragged myself out of bed a bit after 7 and had some coffee and cereal as I said goodbye to my nephew. My sister did a work out and then the two of us headed into the city. She dropped me off at the mall and I spent the next couple of hours shopping. I didn't buy a lot today, but I did get another bra and then after lunch I found a couple more things. I got a shirt and a pair of shorts for next summer for under 20 dollars. I thought that was a good deal. Lunch was nice today too, I had Greek food from the food court and it wasn't bad.
I wanted to shop a little more, but my sister was due to pick me up so I went to the meeting place, and there she was! She drove me and her son back to Beaumont.
We had a good but quiet evening. I helped my nephew with his homework a bit, did a little cooking and did some laundry too. It was quite a good time.
After my brother in law came back from work we were all settled in on the couch but I could tell I was fading. I came downstairs to get ready for tomorrow and visiting with a friend.
Unfortunately I won't be able to update for the next couple of days, but please don't worry. I should be back on Sunday night. Come back then and find out about my weekend. Until Sunday....
September 20, 2017
Wednesday - cold and rainy
A good day.
I had a very strange night last night. I fell asleep in bed without taking my medicine and then woke up at 2 with the TV blaring away. I got up, took my cold medicine and then couldn't sleep for ages. Finally around 3:30 I turned off the TV and went to sleep. This morning, my alarm went off at 7:15, but I turned it off and finally dragged myself out of bed at 8:30 or so.
Today my sister and I went into West Edmonton Mall and did a little shopping. We went to a speciality bra shop if you want to know the details and we each bought something. We also went and looked at the version of the hundred yen shop in the mall. It was okay, but not as much fun as the real thing!
We came back to Beaumont and I bought us lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. My sister had noodle soup and I had noodles with salad and meat. I quite liked mine, she said hers was okay. We came back to the house for a while, then she picked up her son.
We had a bit of a chat, but later on, I got tired and came downstairs and took a long nap. I woke up quite a bit later. Everyone else had had dinner already, so I grabbed some leftovers and had them.
I joined the others in the living room and we watched a bit of TV. We went our separate ways between 9:30 and 10:00. I came downstairs and have been checking websites and blogging ever since.
I'm not sure what I'll get up to tomorrow. I might go into the city again and do a little bit of shopping. I didn't bring a whole lot of clothes. I know I can wash the ones I have here, but I'd like to get a few new things anyway!
Come back on Thursday and see what is up. Until tomorrow....
A good day.
I had a very strange night last night. I fell asleep in bed without taking my medicine and then woke up at 2 with the TV blaring away. I got up, took my cold medicine and then couldn't sleep for ages. Finally around 3:30 I turned off the TV and went to sleep. This morning, my alarm went off at 7:15, but I turned it off and finally dragged myself out of bed at 8:30 or so.
Today my sister and I went into West Edmonton Mall and did a little shopping. We went to a speciality bra shop if you want to know the details and we each bought something. We also went and looked at the version of the hundred yen shop in the mall. It was okay, but not as much fun as the real thing!
We came back to Beaumont and I bought us lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. My sister had noodle soup and I had noodles with salad and meat. I quite liked mine, she said hers was okay. We came back to the house for a while, then she picked up her son.
We had a bit of a chat, but later on, I got tired and came downstairs and took a long nap. I woke up quite a bit later. Everyone else had had dinner already, so I grabbed some leftovers and had them.
I joined the others in the living room and we watched a bit of TV. We went our separate ways between 9:30 and 10:00. I came downstairs and have been checking websites and blogging ever since.
I'm not sure what I'll get up to tomorrow. I might go into the city again and do a little bit of shopping. I didn't bring a whole lot of clothes. I know I can wash the ones I have here, but I'd like to get a few new things anyway!
Come back on Thursday and see what is up. Until tomorrow....
September 19, 2017
Tuesday - Snowy, rainy and cold
A good day!
So how do I know I'm in Canada? It snowed this morning!Yes, September and it snowed. It didn't stay on the ground that long, but it snowed!
