Mama....move. I can't see the T.V.

Santa's Galore

After dinner yesterday myself and Adromeda took the girls to a Christmas Party across the road. It was great fun. Masa stayed home and made sure the Xbox was still working and poor Nami did the dishes.

The girls all got a small present from Santa at the end.

That's him below.

Aimee has already met a Japanese Santa (not impressed) and a Lady Santa (her mother and she was so not impressed) and then this Santa. I told her out there was only one real Santa and he didn't have time to go and meet all the children so the others were all fakes.

She was happy with that explanation.

Aina, Nina and Aimee watching the concert.

Some of the children did a bell medley. It was lovely.

I will post more, when I get the use of my legs back. To say I am shattered after yesterday is an understatement. I was so tired last night I couldn't sleep but everything went really well and while I missed my family I was very grateful to have Andromeda, Nami, Masa and three incredibly loud little girls for company.

Belated Christmas Greetings to all.

I should really call this "Nami's blog".

Nami chan took some fantastic pictures on our day up the mountain. I'll print some for Granny but here are some of my favourites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First BBQ of Spring/Summer

BBQ down by the river today. organised by Stewart from Scotland. Think he wanted to celebrate the Royal wedding but was too shy to admit it!! Anyway lovely day, lovely weather (tad windy) and great company.

Down by the river.

 

Masa used a flare to light the BBQ as Stewart's lighter wasn't cooperating. Do not try this at home.

 

Stewart and his high grade beef.

 

Me and ma youngest.

 

Masa and Aimee.

 

Nina found a stone.

 

Aimee found something sweet.

 

The evening sun was lovely but boy did it cool down quickly.

 

My man.

 

We're big into skipping ropes at the moment.

 

Boys and beer.

 

Jevon and a lovely sunset.

 

Once again, special thanks to Nami, official Toyama photographer.

Sometimes you need a laugh..........(not disaster related)

Thanks to that lovely Dubliner down in the sticks of the coast of Kagoshima.  This is the first time I've laughed in days.

 

Then my kitchen exploded.

So after a fairly bad week which went something like this:

Monday=hungover (good time on Sunday though).

 Tuesday=opened car door too fast and smacked self in forehead, very sore.

Wednesday=Aimee comes home from creche with minor stomach bug.

Thursday=Minor stomach bug turns to major stomach bug and I'm not feeling too hot either.

Friday= 14:46, A 9.0 earthquake.

Saturday=my kitchen explodes.

Saturday a group of close friends were coming over. I thought about cancelling but didn't, I needed the company and bad jokes. Saturday morning Masa took the kids out for lunch so I could get cooking. Made two lasagnes, just about to get started on apple pie when dish falls off cooker and hits the emergency fire extinguisher just below the gas cooker. All I remember is turning off the gas, grabbing the lasagnes and legging it. This is the aftermath.
If my depression levels could have fallen any lower they would have but the earthquake had me feeling pretty low anyway. So low in fact that I felt nothing, had a bit of a shout at Masa when he came home (felt good to blame someone) and then we got cleaning. It only took three hours.This fine pink dust went EVERYWHERE.

 
Think I have the worst of it gone but what a mess. I keep finding little pools of pink dust in the oddest of places. The only real way to compeletly clean is to move out. I even had to clean the outside of the fridge, the walls, the shelves, places I never had an intention of cleaning.

I can still taste the stuff.

Jenny, if you get a chance, will you show this to Mum. When I finally got round to telling her she was a great sport about it. Normally I'd be on the phone whining within seconds but with all the mayhem up north is just seemed so trivial.

The guests came, they ate, they noticed nothing.

A welcome invasion.

Completely forgot and half thought it wasn't settled anyway that a bunch of Chinese friends were coming over for dinner. When I got the call all I could do was panic, had nothing prepared and hadn't even done the shopping. Shouldn't have worried. They arrived, with the food, cooked it, ate it together, then did the dishes and left. I should invite these ladies (and one very much outnumbered gentleman) around more.

Yana and Eiko doing the cooking. 

The thrid head belongs to Gao san, not enough room in my kitchen for all of them. They all have unpronounceable names too so we stick with easy versions for this slow irish woman. 

There were ten things going on at once. 

Think there was eight dishes in the end. Here's the deep friend fish. This was gorgeous. 

Sweet pork and potatoes. My Nina would have eaten the whole bowl. 

Crispy crispy chicken.

 

Nina and Kana (Eiko's daughter) waiting for the food. Kana is 11 and starting Junior High soon, that makes her a "big girl" and Nina loves the big girls. 

Dessert, provided by me, in tubs bought from the store next door. Bit of a down grade after the meal so I owe these ladies big time. Masa missed out, he was working but there was so much food left over he had it for his lunch box the next day aswell. A very happy man.

The pair eating their ice-cream.

 
The food these ladies cook is like nothing I've eaten before, so different to the food we eat in Chinese restaurants. Divine.