27 April 2010

It was sunny, but there was an incredibly strong, gusty wind, reaching maybe 50mph or more at times. We enjoyed a family day out in Minato Mirai. As we were worried about sun exposure and because Emily could barely keep on her feet in the gusts, we decided to check out the Mitsubishi Industrial Museum. She liked the model trains, planes, ships and rockets on display and there was even a real rocket engine. The displays were in English, and the information wasn't too long or too technical. There were plenty of interactive displays and Emily happily pressed buttons and turned wheels.

Overdue for lunch, we had to queue for 15 minutes to get into the all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. Emily was happy (once she had a plate of grub in front of her) as from the window we could see the rail tracks, especially as it was her current favourite, the 'blue train' (aka Keihin Tohoku line). She had been a bit cranky in the morning and it was 5 days since her last poo. As soon as she finished lunch she said she was doing one so I whisked her off to the loo, and she actually did most of it in the 'big girls' toilet', which she proudly announced to Daddy. Nick and I breathed a sigh of relief as we had been getting increasingly concerned about her bowel habits again. This certainly makes me worried about beginning potty training as she is quite resistant to sitting on it lately.

We finished our trip with a visit to the observation floor of Landmark Tower, which is on the 69th floor and about 270m high. The building is the highest in Japan. We had fantastic views all round Tokyo Bay and back to the city, but I cursed as I had forgotten the camera. Emily was really tired and fell asleep as we were pushing her home from the station, but we still managed to get her to bed by 8.30 even though she had 40 minutes on the sofa when we got home.

25 April 2010

It was a sunny day though the air was a bit cool; we took Nick to our latest discovery, Asukayama Park. He brought along his latest acquisition, a digital SLR camera, as we had been having trouble getting it to focus. After a very frustrating hour or so we gave up and decided he would have to go back to the store to find out what the problem was. Emily headed straight for the elephant slide and then wanted to climb the castle. She spent ages in the 'turret' calling 'I'm the king of the castle' and had big smiles on her face as she rode the many slides.

After our picnic lunch, which she largely refused as she wanted to collect sticks under the trees, we found a quiet piece of lawn and tried out a new bubble wand.

On the way out we went in search of the splash pools Bettina had mentioned. They were certainly worth finding: several natural-style rock-strewn streams, pools and waterfalls, and not more than calf-deep on Emily.

Despite the cold water she insisted on removing all her clothes and pottered around contentedly in the buff! There were plenty of other kids playing there but she was the only naked one. Nick and I anxiously scanned the nearby adults to check that they weren't taking furtive snaps of her.

23 April 2010

Emily was in nursery, which left me free to steady my nerves and take a pregnancy test. My cycle has been very erratic for six months or more, but the last few have been around 20 days, so now at 32 days I felt that I was justified in checking. However, I confess I had not 'felt pregnant', and when exercising had, if anything, felt fitter than ever these last couple of weeks, so should not have allowed myself to get my hopes up. I had also calculated that a potential due date would fall almost exactly on Christmas Day, which made me think it would be Sod's law if I was expecting. But, the three minutes ticked away and when I braced myself to look there was no line in the result window.

22 April 2010

Emily and I went over to Odaiba with Jo, Isy and Cooper. It was really wet and miserable so we were confined to the mall. We chilled out in the large Starbucks first, while the girls went predictably crazy running up and down and disturbing the other customers, then we took them up to the little jidokan on the 4th floor where they played very happily for an hour. We finished off with a quick lunch at a cafe then parted company. I took Emily to Toys R Us and she managed to leave with several new things, including a model rubbish truck (ie dust cart) as she is obsessed with them at the moment. Returning on the Yurikamome light railway we were offered the front seats of the driverless train, so for the first time had an unobscured view of the tracks ahead. A pity it was raining and the carriage steamed up somewhat. Emily dropped off in the buggy on the way home and I managed to transfer her to her bed where she slept on for an hour, so this time it was back to the old routine and a later bedtime.

