Eventually I managed to go and get my hair cut today. I've been meaning to go for ages but never had the time. I'm never totally happy with it since it always seems so short but after a week I get used to it!

Tomorrow I have to take Keita to get all his school supplies. He already has the 2 bags that he needs since he will use kana's old ones but we still need to buy him the indoor 'slippers', gym shoes - if they have his size - and other things that I can't remember right now. Since they have bb practice tomorrow, the kids going into high school will leave part way, come in their uniform and then once they have tried on the shoes will go back to practice.

Last night Lisa brought the car home, stayed overnight and then met her friend from when she was in New Zealand (he is Japanese but has been in NZ for about 6 years or so) and went to see him off at the airport. They have always kept in touch and Lisa reckons he is the one of the best friends she has/will ever have. This time she was a lot tidier than normal and the house didn't feel as if a tornado had hit it, probably because she was only here overnight!

Aya has another 2 weeks to go at work and I think she is looking forward to leaving Tokyo. Her company has asked if she'll help out when the come to Osaka to recruit students though so she'll probably enjoy those few days and seeing her workmates again. Wonder how long she'll stay in Osaka before going back to the UK.......

Here is a photo of Setsuo's father's fridge with all the boxes of sushi he has accumulated (they are two deep in places!). Half of them were well and truly 'off' but when we tried to throw them away yesterday he went mad. Today was bin-day so I was going to do it when he wasn't around but luckily S's sister came and her father told her to take about 10 of them home with her. We threw out the really bad ones and have left him with 6 or so! While we were there, he prepared his lunch - the sushi boiled up with water and then topped with some kind of sweet bread. Anyone looking would think he was totally neglected but no matter what we try to do, he just wants to do things 'his way' and I definitely can't copy his recipes!!

After I finished my last lesson at 9.15pm on Tuesday, I went to meet up with the other bb mothers at a restaurant (which belongs to one of the husbands). By the time I got there the 'discussion' must have been over because all we did was eat, drink and have a very loud night! It was same as always - another late night/early morning - and I arrived home about 1.30.

Today, after classes, we took Keita to get a new bb glove. In his next team, they use a much harder ball so he needs a different glove and bat and because it has to 'soften up' before he can use it properly, we had to get it at least a month before he'll start to use it. The salesman must have heard me gasp when I looked at the price ticket - 50,400 yen (roughly 250 pounds believe it or not). There were another two different kinds that were up to 50 pounds cheaper but there was a big difference in the weight and leather (plus they were a much tighter fit) so we went for the better one since he'll use have to use it for a while. I thought he would get away with the same one for the 3 years he is in jnr high school but according to the salesman, they usually need to buy a new one after about 1.5 years. Looks like I need to start saving.....
He also got a pair of gloves since his hands were all blistered after just a couple of hours the other day but thankfully the salesman said the cheaper ones were best for practising with. Needless to say, we didn't buy the bat as well (they are around 26,000 yen). Before we went, Keita said he would use his 30,000 yen that he has left from New Year towards the cost so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

That wasn't the worst though - while we were there I asked what size the bb shoes went up to and it turns out that they only have up to 29cm (what he's in now and which cost around 6000 yen) and to get the next size you have to order them which also more than doubles the price. He called Keita over to measure his feet with the special laser thing they have connected to a computer and he said that he should already be in a size 30! We'll wait and see what kind of spikes he needs in the new club before ordering any. I just hope his feet stop growing because anything over size 30 needs to be order made and the price shoots up to 40,000 yen a pair - I think I'll be cheaper flying out to America to buy them in bulk!!

After that we went for dinner and then on to Jusco to buy more trousers and sweaters for him (he's already outgrown what we bought just before Christmas) and as we were passing a window, I saw our reflections and it looks like he is the exact same height as I am which means he's around 178cm.

All in all, it was a VERY expensive day so I doubt we'll be going shopping again for a while!

I just found these photos of the All Star Team on my camera so thought I'd share. Keita is in the back row, second from the left (next to him is one of the coaches). All the kids have their own teams uniform on, it's just their hat that is the same!

Yesterday was our ETJ meeting with Janina presenting on storybooks and readers and although the turnout wasn't great (9 in total) it was nice and cozy and we all had the chance to speak up. I had to do the MC'ing so lucky for me that the numbers were small - I could stay seated so it didn't feel like I was in the spotlight! The meeting was slated to begin at 2.30 and finish at 5pm but we didn't get started until about 2.45 and the next time we looked at the clock it was nearly 6! Afterwards, Janina, Michelle, Lisa, Helena and I all went out for a drink, dinner and chat. Just wish we all lived a bit nearer each other so we could do it more often. We had to laugh when we got to the restaurant - although the place was empty, the young guy put us in the room furthest from the entrance, separating the species??

