Little Things That Make Me Happy

Spitz Encounter! The 2024 Holiday in Charente-Maritime, France 16

  We came back to Rochefort town to finish our unfinished agendas-- some Geocaching for my husband, and a cafe visit for me. 色々やり残したことをやり遂げる...

2024/09/15 04:38

Spitz Encounter? The 2024 Holiday in Charente-Maritime, France 9

    On this day, we visited  Hiers-Brouage⁩ . It is a medieval walled city, created in the middle of marsh. We visited there  2 years ago  a...

2024/09/10 04:45

Elsa the Spitz Puppy 4 & the World Japanese Spitz Day

Our miniature black poodle Benji finally met my favourite dog in the neighbourhood Elsa on Sunday 3rd March, the World Japanese Spitz Day!! ...

2024/03/10 04:03

Elsa, the Spitz Puppy 3

I  encountered Elsa the spitz puppy on my way to my home  from the Pilates class today. She always seems to be so happy to meet me. ピラティスから帰...

2024/02/08 03:27

Elsa, the Spitz Puppy 2

I  encountered Elsa the spitz puppy on my way to my Pilates class today. She always seems to be so happy to meet me. ピラティスに行く途中に またまたスピッツのパピ...

2023/11/30 01:13

Elsa, the Spitz Puppy

 She lives in our neighbourhood. The first time we met her,  she hadn't had vaccinations  so she was being taken out for a walk  in her owne...

2023/10/24 19:37

Mugs

Miffy mug has arrived. ミッフィーマグカップが 出来上がった 。  Shiro mug was made last year. シローマグカップは 去年作った。 I miss them every day.

2023/10/16 00:10

Life with Dogs Is Much Better Than without One

  Miffy has finally come home from France. ミッフィーがフランスから帰宅。 Welcome home, Miffy. おかえり、ミッフィー。 I have sent a thank you card  to the vet in Fra...

2023/10/09 18:57

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 18

      On the morning of our check out, my husband got up earlier to return the rental bike  and bring the car back from the public charger p...

2023/09/22 06:04

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 17

    I was awaken by the sound of rain and strong winds this morning. The storms affecting the East Coast of Canada and America may have star...

2023/09/19 04:33

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 16

   I was awaken by the sound of rain and thunders this morning. We had been very lucky with the weather on this holiday, but today is the fi...

2023/09/18 02:54

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 15

  1st day with no dog in our family in 16 and a half years. 1st day with no animal in our family in probably 26 years. (We always had guinea...

2023/09/17 03:46

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 14

The weather was incredibly good. Sunny and hot. We went to Portbail without Miffy. I wanted to take photos of the church and its reflection ...

2023/09/16 03:53

Good Bye Miffy

  Miffy has decided to move on from France to heaven, instead of to Ireland. ミッフィーはフランスから 虹の橋を渡ってしまった。 I love you. You were such a great dog...

2023/09/16 02:02

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 13

   Miffy has stopped eating more or less. She was eating mashed sweet potatoes, but she now refuses that as well. At night, she spends a lot...

2023/09/15 04:14

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 12

  In the morning, we went on a drive to Lessay to see an old Abbey. It was a brief outing as we left Miffy resting at home. 午前中は レセ という街までドラ...

2023/09/14 05:12

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 11

       In the morning, we went to a shopping complex near Cherbourg which my husband had been to last week. 午前中は 夫が先週行った シェルブール近くの ショッピングセンタ...

2023/09/13 04:57

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 10

      In the morning, we went back to Briquebec again, to go to the Monday market, and to go to a yarn shop I had seen  the previous day. 午前...

2023/09/12 04:10

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 9

     The unusually hot weather in September finished today (at least in Normandy). It started to rain this morning. 9月のこの異常な暑さは 終わり（少なくてもノルマ...

2023/09/11 03:58

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 8

   According to the weather forecast, this unusual hot September weather will end today. I've been really enjoying it. 天気予報によると 9月のこの異常な暑さも ...

2023/09/10 03:48

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 7

     In the morning, we went for a walk along the beach in Barneville with Miffy, who seemed to be  in slightly a better form today. 午前中は、 昨...

2023/09/09 04:57

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 7

   We went on a short drive  to Portbail . Miffy could enjoy the sea breeze on the coast. ミッフィーへの負担を考え、 近くの ポールバイユ まで 一緒に出掛けてみた。 海辺の風もミッフィーに...

2023/09/08 04:26

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 6

  As Miffy should rest today, I didn't go out at all. We thought somebody should stay with her to look after her. ミッフィーは休養する必要があるので、 私は今日は1度...

2023/09/07 19:59

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 5

  As Miffy is not well, we took it easy on this day. My husband went for a swim, I stayed in to be with Miffy. ミッフィーの元気がないので、 この日はのんびりと過ごすこと...

