Family ice dance.

Sapporo still covered with ice - and not enough snow to make it safe.
We took Okaasan out yesterday for another family-walk-and-lunch to stop her taking root by the TV.
It was actually a beautiful sunny day and we walked from the house, just down the road to the local subway station area for a bowl of ramen. Okaasan used the walking stick I gave her and with our help managed to do it all without breaking anything.
I think it's good to just walk locally, to remind her that she CAN do this in winter.
She enjoys walking with us. It is a simple thing to do. She is quite passive on these occasions. We dropped in to the supermarket so he and I could use the ATMs, Okaasan sat on a bench and waited and glancing back I saw her just sitting there staring at the supermarket shelves with a kind of vacant-look.


Last week was actually the THIRD anniversary of her coming to live with us. It slipped by and I forgot.
She's doing ok. Everything a little less than before. Less laundry-doing, less walking, less shopping.
I can't imagine her living alone. I think living here gives her a routine life that she just follows from day to day, without worries of food or money or decisions.
When she first came here I thought her condition was going downhill sharply, now I think she is just coasting along until something...something happens. It could be a fall or an outburst of anger.


No backlash about me delivering laundry to her room - so I am going to leave it a week and then  go in with a big laundry basket and say: "Do you have anything to put in the machine?". Okaasan uses the machine to spin dry a few pants...but I think anything else is beyond her.


Quiet weekend really....


Yesterday I went to a wake following the death of a friend's father. She is living in England and couldn't get back for the wake or funeral, so I kind of went on her behalf. I think I only met her father once or twice, but in Japan people with small connections to the deceased go to funerals.
I missed the actual ceremony, because she'd given me the wrong address for the funeral hall, but I arrived to find the family in a side room enjoying food and beer - with the open coffin to one side behind an altar-like arrangement with a photo of her father and candles. So I sat and chatted for a while. Japanese wakes are nice like this, the family get together and have a meal and the coffin is just there for anyone to look at. I didn't actually look though...after sitting with my own father's body for an hour in the funeral parlour I didn't think I needed to see another body...didn't want to risk what memories that might bring back?


And today? We went skiing!! Well, him and me.....first, very, very gentle ski with our bad knees. 
I did ok, my leg felt MUCH stronger than last year - he felt some pain. I think I might be able to do more skiing this year, which will be wonderful.
And we came home via my fave Indian restaurant and had a huge plate of tandorri stuff.....

And I did some more Christmas cards.


And played with cats. Risked putting up some decorations.


That was it.


Kind of boring blog really. Sorry about that.