Today is a busy day and I should really be preparing my lessons but instead have been on the computer all morning writing emails or checking lists.

Tomorrow night is another night out with the Baseball mothers. I'll be teaching until 9.30pm so will go after that but need to get back at a reasonable time because I have my nursery school class the next morning.

On Wednesday not long after I got home a whole load of fire engines came racing past the house with sirens blaring. They continued to the end of the road and then turned so I knew it wasn't that close to us. About 10 minutes later I could smell smoke and when I went up onto the balcony I could see loads of black smoke which then turned into a huge red flame. It turns out that it started in a small family-owned restaurant, spread to the electrical shop on one side and also the Okonomiyaki shop and takoyaki shop on the other side so all in all 4 houses were burnt. I'd just come out of the bath and was in pajamas but Lisa and Keita went 'to have a look' and when Setsuo came home, he also went in case it was one of his customers. It wasn't a customer but a friend of a friend's house where it started. Everyone thought it must have been a fire from the cooker but in actual fact, it started under the stairs so they think it may have been due to faulty or old wiring (the police gave them a hard time though almost accusing them of starting the fire themselves).

Luckily there was nobody hurt but now the friend and family have nothing (probably the same for the other 3 houses too) so they are going to move into one of our apartments in Hotarugaike and we are trying to get things ready for them. Luckily we have a lot of things we can give them because of the move and hopefully they can get back on their feet soon.

It's a reminder of how fires can spread so quickly. Although I can't say the same for ambulances, here the fire brigade arrive within minutes of the first call but because a lot of the houses are still old and made of wood, it doesn't take long for them to burn. A good reminder to be careful and also for us to get fire insurance for the new place!

These weeks seem to be just flying past - I know it's a sign of getting older but.......

Today, I took the plunge and made my blog public. I don't know whether it's a good or bad decision but I can always reverse the changes later and I'm sure there are not many people interested in my life anyway!

On Sunday Keita and Co lost their game. It was a shame because they'd got so far but also a relief to know that there aren't any more weekly matches. In fact until he goes into Jnr High, and changes teams, there'll only be practice. On Saturday we have to go and see what one of the other teams are like (the one Keita is keen to join) so I've had to cancel two of my lessons since at least one parent is expected to go too.

Lisa finally brought the car back on Saturday! I think she'd be very happy if I said she could keep it but since I also need it now and then too, she's out of luck.

Yesterday I got an email from Kana's homestay mother and this is part of it

Kana has settled into school very well and is very good at staying on task with her homework. She is such a delight to have around. We have never had anyone become part of the family as quick as Kana has. And she is so helpful. Kana just wants to help in any way she can. Its a bit of a surprise in our family where we have to constantly tell our children to help. We think she will be a great role model.

What she said is just so Kana! She is really helpful even at home so I expect she is even more so over there. She is still showing no signs of homesickness - wonder if she's been lacking something and getting it fulfilled over there!!!

Not a lot to post really, it's even a nice day here so I can't complain about the weather!

Just a quickie before I'm out of the office and heading for the shops.

I had an email from Kana yesterday to say they were all going shopping...............to buy COWS!!
Nothing like the ordinary run of the mill stuff for that family! I think they are going to switch from being sheep farmers to cattle farmers. Also she told me a while ago that they have a doberman puppy - lucky for Kana that she arrived when it's still young enough to get used to her. I'm just wondering how it will be with strangers when I go over in the summer!!

She had also been out 'normal' shopping with Annalise and her mother and had met up with some of her Kun-ei friends so was happy to see them again.

No word from Lisa - I'm sure she's not phoning in the hope that I've forgotten she has my car!

Yesterday we went and ordered Keita school uniform. We had gone last week but because the biggest one they had fitted him perfectly, they said he needed a bigger size and it would take a while for it to arrive (remember that the uniforms they stock are up to 16 year old and they were all too small!) Yesterday's one is just on the big size but since he has 3 years of hopefully not outgrowing it, that is the one we'll go for (at 50,000 yen a go I REALLY hope he doesn't outgrow it). His shirts will have to be custom made because he has such long arms - just like me - and they will lengthen the cuffs or something. That's all very well for now, but what happens when he has outgrown them and needs longer - they can't keep lengthening just the cuffs! The top of his sports uniform is 5L (which means large, large, large, large and even larger!!). He definitely has my genes and not Setsuo's.

Talking of whom......he has a cold so had to stay in bed all morning. I think he did feel lousy but there is definitely a difference between a man's cold and a woman's cold! It would be nice to be able to switch genders now and again.

