Zoom meet....

 And.

Another Zoom meet and greet.

Guess this summer will pass and we won't have seen Okaasan face to face again. So strange to think we delivered her to that care home last year in November. And we haven't been allowed to be in the same room as her since then.

She was rather puffy faced and hot looking on this Zoom meet.

We sang Happy Birthday - oh my God...the irony of those sentiments....and chatted at Okaasan and the nurses in screen view. Chat and waves. And then it was done. 10 mins is kind of hard to fill.

This weekend is the Bon Festival, when Japanese travel back to home towns and visit graves and remember ancestors. We don't have any of that to do, and I injured my toe (cut RIGHT next to the nail, but the doc says no infection and the toe nail is ok), so I can't go near water and kayak.

Spending my time close to home and enjoying meeting so many friends, their homes, my home, the beer garden. The Pandemic really showed us how valuable face to face time is with people we like, and it's nice to be able to meet and chat again.

Infection numbers are starting to level out and maybe go down here now, as scientists said they would. But, looking around a happy beer garden scene it seems normal is returning. Although - friends in the UK who saw my video of a beer garden commented on the plastic/wood table screens between drinkers. I guess in the UK all of that stuff has been done away with?

Here, at the beer garden - you have to go in at the entrance. temperature check, contact trace info and assigned seating, screens and a 90 min time limit.  But SO GOOD to sit outside and share a beer with friends.