2023/09/06 05:20

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 4

After reading some guidebooks, we decided to visit  Château de Pirou . However, before heading off, we went to the local vet to make an appo...

2023/09/06 04:28

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 3

On the 1st morning in  Barneville-Carteret, we went to  Carteret as we had been told by the landlord that we could see the highest tide of t...

2023/09/06 04:26

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 2

After arriving at Cherbourg Port, we headed down to  Barneville-Carteret, where we had booked a  gîte. The landlady and landlord are a lovel...

2023/09/04 23:28

Summer Holiday in France 2023 Day 1

  Last year, I neglected to update the blog on holiday. But this year, I will make an effort to update it as timely as possible. 去年は旅行中にちゃんと...

2023/09/04 05:20

Early Summer Days

I neglected the blog again.... またまたブログを放置してしまった。 Here are the things that have happened in the meantime. その間に起こった出来事。 The first weekend in J...

2023/06/26 05:21

The Second Weekend in May

On Saturday, the ukulele club my husband is a member of played at a fund-raising event for a church in Dalkey. 土曜日は、夫が所属するウクレレクラブが Dalkeyにある...

2023/05/17 04:27

The First Weekend in May

  On 6th May,  we took part in Darkness into Light. We did it in Bray in 2021 , but it was very wet and horrible. 5月6日の土曜日に Darkness into Li...

2023/05/08 15:53

Short Trip to Osaka

  I went to Osaka in April about 2 weeks to see Dad. He had turned 90 this March. 4月に2週間ほど父に会うために 大阪に帰った。 父は3月に90歳になった。 This time I flew via...

2023/05/05 00:05

Birthday Weekend

18 March is my birthday (the day after St. Patrick's Day). It was on Saturday so we had a day trip to Ballyconnell in Cavan. 3月18日は私の誕生日である。...

2023/03/20 02:04

World Japanese Spitz Day!!

  Let's Celebrate!! https://www.facebook.com/events/928786921609712/

2023/03/05 18:11

St. Brigid's Day Holiday Weekend

  1st February is the day of St. Brigid,  a saint strongly associated with Ireland. From this year, the first Monday of February  has become...

2023/02/07 03:18

Osaka, November 2022

  Went to Osaka for a week in November last year. There was almost no direct flight from Europe to Osaka, so I flew via Dubai. 去年の11月1週間だけ 大...

2023/01/30 19:21

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 19

  We went out for a short walk before checking out the accommodation. Then, the first destination on the way to Roscoff was  Château de Susc...

2023/01/24 22:50

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 18

  We said good bye to  Charente-Maritime and started our journey towards Roscoff, the port in Brittany. シャラント＝マリティーム県に 別れを告げ、 ロスコフ港のあるブリタニーに...

2023/01/23 05:12

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 17

  This is the last day in Fouras. We decided to take it easy. First we wandered around the streets in Fouras. I bought a basket, which I'm p...

2023/01/21 05:55

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 16

 On this day, we visited  Hiers-Brouage⁩ in the morning. It is a medieval walled city and full of interesting buildings. この日、午前中は イエ・ブルアージュ ...

2023/01/20 05:12

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 15

  We went back to Plage des Anses, and spent the whole day there by just relaxing and swimming. We did exactly the same thing which  we had ...

2023/01/19 04:54

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 14

  On this day, we went to  Plage des Anses , and spent the whole day there by just relaxing and swimming. We had never done this anywhere be...

2023/01/17 05:37

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 13

On this day, we visited  a transporter bridge in Rochefort across the river Charente. この日はシャランテ川を横切る ロシュフォール運搬橋 を体験した。 On the bridge. 橋の上で。 ...

2023/01/16 05:38

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 12

It is just so embarrassing to write about the holiday we made 4 months ago, but this blog also serves as a holiday record, so I am going to ...

2023/01/15 05:17

Good Bye 2022

  I haven't quite finished the French holiday blog... It's a bit difficult to get motivated now... フランスの旅行記も終えないうちに 2022年の大晦日になってしまった...。 It...

2022/12/31 23:30

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 11

  We came back from France long time ago, and the French holiday is becoming a distant memory.... However, I should try hard to remember and...

2022/10/14 02:06

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 10

In the morning, my husband went to Fouras, to return the bicycle he had rented  on the previous day. 午前中、夫は 昨日レンタルしていた自転車を フラまで返しに行った。 After...

2022/09/25 03:49

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 9

  I'm already back in Ireland, but I'll keep writing about the holiday anyway... すでにアイルランドに戻っているが、 フランス旅行について 書き続けることにする😅 This day was a sh...

2022/09/22 18:53

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 8

I decided this day is a relaxing day for me. My husband rented a bicycle and went around Geocaching nearby, while I was resting at home. 私は個...

2022/09/15 03:13

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 7

We got a boat from Fouras and went to  Île-d'Aix . フラの波止場からフェリーに乗って イル・デックスという島に行った。 Fort Énet . エネ要塞 。 Lunc on the island. 島でランチ。 Miffy beh...