I woke up quite early this morning, around 7 am. I got up and stayed up the rest of the day. After my sister took my nephew to school, we had breakfast. I had cereal and yogurt. Doesn't that sound familiar?
My sister did a work out and I took a shower. When we were both finished, we went out to run some errands. I went to the bank and did a lot of things there, then went to the drugstore and finally to the grocery store with my sister. I got a few things for me to eat and helped her with her shopping too. We had decided to make meatloaf for dinner for tonight because we could have leftovers for tomorrow too.
We came back to my sister's house and then had our late lunch. After that she peeled the potatoes and looked up a meatloaf recipe for me. I looked up one for Brussels sprouts too. She picked up her son and we all chatted for a while. She had to take young Z off to a hockey practice, so I stayed in and cooked. I had made the meatloaf earlier, but I baked it and then did the Brussels sprouts and boiled the potatoes.
Everything finished before anyone else was home! I had to look at all my lovely food being ready! Finally, my brother in law came back and we chatted until the others came in. We had a really good dinner. The food was good, happy to say, and we were all full afterwards. By this time, it was almost 10 pm and I was getting quite tired. I decided to go downstairs. I probably won't go to bed for a while, but I really need some rest. Jet lag is setting in, but I'm fighting it a bit. I didn't nap at all today. I did take some cold medicine however.
Tomorrow we might go into the big city and see what kind of trouble we can get into there! We have a goal in mind, I hope that we are able to meet it.
Come back on Wednesday if you like and see what I get up to. Until tomorrow....
A good day!
So how do I know I'm in Canada? It snowed this morning!Yes, September and it snowed. It didn't stay on the ground that long, but it snowed!
I woke up quite early this morning, around 7 am. I got up and stayed up the rest of the day. After my sister took my nephew to school, we had breakfast. I had cereal and yogurt. Doesn't that sound familiar?
My sister did a work out and I took a shower. When we were both finished, we went out to run some errands. I went to the bank and did a lot of things there, then went to the drugstore and finally to the grocery store with my sister. I got a few things for me to eat and helped her with her shopping too. We had decided to make meatloaf for dinner for tonight because we could have leftovers for tomorrow too.
We came back to my sister's house and then had our late lunch. After that she peeled the potatoes and looked up a meatloaf recipe for me. I looked up one for Brussels sprouts too. She picked up her son and we all chatted for a while. She had to take young Z off to a hockey practice, so I stayed in and cooked. I had made the meatloaf earlier, but I baked it and then did the Brussels sprouts and boiled the potatoes.
Everything finished before anyone else was home! I had to look at all my lovely food being ready! Finally, my brother in law came back and we chatted until the others came in. We had a really good dinner. The food was good, happy to say, and we were all full afterwards. By this time, it was almost 10 pm and I was getting quite tired. I decided to go downstairs. I probably won't go to bed for a while, but I really need some rest. Jet lag is setting in, but I'm fighting it a bit. I didn't nap at all today. I did take some cold medicine however.
Tomorrow we might go into the big city and see what kind of trouble we can get into there! We have a goal in mind, I hope that we are able to meet it.
Come back on Wednesday if you like and see what I get up to. Until tomorrow....
September 19, 2017. Morning
Just a quick update to say that I made it safely to Canada. I have a cold, but I'll be better soon!
The flight over was great, the plane was nearly empty and I managed to have a bit of a snooze on the plane. Customs and Immigration in Vancouver was fine too.
I will try and update more later!
The flight over was great, the plane was nearly empty and I managed to have a bit of a snooze on the plane. Customs and Immigration in Vancouver was fine too.
I will try and update more later!
September 17, 2017
Sunday - Rainy and very windy
A goodish day.
F and I slept in very late today. We didn’t have any plans really. I did wake up early and checked the website of my airline, but there wasn’t any news. We finally roused ourselves in the afternoon. I suggested a few restaurants. F got a bit testy with me but finally decided on one of them. We went to Hyakkenbori with his mother and it was a good choice I think.
We had a lovely meal in the restaurant looking over the lake and university grounds. I had chicken and the others had fish. We were all quite pleased in the end.
