Friday morning off we set to see the Dr. No idea where this Dr. is based. I programmed the telephone numbers in to Miss Garmin and Ms GPS. I was told it was close to Nissan Stadium….Hummm well Nissan Stadium is 20 minutes away…this was a hour away…
Both of the navigations brought off the highway… Must be close, right? WRONG!!!!
I keep driving, while listening to J tell me all about twins…identical, un-identical and Siamese…at 7.30 in the morning I could really do with not hearing this.
We get to the hospital...register with a little help, and was asked if I had Japanese insurance, which I replied no…Well that will be 150% extra…WHAT???? Now I could walk out but if I do that where would I take J, I have no idea where to go, this Dr. has come highly recommended.
Hummm ok, you do take Credit cards right? Oh Yes I was promptly told…This makes me worry as well…
Because not all hospitals take cards, which makes me think oh no my poor credit card.
I also start think oh no the parking will be through the roof as well.
We then get sent to another wing and told to go and register as B…off we go to find 4 very, very smiley ladies on reception B they start waffling away in Japanese…The blank look on my face must said it all.
We sat down and with the charades played I gathered we needed to sit down and wait for our number on the screen…Well if that was all we needed to do that would have been easy…but no, we have to wait for our number to show on the huge TV screen and then we go to another area…A very nice Austrian man said are you ok did you understand that? He said if you need any help I can help you.
The man must have lived here 100 years because he was fluent in Japanese…he spoke with the nurses and even the Dr’s. He asked which Dr. I said I can’t remember, He said I think it is Dr.Blah blah…sound familiar…Oh he is a wonderful Dr, may be the best you can see.
Well in we go with this little old Austrian man following…he speaks away and he tells me I have told them I can help you if they can’t speak English…What an awesome man.
Dr. thankfully spoke enough English, Well this is not good he says but not the worst…’many many pain huh’ he asked…looks at the X-rays again, ‘hummm some lines on here are not good, painful, many pains’
He looks at J and says well ‘let’s not have you on these crutches for 3 months’
‘You’re kidding me right? 3 months?’ Any need? REALLY!!!
‘So we need physiotherapy or your ankle get very sick, we need lots of work…you have to do work as well’ Well J is in agony, pulled, prodded and poked…The Dr. says ‘you must not have sick ankle, too young’ he then showed J the exercises he could do at home…’Oh he said maybe not..Wait for physio’
‘I make referral letter quickly’ gives us more advice and info and we leave to pay.
I go to desk 2, I get handed a number told to wait….60 plus numbers in front of us we are number 534. I look up 520, 521, 522 ……….. 532, 533, 535…..hummm hello….number 534…oh yes I have to pay 150% extra so you need to make sure that’s added up right!!!!
So I wait and wait then number 570, 571, 572……..590
So up I go hand over my ticket and shrug my shoulders… No problem I am told….hummm
So I hand over my credit card…oh dear here we go….Well let’s just say my card and I breathed a sigh of relief. It would have been more expensive to have a dinner out.
So I am think well if that was so reasonable they must make up for it in car parking fees…NOPE ¥300…normally that is for half hour..Not 4 hours!!!!

Saturday
Today my neighbor called, we were still in bed. We rushed to answer the door, the alarm was on so unless we wanted my friend screaming ‘INTRUDER ALERT’ we eventually open the door and she said I have stuff for you. The lady and her family are leaving. She gave me 2 heaters and humidifier plus a spare hairdryer that has been used 4 times…So any guests in future will have a hairdryer in the bathroom! I think the heaters will be finding their new home in our ice cold bathrooms!

So today off I trot to the gym and met with the trainer who is going to give me a programme to follow…
Well I have to say I have now given up on looking for the machine that will make me lose 20lbs in one session. I was extremely happy that he was not making me kill myself, but push myself without wanting to run away and never step back in the gym.
I have to say I was a little embarrassed with one or two exercises he has given me. Purely because of my size...I don’t have a shirt that covers me to my knees! I will stick to this! So with my walking, gym and my almond milk I am hoping to notice a difference in a month.
So he showed me how to use some of the machines. I might have well not even bothered going to the gym up to now. I was not doing 50% of the stuff correctly. MY BAD!

Sending love and hugs across the globe
My thoughts and prayers are with special friends.

Today was a GOOD day… well as good days go.
Had my to do list. I did some of what I needed to do... An afternoon sleep should have been on there.
By noon it was at the top of the list….
I hit the gym this morning and I do mean I hit the gym…Head first!
Laundry was done
Dinner was on… (Well the slow cooker was on)
I did start another job, but got bored and closed the door and left that one for another day!
I never…cleaned the car, I never sorted through J’s closet, and I never filled the heaters…and so on
But I did make Cinnamon rolls for the FUNraiser tomorrow for the Australian flood and Red Cross.
I even managed to make a healthy dinner and get in another bit of exercise.
So…GO ME!!! The fact that I did some things on the list is pretty amazing!

