Frank and Josie's House

I have felt really quite miserable of late having had an endometriosis flare up. This has left me exhausted and in pain and generally grumpy with my body. Although it does keep going so I shouldn’t blame my body. It has to shout at me to get me to stop and then tells me to sleep and gets ignored. Then it gives me no choice and sits me down hard and tells me to stay there until it is absolutely and completely necessary to get up again. Some days I sleep. Some days I’m not comfortable enough to sleep (this is in the precious time the kids are at school mind you). Some days I watch endless episodes of Star Trek: Voyager on Netflix. I could watch something more fashionable or gritty but it’s actually good comfort television for me akin to the likes of Gilmore Girls or Chuck. Something I enjoy and can get sucked into or something I can half watch and nap to or something I can crochet to. Basically something that takes my mind of the horrendous amount of pain I’ve been in! So in an effort to

As my eldest child prepares us for a march on climate change she wants us all to attend this Friday I find myself in the midst of a plastic crisis. I love the idea that the world will rid itself of disposable plastic overnight but the honest truth of the matter is that until the big corporations change (I’m looking at you Amazon and every big supermarket chain in the world!) the humble consumer can only do so much. I am, in truth, a bit disheartened with my little patch of battlefield in this particular war and I’m considering a retreat. Now that’s not to say that I will start buying everything wrapped in dozens of bits of plastic. Quite the contrary. I still don’t want my vegetables wrapped in plastic and still use soap and shampoo bars and tablet toothpaste and have found various companies who package their goods in sugarcane plastic. I like these changes. What I’m saying is that I’m questioning my orders from the top. That the generals may have lost sight of the final goal but have

“Mummy! Mummy! There’s a kitten outside and I’m going to feed him this.” My 3 year old daughter then shows me her handful of leaves. I assume she’s talking about a game she’s playing with her brother. They have both gotten bored at the supermarket and there’s a nice safe area they can play outside for a few minutes whilst I pay. (That’s one great thing about Japan- it’s so safe for children). Then, two minutes later, my son comes in and says “Mum there’s a kitten outside and I think he’s lost.” At this point I realise they’re not playing. I go and look and sure enough, under the recycling bins, is a tiny kitten who is meowing very loudly and constantly. I pop back in to tell the staff but they’re not interested. When I return the kitten has moved but those animal-loving kids of mine have kept and eye on it.  We managed to catch the little tyke and I only get one bite. I quickly wrap the little thing in my cardigan and little kitten is immediately calmer. We look for a vet but can’t fin