this and that

Earlier this week I celebrated another trip around the sun.

Friend Hiromi, host-mom and host-sister Tomoko sent lots of sweets.

Thankful for their kindness and thoughtfulness.

I was kinda bummed that every place I could think of to buy some cake from was closed on my birthday…”someone” must be telling me something..ahem!

Flowers from Satoshi...

On Tuesday they turned off the water for one hour, so I made sure to get out and about during the hour.

Satoshi was gonna stay home and work because it is still cold, but I told him he should go to the office because the water off = no can use the bathroom

AND Monday, they started renovating the insides of the apartment right under us, dunno why they couldn’t do this alongside the other renovations last year…so we are back to noisy for the next 2 months!

Thankful for friend, Mayumi...who sent us a box of veggies that she grew!

At the end of last year, she moved from Osaka to her hometown in Tokushima prefecture and started growing veggies.

Broccoli

Daikon

Spinach...lots of spinach...

Kiriboshi Daikon and carrots....(dehydrated daikon and carrots)

Too much for just the two of us…this when I wish friends and family lived near by so I can share…a box of blood oranges and a box of veggies taking up part of our entrance makes for getting shoes out of the shoe closet a bit challenging…hoping we’ll be able to eat them all.

Thank you Mayumi-san!

Good news: After writing this, I made friends with the lady who cleans our building and gave her some veggies.

Thursday, met up with a friend, MA, in Shinjuku, the last time I met up with him was back in 2001?!

The chicken curry at Nakamuraya would've been better had there not been bits of chicken bones here and there and if the chicken had been more fall off the bone...

Anyway, it was still great catching up.

Tokyo People...caught Sherlock Holmes on the platform...

Bought some chicken stock, yakitori and grilled chicken wings from Shinanoya….1550 yen for everything, tax included

Caught this cutie while walking past...I think I may have posted him before...

Triple Chocolat bread from Vie de France...so chocolatey!

Pain de Seigle (rye bread) from Comme'N...so good toasted with peanut butter.

Croissants aux amandes from Comme'N...there was actually a thin layer of sweet bean paste and custard in there...so delicious!

The images from Turkey & Syria are so tragic and heartbreaking. I hope more people will be able to find their loved ones.

Hope you all are doing well, today is forecast for snow and then rain or maybe all snow or all rain...if you know me, you know which one I am kinda wishing for.

Have a safe weekend.