21 April 2010

I coordinated the TMG meeting at Nandemo, then Emily and I went on to have lunch with Nick. It was a pleasant day so we had a picnic in the nearby playground, already wary of the strengthening sun's rays. After parting from him, she and I continued up the Namboku line to somewhere I had never been before: Oji. Bettina had passed on info about a park and playground up there, and with Emily's new regime making full days away from home easier I decided to go and check it out. She attracted a lot of attention, and we were the only gaijin I saw the whole time we were there, though we were only a few miles from central Tokyo.

Asukayama Park was up on a ridge above the rail tracks, and a pleasant example of an urban Japanese park, with no grass but lots of trees. There were three things that set it apart for me and made it a destination I will go to again and again: First, it is right next to both elevated shinkansen tracks and regular JR rails plus there is a tram running from there, so there is plenty of trainspotting potential. Second, there was a dinky little monorail that took us all of 50m up from the station to the top of the hill; it must qualify as the world's shortest, surely, and hate to think about the cost of installing it. They don't even make a charge for using it to offset their outlay a bit. It did make the park more accessible though, as otherwise there were steps to navigate, and even if there weren't we'd have ridden it as Emily loved it.

Lastly, and the most important reason, was the playground, which was extensive and the best equipped I have seen here yet. The main features were a high elephant slide

a rotating cage, a large castle-like structure with many ways to ascend and descend

and even a real, retired steam train and carriage to look around.


Eventually Emily showed distinct signs of weariness and we made our way home. After so much excitement I was amazed that she got through to bedtime without dropping off, and even ate her tea, though later there were tears before bed.

19 April 2010

After lunch I took Emily to Kyu Shiba Rikyu, where we wandered for more than an hour in the 20C hazy sunshine. She and I shared an icecream, though she complained that it was too cold after a while.

The clipped azaleas were really pretty, and there were still some cherries in flower.

Emily fell out of bed during the evening (luckily I had placed pillows on the floor for her in case) and she was very upset and lashing out at me as I tried to put her back in. After a couple of minutes she surrendered to it though, and settled back down. Nick and I debated whether to buy a guard rail but decided to put the beanbag next to the bed instead so that if she rolled off she would not fall.

18 April 2010

Again Emily slept through, except for missing her teddy around 4am; again I had to go in and pick him up off the floor. I don't want her to suss out that she can escape her room, but I did show her how easy it is to reach down and pick up lost toys, though I doubt she will be capable of that when only semi-conscious and in complete darkness. She keeps saying 'I haven't got a playpen' and 'I haven't got any bars', which makes me feel a bit guilty.


In the morning we all went to play at the Onarimon playground for an hour in the sun. I then parted from Nick and Emily as I had to rush home to prepare for my afternoon out: having tea with a few of the girls at the Shinjuku Park Hyatt (where Lost in Translation was filmed). He and Emily had lunch at David's Deli then went to Tamagawa for the afternoon, where they were joined by Wako and her family. It looked as though they had lots of fun.





Our reservation at the hotel was in the 41st floor tea lounge, and we had a good table as Helen had cheekily lied and told them that it was Steph's birthday. I thought the Y3,200 (22 pounds)price for the three hour tea was quite decent as we had a steady stream of tea, coffee, savoury offerings and gorgeous cakes and scones, though each was only bite-sized so I probably didn't eat as much as I thought I did.


Back at home I found a very tear-stained and blotchy Emily wolfing her tea, having had nothing for 5 hours and being extremely tired; after a busy day she had thrown a bit of a wobbler on their arrival home. More tears in the bath curtailed the usual tubtime and she was into bed and away before 7pm.

17 April 2010

Emily slept well in her new bed, and only woke once, around 5.30, when she sensed that she had lost Goki over the side. I shall have to limit the number of toys she sleeps with as I have no intention of going in every night to rescue stranded teddy bears.