I am really trying to eat more healthy, not waste food and try and eat my main meal at lunch time…So after having a breakfast of left over Veggie couscous ( that was not to cold today), I drank my lemon water and thought ..Nah this is not cutting it I want chocolate…I did not crave in…I ate an apple…Oh man…it was difficult this morning. I did give in and drink a soda… but I have drunk about 20 glasses of water as well so hoping that makes it a little better…

While at the store (another thing on my to do list) I seen Chocolate soda…I thought shall I buy this for J?
Well I did, and he looked at it opened it and with a big smile He said ‘Mom’ (not Mum) ‘it smells like Dairy Milk’. I am yeah right…but when I smelt the bottle It did actually smell of chocolate...Whether it smelt of Dairy Milk I can’t comment.
All I can say is, YUCK!!!!
Also I noticed the Store had a new range of products as I walked into the store. The theme was strawberry…Strawberry biscuits, strawberry mallows, strawberry chocolates and strawberry corn puffs….YUCK!!!!
I mean strawberry corn puffs…REALLY? Is there really is no need

The Bag lady lent me a book yesterday… (Lent/borrowed…I have no idea which)
The book is called Sushi and Beyond by Michael Booth, pretty good book. Thank you TBL!

I am already starting to worry about tomorrow. J has to go to another appointment as things are getting worse with his ankle…Hoping the Dr. can actually do something…the poor kid is still in constant pain, still not getting better. Should be another fun filled day of play charades.

Thank goodness for kids knowing about electronics and how to use them!
Today I needed to get papers to G…Scan them and email he says….Humm yeah…Machine is Japanese…
So he could be waiting a long time for me to do this.
So J comes home finishes his homework and I say I need to somehow scan these for Dad, ‘give them here’ he says’ within 15 minutes he had scanned, emailed and was eating dinner…..
Now I will be honest….I have no idea about anything technical …I know how to email (just) sign into face book and now blog, (which I am still struggling with!)
Once I had lost WIFI connection …I turned off my PC and turned it back on…Nothing
I unplugged the mains to the internet box (no idea what’s its call)…Nothing
J says check you have not turned the WIFI button off… hummmm ok...I look around and I can’t see a WIFI button…No WIFI button the keyboard…. I turn the PC upside down…No WIFI button…I turning over and get my arms all crossed over…I find it!!!!…And nearly drop the PC.
I really should have asked how or watched what he was doing….but did I? …NO!

Today JA and The Bag Lady came for lunch…My couscous was to cold and my meat to tough.

Today if I could have gotten back into bed and hid I would have.
Weekend can't come quick enough!
We set off for school, driving down the road and some obnoxious man came fly out of a side road on his push bike.
I beeped, he shouted, I got out the car, he rode off.. We watched him zip around cars and ride into oncoming traffic... Really any need!

I went to the gym and did my bit. Go me!!!
Came home did done chores and watched some TV.....then I found
some wholegrain pringles.... Well they were wholegrain so they not as bad as they be right...
So nearly every English TV channel is showing a crime show. I know now how to check for finger prints with superglue... I am thinking I might be able to work in any police station in the world and solve most murders... Well CSI, Law and Order, Bones, Criminal Minds just to name a few has showed me how!

Today I thought would be a nightmare…..
I needed to go to the Sports center to get J’s X-rays. Get back to collect J to take him into Tokyo…
Well after seeing ANOTHER Dr. (We shall call him Dr. Competent!) Who did not require that he takes his own X-rays.
Yet another problem with his foot/ankle…..I mean come on already…ANY NEED!!!
So as Miss Garmin and Ms GPS decided to take me the EXTRA LONG way!
So I get to the sports medical center…
I say I have come to collect X-rays.
They say…ID?
I take my Alien card out and hand it over…
They say no this not your X-rays
I say my son’s X-rays…
Seems I had to take J to collect his own X-rays…
Never mind school, Never mind he is not old enough, to drive, drink, vote or even have a bank account here.
His X-rays and his only…..
……Yes I did get the X-rays

While I was driving to the stadium, I was listening to the only English Channel which is American forces channel.
So I am listening away…seems right now kids in Japan are taking exams to get into Kindergarten to High school. They go to shrines that are meant to bring good fortune in exams.
They also eat food that brings luck…Yes I did type , eats food that brings luck….
Pork cutlet sandwiches and Kit Kats…..I kid you not…Kit Kats are classed as good luck food! REALLY!!!

So tonight I went to my 1st book club here.
The book was ok….hated the ending…the beginning and the end where not that great either…
That is a lie…the book was ok (quick easy read)…covered a story that could have gone deeper…but glad it did not…Don’t think I could have coped with it, if it did…
Lovely group of ladies, I met a few new ladies also, which was awesome.
Next month I am hosting Book Club....