Escape to the dungeon

A somewhat monotonous week with the main highlight being a game of Dungeons and Dragons via Skype with our good friends Ian, Adam and Leo. It was a fun evening that allowed some escape from this confining existence of COVID19 restrictions. Our Dungeon Master (Ian) set up a splendid scenario using Desktop Simulator and we spent 4 hours or so on Tuesday evening fighting past wolves and werewolves into a dungeon to rescue some allies. Tomo and Leo enjoyed themselves. I probably drank too much wine (a common scenario most evenings these days). It certainly was nice to spend time "with" other people though. 

Ruin Lava (left) and Kromdur Hazelaxe

The rest of the week passed by in a monotonous haze. We were told that we face at least another 3 weeks of this lockdown quarantine, and it is seriously starting to get to me. Today (Sunday), I went for a walk hoping to at least enjoy the woods, but there were so many people out there that it was a fraught and thoroughly unpleasant experience. I don't really have much else to say at the moment. I am "back to work" tomorrow.

Tuk Tuk the Mighty!

We spread the Easter Egg hunt over a couple of days. Nozomi wrote out some clues in Japanese and hid Tomo's eggs in various spots around the house; with a new clue placed alongside each chocolate treat. As much as he protests about studying, his Japanese is better than he thinks and aside from a few Katakana characters, he was able to read the clues and claim his rewards.

I decided to make one more egg to answer Helen's Easter challenge and so I present "The Mighty Tuk Tuk" as he stands victorious over a would-be usurper.

Challenge Met!

Pottering about for Easter

The weather was absolutely stunning leading up to and including Easter Weekend. So, we were able to continue enjoying the garden for our lunches and I decided to sort out the junk pile in the garage while it was nice and warm.

I basically spent three days pottering about moving junk from one shelf to another, hanging hooks and sorting out the flotsam and jetsam that has accumulated in the garage for the past few years.

Once it was all done, I managed to persuade Tomoki to help me iteratively design and create a stand for his bike. He usually leans it against the workbench and this always results in his mudguard twisting out of position. I think it was a good opportunity to teach him a few basic skills; how to use clamps, prepare and drill holes, measure and mark for sawing wood, and to keep the work area clean and safe. It was quite a challenge as the available wood remnants were not particularly suitable in length or thickness. It took us a bit of trial and error, but eventually, we managed to cobble something together that is stable and holds his bike in a freestanding position. It looks a bit ragtag, but is sturdy enough and does the job.

Scrapwood Bike Stand by Tomoki and Mark

On Saturday evening we decided to go for a short family walk to the local woods. It turned into a fraught affair at one point. A youth with a dirt bike decided to push his bike and weave his way between us and another family of four that were further along the narrow path on his way to the local wood for his (illegal) ride. He showed utter disregard for the social distancing, choosing instead to push his way between us at less than the 2-meter minimum distance required by the authorities. I gave him an earful and asked him how he knows we haven't got COVID19, even if he thinks he hasn't?

A couple of minutes later we saw another lady and her child on the other side of the road and she was angrily telling her daughter that the man on the bike was "an idiot". She apparently had also been similarly exposed to his idiotic behaviour.

The incident shook me up a bit and the walk was a rather sombre affair after that and it was hard to enjoy the sunset, even if I did make an effort to take a photo of it. I think Tomoki saw through my forced joviality for the remainder of the walk and we soon returned home.

Spoiled sunset

In good news, Prime Minister Boris Johnson Is no longer in hospital. 

Odd jobs and mad science

The past couple of days have been occupied with general pottering about and minor DIY. I finally wired up and installed a "Recording in progress" light that Tomoki received from my dad at Christmas. I had to patch odds and scraps of trunking together and so it looks a bit Heath Robinson, but it's the best I can manage until shopping trips to DIY stores are permitted again.

Major news is that our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has been admitted to intensive care with COVID-19. It will be a major blow to national morale should he succumb to it. The odds are pretty poor at around 50/50.

The weather continues to be stunning and Tomoki and I have managed some nice lunchtime walks (albeit with a few zombie dodges to maintain a safe social distance from other walkers).

Helen set us a challenge at the weekend. We were tasked with decorating an egg for Easter. So, here is our mad scientist.

Easter egg

Good eggs, bad haircut

I began the day with a tough workout on the exercise bike. My thighs were trembling afterwards as I had powered my way through all 56 minutes. Felt good though. After showering, I had a craving for eggs. So, I poached one for breakfast and boiled one to eat later in ramen (having soaked it in a few hours in some mirin and soy sauce).

Egg 1

The weather was amazing once again and so after morning coffee, Nozomi and I went for our allowed walk in the local woods. We had to step off the trail in many places to maintain social distancing. It was busy out there. I think we will soon lose the right to exercise. I suspect beaches and parks had way too many people in for comfort today. 

When we arrived home, we had lunch in the garden.

Egg 2

After lunch, I gave Poppy a bath and got the clippers out to trim her. She did have an appointment booked with the groomer this coming Tuesday, but that is no longer possible as it is not essential business under the current quarantine laws. So, it was down to us to give her a clip. I did it in the bath as it is easier to manage her in there. Let's say that she was not impressed with the endeavour and is currently giving me the cold shoulder.

How very dare you!

Lion head

Is nature trolling us?

The weather gods are mocking us again. A splendid Saturday that should be spent enjoying the great outdoors. Instead, we need to zombie dodge our way around a guilty walk in the normally quiet local woods and be home inside the hour to help prevent the spread of the contagion known as COVID19. I'd prefer to use another term for it right now, but young eyes might read this blog so I shall refrain (rhymes with 'smother plucker'). 

So here is a picture of some blossom as provided by the troll known as Spring.

Sakura Troll by Spring

Yesterday morning's drama was that our boiler broke down. The shower felt a bit tepid,  and naturally enough, when I descended to the kitchen to take a look, the boiler was flashing a "get an engineer in" code (L/F) and refusing to ignite, Naturally, I tried "rebooting" it a couple of times, but no avail. No doubt it was blocked with sludge again as happens every year or so. So, I scrambled to get an appointment from our service provider to get it fixed. "Due to COVID19, computer says not until the middle of next month". Er, great! Fortunately, after a phone call, I eventually managed to get an appointment for Monday. This was possible due to my existing medical condition as I am apparently on some priority list. Small mercies eh? Luckily, we have an immersion heater for backup hot water, so the crisis was not that bad, but what if that breaks?! Ok, breathe. My propensity to catastrophise is at least unaffected by the current situation.

