Family in Town

We have just had a fabulous couple of weeks with Tim and Mum in town. Mum left yesterday - she is probably about 24 hours into her 27 hour journey right now, yikes.

We have:

- Walked a lot to shrines and beautiful parks, took a river cruise, had picnics and tea at a traditional Japanese tea house

- Ate sushi, sashimi, octopus, glutinous stuff, lotus root, shed loads of tofu, Vampire Chicken, Japanese DIY barbecue (Mum ate everything with CHOPSTICKS apart from the exploding fish egg sushi - fair enough really)

- Got Isla to stand by herself at a picnic whilst people chopped logs nearby

- Gave Isla a new hairstyle, and gave her some new foods to try

- Got free stuff from a Sayonara sale, and had to carry it all home on the train - fun

- Had lunch with Charlie while Isla climbed trees and ate grass

- Had a lovely brunch, visit to a farmers market, a park and a baseball game where CHARLIE CAUGHT A FOUL BALL - all in one day (possibly the best day of his life)

- Visited Hakone, a volcanic area about an hour and half from Tokyo, with views of Mount Fuji. We went for two days, the first day we took some trains, a cable car, a ropeway, a boat and a bus. We stayed in a lovely hotel in a suite with a tatami room and an onsen. The onsen is a natural hot spring that comes to the hotel. You go in there with a facecloth to hide your modesty and relax - it is bliss, indoor and outdoor pools and it smells lovely. We also visited an open air sculpture museum, which was great and had a "wood of nets" - this was for 12 years and under but Tim and I think it should be required lunchtime activity for all adults

- A mad dash to get Mum to her train (four hours before she was due at the airport - but VERY STRESSFUL)

- Brunch with Tim and Isla at Lotus, my favourite restaurant, very East End. Tim bought awesome shoes twice. Plans are being made to teach me adjectives other than awesome.

If this sounds hectic - it is because it was.