Family time

He was home for a WHOLE weekend.

It's been wonderful.

A large part of my carer's brain switches off, because it knows there is someone else there to do the thinking, judging and planning.

For ski instructors in January to have a non-working weekend is rare, and this season started early - so it was all the more special.

Lazy family weekend of eating (student gave me wild pig and deer meat!), essential shopping and watching TV (I Know What You Did Last Summer slasher movie Parts I and II)...

Sunday lunchtime we took Okaasan for a walk round a shopping mall as she'd been inside for 3 days. I tried to get her interested in buying a sweater, but a suburban shopping mall only has man-made fibre cheapo clothes and Miss Princess from Kawagoe turned her nose up at those...increasingly rudely - so gave up on that idea. Only pure wool, red, expensive sweaters for this lady.
We lunched in a "Family Restaurant" where Okaasan could have the Japanese-style lunch set and we could have hamburgers...sitting there with nothing much to say to eachother so killing time by commenting on stuff on the table and around the room until the food arrived and we could eat in family-dining-out-silence.
Hate these family meals out. Very boring. Family duty.

Then home to blob in front of the TV....

This week he is home for a few more days...and tomorrow he is going to TRY and get Okaasan to go to the day care place and give hula dance another go. Ballroom dance is only once a month...and it really sucks that she seems to have enjoyed that and not the hula dance...which happens 3 times a month.
Getting into a routine of every week would of course be much better...why oh why do they have an activity only once a month?
I doubt she'll go. It's sad because she was really energised by the experience last week and to have that every week would be great.

And. We have talked about getting in someone to care for Okaasan when we are both away in February. The day service manager says it'll cost Y2,000 for an hour. When should they come? What should they do? It's actually 3 nights, but we think she'll be ok on the first night - we'll order a food delivery and it'll just be like an evening we are out/working for her. By Day 2 and Day 3 someone should come and check on her...and I think they should cook up simple stuff in the kitchen and chat to her.

And....Oyomesan is continuing her plans to become the Most Perfect Oyomesan in the World...I went to a friend's home and joined in a Miso Making cooking lesson! At this rate I will become more Japanese than Japanese people....well, maybe NOT in that apron!!!! (I don't have a cute, ladylike apron because English women stopped wearing aprons in the late 1950s..I only have a joke apron for BBQ parties).

Mash up beans, fermented rice and salt...

Cleavage helps...

Put miso container in a warm place for 2 weeks...cat basket ok?