As I stepped out of the shower this morning (Saturday), the phone was ringing. Expecting some marketing or scam call, imagine my delight to be talking to a gas engineer who said they had an appointment today! Huzzah! So after morning coffee and a slice of yesterday's pizza, I cleaned up the area around the boiler; disinfecting everything and awaited the engineer. 

He showed up as promised, though not before the postman delivered a package containing two glass jars of Easter eggs, one of which had sadly broken, resulting in me hollering for help in a shoeless state with shattered glass from the upended parcel scattered around me like wedding confetti. Duly rescued by wife and child, the mini eggs themselves were salvaged and set aside to form part of the hunt next Easter weekend.

Anyway, as expected, the boiler was full of sludge which the engineer efficiently and cheerfully cleaned. He was a pleasant chap, who lives just a mile or so up the road. At a respectable safe distance, we had a good chat. It was nice to talk to someone else for a change (other than via video conferencing). After he left, I disinfected everything that he had touched or may have touched on his way in/out and where he was working. Then I prepared lunch of chicken sandwich, chips and coleslaw which Nozomi, TomokI and I enjoyed eating at the garden table. (Our own little pub garden for the duration). 

After lunch, Tomoki and I spent some time cleaning our shoes outside. He needs yet another pair as the sole is pulling away on one of them. Kids and shoes! They are barely 2 months old. He selected some new walking boots online after we finished the cleanup.  Hopefully, they will be delivered soon. Home deliveries (groceries notwithstanding) have so far been pretty good.

After shoe cleaning and a spot of gardening,  it was a walk in the woods for me and Poppy (our little dog), a nap for Nozomi, and Minecraft for Tomo.

Eep! Too many people. I had to duck and dive into many a bush and it was quite fraught in one or two pinch points as I scrambled to maintain at least 5m distance from other people. The woods are usually fairly quiet, but people are desperate to get out I guess, and it was a little too busy for my liking. A somewhat stressful walk all-in-all, made slightly more bearable by the excellent BBC podcast about the Apollo 13 incident 50 years ago.

Time for a beer.

Grey goo begone!

The days seem to be merging into one grey blob of time. I am minded of the Grey Goo hypothesis which postulates that one day, we shall invent nanotechnology that will get out of control and proceed to transform our world into some amorphous blob of grey goo. It is now the end of the second week of confinement and still no end in sight to this interminable pause of our human activities. Unemployment is shooting up all over the world, social gatherings are forbidden and humans avoid it each other like, well, the plague whilst performing a permitted dog walk or grocery expedition.

Well, at least it is officially the Easter "holiday" from today for the next two weeks. I customarily booked two weeks off work (to coincide with the school holidays) before we all went into lockdown. So, I will have the next two weeks off work.

I sense a lot of DIY and painting in my imminent future. I guess it will be as good a time as any to finally paint the family room after 13 years of living here!! I will attempt to banish Nozomi to the home office (she has been working from the dining table) and paint the walls of said room at some point in the next fortnight. The garage side door could also use some TLC and paint.

It's been a strange week. I had a very bad day at work on Weds (or was it Tues?). This contributed to a very poor night of sleep (maybe 3 hours?) with my mind flitting between work and COVID19 worries like a tongue over broken teeth. I finally relented to the inevitable and arose at 5:20am (having tossed and turned since 2am) and performed my usual morning exercises. I was basically on autopilot and am sure I probably nodded in and out of sleep mid press up at one point. 

Time to make dinner. (Home made pizza). To be continued...

Home made pan pizza

Ingredients

1. Self raising flour (250g ish)
2. A bit of salt
3. A splash of olive oil
4. Half a cup (ish) of water
5. Toppings of choice

Method

1. Stir and then kneed into dough (add a bit of flour and water as required until its maleable and not sticky or dry). 
2. Roll out the dough until roughly frying pan sized. 
3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the pan. 
4. Fry both sides on a medium heat. (Check underside every couple of mins until color/crispiness you want).
5. Stick whatever the hell you want on top. Today was a dollop of jar pasta sauce, sliced mushrooms, red peppers, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, another layer of pepperoni, and some parmesan cheese.
6. Stick under a grill at 180C and keep an eye on it (turn your back and it will burn because - grill).
7. Enjoy!  (It was lush!)

Spring clean

We took the opportunity of enforced confinement to have a bit of a spring clean this weekend. Nothing too drastic. Didn't get as far as washing the windows. (Gotta save the ammunition. Don't want to run out of fun things to do for the rest of the spring eh...)

Nozomi had a half-day on Friday and made a successful excursion to purchase supplies at Tesco. There were a couple of substitutes, but generally, she managed to get a typical week's shop in. Well done dear! The weekend itself was simultaneously dull, and yet numbing. Upon waking, for a few delicious seconds thoughts of COVID-19 are out of mind, but it is only for a few seconds. The crushing reality of the current situation soon settles like a mantle of iron across the shoulders. 

We are trying to keep things normal, so on Friday night, we had our usual movie evening - The Rock. We cleaned half the house on Saturday. In the evening, we had some fun playing games on the Switch. First Streetfighter and then Overcooked 2.

I squeezed in an extra workout for the week on Sunday morning. (What the hell else am I gonna do?) . After a call with Nozomi's family in Japan, we cleaned the other half of the house. There has been a case of C19 in their neighbouring town of Chikugo. In a way, it is good that Nozomi's dad had to give up his driving license recently due to poor eyesight. It keeps them at home. Nozomi's mother's condition is getting worse though. She seems to be developing dementia. The fact that international travel is banned for the foreseeable future is a weight on our minds as it is impossible for us to offer much in the way of practical assistance. I doubt we will be able to go to Japan this year. 

I will be on "vacation" next Monday and it will be a relief to not have to sit in front of the laptop. There are some painting and repair jobs to do which will keep me plenty busy and I intend to make the most of our daily walk - assuming we are still permitted to exercise outside for an hour a day next week...

Sunset walk, 30th March 2020

Snack attack!

