Stephen’s blog

I hope your week has been a good one thus far and welcome to another edition of our weekly newsletter. 

It looks like the hot weather has returned, at least for a short while until autumn firmly steps forward and informs summer that it’s now time to move aside.  I’m sure many Japanese people and long term expat residents out here would agree that Autumn is definitely the best season; what with all the beautiful hues on display when the leaves on trees start to change colour, as well as the cooler temperature that autumn brings with it.  Autumn weather is absolutely perfect for outdoorsy people like myself to go hiking, bike riding and do a whole plethora of other activities without getting uncomfortably lathered in sweat which is always the case in summertime.  Of course sweat generally goes hand-in-hand with doing anything physical outdoors, it’s an unavoidable reaction, but unlike summer, the sweating we do in autumn is somehow more justified in comparison, at least that’s the way I look at it. 

Very recently, I came across a family of 3 (single parent – possibly mother – not sure as the cats are faceless) handmade black cats sitting on a sofa and positioned on other various pieces of furniture inside an interior goods shop.  I thought that they must just be for show and not available to purchase, but I was so taken by these cats that I thought I would enquire as to whether or not I could purchase them.  Much to my surprise, I was told that it was possible to purchase them and after asking the price, which I thought was reasonable considering they are handmade, I bought them with the idea of positioning them on my sofa in and amongst some cushions.  When we finally got the cats home my wife decided she would arrange them in different positions and take a few pictures, two of which I have attached for your reference.  As a challenge, I thought I would try to write few lines of poetry about the pictures attached, so until next week I hope you find something of interest inside our newsletter and enjoy the weekend ahead.

I caught them out of the corner of my eye as I was passing an interior goods shop by.

They forced me to stop and pay them some heed.

Two handmade kittens and a cat all black with no features were sat on a sofa arranged in an inviting way.   

“They’re cute aren’t, they?” shouted a shop assistant walking towards what she was directing her words at.

“They are that, are they for sale or just for show?”

“You’ll be happy to know they’re for sale, the cat’s 3,000 yen and the kittens are 1,500 yen each.

Just about within my reach, so I purchased the feline family of three.

They now take pride and place on my grey sofa and are very pleasing visually.