Happy New Year...from a big social distance...

 

So - Happy New Year from one selfish British woman in north Japan, to women and their foreign daughter in laws - wherever you are!

It is hard...for all of us...but in the name of international understanding and family love...we gotta do it!

Well - you gotta do it. This year. I don't.

But these few winter days every year remind me of a time I did have to do it: the cooking, the celebrating, the one-woman show of This is Japanese New Year!

The lily bulb buying, the time Okaasan and I tried to cook New Year food together, the time I had lessons to learn how to cook it, coming back from skiing and trying to buy last minute stuff. The kitchen table conversations...the TV...and wine escape.

This year. None of that. Well, maybe wine...

Okaasan is in her care home, and they have one more positive case of Covid. This time a staff member. But that is good news, because since the first case 3 weeks ago we kept wondering what had happened. Searching the TV news for a cluster.

But if it is really only two cases in 3 weeks? That's amazingly wonderful.

But we still can't visit. So we are home - him and me - quietly eating to much and watching Netflix. Walks. A ski or two. Snow shoes. My new camera. Dozing cats. More eating. Wine.

Tonight HE is going to cook the soba/ I am just going to eat it. And wine!