It has been a strange week, with Nozomi, Tomoki and I all working and studying at home. So far everything has been relatively harmonious. A few notes and observations from the week:

The good

• Tomoki has been cooperative, even enthusiastic about walking the dog in the morning and in studying during school hours.
• It has been nice to be able to eat lunch together.
• We have been able to sit in the garden as it is sunny and warm.
• Nozomi has made dinner several times which is a nice break for me!
• I have enjoyed reading a chapter of The Belgariad (by David Eddings) to Tomoki each day 
• My outpatient appointment has been rescheduled as a telephone appointment - I don't have to go to the "plague" hospital for it. Phew!
• It was nice for everyone to applaud and cheer for the NHS on Thursday night at 8pm.

The bad

• Nozomi is enjoying snacking during the day as she works at the dining table. Could be dangerous dear! Just saying...
• I am drinking too much wine every day (around a bottle). Could be dangerous mate! Just saying...
• I have a mild cough which could be something or could be nothing. It is not affecting my exercise or daily life.
• Cases of COVID-19 and deaths continue to rise at an alarming rate. There is no end in sight to this confinement and necessary wrecking of our way of life.

The ugly

• Being limited to one short walk a day while spring is in full bloom is incredibly frustrating.
• I am getting concerned about my stock of wine but am scared to go to the shops! Will need to start rationing it.
• It is impossible to get a delivery slot for home deliveries of groceries. We will have to go shopping in about a week or so.
• My retirement plans are in tatters if the market doesn't recover.

 

 

Sunny chills

The Covid Pause gets frosty...

Tomoki and I are continuing with our morning walk before work/study as it is the time with fewest people around. The weather gods continue to mock us and the daily temperature continues to hit a new maximum for the year as each day of this wretched week passes. The sky is blue, the sun shining. One or two aircraft contrails can be seen but there are hardly any flights these days. Never quite seen anything like it. It was however frosty when we set out this morning - in more ways than one.

There has been a change in the mood since the Prime Minister's announcement of Monday night. The cheerful 'Hellos' of the weekend have become frosty grimaces or a thousand-yard stare as people walking past each other just want to be on their way. There is an almost guilty atmosphere as if we are doing something wrong simply by walking the dog. I absolutely hate it. We are only permitted one sojourn outside for daily exercise and it has become a somewhat fraught experience. The delight of an empty trail ahead is soon turned to a sinking feeling when someone steps onto it and starts heading towards you.

However, we are trying to make the best of the situation. I set Tomoki a challenge today. He was tasked with taking photos of interesting looking plants and collecting some samples. He will then need to try and identify the plants using whatever resources available. (Mainly this will be the internet). Then he has been asked to research some interesting facts and to document his discoveries by means of a blog article. He can also draw the leaves and buds we collected. In this way, I explained to him we can cover his ICT, science, English, art and exercise all in one challenge. He seems quite enthusiastic about it. がんばれ！(do your best).

[Here is his report]

We had a video call with Adam, Akiko, and Leo yesterday evening. Adam will be working from home from today thank goodness. They have everything they need. It seems that shops continue to improve though with strict distancing measures now enforced. We have managed to avoid going so far thanks to home deliveries. Another one arrived yesterday thanks to Nozomi's efforts but it looks to be the last for many weeks so we will probably have to start going out for a few things within a week. I am eyeing up my dwindling wine stock with some concern as I am drinking way more than normal. Oh well, once it's gone it's gone. 

I continue my morning exercises although I am allowing myself to get up a little later. I started at 6:30 today (rather than the usual 5:45). My regime involves about 15mins of bodyweight exercises, and then 56min on the exercise bike in front of a Netflix show. Today was Better Call Saul.

Ok, back to work. Enough brain dumping for now.

Shutdown

So that's it. The first Covid lock-down. Will it be the last? We are now allowed out once a day for exercise with only people from our household. The entire nation effectively imprisoned in their own homes. I keep thinking I will wake up in a minute, but this nightmare seems set to continue for many weeks if not months. As if to taunt us further, the weather was once again glorious and sunny today.

This was the first day of homeschooling for us. Tomoki showed great initiative and self-drive and gamely worked his way through the suggested itinerary that the school sent home with the kids last Friday. Nozomi also worked from home, and some good news. She can do that every day now. Her company has finally relented to the inevitable. So that is one less vector that the disease can reach us from.  She is also doing a stellar job arranging online food deliveries so that is not a big concern yet.

We walked the dog this morning and at lunchtime. There were far fewer people about this morning so we will make that time our allotted exercise slot. It was very very quiet this morning, but at lunchtime, there were plenty of people about in the woods where I had hoped it would have been quieter. It wasn't crowded by any means, and it was easy to stay a good distance away from people, but the morning was definitely better. Fortunately, Tomoki and I are morning people so we should be fine.

I had very little enthusiasm for work, but I managed to get the first draft of some training slides I have to present next week done. I can get back to more interesting project work tomorrow. Nozomi has discovered she likes working at home. We managed it quite well I think.

I read to Tomo for half an hour this afternoon, and I think he is enjoying the story. Part 1 of The Belgariad by David Eddings; The Pawn of Prophecy. A great series. After dinner, (Pad Thai for us, hot dog for Tomo), we played some music together. We practised Tarantella and then we fooled around with the Tetris theme. It was good fun. I had to glue on a false thumbnail today to fix my own shredded one for guitar playing. So far so good. Sounds a bit duller than a regular nail but at least I can pick the strings properly again.

A fly is buzzing around and is driving me nuts at the moment. I hope the dog can snap it in half.

Al Fresco

A strange day. At any other time, it would have been an almost perfect early spring Sunday. The sun was shining, the wind had lost some of its bite, early blossom is not hard to find and there are daffodils aplenty.

I woke up with a somewhat stuffy nose and immediately thought "uh oh". Temperature was a perfectly normal 36.2, and it was gone after my shower, After the morning ablutions, I went downstairs for a rare treat. A BLT with slightly stale bread, but the bacon grease and mayonnaise did a respectable job masking the fact. After that, it was a dog walk on a beautiful spring morning. In contrast to yesterday, I thought I would walk by the local Tesco Express to see how things were. I didn't get too close, but it was apparent that there were many empty shelves, however, there were some glimpses of greenery in the veg section and a few patches of red in the fresh meat fridge. Judging by a few grim if relieved looking shoppers, it is possible to at least purchase something to eat. Maybe the pressure is easing. I am not worried too much yet, but it is a nagging fear that the food supply won't improve and once the warehouses are empty, we could be in for a rough ride. Need to bury that thought for now. We actually got a delivery from Sainsbury's this afternoon thanks to Nozomi. We have enough.