We came back to the house and I spent some time going through my handbag and taking things out. I put a few things in too, like my passport!
After a while, I made a suggestion to F that we go out for coffee and some wifi, then go to a grocery store and bring back things for dinner. He liked that idea. That is basically what we did.
It was nice to have dinner at the house with K. We had a lot of food, I chose roast beef and a small quiche for K & I. I also suggested a hot salad, which went over very well, plus a bit of kabocha salad. F picked up a shrimp dog for himself and a couple of packets of pork on rice. That was quite good too.
After dinner, F did the dishes and I dried them. We came upstairs and I read the internet and tried to find out about the typhoon. It is still coming this way. Some of the early flights at our local airport have been cancelled, but hopefully, my flight will be okay. If it isn’t, I might have to rebook the trip over.
We came upstairs and I took a shower fairly soon. When I was done, I printed off my boarding passes and checked my suitcase. I opened it up, took a few things out and put a big sweater in. Everyone says how cold it is right now.
At one point I told F off because he kept telling me about the cancellations and I didn’t want to hear it! I had asked him to try to rebook my ticket to fly out today, but he wouldn’t, so I’m just a little bit grumpy at him.
I watched a bit of TV and have been trying to keep up with the storm. I hope things go well tomorrow. If they do I won’t be updating for a bit. Wish me luck with that! Until I write again….
September 16, 2017
Saturday - Sunny and warm
A good day.
F and his mother went to the onsen this morning, which left me the house. Woohoo! Not really. I did a little bit of chore stuff and even did a load of laundry so that I wouldn’t come back to a huge mound of clothes!
I really didn’t feel that well today, especially in the morning. When I first woke up, the room was spinning and I had to keep my eyes closed for a bit. Yikes. I am not sick. I am NOT sick. Repeat until true.
F came back around 10 and immediately wanted to talk about lunch. I suggested a couple of ideas and he actually liked one. I thought it might be fun to go to the Grand El Sun since that is where we had our wedding. Today was the second of our anniversaries of course. He liked that idea…but we both took naps. I woke up after 12. We invited K along for lunch and were able to get a table. We had a very nice lunch. I had the chicken lunch, F had the fish lunch and K had the curry lunch. It was all nice.
On the way back to the house, we stopped in at a drugstore for a few necessities and then went back to the house.
F and I took another nap upstairs and then went out to get K something for dinner. We delivered it and then drove to Mikawa. We hit up the hundred yen shop for some little things and then went over to the mall. At the mall, we bought our movie tickets first and then had dinner. We each had bibimba and they were good. When we finished, we did a little window shopping. I told F that I just wanted to look, I didn’t really want to buy anything, and I didn’t.
We went to see Alien: Covenant and I liked it. I’m not sure that F did that much. I jumped a lot, liked some of the discussions they had and the general idea of the piece.
We came back to Tsuruoka after the movie and back to the house. I’ve watched a TV show that I DVR’d today and am trying to decide what to do. There’s a storm warning for our local airport for the day I fly out. I might be able to fly out tomorrow if there is a seat, but then I’d have to find a hotel in Tokyo or area for tomorrow night. That could be a bit tricky and expensive. Sigh.
So, if there is no update tomorrow night, you’ll hopefully understand that I am not here! I am supposed to leave for Canada on Monday night if the typhoon doesn’t come up here. Wish me luck with that, please!
Come back soon. I hope to be able to update from Canada. Until tomorrow…?
September 15, 2017
Friday - Colder and rainy
A good day.
We were woken up a little early today by the warning sound from our phones. Yes, today North Korea sent another missile over Northern Japan. At least they waited until 7 am to do it…only a few minutes earlier than we had to wake up. I switched on the news and then stayed up for a change. F went off to work.
I watched the news and the first part of my silly teen drama then went downstairs and had breakfast. Unusually, I didn’t see K at all. I cleaned up the kitchen from F’s big bread making of the day before. He’d left everything as it was when he took the bread out of the machine. I got the table tidy again, put away the dishes in the drainer and wiped off the table. K still hadn’t appeared, so I ate in the kitchen. I washed those dishes and then went back upstairs.
