This will be short. It’s too hot for me to function….
All is well, though. The ankle is healing well with plans to remove the stitches/staples next Wednesday and then life can return to a bandage-free normal.
Thankfully, the temperatures are meant to drop a bit in the coming days, so hopefully I won’t have melted away over the weekend and will have more to say next time.
Stay cool and healthy, wherever you might be!
~ T ๐ฅ๐โ๏ธ
One of the best parts of beach days is the uninterrupted reading time. Since we have been on the Atlantic Ocean seaside, which is famous/popular for surfing and jumping waves, I have been enjoying time on the sand in the sun. Being more of a land-lover keeps me well away from the waves that I dramatically consider a threat to my life. ๐คช
In the past few days, I have finished these two books: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and The Letter by Kathryn Hughes.
Both of these books were recommended to me ages ago, but they have sat on my list. However, they both came up on my Kindle Unlimited suggestions and I decided to give them a go in preparation for my summer reading time.
I enjoyed both in different ways. The Rosie Project was cute and made me think in the mindset of someone on the Asperger’s spectrum. I could relate to a lot of the main character’s tendencies for schedules and order in life yet also see the freedom and openness that can be found in letting go for the controls.
With The Letter, it was a quick compact read that I could imagine happening. It had the elements of mystery and love as well, so that was a definite win for me.
So, I would definitely recommend both as quick and light reads that aren’t the usual James Patterson or Danielle Steel type of “trash novels”. Though, I’m still a fan of those too!
With that, I’m off to get started on my next read! ๐
~T ๐ฅ๐โ๏ธ
Whenever I try to think back to the days and what I have done or what I do, I find that it is somewhat hard to recollect. ๐ค I am not sure if it is brain fog ๐คฏ, lack of focus/clarity ๐, or busyness, or the opposite. In any case, these days have been good.
Each week, I usually share on social media a summary of the days (like this). Mostly, it is for my own records and nostalgia value as every year FB likes to send a reminder of what was happening the year(s) before. M likes this feature a lot more than I do, but it’s also a great way of reminding myself of how the days pass since I currently have some kind of short-term amnesia problem.
Our days are about to get busier and more transient with the summer months upon us. This weekend, we are off to France for a few weeks where we will stay at our rental, travel West to Biarritz so M can do some surfing ๐๐พโโ๏ธ and me some beach bathing ๐๐๏ธ, then we will be back in early August for a few days. Then, we haven’t yet decided the next plans just yet.
At the last minute, M decided to get us some house/pet-sitters – a bit of a sore subject and story for another day ๐คช – so we found a nice couple, we hope, who were initially interested in coming over the winter holidays when we plan to be gone. As a kind of test run and spontaneous plan, they agreed to come this week. The nice part is that it frees us up from taking the pups ๐ถ๐ถ with us, which wasn’t a problem at all before, but the flexibility makes things a little easier for us, to be honest. However, with that decision, I have had to make lists of things to do to prepare for unknown houseguests – adding to my daily tasks. ๐
Still, no complaints here. It’s all part of the fun and sun โ๏ธ!
Speaking of sun, we jumped straight into the height of summer heat. We went out yesterday with friends’ and despite my having switched out the wine for water very early in the afternoon, I came home sick with symptoms of heat exhaustion. ๐ฅต
So, today, is a day for cool and dark rooms focusing on getting things done. ๐ฌ
With that, I’ll try to stay on top of posting here when I can. ๐ค๐ฝ
~T ๐ฅ๐โ๏ธ
Although we had to wait a rather long time for the rain to stop, and we are still getting random thunderstorms, the summer temperatures have come straight in as if to make up for lost time. ๐ฅโ๏ธ
The wait has worked out for me as I have only just recently been able to put on a waterproof bandage so that I can make use of the pool. ๐ So, it has been lovely to do a bit of exercise in the pool and cool off from the sudden heat mixed with humidity thanks to the extra moisture in the air.
Along with the summer sunbathing time, we are also beginning our travels here, there and everywhere.
This week kicks off with my birthday getaway to London ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ. Really, it’s just an excuse to redo our planned trip at the end of February when I fell ๐คท๐ฝโโ๏ธ – but I’m not complaining! ๐ So, that means I gotta run, but will update from our trip soon! โค๏ธ
~T ๐ฅ๐โ๏ธ
Having weekends to myself has been the most challenging in terms of how to pass the time enjoyably, but also meaningfully for me.
I have loved fireworks since I was little, but in the US we can only enjoy them once a year really. However, it was always my favorite part of the 4th of July picnics that my family would host. Each year, they got bigger and better, but honestly, once I saw them in Japan nothing ever compared.
Every night, we can see the Disneyland fireworks from our bedroom window, but M thinks I’m crazy to get excited for them. He also felt lukewarm about the shows put on in the UAE, so I figured this was a good chance to go see some summer fireworks and he would not necessarily be disappointed by missing them.
The only issue with attending any major event in Japan is the crowds. It doesn’t matter where you go, if it’s an event, you’ll be sharing it with thousands of other people. So, I decided to be proactive in minimizing my crowd-discomfort and bought a ticket to ensure that I would get a seat to enjoy the show. Plus, I would have a safe place to aim for to keep me from being overwhelmed with too many people.
Despite my planning ahead in buying a ticket in order to avoid the chaos involved with attending summer fireworks festivals, I ended up on the wrong side of the river. How would anyone ever know this?!
While I do fully appreciate the Japanese complacency to follow rules to the letter, I am not such a kind of person when efficiency proves doing so to be completely out the door. The nice staff lady tried to tell me I had enough time to walk another kilometer, get on another train and then find my seat on the other side of the river, all I could think about was that Iโd have to return to this side of the river when all is said and done to get home; thus why I thought my seat would be here.
So, taking advantage of the fact that most would not assume that I wouldnโt follow the rules, I snuck back in to the riverside and walked down where people were not on their previously saved blue tarps – the peanut gallery.
I found a nice little free space amongst those who most likely knew better than to consider buying a ticket and knew that one could just show up to find a grassy spot for the viewing.
While waiting for the show to start, I listened to my audiobook and observed as a solitary individual within the sea of chattering people in groups or couples who had come together to experience โsummerโ culture in Japan. Although it would be basically impossible to merge into a giant BBQ event in the US, itโs rather easy to blend with the crowd of unknown faces while remaining in my own private world looking forward to the moment when the dark sky becomes alight with colors.
What is it about fireworks that people love? What is it about them that I love?
I canโt really say. But, there is something awesome about seeing manโs talent for shooting up bombs of fire that burst into colors, shapes, or designs. In a way, it’s how I imagine the ‘heavens’ with lights blended together into a glorious mass of color.
Edogawa is said to have 14,000 fireworks making it one of the largest shows in Tokyo. The hour long display was marvelous. It was fun to oooh and awwwwe with the crowd and feel a part of the whole audience. Plus, I got to play with my camera to capture the lights!
Click on the pic to see more!
~T ๐