I Facetimed Helen whilst walking to wish her a happy mother's day. She sounded better than the last time I spoke to her. She has had pneumonia since the beginning of the year and I strongly suspect it was a C19 infection, but she hasn't been tested for it. She spent some time with her mum Peggy, last week, so I hope not. She thinks it was the flu as she had symptoms around Christmas time. 

Anyway, the walk was good. There were people about, but we all kept a respectable distance from each other. In other parts of the country, this does not appear to be the case and I fear a total lock-down is not far off. 

When I got home, the garden was lovely and warm, so I got the outside table ready for lunch so that we could eat outside for the first time this year. We had chicken burgers and oven fries, Tomo ate his burger without complaint. A minor victory!

After cleanup, I prepared a space for Nozomi to work tomorrow. Had to drill a couple of holes to hang an adaptor so she can plug her laptop in. I didn't hit a water pipe or electrocute myself, so a successful job.

I had a long chat with dad whilst making dinner. He seems well, but he has got a list of shopping that he hopes Samantha can get for him. Worst case, assuming we are permitted, we can take him some things next week. He has a full freezer though. 

After a dinner of tebasaki (chicken wings), rice and broccoli we had a quick family meeting to hash out a study plan for Tomoki tomorrow. We will adapt it as we go, but the school gave us some good material to begin with.

Tomo and I practised playing Tarantella together for 20mins or so. He is really good at chord changes. I think we will have a respectable version in a few days or so. 

Dumbbells

Day 2 of TCP started quite well. (I wonder when I will forget that number? I may stop counting). It was a sunny morning, so after a muffin, egg and ham breakfast (we still have food - might as well enjoy it) I took the dog for a good walk. As usual, Tomo turned me down. It has become an automatic response when I ask if he will come with me. "Nooo" comes the reply when I holler up the stairs. The attractions of the internet are far more alluring. From Monday, I will insist as part of his daily exercise regime. I am trying to treat this as a normal weekend in as much as possible, so he was off the hook today. We had a fun movie night together yesterday. The billing was Rocky 3 and First Blood. He preferred the latter.

There were a fair number of people also walking around and about, either with dogs or with children, but no groups larger than 3 people. One old boy was determinedly walking nowhere in particular at a brisk pace and staying well clear of others. I exchanged morning greetings with several people. Maybe it's my imagination, but everyone seemed to be making an effort to be more social (if from a safe distance of several meters). I studiously avoided walking near the local shop. I can't stand the sight of people grabbing everything in sight, or worse, the now familiar and surreal reality of empty shelves.

Before I left, someone from the local Facebook group put out a request for dumbbells because the local gym is closed and they "can't exercise". I responded and said she could have mine for free. I haven't used them for a while. They offered to get us something from the shops if we need anything. I hope I don't have to call in that favor. I was happy to help someone out. Just pay it forward, please! We need a bit more kindness and generosity at the moment. 

Anyhoo. When I got home, I gave the car a good wash and valet. This weather is too good to waste and I wanted to be outside. It is bitterly ironic that the signs of spring are taking place while this horror is taking place. As I was finishing, the dumbbells were collected. I had given them a good wipe down with white spirit but advised 'Belle' to also sterilize them. Can't be too careful with C19.

Yesterday, I made a pan pizza for dinner (with a leftover meatball sauce for topping). It was pretty good, so I ate the leftovers for lunch with a salad. Tomo and Nozomi chose ramen. We found some fun quizzes on Alexa while making lunch. Need to up the difficulty of the maths one though as Tomo was too good at the normal level. It was fun though, and I am sure we will find other things on there that can be somewhat educational. (I bought an Echo Show for the kitchen last week so that I can talk to dad easily while we prepare our respective evening meals. I think we are talking more now than we have in years, so a silver lining).

We had a video call with Jeremy and Akiko today. They are living in France and have to print out a permission slip to take the children out for exercise. They seemed well and it was good to chat. Apparently, the same panic shopping happened out there last week, but now the shops are better stocked. Hopefully the same will happen here now people are bedded in for isolation, but looking at the news - not yet...

This afternoon, I had a little nap. Then I tried once more to record myself playing the guitar. I am trying to overcome performance anxiety and videoing myself is almost like having an audience, but damn fingers feel fat and clumsy. I shredded my thumbnail a couple of weeks ago which is a bit of a pain for the Travis style fingerpicking that I favor. Plenty of boo-boos, but I managed to get a few reasonable recordings done. I may send one to Helen tomorrow for mother's day.

Nozomi's family in Japan is healthy at the moment. I missed the chance to talk to them as I was walking the dog when she skyped. Hopefully tomorrow. Nozomi seems her usual cheerful self. My lovely sunshine wife. She must be worried about travel restrictions. I can't imagine.

What else? I fixed our laundry hamper (broken lid). Exciting huh?!

Beer O' Clock

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNF7k552CCkVDommZmJ_jMYBY37QVrKz24_tkhT

March 20th, 2020: TCP Day 1

TCP Day 1

So, it has begun.  The COVID Pause, hereafter known as TCP (seems somewhat apt, if not ironic I guess). 

We are all currently healthy. No coughs or fevers, or other symptoms.
 

School closed at 13:15 today; probably for the last time for those in Year 6 like Tomoki. I have been quite low these past few days thinking about the end of school activities he will miss and the psychological scars this period could leave in his memories. He seems to be relatively unaffected at the moment, but time will tell. He's chuckling about something upstairs currently so for today at least he appears to be fine. He will not be sitting his SATs and his Grade 4 keyboard exam has been indefinitely postponed.

Nozomi is still commuting to work, although she just texted to say that she will be "allowed" to work from home on Monday, Thursday and Friday starting next week. I continue to work from home as I have these past years. We had a special "Virtual Fruit Friday" meeting online at work today. I guess it will be a regular thing. I may or may not attend in future depending on mood. The company has discouraged WFH the past few years, so it was somewhat entertaining in a dispassionate way. Maybe after this virus has faded, the company will be pressured to rethink that policy. I expect that WFH will open the eyes of those that don't usually do it.

