14 March 2011

A warm spring day lifted spirits a bit. Nick had to go in to work (very reluctantly, given the number of aftershocks and not wanting to be separated) but Emily and I stayed at home in the morning to bake a loaf of bread, as I had not been able to get any thanks to panic buying - luckily I already had yeast and flour at home. Julia called with an SOS as she needed Charlize entertained while she finalised packing ready for their departure on Tuesday. Cliff and I took the girls to Midtown park where they played happily for some time. We parted company so that Charlize could nap in the buggy and I took Emily to Appi for a while, then we returned to Julia's and stayed for pizza and bath before saying our goodbyes. It seems we are to be the only foreigners left in Tokyo. All our friends and acquaintances are out of town. Osaka seems to be the location of choice, if not returning to home countries to ride out the crisis. Nick is still putting on the pressure for me and Emily to get out too, but I don't want to go anywhere without him.