2022/09/14 00:21

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 6

We went to La Rochelle. This place is full of Shiro's memories, too. ラ・ロシェルに車で行った。 ここもシローの想い出がいっぱいある 。 One of the purposes for me was to go ...

2022/09/13 01:34

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 5

We went to Fort Énet from Fouras, which can be reached on foot when the tide is very low. フラからエネ要塞まで行った。 干潮の時には歩いて行けるのだ。 My husband suddenly...

2022/09/11 03:22

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 4

  We drove to Rochefort, the nearest big town in the area. I thought we were doing some sightseeing. 近くの大きな街ロッシュフォー まで車で出かけた。 観光をするものだと思って。 ...

2022/09/10 03:34

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 3

  On our first day in Fouras, we went to a restaurant in town and had lunch. フラでの1日目。 まず、中心部に行って レストランで昼食を取った。 Fort Vauban on the beach. ヴォー...

2022/09/09 03:34

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 2

After we landed in Roscoff, we stopped over in a town called Saint-Pol-de-Léon to have breakfast. ロスコフ到着後、 サン＝ポル＝ド＝レオンという街に 寄って朝食を食べた。 We ch...

2022/09/08 02:06

Summer Holiday in France 2022 Day 1

  This is the first summer holiday we have had without Shiro. We started this kind of holiday --going to the continent by boat-- because of ...

2022/09/07 17:40

5.35pm 23rd August 2022

  Shiro has gone for his next journey. He was such a good dog until the end. シローは虹の橋を渡った。 最後まで本当に良い子で 感謝しかない。 Last swim. We took him to Marl...

2022/08/24 22:09

Midsummer?

  July has arrived, though the weather is sill quite cool😅 全然夏らしくならないが 7月になった😅 Got freezing rain in the sunshine. 晴れてる間に冷たい雨が降った。 Another ...

2022/07/02 03:54

Early Summer

  May and June flew though I have been less busy with work. I have been turning down  a lot of work to get the work/life balance right. 5月も6...

2022/06/27 02:11

Spring 2022

  I haven't updated the blog for nearly 2 months! I have been very busy with a lot of things,  so I didn't physically and mentally have a ca...

2022/05/01 20:58

Osaka, Japan, March 2022

  I am in Osaka, Japan now. I decided to come here as the Japanese regulation has been changed: if you are travelling from Ireland, with 3 v...

2022/03/05 22:13

St. Patrick's Well in Blessington, Co. Wicklow

  I had a free weekend for the first time this year. So we went to Blessington, Co. Wicklow. For Geocaching for my husband, and a holy well ...

2022/01/24 19:50

So Far So OK

  I vowed I would not do too much work for 2022, but it has not been successful so far... I only took 2 days off... 今年は仕事しすぎないと誓ったのだが、 誓いが守ら...

2022/01/14 02:18

Hope 2022 Will Be a Good Year

  I didn't update the blog for more than 2 months. Very difficult 2 months. I did everything to try not working, but it didn't work. If I co...

2022/01/02 03:07

Bittersweet Days...

  Shiro has been in a stable condition, and we are so grateful for this. シローの健康状態は 安定していてありがたい。 In front of  Glendruid House . Glendruid Hou...

2021/10/26 22:40

More Holy Well

  I have been very busy with work again, so I have not done many things apart from working and daily chores. But I had one free weekend, so ...

2021/10/14 22:48

Tobermacduagh Holy Well

  We visited a holly well called Tobermacduagh Holy Well in Clogher, Claremorris. メイヨー県では もう1つの 聖なる泉 を見に行った。 There was no holy water for Shi...

2021/09/29 23:31

Top of the Reek

  We had promised to our friend who lives in Mayo and who is planning to move to England soon that we would climb Croach Patrick before she ...

2021/09/28 18:24

Bad Times....

  A few weeks ago, Miffy's left cheek started to swell. Then we discovered a small thorn in that cheek. Using tweezers, we carefully removed...

2021/09/26 23:02

Going for Hillwalking with Elderly Dogs

  As Shiro has become less fit and more blind, and we still want to take him out for hillwalking with Miffy, we purchased a bag for doggies ...

2021/09/10 01:11

August 2021

  We had about a week of very hot days in July, but after that, the weather never really recovered. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the summer with ...

2021/09/05 19:30

Summer Holiday in Connemara 8

  This is the day we went back to Dublin. In the morning before the checkout, we made a  brief visit to Connemara National Park , which is a...

2021/09/04 00:05

Summer Holiday in Connemara 7

  Our last full day in Connemara. The weather was not perfect, but we made the most of it. コネマラも最終日。 お天気はイマイチであるが、 できるだけ楽しむ努力をする。 We went ba...

2021/08/25 22:03