Local walkies

 Been one of those days...doing the washing and the dishes, taking out trash, those regular chores, followed by local walkies, stopping to talk to friends and generally soak in the autumn. I had to sort out Japanese Granma's influenza shots, and went shopping to get her cotton knits as it's getting cooler mornings and evenings. Forgot to take her new bottle of face cream, so I'll have to pop by the old people's home again soon...

Unwinding

 I was so tired on my way home from work, I used the local, got off too early, missed the next express out of Tokyo and waited stuporous for the next local...times like that, a day off in the dog run is called for...

 The sun was gorgeous, the air was crisp, the green was uplifting...no autumn tints in the hills yet, but some fallen leaves heralding the changing of the seasons.

 Now for a good night's sleep and tomorrow will be a new and exciting day!

Ange Dog Cafe

After a good post-typhoon run in the UminoKoen (Seapark) dogruns and a long-lead splash in the sea, I drove over to Konandai, wet shoes and trousers and all, to try out a new dog cafe, Ange.

Very nice arrangement, with two good parking berths behind the cafe, a spacious verandah area with flowers and trees to sit in the sunshine with the sandy dogs, and delicious food.

 They very kindly brought a bowl of water for the doggies, but there are no doggie treats or menu per se, so the dogs were a little bit nonplussed...not to worry, very simple delicious food, so it was okay to share some tidbits with the dogs...the lunch set was 1000yen with side salad and desert, quite reasonable.  I really wanted to taste their chick-pea soup, but I was disappointed to find it was sold out: to my surprise and delight, they brought me a tiny bowl on the house just to taste...delicious chickpea bean stew with chopped fresh coriander herbs! A must next time, if I can drag myself away from the tomato spaghetti... 

The pretty salad had a very unique mayonnaise and egg dressing, so I was able to share some leaves with the dogs. The spaghetti was divine, simplicity at its best, with sparse but inspired use of chunks of fresh garlic and basil leaves. The dogs had a feast with the slurpies, and when I mentioned I could do with a little less salt in the meal, they were so kind as to say they would be happy to oblige the next time I came.

 Good exercise, good food, and now we're back home ready for an afternoon nap...

Sunflower family

I was quite sad to see Forest Table, the dog cafe near the Shinrin Park, has closed. That makes five closed locally in the three years I've been writing this blog, Question, Anjin, Uda2cafe and now Forest Table, plus the B-wood dogrun across town. Maybe time to check out some new dogcafes, I think there's one in Konandai. Meanwhile Motomachi offers Slow Cafe behind Gap, and also two wee terrace tables at a Pizzeria near there. And Boutique for Dogs! which offers a treasure trove of gorgeous costumes and bags for dogs, and snaps your pooch when you drop by: see how Nobunaga, Claire and Chiaro di Luna look through their lens: 

 I think Nobunaga looks really dinky! Thank you Boutique for Dogs for these gorgeous pictures in your Halloween line-up blogpost .

Aromatherapy and Healing Hands

Luna gave me quite a shock yesterday morning, after a 6am pottie break in the garden for the dogs, I fell asleep again and woke up at 8am to get brekkie ready: Luna was crashed in the doggie bed, unable to wag even her tail, and totally uninterested in getting up for food (the unthinkable, she is always jumping all over the place with excitement at mealtimes).  Even with some cheddar, she licked it limply and just lay there. I got ready to take Nobu and Claire, and she wobbled over to the door to come with us, but after a couple of weak steps to the corner park, she lay down in the dirt, so I picked her up and carried her home again before going out with Nobu and Claire. This is it, her time has come, I thought, and rubbed a lick of essential oils on her belly before going out to work. Ajowan is a strong antibiotic, marjoram soothes inflammation, palma rosa works on fatigue, juniper berry is great for the kidneys and waterworks, and chamomile relaxes and soothes, all based in calendula (marigold) carrier oil...

Fortunately she wasn't alone for long, as Tosh took time off work to sit with her, and towards evening she was eating and perked up. When I got home I asked for the help of the Hase Temple Kannon, and bathed Luna in golden healing light...

Fortunately today she seems right as rain, enjoying a lunchtime stroll in the Shinrin park with her usual gusto and smiles...now it's my turn to get headaches with the impending typhoon...

Vision

 Went for a walk round Kuraki Park after the typhoon. Although I stayed on the paths, some were streaming rivers as the water flowed down from the hills to the pond area, which was heavy with extra water. It is great to get out after two days of being cooped up in the house and dashing out in the rain for Claire to relieve herself on something other than the new carpet...I always think the air is so clean and fresh after a typhoon, the trees feel really forward-looking and new free from the dross of broken twigs and old leaves, and everything surges onward and upward!

Unrequited

 Luna honey you smell so good, you get me in the mood...

 Hey, have a little run together?

 Yes you, looking so good, little lady...I'm your man!

 Mum, he won't leave me alone...Mum, she's not interested....

 Sure knows how to break a guy's heart....

Towards the tailend of Chiaro di Luna's heat cycle, although it's over and she can't get pregnant any more, she still seems to smell good. Nobunaga gets very frustrated as the sexual tension has built up, and with quite a few intact dogs around, he gets quite excited and possessive and wants to lay claim to his three ladies... so we were careful to find a quiet unused dogrun just for us, or find a time when no other males were around. I had to be on the alert, sometimes moving to different space to keep things peaceful for Luna on this trip. My legs were quite bruised from Nobu's
attentions, he grips you tightly round the thigh with his forearms...