I'd had my Japanese class in the morning and then it was Nick's turn to study, so he stayed at home after lunch and I took Emily on the bus to Ebisu for a run around Garden Place. It was the first day of the new no-nap regime, so it meant that we could leave soon after two, which was refreshing as lately we have not been getting out until after 4pm. I was glad to be out so much earlier than of late, as following a chilly start it had turned into a lovely spring afternoon. At the top of the hill from the bus stop is a planted area that was bursting with flowers and we meandered around the paths there a while before going on to the retail area.




Eventually we ended up at the smoothie cafe, where we sat outside and sipped our drink and snack in the warm sun. It is right next to the rail tracks, so after that we went to stand on the bridge over the lines and wave at trains passing underneath. I then noticed a playground immediately on the other side that I didn't know about, so we spent half an hour looking around it before I felt it prudent to start on the way home. Emily refused to walk the few hundred metres back down to get the bus, so as I had left the buggy at home I had to carry her. She perked up when we were aboard but was definitely flagging by the time we reached Mita. However, a timely delivery of a parcel from Grannie yielded a sweet little dressing-up skirt and she pranced around happily pretending to be a princess or a ballerina until tea.


We managed to get her fed and washed without any upset, and while I went for a run Nick saw her off to bed with a story. We spent a pleasant long evening watching Frost/Nixon, which turned out to be a very good choice and very illuminating as well as entertaining.

16 April 2010

It was an almost wintry day, with freezing air and light but persistent rain all day. Emily went to nursery and was still not happy about going but at least she didn't actually cry this time.

After aerobics I rushed with my chores so that I could spend my time dismantling Emily's cot and turning it into a bed, which was rather difficult single-handed but I was too impatient to wait until the weekend when Nick could help. I also swapped her sleeping bag for a gaily-printed duvet.

She knew she was getting a duvet and was really excited about it as she has been going on about it for ages, but she didn't seem to have taken in the fact that she was no longer going to be 'behind bars'. When we got home from Ui we went into her room to look. Her first reaction was 'I've got a snake duvet', as there were some snakes amongst the animals on her duvet cover.

At bedtime she snuggled up quite happily and I left her to it for the night with everything crossed.

15 April 2010

The weather has switched back to below 10C and wet, yet again. Regardless, Emily and I had to go out as she had another audition for Combi Mini in Ginza. By the time we got to the casting agency she was very stroppy and said 'No, mummy, I don't want do audition'. I put it mainly down to being cooped up in the buggy with the plastic cover on, and also because she needed to do a poo. Anyway, it was over very quickly this time, thank goodness. She submitted to being measured and dressed in the outfit (including a white knitted baker boy hat that was mega-cute) with reasonable grace, but was too grumpy to smile for the camera.

Afterwards her reward was to splash in the puddles a-la Peppa before we headed for home. In the afternoon, Bettina and Jo and kids came over for a playdate. I got the old jungle gym out for Cooper to lie under, and Emily had fun playing under it before they arrived.

14 April 2010

The weather was still holding good, so Emily and I played in Azabu playground for a while

before going to meet Nick for lunch. I ditched the plan to eat in at Paul as usual and bought a picnic instead, which we ate in the small playground near the office. We remarked how the fresh green leaves had suddenly appeared while everyone's attention was diverted by the cherry blossom. The maples are particularly vibrant.

13 April 2010

More surprises weatherwise, as it shot back up to about 22C. However, it is set to get wintry again by the end of the week. I wish it would settle down so I can put away the winter clothes once and for all.

Yet again Emily was upset when I dropped her off at nursery, even though we talked it over calmly before we left home. All her favourite staff have gone and that is surely the reason for it, but I feel guilty every time I take her now.

