To say I am a nightmare would be putting it mildly…I am making myself feel crazy with checking and double checking taps are off, cars are locked, wallet in handbag, car park ticket put in bag…etc etc.
It seems to be taking me so long to check things that I am getting later and later for things.
This week I went to Tokyo with Mrs. H, Miss G and Miss B. Mrs. H called and asked if I was ready to leave, I told her I would be leaving in 2 minutes. 12 minutes later I was still rechecking I had unplugged something for something like the 30th time. I mean any need really…which reminds me I had better go and check I have unplugged the same item now!........
I just went and checked THREE times and it was unplugged!
Nightmare or what?

So I told J that while I know he can’t do much we were heading outside even if it was just to the store.
J could not understand this….Apparently he opened his window yesterday and put his face by the window, so I am gathering in his mind that is a great way to get exercise and fresh air…
Exercise by walking to the window and opening it and then hanging out the window for fresh air and filling those lungs….Any need, REALLY!!!!

We went to the store….the main thing I needed was bin/trash bags.
I bought everything except the bin bags….Any Need!!!!
While at the store I knew I need rice for tomorrow evening. So I go to pick up a bag of rice….easy right? NO it’s not! Do you know how many types of rice there are in Japan? Well I will tell you…..100000000000000000000000000000000000000 well may be one or two zeros too many but I am not far off on those numbers
There is a whole aisle of rice….ranging from tiny bags which I am sure would be enough to feed a baby to 10kg plus bags….So which one do I pick???? Well I like the look of the one with the mountains and icy cool looking water…but at $40 I can live without the picture on the bag of the mountain.
I have no idea which bag to pick up…Some of the bags have a picture of a hand and a fish…
Does that mean it goes with fish only? Or it is handpicked by a fish pond??? Or is it picked by fish that spit it out…like that expensive cat coffee stuff…
I then saw 4 bags that looked similar except for the colour of the bags. So I said to J pick a number 1, 2, 3 or 4…He picked one so we picked up the orange bag!...I did look at the grain…all looks like pudding rice to me. I mean where’s Uncle Ben’s when you need it? I can even cook that one on the stove now thanks to Wellies.
Wellies never showed me how to cook anything except Uncle Ben’s. Wellies taught me one cup of rice to 2 cups of water…Not like that for Japanese rice. I do have a rice paddle with little bumps on…I think somebody made that for people like me…to try and save my rice/

I came home and unloaded the shopping, picked up a bag of chocolate chips that went EVERYWHERE and I mean everywhere…I found some in my Jacket pockets when I looking for a receipt…ANY NEED!
Gold might actually be cheaper than chocolate chips…
To say this was not good would be putting it mildly….I picked up, swept, hoover and washed the floor…bet I still find more…I am sure I missed some!

Yesterday we had snow…not a little bit but a lot…Now I have to say, by the rest of the worlds standards it was a flurry…By this areas standards it was AWESOME!!!

Today is my anniversary, and yet another year we are not spending it together, him on one side of the world and me on the other. We have actually only spent 2 anniversaries together out of 12.
I have had a nice day (I am sure it would have been nicer if G was here) I did a few chores and a few errands; I needed a nap which I took!
I have actually taken to setting my phone alarm in case I do end up falling asleep and I miss the school run. I just know one day that will happen!
Ski break time so rest of the week NO school…Yayyyyyy.

Today I decided that I should change my name to Nigella, Delia and Martha. I made two new recipes, I NEVER used every pan I own, I cleaned up ASAP…I am getting sooooo good.
So I made crepes for the 1st time and Beer battered fish. Both went seemed to be a big hit. The kitchen I am sure stinks of fried fry…
The crepes I made Because Mrs. H called around last night and she brought some crepes she had made.
J wolfed them down, I think the Nutella over load helped as well.
So when J asked for crepes this afternoon I was like Ok come on then!!! I though surely it’s not that hard to make the crepes…Off I trottered to the kitchen and whipped up a batch of crepes.
I impressed myself, I made J happy….So go me!!!

I have also decided that it is ok to eat biscuits/cookies in Japan. I will tell you why….You buy a packed of biscuits, you fight to open up the outer wrapper, you think okay chocolate biscuits….yummm
Then you find EVERY one of those biscuits individually wrapped, and if you think the bigger outer wrapper was hard to open, you have NO idea how hard the smaller individual wrapped biscuits are to open. So by the time you have fought to open the biscuits you have used at least 100 calories opening each biscuit.
This actually makes me laugh. The Japanese are the recyclable kings. Their rubbish/Garbage system when you get used to it is pretty awesome. (Made me cry in the beginning)
You can’t put just anything in the wrong bin because the rubbish/garbage guys will sick a HUGE yellow stick it and they leave it there. No idea what these yellow stickers say…but what I am trying to say for a country that recycles and is red hot on rubbish/garbage they produce enough of it. I mean does the packet of biscuits really need a outer wrapper (which goes into plastics and not PET recycles) plus the 10 biscuits and their nearly impossible to open wrappers…I mean ANY NEED, REALLY!
May-be it is a sign that they are just not meant to be eaten…Nah!!! Biscuits where meant to be eaten!

