Thursday

 Let's go for a quick walk around Austin and Kaori's place

It's a nice little area. Small rice paddies dotted around newer houses with some older houses here and there. A short walk away there are shops, a gym, cafes, convenience stores, and there's a little river at the end of the street. It's a short drive into the Gifu city centre and not far into Mizuho. You can see mountains all around and there are some pretty spectacular sunsets.

You really couldn't ask for much more

While I was taking you on a short walk, Lindsey went for a long walk up to a little park where there were men fishing in the pond and then on to a big electronics store

Lindsey's photo of the park

We are all heading off for a weekend away later today so after Austin came home from work he did some washing, then he, Lindsey and I went to the laundromat to get it all dry. While we were waiting for the washing to dry, we went into a homeware store, where we found a robot sweeping the floors

I wonder how it would cope with all the cat
hair at my place.
I do not have to wonder
what the cats would think about it!!!

It was Halloween yesterday, which is not something that I pay much attention to. I did notice that although the shops are decorated with Halloween things, the outside of the houses are not. I do not know if the children go out trick or treating, although no children came knocking at Austin and Kaori's front door.  (Update: there is no trick or treating in Japan - it is not polite to knock on strangers' doors and demand treats.) 

Tatsuki did a mini version by knocking at the door of the tatami room a few times, from where his father gave him Halloween lollies

We had chocolates too, but not Halloween themed ones:

These were not all for me!