For some years I have been 'over' Ikea, but in my first trip in two years I fell in love with it all over again. I bought as much stuff as I could carry and will go back again for more. My main purpose was to buy Emily a duvet, pillow and bedding. I have decided that this coming weekend it is high time she made the transition from cot to bed and from sleeping bag to duvet. As that will then make it hard to get her stay in bed and sleep if she isn't tired enough, I also intend to drop the nap at the same time, so that hopefully come 7.30 at night she is more than ready to snuggle up and go straight off. That's the theory anyway. It has been obvious for some time that she doesn't want to nap (well, not until at least 4pm, at which stage there is no point).


For a week or more Emily has been saying 'I want a little brother'. As well as some of her friends and Fern now having baby brothers, I think the main driver for this is Peppa Pig and her brother George. All I can say is that Mummy and Daddy will try our best but we can't just go to a shop and buy one!

12 April 2010

What crazy weather! Today it was only 10C and felt a lot colder, with rain all day to boot. How can it change so much in 24 hours? This year the progression from winter to spring doesn't seem as smooth as the last two years, with the odd T-shirt day then sudden reversion to coats.

Despite the weather I forced myself to take Emily out twice: in the morning to play at Charlize's house and in the afternoon to Appi jidokan. She loved the puddles, but got scared about the wind, and also refused to budge a couple of times as she felt cold, the wimp.

11 April 2010

Emily finally did a poo, four days after the big clear out at the clinic, but I wish I knew whether it was due to the medication that we started the night before or just a natural event.

As there were several false alarms first, we were late setting off to Shinjuku Gyoen, where the mothers group was holding a hanami/Easter /teddy bears' picnic.

It was a gorgeous day: about 23C and clear blue skies with the odd puff of white cloud. More than 50 families turned up for the event, and Helen and Steph, the main organisers, had their work cut out. I did a little to help out but felt a bit unsociable so wasn't in the mood to chat to strangers. There was an egg and spoon race, in which Nick acquitted himself well, but I was far too cautious about dropping the egg and came last in my heat. Emily seemed keen to have a try but bottled out when Helen shouted 'go'.

A lot of the time she was just running around with Isy and Charlize, the three dads in tow.

Some people nearby were practising yoga moves and Nick encouraged Emily to try to copy them.

We travelled back to Tamachi with Jo and family and were finally home at 3pm. I had already decided to skip the nap for the day and Nick needed to do a little study, so I took Emily to Hon Shiba. We had fun for an hour or so then left as it suddenly got really windy and felt cold as a result. She made it through to 7.30 just fine. Nick put her to bed while I went for a run. It was another good session, and I added an extra hill at the end in an attempt to increase the time and effort put in. I have reignited my plan to climb Fuji in July (though will have to be just before we go to the UK), so need to get as fit as possible.

10 April 2010

Japanese class was terrible and I was close to tears at one point. I can't in all honesty blame it completely on my many absences lately, as I just don't seem to retain vocabulary like the others. I wish I could have got a photo of the pen case of one of my classmates. The tin was decorated with flowers but had the words 'Mens Black Members' stamped onto it! She is from China so won't understand why it is so titillating.


Later we went to Naka Meguro, taking the bus to Ebisu (to Emily's delight) and then walking downhill to the famous hanami venue, where we joined the hordes of Japanese at play under the cherrytree-lined river.

It actually feels a little Parisian there, though the bridges over the hemmed in waterway could do with being a little less functional and more decorative. The road was lined with street vendors selling hot food and alcohol (even pink champagne and caipirinha cocktails) but we had to walk some way before we found somewhere to grab some food and drink, though admittedly a very smart organic deli cum cafe.

Due to the lateness of Emily's nap, we had no time to stay out longer so made our way home again, via the bus. Giving the daytime sleep up will certainly make weekend days out more enjoyable and manageable.

9 April 2010

Emily was upset again when I dropped her off at Ui. Maybe the change of staff has unsettled her as seems to date from Megan's departure. Of course, I couldn't help considering the possibility of abuse, though there is absolutely nothing to suggest that. In Japan they don't seem to require any kind of background checking (or first aid training for that matter) for people in contact with children. Mind you, the recent case in Plymouth highlights that CRB checks can't detect those abusers without previous convictions anyway.


