A quiet week!?

This was supposed to be a quiet week. Naomi took Tomone and went back to Kawasaki. Tomone had a health checkup scheduled and Naomi wanted to see her husband and his relatives. Masayo and I would again be on our own schedules.

It did not quite work out that way. I did my usual walking, which included 45 kilometers in the last 48 hours. During one of these walks, the effects of the cool autumn that we are having became very apparent. Many of the trees have already lost their leaves, as you can see in this picture.

I heard on the news that the leaves are changing color at a rate that is about a month earlier than average. The same broadcast said that, because of global warming, Japan is getting colder. From now on they expect summers to cool and wet and winters to be colder.

However, the flowers seem not to have gotten the word about the weather. The second picture was taken along the riverside path leading from my apartment to the main road. It is an extremely pleasant walk, which I take often as it is the shortest way to the nearest subway station. This year there have been a number of gardens planted along the path, including one that specifically has the approval of the city, which means that it will be no construction for the length of the lease - 4 years.

Masayo and I talked with Tomone by telephone yesterday. Naomi said that Tomo-Chan got a very strange puzzled look on her face when she heard our voices and then broke into a big smile. She did not try to make any noises back at us but she obviously enjoyed the 'conversation'.