Awaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Escaped. To this. Not a tofu dinner or soiled, pink underpant in sight.

Blissssssss....

Actually went to the ski resort

which is up beyond there. But you get the feeling :-)

I got up and out early, before the parking area could melt any more - and managed to get the hire car out safely. Went awaaaayyy to ski and have an onsen and eat lunch with newspapers, and do shopping.

And visit a tacky little nature park, but the foxes snoozing in the snow were cute.

And all around was snow, snow , snow - and hints of spring coming.

Took the car back to the car rental - NOW the guy tells me this car has a 4WD/2WD option switch! Like - really? Wouldn't that have been a good thing to mention to the customer when she took out the vehicle...because, like, y'know...she DID say "I'm going skiing". And skiing usually means driving up a mountain road with ice and snow...where maybe a 4WD is useful?
Thank goodness I only ploughed up the parking area at my home and didn't slide off the mountain road into a cliff in 2WD! If I had, I think the car rental office would have been responsible for failing to tell me the car has 4WD as an option switch.

Grrrrr.

But. The skiing and the whole get-away-from-responsibility was GREAT. The snow was still good. The feeling of just me and the course and snow. Ahh....Quiet ski course because now in Japan it is officially Spring, and only ski and boarding diehards are still doing it. Downtown Sapporo young women are in spring coats and shoes buying summer clothes...

Home by late afternoon with loads of shopping. Okaasan JUST thinking about going out....as the light fades and the temperature drops. Of course.
I walked her to the corner of the street, because our road is particularly bad with melting snow and ruts and iceballs. Set her off downtown.

By 7.30 pm she was STILL downtown. I had planned a nice bowl of ramen for two, but I was hungry so I cooked mine and ate it. The GPS showed that Okaasan was at the local station by 8.20pm, so I went out to meet her - took her by the hand and guided her home. Cooked ramen again. Settled her in for the evening.

* Taiwan Bananas, Part III? IV?
I bought MORE of these superlative bananas yesterday. Cos I thought it would be nice for Okaasan. Was it? Failed again. She ate half of a banana. No, not the right taste...it is March, it is too early for delicious Taiwan bananas.....
It is a losing battle. No banana I ever buy will EVER match the taste of some Taiwan banana Okaasan ate 40-60 years ago. It isn't possible. I should give up.

Oyomesan's Vows, witnessed by all blog readers:

1. I will NOT cook with Okaasan ever again. (See New Year postings 2009, 2010...)
2. I will only escort her to a hot spring once in a blue moon, cos I don't need the stress.
3. I will NOT attempt the please her with Taiwan bananas unless a Taiwanese banana farmer assures me that this fruit is the very best he has ever grown.