Following nursery, we went to have tea at Isy's. Jo cooked a tasty supper and we all ate together. After a few episodes of Peppa Pig, the girls had lots of fun in the bathtub. By the time we had walked home it was 9pm before Emily was in bed, but it was a successful evening. She seems very keen to go home in the nursery minibus, like Isy, and I am more than happy to oblige as it costs less than my train fares each way and gives me another 90 minutes at home for chores. I shall make enquiries if they can accommodate her too.

8 April 2010

We woke to blue skies, though the temperature was still disappointingly low at only 10C or so. Emily and I met Jo, Isy and Cooper in Meguro. I was happy to go back there for a second day running as the sakura looked lovely against the azure sky.

The girls played outside the jidokan in the sunshine, which was warm enough to warrant taking coats off.

On the way back along the river we stopped and bought yaki imo (baked sweet potato) from the old chap who cooks them in a brazier on the back of his minivan. Emily thinks it is hilarious if Nick or I do an impression of the mournful call that he plays over tannoy as he drives around selling his wares.

I think they are very slow-baked as they were incredibly sweet and really yummy, especially eaten al fresco from a paper bag.

It took ages to get Emily off to sleep. She got really upset - again - at the idea of having a nap. I think we are close to dropping it now, and I hate the thought but know it may be the right thing for her. Unfortunately it means that we can only ever have morning playdates as I will need to have her home and eating tea around 5.30, which will not fit well with her friends who nap in the afternoon. She keeps asking to go in our bed too, which I am reading as a desire to be in a proper bed, so we may also have to grit our teeth and change from cot to bed soon. I need to buy a duvet first, though she moves around so much in bed that I am sure she will end up uncovered and cold.

7 April 2010

The local hospital runs a paediatric clinic each morning, and Emily and I met Nick there. She seemed quite relaxed about the visit, and wasn't phased by the masked doctor probing her abdomen and peering into her mouth. I was pleased to hear that the problem could be resolved on the spot with a suppository, and Emily was a brave girl and submitted to its application calmly. Within one minute she was on the loo and expelling it all, and boy, was there a lot! I am hoping that it is an isolated episode but will have to work hard to get her to drink more as Nick and I feel that dehydration is the most likely cause, given her healthy diet. However, it is quite a task getting a reluctant child to drink water regularly, so only time will tell.

I had arranged to meet Minako and Haru-kun in the afternoon, for a stroll along the Meguro river, which is famed for its banks lined with cherry trees. Unfortunately the weather let us down as it was dull, wet and cool, so instead, she invited us to play at their house. I planned to go through without Emily taking a nap, so after lunch at home we set off for Meguro, and we walked the mile or more along the avenue of pretty blossom before Minako and Haru came to escort us from outside Naka Meguro station to their place.

They have a lovely little house, with a fresh, modern (un-Japanese) feel. The green-eyed monster flared within me yet again, though Minako assured me that the mortgage was crippling. Better than throwing money away on rent though. Emily and Haru, who will be three next month, played nicely side by side. He is also crazy about Thomas, and had a comprehensive set of tracks and electric trains. Whenever I think that Emily has too many toys I only need to visit someone else's home to change my mind. If we had more space I would love to get her a set of tracks, as I confess that I love putting them together too.

Given Emily's lack of sleep we set off for home at five, and she was just nodding off in the buggy as we got to Ebisu to pick up the bus that goes by the end of our road. She perked up at the prospect of a bus ride and we made it back with her enlivened enough to eat a good tea and get through a short bath without tears. Getting her to bed was another story though, and I had to leave her crying hard after her many attempts to get me to stay in the room. She has been asking to go into our bed the last couple of nights for some reason, and requesting hugs and for me to fetch things for her. I think times are a-changing....