I did no shopping today. We have enough for a period of a couple of weeks or so before food will become an issue and the shops are carnage at the moment. When I went to collect Tomo from school this afternoon, there were many scared looking people dragging heavy bags of shopping home. I hope this panic buying ends soon, or we will be facing rationing of some sort. The fear is palpable though. Some people will meet your gaze with a watery smile. Poppy (our little poodle/bichon cross helps there), but most people have darting eyes and a grimace as they go about whatever task needs doing. It's pretty grim. 

The weather was a bit brisk, but at least it wasn't raining. It looks set fair but chilly this weekend so hopefully we can get out to the woods for some fresh air. We are not quite in full lock down yet. You need permission to walk the dog in some countries at the moment. I fear we won't be far behind in the UK.

The virus numbers are not worth repeating here. The history and statistics of this will be available for all to see and study for decades to come once this disaster has played out. Suffice to say, it looks like we are "doing an Italian" or possibly even worse if the trajectory of our COVID19 infected continues in its current pattern.

I am really missing our friends. We would normally be having our neighbors Adam, Akiko and their son Leo over tonight (or be going to theirs) for good food, drinking and mahjong or some other game. It all feels desperately sad and lonely.

Nozomi, Tomoki and I will be spending some part of the weekend working out how Tomo can continue his studies. The school sent some material, and we have a few ideas for music, Japanese studies etc. We will structure his day as if he was at school. Details to be determined. He will not be playing video games all day!

Made dinner (home made deep pan pizza) at the same time as dad via the Echo Show. He seemed well and I am glad we gave him an Echo last week for his 70th birthday. Apparently, booze is now hard to get. Glad I had the foresight to get enough in. Gonna need it!

Another Ride

The weekend's weather was fantastic. So, despite the temptations of the newly acquired Wii, yesterday we (!) decided to meet up with our friends Greg, Fumie, Kristian and Mika and go for a cycle around the villages of Bramley and Wonersh. We had a very delicious lamb curry at Greg and Fumie's house before setting off for Bramley. After a very pleasant ride, we stopped off for a quick drink at the pub and then enjoyed a nice chilli made by Mika. Oh, we finally met Marley, Kristian and Mika's new cat. They rescued him from an animal shelter. He is about the same size as my dad's cat Bob, which is to say big!
今週末の天気は良かったので、昨日 Wiiのかわりに自転車に乗ることにした。最初に友達のグレッグさんとふみえちゃんの家にふみえちゃんの美味しいラムカレーを食べに行った。それからブラムリで住んでいる友達のクリスチアンさんと実かちゃんの家に行ってサイクリングに出かけた。ブラムリとワナッシュと言う村のあたりでのんびりした。後で、パブで一杯飲んでクリスチアンさん達の家に戻った。そこで最近かい始めた猫のマーリちゃんに会った。お父さんの猫のボブちゃんと同じ大きな猫なんです。写真を撮り忘れちゃった。実かちゃんの美味しいチリコンカー二ーをいただいて家へ帰りました。やっぱり、自転車で運動したのにまた食べ過ぎちゃったんだもん。。。

What the hell! なんじゃこりゃ

I finally managed to track down a Nintendo Wii on Saturday. Thus the remainder of the day was spent playing tennis, boxing (great fun that one!) and other sports games. I also spent several hours slaying zombies in Resident Evil 4. (Oh yeah!) Nozomi and I decided to do the fitness age test on Wii sports. Oh dear. As you can see from the photo, I didn't do very well. Nevertheless I am apparently younger than my wife by some several years. I will spare her blushes though :-)

やった。土曜に任天堂Wiiを手に入れた。それで、遅くまでのんちゃんと僕はゲームをやっていた。僕は何時間もバイオハザード４でゾンビを打っていた。（なんでそんなに面白いかなへへ。）でも、Wiiスポーツの体力年齢テストは大変きびしかったなあ。僕は老人のようだった。でも、のんちゃんより若くできた。ははは。僕はやさしいからのんちゃんの年齢は秘密にしておく。

What's that smell?...

I awoke today to discover the Mrs was not in the bed. Most unusual. Furthermore, tantalizing smells and the sound of pots and pans clattering indicated some serious activity in the kitchen. Sights and sounds unseen in our household (at 7 in the morning!). After my morning ablutions, I padded downstairs to witness Nozomi engaged in a masterful juggling act in preparation of a bento box for my lunch! What a lovely wife I have. It was absolutely delicious.

今日、僕は起きたら家のはベッドにいなかった。えっ！どこかな。そして、一階から美味しそうなにおいとともにガチャガチャ音が聞こえた。台所で何か起こってるようだった。この家で朝早くにそんなこと初めてなんだ。シャワーの後で一階に行ったらのんちゃんがシェフみたいにバタバタしていた。僕にお弁当を作っているところだった。なんていい奥さんなんだ。お弁当はうまかった。それは僕の大好きなおにぎり弁当だった。

Changing Gears

Today the weather was positively spring-like, being very sunny and not particularly cold. For the first time in ages, I decided to take my bike out for a spin. I haven't ridden at all since we moved here last May. After giving the bike a quick service, I hit the road with no particular destination in mind. It was good to feel the air on my face. Initially, I explored the various cycling paths near here, but that got boring quite quickly. Eventually I just picked some fields on the horizon and headed out. Good decision. There was very little traffic and the scenery soon opened up. This was more like it. I passed many farms, with sheep, horses, cows and even Lamas! Eventually, I arrived at Old Basing village. This has got some lovely old thatched cottages as you can see.

今日の天気は春みたいなので自転車に乗ることにした。この町に引っ越してから全然自転車に乗らなかった。自転車をちょっと点検して別に目的地もなく乗り始めた。新鮮な空気でいい感じがした。最初に家の近くのサイクリングレーンをさんさくした、でもすぐつまらなくなってきた。それから畑などへ行ってみた。それは良かった。交通はあまり無くて景色もよかった。色々農場を通って羊も馬も牛もラーマさえ見た。その内にオールドベージングと言うきれいな村に着いた。可愛い建物がたくさんあった。上の写真を見て。可愛いでしょう。

I finally arrived home after about three hours, feeling very relaxed. Hopefully I will be able to ride a lot more this year (weather permitting). I wonder if Nozomi will join me next time?

