Moving to a family house?

Last night after we'd gone to bed, we lay there talking about moving to a bigger house and all living behind the same front door.

Funny how it's easier to talk in the dark....

He has looked at some estate agent websites...I went into a local agents office the other day...we are both thinking about it.

Now in Japan there are more and more empty houses, because as the population ages people are moving into care homes/hospitals/smaller apartments and the larger multi-room houses are standing empty. Last year I walked round a posh part of our city on a hike and was amazed to see about 15 empty houses with the weeds growing and the windows boarded up.

So we talked. How to live behind the same front door and still keep our privacy. How the kitchen cooker would need to be electricity to be safer for okaasan...whether to try and include my English school in the same building. And of course: where.

For me I think I want: bigger kitchen, dining area and clearly defined seperate living spaces. And then: garden.
For okaasan: easy access to local shops and downtown shops via subway, bus or streetcar. No stairs, easy-use bathroom and warm.
For him: privacy, price.

We also talked about his work. CAN he continue as a ski instructor? What summer work would allow him to be home in the evenings?

Many things to think about.

The old student I had lunch with yesterday used to work in hospitals and after hearing my okaasan tales she urged me to get okaasan along to a hospital for CT scans to determine the extent of her memory problems. She says there are drugs now that can control or even limit the memory loss. But...doing all of that is a whole other job for us...basically for him..and just the day to day life is pretty time/energy consuming at the moment.

Onwards, onwards.

Okaasan seemed a bit down last night when she came in for dinner. Not her usual laughing self. We chatted along and got her a bit brighter, but she seemed sad. I've suggested that tomorrow or the next day we go to a hot spring place for a day trip, lunch and hot baths. Now the holiday rush is over they will be quieter.
Time to get naked with okaasan!