6 April 2010

When I dropped Emily at Ui she got very upset, which is unusual for her, and I hurried away guiltily with her cries ringing in my ears. I prayed that she would produce a poo while she was there, but worryingly she still didn't do one by the end of the day. She did try to poo after tea while watching Peppa Pig but there was nothing in half an hour apart from a few tears. Nick and I were agreed that after 8 days we could wait no longer to get it sorted out professionally and would take her to see a doctor next day.


It was a beautiful day but I had to spend it all indoors, first in the swimming pool and then shopping and cleaning. It felt like the end of an era as I decided it was time to reclaim our living room and dismantle Emily's playpen, where her toys were corralled but she rarely played. It pleased my need for neatness to have a set of drawers in which to put all her toys away each evening, and I later smoothed her obvious fretting about the loss of the playpen by telling her she could decorate the plastic drawers with stickers.

4 April 2010

In the morning we attended a hanami picnic held by the nursery, in Kiba Park, a place we hadn't been to before over on the east side of town. Unfortunately it was really chilly and the sun didn't manage to break through the grey cloud all day. It's a great park, with a good playground, a large splash pool for the summer and a big open space with a mass of cherry blossom, beneath which many of the ubiquitous blue and green mats had been set out.

As we looked back through the bridge in the centre of the park we could see the half-finished Sky Tree,a communications tower that will eventually be about 600 metres high and the tallest structure of its kind. This week it became taller than Tokyo Tower so was on the news a lot.

Isy was also there, which was good as Emily was quite shy and clingy at first. Oli had made some tasty hot cross buns, which reminded me that it was Easter. I had completely forgotten because much as they like chicks and bunnies here, there is little mention of it in Japan. The kids enjoyed a simplified egg hunt: two small plastic eggs with their names on and tooth-rotting goodies inside for them to 'find' in the grass. I blew bubbles for the two girls to chase and our two families did a few rounds of Ring-a-Roses together, and then it was all over. Given the cold I was happy enough to pack up and get into the warmth of the station.

It was a tight schedule, actually, as we then had to go off to meet Nick's friend Mark and his husband Rene, who were holidaying from the UK, and their friend Vince. The latter lives with his partner on the British embassy compound and works at Goldman Sachs (Nick's boss wants to hire him to CS so they had a lot to chat about). None of them knew the Odaiba area, so we took them for the ride across on the boat from Shibaura. It was perishing but Emily and I huddled on deck together so we could look at the many points of interest. We were even rewarded with a sighting of the airship, which has just begun daily flights again after an absence of a few months. Eschewing the horrors of the shopping mall, we strolled along the waterfront park and back to pick up the monorail for home.

I had already decided that we would try to go through without a nap, though Emily was in the stroller for half an hour at one point and showed no sign of dropping off anyway. She was clearly very tired by the time we got home; alternately fizzing with activity then clingy and tetchy. We managed to get her through to bedtime by use of a whole hour-long Peppa Pig DVD. She was very pleased with the chocolate bunnies from Grandma and also a cute duck backpack.

Worryingly, she still showed little sign of doing a poo, though she mentioned it a few times, so that is five full days without one. I would gladly go back to the three day cycle I once fretted about now. We decided that it is time we consulted a doctor this week.

3 April 2010

Nick had a big night out after work on Friday, which he sorely needed, but as he didn't get in until 2.30am and was rather worse for wear I already had an inkling that I would not be able to go to my Japanese class on Saturday morning. I didn't begruge him the outing at all, but am worried about falling too far behind as I have missed four of the last six classes now.

It was a cool but pleasant morning, and Emily and I went up to Kamezuka park while Nick lay in until midday. It was a hive of activity up there, with some ladies doing tai-chi, a man practising on his guitar, some people picnicking under the sakura and many familes playing in the sunshine. A walking group came by who were doing a tour of all the main cherry blossom sights in the ward, and the park certainly had its fair share of the heavenly flowers. Though plum has a much stronger perfume than cherry, with so many open at once there was a gentle waft of the delicate scent in the air.

