Tuesday 2nd January 2024

Good night’s sleep. Aki brought me a mug of tea in bed. Wet and windy outside. Extraordinary footage on BBC News website of a plane engulfed in flames landing at Tokyo airport…after yesterday’s earthquake on the Noto Peninsula, this must be putting Kath off the notion of coming to Japan with us! Aki made cinnamon porridge with banana and orange juice...we weren't terribly impressed with the recipe. Pottered about for the remainder of the morning. Warmed up Aki's aduki bean porridge for lunch, with the traditional mochi in it. I ventured out into the weather mid-afternoon to buy some odds and ends, popping in to Morrisons, Waitrose, and Rio's Grocery to get what I needed...the fennel in Rio's was precisely half the price of that in Waitrose! Cooked a haddock and giant couscous stew, with chorizo and tomato sauce...again, the reality failed to match up to the promised big flavours, but it filled a hole. Not much on telly tonight. Sat at the computer for a bit and administered my expenses claims, and my timesheets, for last month. Bath, and bed...