I watched some TV off the DVR and did a bit of stuff on the internet. I worked on packing my backpack or at least deciding what I should put in it. When it was around 12:45, I went down again to see about lunch. K was finally moving around but she refused lunch. No problems. I had some soup, salad, and cut up chicken breast too. I brought it all upstairs and ate up here. I turned on the TV and discovered that NHK was running August Rush, a film that I just love, so I was a happy camper! I watched the film and after I finished lunch, I put a few last minute things in my suitcase.
F visited the house for a few minutes after 3 and brought me an ice cream. Actually, he brought two, but I asked if we could share one since I didn’t want to have too much food/milk.
F got back around 5:45 tonight and we discussed what to do with ourselves. I mentioned the Internet Cafe and he was okay with that. He suggested going to a Gyudon Shop for dinner and I was okay with that. We took K with us and had a nice and quite cheap meal, then brought her home again.
F and I went to the Internet Cafe and were lucky enough to get massaging chairs. We spent the next 3 hours there. I watched regular TV, got to see the ER where Mark and Elizabeth get married, and then Castle which was really good as usual.
After our 3 hours were up, we came back to the house. It’s quite chilly here, but things have been friendly. I’m getting things ready for going to Canada. I’ve given F a schedule for my TV recording as I can only schedule things a week in advance. I’m sure he’ll forget about it, but it isn’t that big of a deal. Many of the shows I like have just finished for the season, so there’s only a few that he “must” DVR for me!
Anyway, the day started strangely but seemed to be a fairly good one. I think that F has realized that I really am going away so he’s being quite nice to me! Ha!
I’m not sure what we’ll get up to on Saturday, we might see a movie or we might stay in. Hopefully, I’ll be able to blog tomorrow night, so come on back and find out about my day. Until tomorrow….
September 14, 2017
Thursday - Cloudy, sunny and then rainy
A better day.
I woke up this morning because F had gotten up, left the room, but left his alarm clock on. I wasn’t very pleased.
I thought things were okay, but there was great wailing at his health condition so he wasn’t willing to talk to me at all. I suggested that he go to a doctor but I was shot down.
He was quite nasty when he wasn’t sleeping, so I left him alone and went down to have breakfast with K. That done, I came back upstairs and spent some time on my computer.
F snoozed for a while which was good for him. However, when he woke up he was still really grumpy. I suggested going for a walk, but he wasn’t interested yet.
He had set up the bread maker and made some bread. I had a piece, but there was something off about the whole thing. I finished my piece but worried that it wasn’t very good. I don’t think the ingredients were bad, but something wasn’t right.
He went back to sleep and I ended up taking a nap too. Emotional days drain me. I never did go down to have lunch today, I ate one piece of bread, and later on a cup pasta thing.
F asked around 4 pm if I’d like to go for a walk but it was my favourite time to watch the news, so I turned him down. Then, I asked if he’d mind waiting until 4:30ish as the news would be over then. He agreed.
We went for a walk around the park, just once around, but it was good. It let someone burn off some energy and l got to breathe fresh air. Yay. F fell at one point though because he was trying to do some weird skipping thing and put his foot down wrong.
We went back to the house and both of us were much more friendly and nice to each other. We popped out to get K some food and then took quick showers and got dressed up.
F had booked us a table at a nice place in town, but he hadn’t realized that they had moved! I knew but he didn’t really believe me until he called the owners to see where they were.
We went to Bardet and had a fabulous meal. We had bacon salad, carpaccio, roast duck and french fries. Everything was very good and we were quite stuffed.
After we left, we went to another izakaya that F knew many years ago. It had changed a lot and the woman running it was different. She liked to ask me questions about myself! This izakaya or snack was okay. We stayed there about an hour but wasn’t that great.
When we left the snack it was raining quite hard. We walked to the station and got wet. After a few minutes wait, a taxi came and we came back to the house.
