Holidays, Colds, and Cricket
My daughter has been off nursery school since late December, and she finally goes back tomorrow.
In that time we’ve all had terrible colds (she had the flu), been into central Nagoya a few times, as well as Osu Kannon, Legoland Japan, and our local awesome park. She’s also learnt how to play — and cheat at — Uno and Babanuki (Old Maid).
When I’ve had a few spare moments to myself, I’ve mostly been watching England get humiliated by Australia in The Ashes. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it. There’s something about those cricket grounds — especially the Adelaide Oval — that pulls me straight back to the 1990s, when Australia felt impossibly distant, watching Ben Stokes and Joe Root’s predecessors play on those far-off shores gave me that first real ache of wanderlust. Josh Tongue, the fast bowler, is from the same small town as me, which only sharpens the ache for years gone by. Now Australia’s just a few hours away and we make the trip most years, but seeing those grounds still does something to me.
I’ve also been trying to finish Before the Dawn by Shimazaki Tōson — been reading it for months now. I didn’t realise it was the literary equivalent of The Lord of the Rings ×100, but I refuse to give up.
It’s been wonderful having her with us every day. She’s our only child, and we try to keep her constantly entertained. I go slightly insane whenever I catch her scrolling through YouTube watching dead-end videos instead of doing something — anything — more playful or creative.
But when she goes back tomorrow and I finally have time to read again, I’ll miss her. I’ll miss her poking at me constantly for attention, to play games, go to the park, or to make her something for lunch.
#Japan #nurserySchool #parenting #TheAshes