とにかく出てから３時間ぐらい後で家に帰りました。いい感じがした。天気が良ければ今年もっと乗るつもりだ。今度のんちゃんも付いて来るかなあ。。

Door Wedge

I think the diet may have taken a bit of a tumble. We have just bought a bread machine. This rather nifty Panasonic Breadmaker SD254 has so far produced us two fabulous loaves. This morning we awoke to the smell of this lovely bloomer! I decided upon a door wedge ham salad sandwich for brunch. mmmmmm

I think we are going to have to play lots of table tennis this weekend..



ダイエットはしっぱいしちゃったかな。今週パナソ二ックSD254のパン焼き機を買った。今日までに美味しいパンを二つ焼いた。今朝このブルーマと言うパンのいいにおいで起こされちゃった。僕はドーアウエッジのハムサラダサンドにした。（イギリスではドアウエッジと言うサンドは分厚いサンドの意味です。）とても美味しかった。でもね、今週末卓球をたくさんやったほうがいいと思う。

A bit of a pong.

Time to shed the Christmas weight gain. Whilst we were in Japan, Nozomi and I spent a very enjoyable evening with our friends Yuri and Kazuki. They have a Nintendo WII and after a feast (and plenty of beer) in an Izakaya we went back to their house to play Wii Fit. It was great fun, although my ski-jumping efforts made Eddie The Eagle look like a champion. Anyway, yesterday, we popped into Toyz R Us to see if we could get hold of a Wii and the Wii Fit game- ha ha ha ha ha. It seems that there is something of a shortage of Wiis in the in the UK. Furthermore, it seems that Wii Fit is also not yet available. The irony is that when we went to Yamada Denki, they were piled up 10 high near the cash register. So, instead of the elusive Wii, we settled for a cheapo table-tennis set. Today we spent a couple of hours ping ponging on the dining table. It was almost as fun as Wii Fit (but not quite)!

日本ではやっぱり美味しい料理を食べ過ぎて太ちゃったんだ。それでのんちゃんと僕は一緒にダイエットをするようにしていた。日本では友達のゆりちゃんとかずき君の家で任天堂のWii Fitと言うゲームをした。大変楽しかったんだ。だけど僕のスキージャンプはとても下手なのでEddie The Eagleでさえ上手になちゃったんだ。とにかく、Wiiをよくやれば体力とダイエットに取っていいだろう。それで昨日Toyz-R-UsにWiiを買いに行った。残念でした。売り切れだった。イギリスではクリスマスプレゼントでWiiは全然なくなちゃった。日本に山田電機に行ったらWiiはレジの近くに山積みだった。イギリスに送っていただけませんか。おねがいいい。。。それで、Wiiの代わりに安いたっきゅうセットを買った。今日二人で家のダイニングテーブルにピンポンをした。やせたかな。

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone. o-shogatsu omedetou! We began our New Year celebrations on New Years eve by eating a delicious bowl of toshikoshi-soba (New Year's Eve buckwheat noodles), prepared by Nozomi's mum, Akiko-san. Noodles signify a long and successful life and are traditionally eaten on New Years eve. After seeing in the New Year, we hit the hay. It was a cold night and Nozomi and I were wrapped in many layers of blankets as well as a futon. Slept very well.

In the morning, we sat down together for o-sechi ryori This is traditional Japanese New Year food. The feast began with a toast of o-toso which is a spiced sweet sake followed by a bowl of Akiko-san's delicious ozouni. I partook of a glass or two of the red wine that Nozomi's dad had bought specially for the occasion. It was a blessed relief from the lemsip I had been glugging the previous day.



After our bellies were full, we had a bit of a rest before heading off to YouMe town, a huge retail store a few minutes walk from Nozomi's parent's house. It was extremely busy (despite New Years Day being an official holiday). We bought some omiyage (presents), and Yoko bought me some five-finger socks as a birthday present. (Imagine gloves for feet and you get the idea). Thank you Yoko-san! The should keep my feet nice and toasty. We stopped off for a coffee before heading back home. I had a Curry Bun with mine. A sort of doughnut with a curry filling. Much tastier than it sounds.

In the afternoon, we met Nozomi's friend Setsuko with her husband Tasheki and their two daughters Lin-chan and Hikari-chan. Lin-chan has grown up loads since we saw them at our Wedding in Oct 2006. Hikari-chan is already walking. Time really is flying by.

Later on, we dropped by Yuri-chan's mother's house to collect Nozomi's boots (she left them in the car after our onsen trip). There, we met Aya-chan and Wataru-kun and their parents. We stayed at their house during our last trip to Japan. Waturu-kun is now at middle school and his English has really improved since we last met. They were both happy to receive o-toshidama, (New Year gift money which is usually given to Japanese kids at this time). It was nice to see everyone again. I hope they will be able to come and visit us sometime.

Alba

Today, Nozomi and I finally met Kazuki and Yuri's dog, Alba. We stopped by at Yuri's mothers house on the way back from the onsen. Alba is very cute, and being only a few months old, very energetic! Her fur is very short, so doggy clothes are required to keep warm in the winter. (It is very nippy here at the moment). Recently, she has been spending a lot of time under the kotatzu where she has been licking at Yuri's father's feet. (A kotatsu is a type of table with a heated blanket under which you put your legs). Alba has her own blog, where you can follow her daily life and adventures.

Onsen Adventure

Yesterday, we went to an onsen (spa) called Sujiyu with Yuri and Kazuki. We stopped at a ryokan called Shugetsu. It started snowing almost as soon as we left Yame, and by the time we hit the mountain roads, it was settling. Eventually, the car refused to budge and despite three of us pushing, Kazuki-san's car was not going anywhere. Time to break out the snow-chains!
昨日百合ちゃんとかずきさんと筋湯と言う温泉に行って秀月と言う旅館に泊まった。八女をでたらしばらくして雪が降り始めて、山の道に着いた時には、車はすべりはじめちゃった。三人で車を押したのにぜんぜんすすまなくなっちゃった。でも良かった。チェーンを持ってきたかずきさんと百合ちゃんのおかげで助かったんだ。

Thanks to Kazuki-san's heroic driving, we finally made it safely to the onsen resort. What a place! With the snow, it was especially beautiful. Each guest room has its own private onsen and it was an amazing experience to sit in a lovely hot bath, whilst snow was drifting (or occasionally wind-blasted) through the wooden slats of the window shutters. The only problem was getting out! There is a badger like creature in Japan called Tanuki. Amongst other things, these creatures are alleged to be mischief makers, causing strange things to happen. I am sure that each time Nozomi and I tried to get out of the onsen, a tanuki created a blast of snowy wind to send us both diving back under the water..