F was really tired and went to bed soon after we arrived back. I’m falling asleep over my keyboard, so will have to end this before it happens! It became a much better day but I’m just not sure why F keeps getting angry at me for not liking the food that he does.
[edited on Sept 15 because some things I wrote didn't make sense at all!]
September 13, 2017
Wednesday-Cloudy and rainy
More of the same.
This morning before F left for work he was almost friendly in the five minutes I talked to him. I thought things were picking up.
I had a fairly normal day. I had breakfast with K and then did the dishes, came back upstairs. Today I didn’t do a whole lot of stuff, but I did a few things like making more of my CDs and packed a few more things in my suitcase. I also put my two suitcases together and weighed them. I think I’m still safe, but I have to be careful now.
I offered K lunch, but she said she was full, so I grabbed the stuff that I bought for myself and had it upstairs. It was nice actually.
I watched quite a bit of TV today. I watched Agents of Shield season 4. I have one episode left and hopefully, I can get it watched before I leave. It was great.
F was late tonight and he didn’t call before he came back to the house. That’s a bad sign. I tried to talk to him but he wasn’t interested in talking to me. I tried, I really did. I told him I’d leave him for a bit to rest.
A few minutes later he left to go to the grocery store and get food for his mother. I had an idea of a place to go tonight, but when he came back he started undressing again. I asked him if he’d like to go for sushi, he said no. He said he’d brought food back for himself and his mother. He’d brought some soba and a bento. I demanded some money from him so that I could go and get my own food. He handed over a thousand yen note. How nice.
I took myself off to the grocery store too. I hate the store near here…much too small…I got some frozen pasta since most of the deli foods weren’t my thing. I also got a few meatballs. I biked back to the house.
I went into the kitchen and heated up my food and then ate it there. K came in while I was eating to wash up, but didn’t say anything to me. Good thing too.
After I did the dishes and came upstairs I set up the curtain and closed the door on the bedroom. I’ve been watching TV with headphones on for most of the evening, save the bit when I took a shower.
Tomorrow is one of our anniversaries. F has the day off and he’s made a reservation for dinner, but I’m really not sure if it is worth going. I’ve had enough bad times with him. I suggested that he go to a doctor soon as he’s having some health issues again.
Anyway, I may or may not post tomorrow night. It completely depends on whether I have a good time on my anniversary or not. Wish me luck with that. Until tomorrow….
September 12, 2017
Tuesday - Cloudy and then very rainy
A mixed day.
When I first woke up this morning, F was awake and reading his phone in bed. I went back to sleep. When I woke up later I got up and put on the news and heated up some water for my tea. He left to go to the bank after a bit.
We had an okay morning. I brought in yesterday’s laundry, had a bit of a nap and then F came back. We did a little shopping for his mother, brought some stuff back for her lunch and dinner.
We drove to Sakata and met up with my friend and her baby. We talked a lot and had a great time. The baby was really good and didn’t create a fuss or anything. We did a bit of our women’s group housekeeping and also had a nice lunch.
After a while, she left to go home and we left too. I was hoping for Starbucks, but we stopped first at the Sankyo Warehouses for me to buy some postcards. I picked up a few, forgot to buy some of others though. F wanted to go off and buy cake somewhere and then as we drove through the city I saw a post office and I went in. I sent a card to someone and also bought a Gotochi card that had been discontinued earlier. When we found the cake store it was closed. I didn’t mind really. Next up was nashi. F wanted to buy some more, and I was along for the ride. We got to the farm, F bought fruit and I stayed in the car. Why? Well, every time I go to Canada they ask me if I’ve visited a farm recently. I wanted to be able to say no!
I was very sleepy on the way back from the farm, so I completely missed the fact that we skipped Starbucks. F turned around and we drove back to Starbucks and had a scone and a regular coffee each. It was all very nice until someone asked me what I’d like for dinner. It wasn’t even 5 pm yet, I wasn’t hungry and I had no idea what restaurants were around. I tried to start a discussion with F about where to go and it turned into an argument. Of course, he wanted to go for a) ramen or b) something at the port and I said no. I told him that I would stay in the car while he went in. I wouldn’t care.