Guess what we had for dinner last night - Yakiniku!! We opted for 'all-you-can-eat' and we really did manage to get our money's worth! Because Keita is still in elementary school, he was cheaper but I'm sure they didn't believe me when I said he was only 12 - he was bigger than all the waiters! Only another couple of months until he has to start paying adults prices but I think we've done well to have been able to get the discount for so long since he has eaten more than any of us for a long time. We all came home well and truly stuffed!

Yesterday we got a fax from Kana's teacher at her Japanese school to say that she will be staying with her host father's parents for a couple of days while the family is away (didn't say where to but probably something like a wedding). I know she has already met them so I don't think she will be too bothered about it. Actually I've just looked at it again and the dates say she stayed with them last night and will stay again tonight. That's probably why I haven't had an email from her for a couple of days. She has been writing regularly which is nice and since it's all in English, it's good practice for her too. I'm keeping a copy of all of them so that when she comes home, she can see how much her English improved over the months!

Today I went and collected my new drivers license and because I hadn't broken any rules I got the gold, 5 year one and only needed to stay and listen to a lecture and watch a video for 30 minutes as opposed to over an hour! Last time I only got a blue one because I got a parking ticket - it wasn't even me that did it, it was Setsuo but because he didn't have his driving license on him (illegal in Japan), I had to pretend it was me that had been driving the car.

After that, I went into Umeda to meet up with the other coordinators of the Osaka English teachers group for a meeting. It was nice to be out of the office/house and catch up with them.

After teaching 2 classes, I'm about to go home and trying to think of what to cook for dinner - these days it seems to be the same old thing and I'm tempted to ask if anyone wants to go out for dinner. Hopefully, if they agree, it can be something other than
Sushi which is what Keita ALWAYS chooses. If he can't have that then it's almost certain he will ask for yakiniku (meat cooked on charcoal in the center of the table). I'll tell you tomorrow if I was right!

Once again, nearly a week has gone by without me posting.

We had snow at the weekend - the first in years! It only snowed for about 6 hours but the flakes were huge so it even lay on the ground. The next day was lovely and sunny though so it disappeared just as fast. Since the ground was still soggy, once again the baseball match was cancelled much to Keita's relief. I didn't think he got that nervous but obviously he does! Instead we went to Costco, a sports shop and then basically lounged around even though we should have been packing.

We have moved quite a bit of stuff although there is loads still to go. After doing what we did last week, I was aching all over but now that my muscles are back to normal, I need to get back to the packing again.

Lisa took my car back to Sanda at the end of last week with the intention of bringing back on Saturday but because of the snow I told her to keep it a bit longer. I think it's going to be hard to get her to bring it back although she knows she has to.

Today it's another holiday here but Keita has practice, I have lessons and Setsuo is in his office so it's just another day for us.

I couldn't get all the photos on the last page so here are some more of us fooling around last night. Keita was saying how strong he was so he had to prove it by giving us all a piggy-back. He said Setsuo was the lightest and Lisa the heaviest but judging by the grimace on his face when he had me on his back, I reckon it must of been me who was the heaviest! Setsuo also had to prove that he still had the strength to lift Keita too!
(Don't look to hard at the background - it's a complete mess since we are in the throes of packing)

A couple of photos of the dogs - at last Daisy sat still enough to get a photo taken and the one of Spike is him in his usual laid back fashion! The other one is Kana trying on Keita's new baseball shoe. Kana's feet aren't small but compared with Keita's they are tiny!

Keita eventually ended up going on a drip on Saturday morning. He was starting to feel better but because he hadn't eaten for a few days (which is totally not Keita!) the Doc said it would be quicker to get all the medicines in that way. I'm glad I wasn't there because Keita really has a fear of needles (going back to when he had his ganglion drained twice) and usually just about passes out at the sight of needles. Anyway, it seemed to have done the trick because he is back to his hungry self.

Because it was raining again on Sunday and Keita's baseball match was cancelled, I got to have a lie in and also finally start on packing things. It took almost a day but we got the things in the bookcase and cupboard under the stairs, boxed. It shouldn't have taken so long but there were boxes of photos under the stairs so of course we had to look through a lot of them before realising it would take weeks if we continued that way! At least it's a start.

Yesterday was Setsuo's birthday too but instead of a birthday cake, we opted for Mr Donuts! It's a shame because it's also the 'Setsubun' festival too so what we eat on that day is decided - no going out for dinner to celebrate! It's a long, thick sushi roll which has to be eaten facing a certain direction and not cut up, sardines and also dried beans that you are supposed to throw all over the house and then outside too (I conveniently forgot to buy them although with the house in the mess it is at the moment, it couldn't have got any worse!)