In the evening we shared a delicious meal together, which as with most Japanese food, not only tasted great, but was presented very artfully. After the meal I felt absolutely shattered (having developed a cold on top of the jet-lag), but after a couple of beers I regained some energy and rejoined the party (in spirit as well as body). We spent a very pleasant evening chatting with Yuri and Kazuki whilst enjoying the New Year variety shows on TV. Slept very well, so it would seem that my prayer was answered at Takatsuka-Jizou, a temple we visited on the way to the onsen.



Our thanks to Yuri and Kazuki for a fantastic trip. o-sewa ni narimashita.

Izakaya

This evening, we went to an Izakaya called Umeya with Kaori and met up with Yumiko, and Hiroko for some more drinking and snacks. Very nice. Izakaya are brilliant. Table service, with lots of delicious snacks to choose from and a really relaxing convivial atmosphere.

Yamada Denki

Wow. I just received a marvelous birthday present from Nozomi's family. They took us to an electrical retailer called Yamada Denki and bought me an iPod! It's one of the new iPod minis. Japanese electrical retailers are a sight to behold. Vast floorspace is given over to TVs, PCs and every other gadget or electrical item you might want. They make Currys and Comet look very shabby by comparison. As you might expect in Japan, the customer service is beyond compare. You actually feel like a wanted customer rather than a hinderance. Right, I am off to play with my new toy.

minna-san makoto ni arigatou gozaimashita. (Thank you very much).

Yame

We left the hotel at around 8AM to catch our flight to Fukuoka from where caught the bus to Yame (Nozomi's home-town). Nozomi's dad met us at the bus stand and we set off for a spot of lunch at one of Nozomi's favourite restaurants for a tasty burger. Then it was back to Nozomi's parent's house in Yame. It was great to see everyone again. My Japanese comprehension was a bit better than the last time we visited, although I have still got a long way to go to understand the Kyuushuu dialect with ease. (Imagine a Cornish or Glaswegian accent for a non-native English speaker and you get the idea!) In the evening we were treated to yakiniku by Nozomi's parents at a local restaurant where we met two of Nozomi's cousins, Na-chan and Miki-chan. We had a very relaxing evening, and the food was absolutely divine. The nama beer was very good too :-)

Yame is an interesting place, which is probably typical of rural Japan. Houses, farmland, shops and retail parks are not really separated as they are in the UK. Thus you can walk from say your front door, past a local small holding where crops are being grown, and then on to a huge retail store within the space of a few minutes. Houses are of all shapes, ages and sizes and there is not the bland uniformity seen in so many housing estates in the UK. There also seem to be a lot more Ma-and-Pop type shops, and whilst lots of chain stores do exist, there is much more local variety when shopping or eating out. It's very hickledy-pickledy (in a good way). For me, this is much preferable to a typical British town layout where the main shops and farmland are generally much removed from the places where people actually live and wherever you go all the shops and restaurants are the same.

Tokyo (Akihabara)

We arrived at Tokyo Narita at about 11AM. Immigration control took some time because of a recent law requiring all gaijin (non-Japanese) to be fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival. Then we caught a bus and a taxi to the Washington hotel in Akihabara. I had a shower, then we went for a quick walk around this amazing district, which is full of electrical goods retailers and tea-rooms called "maido kissa" which are part of Akihabara's Otaku culture. (See piccie above).

We were knackered after the long flight so after a quick bowl of delicious ramen, we went back to the hotel for a nap. In the evening we met our friends Chiaki, Teruhiko and Yoshimi for an evening in an Izakaya where we enjoyed plenty of beer and food. Wasn't sure about the kyuri-tempura (cucumber tempura), but the sashimi was delicious. It was great to see everyone again after more than a year.

Farewell from Canada

So here, we are in the airport lounge awaiting our flight. Vancouver International Airport absolutely puts Heathrow to shame, being spacious, clean and all together civilized. Security took a mere 10 minutes to clear, despite everyone being thoroughly checked with the magic wand. The aiport lounge also boasts complimentary internet access. Sadly, the weather was not on our side again today, being all together damp and dreary. We spent the morning in the aquarium in Stanley Park (from where the picture was taken). Then it was a quick lunch back at the ramen shop and then the right to the aiport. Being my last entry from Canada, I thought I would do a quick list of my observations during our stay here (in no particular order).

The Good

The scenery

Icefields Parkway (drive of a lifetime)

The steaks

The availability, cheapness and quality of Japanese food

Driving in the mountains without another car in sight.

Kokenee beer

The people

The Bad

Portion sizes can be huge

The Ugly

Some hotels charge for internet access. Cheeky buggers.

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So, I will leave you with one final photo of Bow Lake.

On Cloud Nine

We had a bit of a lazy day today. We started off with breakfast at a Ma and Pop greasy spoon. Very tasty food, but the service was a bit relaxed. Afterwards. we did a bit of shopping on Robson St. I came within a whisker of buying a new iPod Nano, but managed to control myself (for now). Then it was back to the hotel for a nap and a bit of a doss about. Cloud Nine is the name of the rotating restaurant at the top of our hotel and it is something of a Vancouver landmark. Today is our last full day in Canada so we decided to splash out for our last dinner. The view of the city was amazing from up there. We got there at about sunset and spent the next couple of hours enjoying the city's panorama. I recommend the tasty (if pricey) Surf 'n Turf. The B.C Merlot wasn't bad either.