Later, we all walked up to K-Space for Soraya's 2nd birthday party. We were last to arrive; how come all those other toddlers could be there for 3pm? What happened to their naps? We tried to put her down early but Emily lay awake for ages and we had to wake her after less than an hour as it was, and were still half an hour late. There were about 20 children in total, plus all their parents, so the small playroom was a bit of a squeeze for the songs and actions led by Hadar. Emily was really nervous at first but eventually warmed up and began to enjoy herself and stop being clingy. We still sing all the songs from the year we attended K-Space so they were familiar at least.

Emily looked very sweet in an outfit that Gail and Dave gave her.

Soraya was pretty in pink, with her dark curls tumbling down. She is going to be quite a heart-breaker, I think, with her combination of Persian and Ethiopian features. Upstairs we tucked into a great spread by the caterers,, which was definitely aimed at the adults as it was quite sophisticated buffet fare. The kids put on splash tops so they could mess around with glue and make a monkey puppet each in the craft room, and then the lights were dimmed for the cakes, which were yummy though with far too much sweet icing for my ever-expanding waistline.

Back at home we made the George pirate hat together and Emily put on her fairy princess crown.

In the evening Nick and I watched the Man United v Chelsea game, which the latter won, paving the way for them to take the title; however a win later that day by Arsenal keeps them only 3 points behind Chelsea. It would take slip-ups by the other two to give any serious chance for them to steal the championship now though, especially as Chelsea have a superior goal difference.

2 April 2010

The last couple of times, Emily has got upset and said she doesn't want to go when I tell her in the morning that it is a nursery day. I am not sure what has changed, but she seems happy enough to go once we set off. I think she would prefer to just stay at home and watch endless Peppa Pig stories. I only have myself to blame for buying the boxed set! I rather like it myself though, as the storylines are often amusing, especially where Daddy Pig's monumental ego is concerned.


Recently, if I am cross with her (usually if she won't eat properly) she says 'Mummy happy'. To which I say 'I can't be happy unless you .....'. But I feel guilty when she says it as I don't like showing my displeasure, and I admit that I am prone to overreaction. She has also taken to saying 'I'm not very good at xxx' or 'I'm not very sure about xxx'. I don't know where she has got these phrases from as I don't think I say them much.


Erna is away for a month so I am having to do the ironing and cleaning. Honestly, I can't see how working mums manage at all. And I don't even have to wash and iron Nick's shirts! Exercising takes up the first couple of hours of a nursery day, but the rest is an end-to-end whirl of shopping, cooking, ironing and tidying. I've barely had any time to actually clean anything this week and it is starting to show. I would love to blitz the whole apartment, but the time just down relentlessly.

1 April 2010

Today was warm but there was a really gusty wind from the south. We played with Isy at Hon Shiba for an hour or so, then went straight to Teien art museum garden for Teo's birthday picnic. The cherry blossom was really good there. Emily and I arrived early and ate first, though she was being really picky and didn't have much at all.

The wind blew dry grass around everywhere. I do so miss the green, green grass of home. For large parts of the year any lawns they have here are yellow and in any case it isn't the same type so is a lot coarser than ours. Kara and Teo and a few other mums and kids arrived and we set up picnic mats in the very busy lawn area.

In retrospect, Kara should not have brought the birthday cake out of its box so soon, as after several strong gusts the cream was plastered in a layer of dust and grass.

We didn't stay long as it was already Emily's nap time. Even so, by the time I walked her home she wasn't in bed until 2.30. Consequently, the afternoon was already fading so we just stayed in after she woke, with a quick trip to the supermarket and many episodes of Peppa Pig (she is now watching for a total of about an hour a day, usually some while I shower in the morning and some after tea if she is good and eats fairly well). Pam had kindly sent Emily some Peppa stickers and a kit for making fancy dress hats, which she fell upon with enthusiasm.

She is really funny and copies the various piggy grunts of Peppa's family at the start of each story.