Thank you Ma!

This is the life. I could get used to this. After the intense heat of the past week. I spot a neighbour`s head, bobbing along the top of my garden wall. "Lovely weather!"  I shout out in greeting. He laughs nervously. ( Most of the natives seem to get nervous round me for some unbeknown  reason.Must be my charisma.) "Make sure you close your shutters against the rain." he shouts over. " Thank you! I will!" I reply, eyeballs doing a roll up to the heavens shielded behind my Jackie Kennedy knock off sunglasses.

Talking about shutters, I tug at my top to ensure the booby twins haven`t done a Houdini in the tankini. Sarong is carrying herself very well in this wind. In fact, I`d better hold onto the curly wurly straw shaking with terror in my Vimto drink. A rumble of thunder heralds the  heavens opening and in gratitude, I hold up my face and embrace the rain. Rain that falls like the drapes of a million curtains. I can almost hear the plant life sigh with relief as I stand, holding my hands up under this humongous sports shower. A million tiny moisture beads bounce off my skin, refreshing and pummelling me. An image of me, stood under a breath taking waterfall, somewhere in the Amazon, all sultry waterproof liquid eyelinered up, a Cadbury`s Flake poised seductively before pouty lips...okay, I can dream on.

Elysium is disturbed by the sound of a shutter being unceremoniously dragged from above somewhere. Struggling to focus through a river of mascara, I see another neighbour staring curiously at me. "Are you okay? Typhoon Ma is hitting Tokyo!" She shouts over the wailing wind. I had to yell "Yes!" back twice before she nodded, laughed, shook her head and slammed the shutter closed.


I love a good typhoon,I do. Thank you, Ma! I`ll just finish my Vimto, the deckchair should stay put with my weigh on it.........

Shaking and Baking in Tokyo.

No wrath like a woman scorned as  people are learning, with most dire and tragic consequences this year. Mother Nature flexed her perfectly manicured nails over the Pacific and another quake shook the north east of Japan Sunday morning.

There we were, buzzing along of a morn and then the house started it`s oh too familiar shaking. The trees outside started doing their version of `Thriller`, the water in the pool rippled as sunbeams glinted across it`s surface. Windows rattled as did my children's nerves.

On the days you wake up and don`t immediately wonder if another one will strike, it does.

However, I  must admit to becoming a tad wee blase to them recently. Make no mistake. The whole shaky shaky thingie terrifies me. It`s just that we`ve had so many aftershocks over magnitude 5 or 6, you get used to them.

I have 30 bottles of mineral water, non-sparkling, in strategic spots around my house. Bags filled with tinned grub and crackers hang on both floors. One sac used to be full of cans of beer but we drank them all to calm our nerves many a yonder ago.

I vividly remember one lunchtime. Sat with three Japanese mummy friends as the walls and windows started to rattle. Alarms rang on all four phones.

"No problem!" announced my friend," It`s only a 5."  To which, fears allayed we all resumed drinking and chatting as lamps and pictures swayed.

"More tea anyone?" I asked, brushing the light switch cord away from my face as it swung too and fro.......