1 July 2009

Rain had been forecast, but though it had obviously been wet overnight, the day passed without further precipitation. That was just as well, because I had arranged to meet Victoria at the Centre for Nature Studies in Shirokanedai. I hadn't been there for months, and she had never been, so it seemed a good venue for our first proper playdate, now that Soraya was walking well.

It may not have been sunny, but that didn't mean that it wasn't hot, though it was probably the humidity which made me sweat as I walked up there. I was relieved to find that I wasn't greeted by clouds of biting mozzies, as I have been in that place so many times before (it being quite damp under the mature trees there - ideal for breeding the little blighters). Another problem was soon to trouble me though: after the overnight rain the path was very muddy and dotted with puddles. I had had the foresight to bring Emily's boots, but her pale trousers were soon splattered all over as she fell down in the mud. Soraya was wearing white pumps, so she came off even worse.

We both got dirty too, when they were too tired to walk and had to be carried. It was a nice hour we had though. The lake area had been tidied up and a new bridge or two put in. The wild flowers looked lovely and there were plenty of beetles, ants and waterboatmen for Emily to spot.

I curtailed Emily's nap so that we could head off to the TMG meeting, this time at Kodomo no Shiro (Children's Castle) in Omotesando. On the train there was a woman in a mac and scarf using a fan, which seemed ridiculous. Generally, Japanese people appear to be genetically different in their tolerance of heat and humidity, as they often wear more than one layer on days when I am overheated in a vest top, and never seem to sweat (though most do carry a small flannel especially for mopping up sweat). Emily loved the playhall, packed with kids right up to about 6 or 7 years old who were running riot all over the play equipment. She tried to climb up with them a few times but I had to whisk her away as she would have been bowled over by their rough antics. The turnout for the meeting was woeful - just me, Jill and a new coordinator, Hiroko, plus one mum. But it was so busy there that there may have been others we didn't spot.

I am having to readjust to an old bugbear of mine - lazy Japanese people who take the lift when there is a perfectly good elevator nearby. These able-bodied people should be ashamed when they see me with the stroller having to wait because they were too lazy to step onto an escalator. Grrr.

Emily hardly ate any tea, even though I ate with her yet again. Maybe it is her emerging teeth troubling her. Her latest craze, and very sweet, is to climb up onto 'Mummy bed' and tuck herself and monkey under the covers.