This may be a ruse, but the weather has dramatically cooled here the last two days. The humidity may come back to strike in a sneak attack, but for now, I have that annual sensation akin to euphoria. I no longer have to shut myself in air-conditioned rooms, or sweat whilst taking a poop (sorry!), or feel like a space laser is burning my head when I put the laundry out. I feel free of the oppressive heat.

This summer has once again been tough, but we are fortunate that none of us have caught the coronavirus. My wife is fully vaxxed, my elder son and I have had our first shot, and we are all masking up, washing our hands, and generally laying low. The Delta variant has hit Japan harshly. Up until Delta arrived, Japan was doing an excellent job in mitigating the spread of the virus, mainly through exercising basic health measures. It saddened me to see the massive difference between the numbers here and the numbers in the UK & USA. But now Japan is reaching the top five for daily new cases. And with a belated and slow vaccine roll-out (and worrying contaminations!), the battle with Delta has not gone so well. I can only hope the tide turns in the next few months.

We did manage to avoid a summer of total doom & gloom, though. We cooked some fun meals, and the boys made three dinners. To be honest, we ate a lot over the summer! I seriously need to shed a few pounds before the next annual health-check, else the doctor will chop off an arm to compensate.

So what have we eaten?

Sushi! Since going to the conveyer-belt sushi place isn’t such a great idea right now, we ordered in. This stuff was sooooo good! And I must get back into Dyrk Ashton’s gloriously epic War of Gods.

A Japanese breakfast (grilled salmon, vegetable soup and natto on rice), curry rice, and mabo-dofu, all made by the boys. I definitely have to get them into the habit of doing this once a month!

A bit burnt but that is an awesome breakfast (l): egg toasted onto bread, with the ketchup wall essential to stop the egg sliding off before it’s cooked and making an unholy mess. Steak & cheese sandwich (c) and quesadilla burger (r). All made by myself, and so quite junky!

Before Delta came, I did manage a couple of trips out. The lunch menu at Japanese eateries is usually very good and very cheap (l). Then we have an obento, which I have to say is one of the best things about Japan (c). And lastly, my favourite dish at my favourite bar, Roundabout, ham katsu (r).

Lastly, we have my wife’s birthday meal. Lamb chops from The Meat Guy (Osaka-based company, so good!), and cakes from this wonderful place nearby, La Verdure.

And some beer with a nice variety of music to drink to!

So yeah, we ate a lot! But it was difficult to do much else. The boys’ sports clubs were cancelled, we couldn’t go camping or go out, couldn’t have friends over, and the cinema was a no-go. I live to eat so this is the way, right Mando?

One little trip I made before the heat of summer really kicked in was to a local spot that has some lovely ajisai flowers. It was a very relaxing and peaceful stroll after a nice, brisk walk to get there. Nothing says Japanese summer like the bamboo clicking as the water cascades down. Reminds me of My Neighbour Totoro.

My next book, Yamaya Sisters should be out very soon, so I’m excited about that. Please read The Old Wounds trilogy if you haven’t already, heart-wrenching fantasy with a nice bit of mystery.

Please take care wherever you are. We seem to be some distance yet from the end of this pandemic, and sadly we seem to have plunged deeper into the pit of misinformation. But I don’t want to leave on a bum note, so I’ll put up a picture of Megaloman. I have no idea what show this is, but the song is cool in a goofy way! Till next time.