Looking for snow

First snow!!!!!
Catch!
Too cold!

Last Friday the forecast for our area was snow. Yes, that lovely cold white stuff that seems to

change everything it touches

Saturday morning the kids were up early to play in the snow, all excited, chatting about the snowman they were going to build. Then we looked outside and saw rain, horrible freezing rain. Not nice at, not like snow. Still there was a small chance that the rain would turn to snow that evening. But Sunday dawned bright, with not a cloud in the sky, let alone snow clouds!

So we decide to try and find some snow. We drove to the next prefecture and up the mountains. Hubby had called ahead to one ski resort, they said that there was 80cms of snow. We kept driving, up and up the mountain but no snow. We were just about to give up when we saw a small patch of snow, then another and another. Soon the fields on either side were covered with a couple of centimeters of snow, but not 80cms!!! When we got to the ski resort I understood why they had 80cms of snow. Just the area that people were sking on had snow, the other sides were green. The snow had been brought in for the ski resort. The kids had fun in a field near the ski resort, throwing snowballs at each other, and their Dad. Me.....I stayed in the car where it was warm, I don't like snow that much!!!!

February already

H and C at a park in November.

I can't believe how fast time goes by.

The end of January became very busy and now everbody is tired.

Hopefully got D's school sorted out. There is an alternative school

set up by the city which has just a handful students attending.

Hubby and I went to look and it seems nice, there are only six staff

members. One teacher leads the class the other staff members

circulate and help out. Two hours of study in the morning then

the afternoon is given over to activities. The school is behind the

library and set in a nice park, so hopefully when the weather gets

better the kids will be able to get out more. So one problem

solved, maybe.

Last week we decided to rearrange the rooms.....again. This house

is big, old and falling down. It's a rental and the owner has no interest

in spending any money to do even basic repairs. The tiles on the bathroom

floor are coming up, the old door between the bathroom and the garage

is rotting away, neither of the entrance doors close properly and the

windows don't close so if there is any kind of breeze you can really feel

it. We need to move but I would rather try and get money and build or

if we get lucky move back to England. Until then I rearrange rooms an

try to make the place more livable. It took 3 hours just to tidy C's room.

3 hours in one room!!! I knew it was bad but I got a real shock when I started

but for now it looks good. I have given my room to H. She needed space

for all her Licca Chan toys and her baby dolls. I got so fed up of falling over them

in the living room. H feels very grown up to have her own room. I feel very

sad, no more babies!!

The latest scandel here is the food poisioning caused by frozen dumplings

imported from China. Since last Thursday that has dominated the news.

I feel that the Japanese a very quick to jump on the bandwagon when another

country can be blamed but honestly the hygene at most dentists that I have visited

here would cause shock back home. The dentist I visit now never changes gloves

between paitents, washes his hands and gloves but dries them on a towel whic

is hanging by the sink. Not nice.

Tried to put some photos on. First one was okay but the second one was the

wrong one and I have no idea have to take it off. Plus everybody wants to eat

so I should go and fix something!!!!