29 July 2009

It was decidedly hotter at around 32C, and still humid. I didn't want to go out but Emily was going mad stuck indoors with all the doors shut due to the aircon being on. I decided to leave the stroller at home and just walk round the block to the playground. On the way I had a go with the reins Jill had lent me for a trial, but Emily got very upset as soon as I pulled her from her collision path with a bicycle, so I ended up carrying her the rest of the way. Even though plastic, the slides were too hot to sit on, but Emily went down the chute (she calls it a tunnel) lots of times, climbing up the staggered steps well each time. I feel that I can relax my guard a bit these days and not hover quite so protectively, though there is still the odd mishap. Unfortunately, she managed to pick up a piece of cat poo. In Japan you hardly ever see dogs' mess as owners are very conscientious, but the cats are no different here and do as they please. The fine gravel floors and the sand pits you get in kids' playgrounds are perfect litter trays.


After naptime I took Emily to Meguro pool, as it still seemed hot enough despite plentiful cloud cover. I was very surprised to find only two other mums and their kids there, though like last time the water temperature was a trifle cool. Emily had a lot of fun until she slipped and her face was submerged. She seemed to have swallowed some water, so she got upset. Unfortunately, after that she pulled off her armbands and would not spend much time in the deeper water. She also bottled it on the slide, though I didn't blame her as the water being sprayed down it was decidedly cold. The other children left and we were on our own; she was more subdued once they weren't around for her to spark off, but we stayed another half an hour.


Walking away from the sports centre she fell and grazed her knee. It wasn't too bad but this was the first time it had happened, because I rarely dress her in anything that doesn't cover the legs. She has some nice dresses but unless we are only going to be playing indoors I don't use them. Carrying on, some spare seats outside Starbucks tempted me to stop off for a green tea frappucino and a roll, though gratuitous eating is hardly the best way to conduct a diet. On the way to the station I saw a T-shirt with the slogan 'Get Undead. A Girl's Feelings'. Usually you can figure out what they were trying to say, but not this time!


It doesn't sound much, but Emily can now count to two. She has done it several times in the last day or two. She also seems to recognise the numeral one, and sometimes says 'ichi', which is Japanese for one.