11 March 2009

My lovely shrub on the balcony is really living up its Latin name 'daphne odorata'; the scent is so intoxicating that it is almost overwhelming if sniffed at close quarters. Emily wrinkles up her nose and pretends to sniff whenever I say 'flower' or show her a picture of one. Daphnes are everywhere at the moment; every park has them and some shops have one in a tub outside. They fill the gap between plum blossom and cherry nicely, along with camellias of every hue. In such an urban environment it is amazing how many trees, shrubs and flowers can be fitted in to provide a year-round show.


I am starting to wonder if I am fit to be a parent. In the morning I took Emily up the hill to the local park. She wandered around happily and then made a beeline for the toilet block. Lately she has been playing with the sliding doors at home a lot, so she immediately pulled the door across. 'OK', I thought, I'll have to knock and pretend to be shut out. Then with a spine-chilling click I heard her turn the lock, and I didn't need to look to know that it now showed red for locked. At first she thought it was fun, but after a minute or so she realised something was wrong and began to cry. I attracted the attention of a passing man who went to the adjacent police hut for help. In the meantime I broke my nails and bloodied my hand trying to turn the lock slot from the outside, all the while calling out to Emily to reassure her that I was still there. While waiting for the policeman to come up with assistance of some kind, one of the council gardeners came by to use the loo. He saw me on my knees crying and pulling at the door, and was about to turn away when I gave him an imploring look and he came over. To my relief, he had a gardening tool that enabled him to turn the lock and rescue my poor baby. She clung to me for a minute or two but then seemed quite herself again. A visit to the sandpit took her mind off the trauma completely, though I took somewhat longer to get over it.

After lunch we went to Jill's place for a TMG co-ordinators meeting/playdate. I hadn't been there before, so was unprepared for the swishness of their building. They are on the 47th floor, and their living room has amazing views east out over the bay, with Hamarikyu Garden just below. Emily particularly enjoyed seeing passing helicopters and aircraft coming in to land at Haneda airport. No wonder Jill had been upset when she thought they would have to leave Tokyo and that panorama.