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.

30 March 2010

Grandad's funeral today. I do so wish I could be there, and maybe if I didn't have Emily I would have flown back for it. I spoke to Mum just before the ceremony and she seemed to be handling it fairly well. John was particularly affected as he had lived with and worked with Grandad all his life. There was a good turn out of around 80 people. Grandad had many interests and Mum said they were all represented. Grandma did well but apparently had forgotten about it by the end of the day. The funeral unfortunately coincided with Tom's 3rd birthday, but he and Fern played with Eileen at her place so I don't expect he felt too hard done by.

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.

27 March 2010

Mum's birthday, but as she is in Braintree helping to organise the funeral I suppose it will pass unmarked.

Emily counted from 1 to 20 completely unprompted this morning. Until now she has always missed out thirteen and sixteen.

Some kinds of single-flowered cherry are almost fully out now, and look fabulous.

24 March 2010

We were up a bit early in order to escort Mum to Narita. I decided that rather than drag Mum through the onslaught of officeworkers that is Tamachi before 9am, we would splash out on a taxi to Shinagawa. Every time I use the NEX (Narita Express) it feels a little quicker - maybe because Emily is older and easier to cope with each time! Mum spotted a few cherries in bloom along the way and I was pleased; I am so disappointed that she missed out on hanami as that was the main reason for picking the dates we did, but if the trip was any later then it would have been obvious that Grandad was about to die and of course she would have cancelled anyway.

Thanks to a long check-in queue, we didn't get to spend any time with Mum before we had to part. There was just time for a hasty goodbye - on reflection maybe it was better that way - then I had to whisk Emily back down to our NEX train as we had already bought tickets for the return journey. I wondered what it is like to know that you won't ever see your parent again (not being one who believes in the afterlife) and if anyone ever really gets to say all that they want, or indeed, should, say.

I had left the buggy at home, so we walked home in light rain from Tamachi. All the puddles along the way were predictably splashed in. We stayed at home in the afternoon but had to stock up. By the time we went out to shop at 5pm the temperature had dropped to a bitter 3C and it was raining heavily, so weatherwise at least, Mum was fortunate.