Monday 26 July 2010

Groovy Okaasan

Sapporo City Jazz Concert and Okaasan BIG success!
She went there on her own, she had a seat near the stage for a famous Japanese trumpet player and loved every single moment of it. Came home safely and is still grinning ear-to-ear about it this morning. She's feeling so perky that when I went into the kitchen just now to make tea she actually got up from the kotatsu and came in to say "Good Morning!" to me...

And us?
We had a packed weekend of socializing and enjoyed our own lives.
All very well with this family.
Amazing!
Okaasan is in a good spell at the moment and life feels...dare I say it...normal?

Music of course is balm for the soul and I'm sure for someone with dementia it is a relaxing, wonderful time. Jazz in particular speaks to our deep body rhythms.

We had a busy weekend: I got invited out by an ex-student to a Dinner Show of Japanese Dance at the Prince Hotel Friday night. Lots of ladies in kimono, men in heavy stage make-up, twangy shamisen music, drums, loveless ladies of the night, swash-buckling comedy routines - like Japanese pantomime in a way!
Then Saturday night we went out with two Swiss Couch Surfing guests, Sunday lunchtime I had a date with the same ex-student to see her new apartment and eat sushi...and Sunday night we were deep in the wonderful Sapporo beer garden in Odori Park with a bunch of friends and a 4-liter Kirin beer tower.

Somehow my leg is getting stronger through all of this and I actually walked to the subway station and through Odori Park.

AND!!! 
I have decided. October. Hawaii. Using those airmiles.
Gonna DO IT!
My mate Beth in San Francisco urged me on to make a decision and once she said a friend would let us rent his apartment near the beach in Maui cheaply - I was on to ANA reservations desk in a flash.
So now I am on waiting lists for flights. But hopefully will fly to Tokyo with Yujiro and a friend to see  the Adam Lambert concert on October 7th and stay the night, and then fly to Hawaii the next day for a few days of sunshine, tropical greenery, cocktails at sunset and chat time with a friend.

Now I just hope that my step-mum's condition in the UK doesn't worsen and change my plans. All last year thru the endless Japan/UK tripping and stresses I promised myself a relaxing holiday on the airmiles and I SO SO need to go to Hawaii in October.

2 comments:

  1. Great news about okaasan and the music. It's so nice that she found something that was so much fun for her. Bloody big yay about Hawaii. Jealous of course but pleased you are getting away for a break. Hope your step mum's condition stays stable so you do get to go and enjoy it :)

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  2. Thankyou!

    Yes - it's strange, the last time I met this friend was about 8? years ago when I suddenly quit a terrible company with a gruesome boss who cheated me....and I needed to escape. I went to San Francisco and stayed with this same friend...we did wine drinking/eating/tarot card reading....and I gathered myself together for a new start in life...and here again I feel I am meeting her at a Life Junction....

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