Face to face meeting!!!!

 BAD blogger!!

I actually have something to blog about. And I forget to do it...for two months. Until a plaintive little message from a reader reminds me to come back here.

So, you can all thank "Kentucky Lady" for forcing me to get here.

And yes - in two weeks we will have a real face to face meeting with Okaasan. Finally!

The care home relaxed rules to allow family visits, once a month for 10 mins - probably swathed in no-contact masks/helmets/gloves and gowns like extras in a alien-invasion movie. But we will be there.

Wondering if this will be in her bedroom, or they will wheel her in the bed or a chair to another room? Whether we can hold hands etc. Don't know yet.

But finally. 18 months we haven't seen her. It's a breakthru.

Because life in Japan IS getting back to normal. We've just had the Yosakoi Dance Festival weekend - thousands of amateur dance teams letting it all hang out and flow in the streets of Sapporo. The festival food was back and only a few people wore masks in the crowds. It was wonderful to be out in the sun and enjoying life again.

We had some YouTubers as guests. A British couple who are driving around the world in their old camping car. I found them online and invited them for the festival and free parking in our neighbor's empty parking spot. It's often hard for overnight parking in a city area.

And we got to see their old van and chat about their life on the road. When I finally retire, Dear Son and I are planning to live like this all over Japan - so we picked up lots of ideas for them. From the practical (aircon and toilet types) to the personal (where do you go after a couple spat?).

So life is back in normal ways: we got beer festival tickets. Our huge BBQ party is planned. I saved the hollyhocks from the city grass cutters.

And we'll see Okaasan without a screen in between us. "Kanpai!"