Stanley Park

Today we spent the morning and early afternoon walking around Stanley Park.This huge area of green space is a few minutes walk from downtown and our hotel. We had sunny skies, although the air temperature was somewhat cool in the shade. We started from the English Bay Beach side and enjoyed several hours of strolling around the park. The picture on the left is a rock sculpture that somebody built down on the beach. Sadly, my own effort was somewhat less impressive and its pictorial evidence shall remain in my private collection. I am not generally a "city person", but Stanley Park helps to give Vancouver something that makes this city special. The views across the bay are amazing and there is always something to look at be it a sea-plane taking off, a cruise ship sailing to or from Canada Place, or even the industrial activity of the docks. The people watching is similarly fascinating, with all manner of joggers, walkers, skaters, cyclists, etc. passing by. We watched an old guy fishing. Out of four casts, he managed to hook something three times. One of the catches got away before he could land it, but he landed a 2lb fish and a side-plate sized crab during the ten minutes or so we were watching him. He tossed the crab back in, but the fish he added to the already half filled net bag containing his previous catches. I guess that's his supper sorted for the next week or so.

Lions Gate Bridge
After our leisurely walk, we headed back to Robson St and stopped off for some lunch at a Ramen shop. I had the opportunity to practice my Japanese with the waitress, who swiftly recovered from the surprise in being spoken to by me in Japanese and served us some delicious Ramen and Yakisoba.

Gastown

Overslept this morning. Perhaps it was the wine.. Anyway, after a rushed breakfast at the hotel we hit Highway 99 for the 130Km or so run down to Vancouver. This route takes in some spectacular views of the Pacific of which we got plenty of time to enjoy thanks to the construction along the way. It seems that much of the road is being upgraded, with lots of rock blasting and general construction going on. This is in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics which Vancouver is hosting. After checking in to the Empire Landmark Hotel and dropping the car off, we had some Dim Sum for lunch (very nice!). Then we went for a walk around the city. Unfortunately, the weather had turned. It was generally grey and drizzly. We managed to have a wander around Gastown. This is the old part of the city and its main highlight is the Steam Clock (pictured), and its statue of "Gassy Jack". The clock is quite a cool contraption which sounds off the hours with steam whistles. We then headed for Canada Place. This is a huge, conference center and dock for cruise ships shaped like a huge cruise ship. It rightfully boasts some great views across the bay, with sea-planes and all manner of ships coming and going. By this time, we were feeling knackered and a bit damp, so we headed back to the hotel. I hit the gym for 45 minutes or so, whilst the Mrs had a nap. Then we set off for some dinner at a Greek restaurant up the road. Food was great, and the place had the genuine taverna feel about it. (Right down to the plastic garden furniture for tables and chairs!). Our hotel is based on Robson St which is a great location, having lots of restaurants, and being within easy walking distance of the major landmarks. We are both astonished at the cheapness of sushi here! We pay about £25 for sushi when we treat ourselves at home. This gets us a small amount of toro, salmon, etc. If we spent that much here, we could feed about 8 people!

Whistler

Wow! What a room! We somehow managed to get our room upgraded at the Pan Pacific Hotel and have landed with an enormous suite! It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a huge open plan kitchen-diner-lounge. Whistler Village is a bustling place, with lots of restaurants, bars and gift shops. This Whistle stop (get it?) was mostly as a research mission for future skiing trips. I have been informed by the Mrs that we WILL be coming again. (Who am I to complain? ;-)) We got some take out sushi and a bottle of wine and are currenty enjoying our spacious surroundings.

Highway 99 to Whistler

The drive to Whistler took us the best part of the day, as we of course, took plenty of stops to take pictures and stretch our legs. It was a proper mountain drive, with steep snaking roads, stopping areas for trucks to check their breaks, and "Runaway" slopes for vehicles whose breaks are not working too well! Runaway slopes are basically short, but very steep uphill tracks positioned on the downslope on which a "runaway" can divert to and presumably (via gravity) stop should the need arise. Some of these slopes looked a little on the short side however, and I had visions of articulated lorries doing Evil Kanevil style leaps off the mountain as the "runaway" slope turns into a take-off ramp!

One of the Joffre Lakes
We passed through the small town of Lillooete, where we took a welcome toilet break in the town museum(!) The museum contained some impressively mounted stuffed animal heads and other relics from the town's history. Of particular note, were some photographs of Japanese WWII internees. These folk had their homes confiscated and sold, and were effectively imprisoned in this isolated town for the duration of the war for the simple fact that they were Japanese. The photos showed various scenes of social events (baseball etc.) and normal life, but one can't help but imagine the effect of losing one's home just because of your country of origin. Anyway, I digress. Onwards towards Jasper, we stopped at the Joffre Lakes. We almost didn't stop there as the journey was taking longer than expected (due to our many stops), but we are oh so glad we did. The water has an amazing color and translucence that is absolutely stunning as you can see from the picture above.

Beatlejuice

We left Kamloops, heading for Whistler, at about 10am. At one beauty spot I had a chat with a group of Dutch tourists who were travelling in an RV Camper van. Yesterday we had passed a vast swathe of dead and dying pine forest. They told me that it was caused by Pine Beatles that usually die off during the winter, or when there are forest fires. In just three years, this beetle has devastated vast swathes of the pine forests in and around Kamloops. Nobody knows if it will stop spreading, but milder winters are likely to lead to more deforestation caused by this beatle. As you can see from the photo, the effect on the trees is quite devastating, leaving vast tracks of dead wood. Perhaps nature will rebalance if these woods are allowed to burn. Only time will tell.

Mount Robson and Kamloops

Moose Lake
Started the car this morning to be greeted with another warning sign on the dashboard. Fortunately, this time it was only the tyre pressure and after a quick puff of air we were on our way to Kamloops via Mount Robson (the tallest mountain in the Rockies). We stopped along the way to take in the Overlander Falls trail and Moose Lake (pictured). Today's weather was cloudy with some rain so the summit of Mount Robson was obscured from view. Nevertheless, the 450km (280 miles) drive to Kamloops was very enjoyable as we left the high mountain passes for the lower valleys and foothills. It is amazing to have so much roadspace. For most of the journey only one or two cars were visible either in the rear view mirror or in front of us. Indeed for much of the route, we didn't see any other cars at all. I am pretty sure you can't do that in England at any time of the day or night, and this was a Sunday afternoon in one of the most picturesque places in the world! Go figure. Much of the journey was spent paralleling the Fraser River which afforded some spectacular views at various points. We arrived at Kamloops at around 5pm and spent the evening in the hotel's sports bar, where we had some delicious pork ribs and pizza followed by a few rounds of pool. Blog is a bit short today, as I am feeling a bit tired from the long drive. (As well as a touch tipsy from the pints of Molsen I have just downed).