Interesting week…
One Dr refused point blank to see J, so had to drive to Tokyo…glad we did but oh my was that a nightmare…even when we had the guy talking us through directions...He really must have thought he was being set up and filmed. Serious he must have.
Started another craft,
Made 2 new recipes
Caught up with one or two people which made me smile
In fact part of Wellies’s email is still making me smile…Well she emails, I really should be looking for a job, I am not looking to hard as I won’t be able to do my 4 gym sessions a week! Too funny…Because I would rather go to work than go to Yoga or the Gym…You Go Wellies…Now I would agree with you if it was not the Yoga or the Gym!!!
J informed me that he does not want meat with his pasta as this is cruel…I am thinking oh no here we go… (Only because I don’t think I could see J turning to Tofu and beans) Ok I said…as we drove to school really did not need to get into that one, but as we get closer to the school he says…it’s cruel to kill cows for pasta sauce, but I do like steak…..Hummmmm Hello, ANY NEED,REALLY!!!!!
Tried a new type of food…I did, and it was good!
Bought G’s Anniversary present so I am on the ball!!!!

I finally decided what I was making for potluck lunch…Potato lasagna (potato gratin to me but the recipe calls it potato lasagna), mini Cornish pasties and a quick trifle. Everything I made turned out better than I expected. So go me!!!!
When making the sauce for the lasagna it looked a bit funny…Don’t worry says MT3 it looks fine just whisk it…I did and I think it ended up on the window, floor, work surface and me!!!
Not a lot left of my trifle…wish there had been cause I do love trifle… small group of ladies came and EVERYONE was from a different country…I thought that was pretty awesome.
The same day G calls me to tell me how went to the Opticians to collect his new glasses. Those who know G, know he is a quiet man and quite laid back…. So he goes to collect them, tries them on and the left lense was wrong…he said it was like a kaleidoscope…he just could not see out of it. Also G is flying the next morning and the glasses have taken a week to be ready So he says this left eye is wrong…hummm no sir it’s correct. G said no it’s not I can’t see from it. Oh you will get used to it in a week and you will see out of it then, was the reply….No I can’t see from the left, he said. Well the manager comes out and asked what the problem was…this lense is totally wrong G told them. The manager said no it’s not.
Well at this point the lense on the left falls out of the glasses. G said look I am flying tomorrow as this lady knows I am not coming back here as I live overseas. G said look I want a refund…Manager said that G needed to calm down… (This really made me laugh…because NOTHING fazes G and I mean nothing if he was any more laid back he would fall over)
Then a Mall cop arrives. The manager told him about G. The Mall cop asked G his side of the story. So G says I know you’re not an optician but please try these on and see if you can see a difference….The mall cop did and he said yes there was a difference. The manager then takes G’s old glasses and the new pair and to the back of the store. He came back and said there is no difference. To which G replied then you’re an idiot….The manager asked the Mall cop if he was going to allow G to call him that and the Mall told G...Sir you can’t call him that..To which G replied, but I am sure he has been called it before…
Well Refund offered, G takes it and the Mall cops follow G outside the store. He asked G if he was leaving the Mall, G asked do I have to. No sir he said but you can’t go back to this store today…G told him he would not be going there ever no mind that day…So no new glasses for G…..
Now If I had been there I am sure I would have been arrested! While G is the calm one I am more vocal.
I know I would not have called him an idiot, I would have used may be 5 words but not one of them is idiot. The Mall cop would not have told me I could not go back inside that store. I would have been banned for life… G is currently in NY and a week today he will be home…it has been a very, very long trip!!!

Friday, after having a lazy day…all I seem to have. Miss G called me and invited J and myself for dinner with her family. She we are having N..... I really can’t remember the word she used, I just know it begins with N. I believe it was a Shabu Shabu type dinner, this where you have a hotpot with boiling water or broth in the middle of the table and you add veggies, meat and fish. It was sooooo nice.
Mrs. H was there also with N3 and her husband.
Once again before I know it, it is after 11 pm….so off I trot home as J has Physiotherapy the next day.

Saturday all ready to go to see the Dr. the Dr. It seems is refusing to see J…I am not even going into that one or I will be here ALL night.
So a appointment has been made in Tokyo…We grabbed some lunch, and headed off on a adventure…yes an adventure!!!
With the help of Miss Garmin and Miss GPS we get to the area we need, but we just can’t find the place we need to be. I call the office and the said where are you?...I said what was around us…well he starts to tell me where I went wrong and what to do…so off I go…I had NO IDEA what he was on about, J was saying there Mom there…I am saying to the guy Huh??? I can’t U-turn what do you mean if I go past a park…scooters…you are joking right...I am starting to get really frustrated at this point. I am sure this guy thought he was being punked!!!...I am sure he must have also thought I was on something…He's saying what can you see around you…My reply a Ferrari and a Porsche…REALLY I did…oh and not forgetting I told him I seen jugglers as well…Yes I did actually say all that…He came out of the building as I stopped outside the correct building as I am saying 'I am outside number #### You close to that I asked'...Yes he said that’s us…
So the only parking space is gone by somebody who is not a patient… So he tells me where else to park…Hummm not likely am I going elsewhere, not sure mate I will find you next week no mind if I go and find a parking space around the corner somewhere
The outcome was looks like J will be on crutches for several more months…Little bit of home work and a new brace…..Yay! NOT!

Then Today Mrs. H and N3, J and I went out for dinner…I drove and found a great space close to the elevator, closer to the restaurant than we thought. We ordered appetizers and main meals…Well the main meals came before the appetizers. J only got a kids portion so we needed to order another meal.
Mrs. H meal eventually turned up…No side orders and no drinks…So I grab somebody’s attention. Happens to be the manager…He then speaks to somebody who was sorted drinks, made sure we had what we need etc etc…the GM then comes over cant apologize enough…The place is pretty empty, I could have cooked dinner in their kitchen quicker than we waited…my chicken was dry, spare ribs drier…
Have to say the GM tried so hard to please his Western customers….We will be going back…and the manager has informed us that our appetizers will come BEFORE the meal next time and side will arrive with the main meal…I mean ANY NEED, REALLY!!!!