28 March 2010

Not wanting to be stuck near home all weekend, I suggested a day out to Enoshima. Nick was in a foul mood and I hoped it would lift him to have a trip out of Tokyo. The forecast was for cloud cover and maximum 12C, but nothing prepared me for the bitter wind from the north, which was perishing. We rode to Ofuna in style in the green car, then stopped off there for coffee before taking the suspended monorail to landside of the island. Emily is still talking a lot about the 'white lady' (Kannon-sama) and was excited to catch glimpses of it as we travelled away from Ofuna.

The walk across the long bridge across to the island was unpleasant in the strong, freezing wind, and we didn't feel comfortable until we reached the shelter of the leeward side of the isle. The single street with its gift shops and restaurants was heaving and we pressed through and on up the hill to gain the tower before eating our picnic. In a nicely-planted garden we found several cats, basking in all the attention from many camera-toting tourists.

Unfortunately we found that there was little respite from the cold in the Samuel Cocking garden that tops the island, though we did quickly down our lunch. Emily hardly ate a thing and I wondered if she was coming down with the sickness that has bedevilled Isy and Tim in recent days. We spent quite a long time up in the tower's observation deck, where it was lovely and warm and good views could be had. A quick shufty from the exposed roof was curtailed as it was so icy cold up there. I had been up the tower before and suffered from vertigo walking down the outside steps back down, so I took the lift while Nick and Emily did the braver option. As soon as she realised I was not with them, Emily began wailing (probably also due to the piercing wind) and I could hear her cries all the way down as I waited at the bottom for Nick to carry her to ground level. We sought respite in the cafe there and tucked into sweet waffles, but I was amazed that Emily refused to have any.

It would have been nice to linger in the garden a while as there were some pretty beds

but what with worry about food and Nick still being gruff, we turned for home earlier than planned. We stopped by at the temples on the way down the hill; Emily fell asleep in the carrier. She didn't wake until we were safely aboard the monorail once more, and I couldn't believe she could remain asleep across the bridge with the blast chilling her.

Finally, on the train back to Tokyo she ate an onigiri; hardly sufficient but a good sign that there was nothing amiss, and she was very genki too. I did wonder if it was her toilet habits that were the problem. Recently she has gone from pooing every three days to only once every five days. It is rather worrying, and if it continues we had better see a doctor.

While Nick did the evening routine I managed to get out for my first run for a while, and I was pleased because I felt strong all the way through. If only I could run at least twice a week, then in combination with the aerobics and swimming I woud feel like I was achieving a reasonable level of exercise considering my responsibilities.