We left Starbucks and basically I was ranted at for the next hour or so about how selfish I was for not picking a restaurant (when I wasn’t hungry) and how I always say no to the places he wants to go. Not true, and he knows it. He did drive out to the port, but for some reason, he didn’t eat there. I’m not sure if the restaurants were closed or what. I stayed in the car, but he walked all over the port. Surprised myself by not really caring all that much.
We stopped at the Mikawa Mall so someone could use the washroom and I decided to use it too. When I finished I hung around outside waiting for him. I waited about 15 minutes and didn’t see him. Then I thought that he’d probably gone back to the car, so I walked out of the mall. He was sitting in the car.
I suggested a restaurant behind the mall. He said he didn’t like it. I told him I didn’t care. He said he wouldn’t go in. I told him to forget it. He drove back to Tsuruoka and then into Fujishima to a drive-in that he likes. We had dinner there. It was okay, but certainly not a fabulous meal. I wasn’t really that hungry, my stomach was tying itself in knots all night because of him and his nastiness.
We drove back to Tsuruoka and I told him I needed to go to a supermarket. We went to one but it was raining torrentially. He let me off near the door which was nice. I got some stuff and we left and came back to the house.
Things have been okay-ish since then but I am quite upset and I really don’t know what to do. Or maybe I do know what to do and I’m just afraid of taking that step.
Come back later if you dare and see what I get up to on Wednesday. Until tomorrow….
September 11, 2017
Monday - Cloudy and rainy and muggy
A good day.
I got up this morning and did my usual things. I filled up my water pot and had a couple of cups of tea. I sorted my laundry so I could wash it after breakfast.
I had breakfast with K, just cereal again, but it was nice. I did the dishes and then did my laundry. While my clothes were washing, I also worked on my packing. I hope I can pack enough of the things I want to take with me!
I did lunch today with K as well, it was our leftover nabe from Friday and I heated it up. It was rather good, and it was nice to have something warm again.
In the afternoon I did a few things upstairs, including working on my suitcase. I watched a bit of TV, I made some labels for my suitcase and I sent off an email to a friend. Oh, I also did some moderating work.
F called to say he’d be late, and he was. He didn’t come home until after 6:30. We decided to go and see a movie tonight, so had to get K something for her dinner. We did that, delivered it, and then had to see about our dinner.
Tonight, I suggested going to the place near the main post office. F likes it and it isn’t too expensive. They use local ingredients too. We went and for ages were the only customers. I had kara-age and F had a curry dish. His looked really good, mine was okay.
We finished up our day by going to see a movie at Machinaka Kinema. It was a Ken Loach film called “I, Daniel Blake”. It was good, as his films usually are, and quite funny in places, but also sad. I think we both liked it a lot. It was a bit about the rat race of being unemployed and needing benefits but not being able to get them because of bureaucracy.
We came back to the house and I spent a few minutes preparing the plastic garbage to go out. I even took it out to the garage and sorted out what was there. I came back in and after a bit of telly went and took my shower.
Really, that’s about it for today. I wrote a few postcard entries on my other blog so that I could leave it for a while. It’s hard to believe that this time next week I’ll be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Crazy!
Anyway, F is off work tomorrow and we have plans so I must away. Come back Tuesday night and see what I get up to. Until tomorrow….
September 10, 2017
Sunday - Rainy but clearing later on.
A good day.
We slept in this morning and it was nice. I woke up around and then 9 and then somewhere close to noon. F and I talked early on about going out for breakfast, but we were too close to the deadline so I went back to sleep.
Finally, I got up and got dressed. We all went out for lunch to Naa and it was really nice. We got put in a small room in the back that we’d never seen before, but it was private and nice. We enjoyed our meal a lot.
F and I brought K back to the house and then spent some time searching for my shoes, but we didn’t find them. Sigh. After that, the two of us went out for a while.
