I was teaching on Saturday so had to make do with emails every 15 minutes (from one of my friends whose son 'graduated' at the same time Keita joined the team). My lessons were all to pot because I was more interested in the BB score than I was in the lesson! They won the first match but lost the second which was a big disappointment. The coach kept Keita on first base - seemingly he thought they would win both matches and wanted Keita for the following day - but it turned out to be the wrong decision. So they are now out of the tournament. The upside was that we got a holiday the next day! The kids and mothers who's turn it was to be 'on duty' had to go, but the rest of us were spared. Just as well because we had a 'get to know each other' dinner with the 2nd year mothers and coaches on Saturday night and I didn't get to bed until 1.30am - note that I DID get up at 7am to get Keita's lunch, tea (all 5 litres of it) and things organised AND I didn't go back to bed either!

On Saturday night Riku's father dropped us off at the restaurant and we sat down with another 4 1st year mothers only to be told that 2 of us needed to move because the coaches were going to pair up and and sit at each table. Two others moved and the 3rd year coach and the head of the team came and sat with us. Since the beer was flowing, there was a lot of 'interesting' conversation! A brief summary is that Keita was doing very well and has good baseball 'sense'. Later on the 1st year coach came and sat with us and he said he thought both Keita and Riku have the ability to go professional.

After the meal, we went on to another place - I thought a lot of mothers were going to be going but it turned out it was just Riku's mother, me and two others along with about 10 of the coaches so we stayed for about an hour and then made our excuses and left!

It was a good night out and a good chance to hear 'inside' talk.

Yesterday, after Keita had left for BB and I got the housework done, we went round to our old neighbours with a 'moving gift' - washing powder in our case but it can be anything really - and then I went shopping and sorted out some boxes while Setsuo took a table to his sisters and then went on to see his father. (He is turning out to be as difficult as he was at home and the other week refused to go back after being taken shopping with the result they are loathe to let him out for a while). Around 5pm we then went with the same gift to our new neighbours. I had planned on unpacking some more boxes but was exhausted so sat with a book instead! I don't know how Keita and Co manage to run around in this heat AND then go out to festivals as soon as they are home and showered.

Today we will hand the keys to the people who are buying the house. The money should have changed hands today too but because Setsuo forgot to get a certain form, it's going to be delayed for a week. They will give us 10% today though.

I went and had a look in the old house and took some photos before they start working on it (Setsuo will be doing it so I'll be able to go and see what they change!) and had no regrets about moving at all. I wondered if I would feel a bit sad about it but there was only the feeling of relief that we had actually finished the move.