Drip....drip...

Hot and sweaty in a Japanese summer.
Luckily, where we live in the far north it isn't so hot - or so long. About a week of around 30 C....before it dips back into the usual 26C.
The Bon Festival this year actually became a real holiday for many Japanese with the new public holiday - Mountain day - last Thursday. If you got in quick and took Friday as a day off...then hey presto - you got 4 days off for a summer break.
It's always surprised me that the Bon Festival, which is a traditional time of returning to home towns and meeting the relatives both dead and alive, isn't actually a holiday from work. But this year, it almost was for many.
And for me.
I had 5 days off work. FIVE days!

And then.
The cat drama continues. He came home from the vets on Friday, with us under strict instructions of no running/jumping/chasing butterflies. Boring walks on a lead etc
We have built new barriers at home - fencing off the living room and bedroom. We have a whole system of doors open and closed - NASA and airlocks comes to mind.
Dear Son and I are team working it - who is at home, who is on cat duty.

I got out one day in my kayak to the coast and a glorious, glorious sea kayak experience to rocks and caves and water and sunshine.

And then Okaasan.

After all, this blog is meant to be about her!

It's been a hard few weeks for her too. The apartment building construction across the street has continued non-stop - only today was a holiday for them - so every day from 8 am to 5 pm...and usually longer it is noisy.

Okaasan can't manage the whole windows open and closed, electric fan on/Off, kitchen door open/closed system. Many times I've gone into her room and found it sweltering. Windows double closed. Okaasan even with the electric heated table on. Clutching a blanket!

She's been a bit odd really. Probably the stress of all of that. One day I found her heading out for a walk with a handbag inside another handbag. And inside that were SEVEN little towels and handkerchiefs.

She sits and stares at the endless Olympics on TV, or TV shopping...but gets out every day with our prompting for a walk. This summer going downtown many times by subway. That's amazing really - often 2 or 3 hours downtown. Such physical energy.

I have tried to ease her stress with glasses of water and ice creams. Keeping the room as cool as possible. Little food treats, like melon. Dear Son chats on about stuff.

But...drip drip.....early morning when I am outside with the cat in his harness and leash I sense autumn in the air. In a month from now I am going to the US on holiday AND then the Queen and Adam Lambert concert in Tokyo.

Meanwhile. Drip. Drip.