We drove to House Kiyokawa and went to Cafe Studio Cinq. We had a coffee and a cream puff each, which was really nice. We spent some time using the wifi and then left. I bought a few souvenirs from the shop that were made in Tsuruoka, then we went off to the grocery store.
F and I picked up something for K’s dinner and came back to the house and delivered it. I picked up my back pack with stuff in it and we were off and on the road again.
This time we went to F’s car dealership and had the oil changed in his car. As always I was so impressed by the dealership. We were invited to sit down in a lovely showroom with brochures, a TV, magazines, toys for children. One of the clerks took our drink order and we had refreshing drinks brought to us. The garage section was separated by glass walls so we could see the mechanics working on the cars. It was quite interesting.
After we finished with the car, F and I went to the Internet Cafe for the next 3 hours. F got a massaging chair right away, I got one about 20 minutes later. It was nice today. I watched a bit of regular TV and then some YouTube. We both had dinner there too.
Around the right time, I let F know about the time being up and we left. We drove back to the house via the convenience store for a drink for each of us.
At the house, we spent a bit of time going through the fridge and throwing out a bunch of “mystery” things and anything that was really outdated or going bad. There were a few things that we weren’t sure about so usually we left them, but I let F make the decision in those cases. We have a lot more room in the fridge now too, which is a good thing!
We came upstairs and then we had our showers and our drinks too. That is about it for our day.
Tomorrow F is back to work for one day. He’s taking a few days off this week. Hurray for that. If you are interested, come back tomorrow night and see what I get up to. Until tomorrow….
September 9, 2017
Saturday - Sunny and warm
A good day.
F took his mother to the onsen this morning so I had the house to myself for a while. I slept in a little and then got dressed. When they returned, they suggested going out for breakfast, so we did. We went to a gyudon place and it was okay, if quite calorific.
We brought K back to the house and then F and I zoomed off to the doctor’s office. We spent about an hour there all told…no, he wasn’t busy and yes, that was an improvement! After the appointment, we visited a couple of bank machines and then came back to the clinic for our medicines.
We debated going to the museum or having lunch afterwards and I suggested having lunch. We had a few options, but finally decided on Foodever near the station. When we got there, I had gapao rice and F went to a different place and had chirashi-sushi. We ate together, it is basically a big, expensive foodcourt. We also went to the coffee shop and had a coffee and a goat’s milk tart. That was nice.
Then we went to the museum. The display today was of doll houses but when we first arrived, the room was so crowded. I wasn’t happy there as it was in the middle of a talk, so people weren’t moving and I couldn’t understand anything anyway. I asked F if we could leave and then come back another day. We were going to do that, but when we told one of the workers in the museum that, they said it would be less busy after 3 pm. We spent the time until then looking at the garden and watching some men fix the thatching on one of the buildings. It was so cool. We talked about thatched houses and F couldn’t believe that there were houses in Britain that still had thatched roofs.
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| I think this was my favourite. Hats are a bit flight of fantasy anyway! |
After spending quite a bit of time looking at the doll houses, we left the museum and went to a local coffee shop for some refreshment. That was nice.
We decided to go to the second last showing of our movie tonight, so we went back to the house and checked if K wanted some food. She did, so off we went to get it for her. We brought food back for her and then we drove out to Mikawa for our movie.
At the mall, we didn’t have a lot of time before the movie and F wanted ramen of course, so I suggested splitting up for dinner. He went to a ramen shop, I went for pasta. Mine was fine, his wasn’t he said!
We went to see Dunkirk tonight and it was very good. I feel a bit like I’ve been through the wringer after seeing it. So many emotions went through me. Christopher Nolan really is a good director!
We stopped off at the Mr Donuts after the movie to have a drink and a doughnut. We stayed there so long that the mall was closed and we had to walk back to the car outside the mall. Horrors!
We drove back to Tsuruoka and have had a quiet evening in. I watched a little telly, and F has been watching YouTube on his phone.
That’s about it for me for tonight. Tomorrow I am hoping to enjoy my day and make a plan for next week. I am crossing my fingers that it works out. Come back later and see how it goes. Until tomorrow….
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