Merry December 18th!

Hey! Well I'm glad to report that I am feeling a good deal better, and I am beginning to enjoy the festive season! Today was a day spent at Jeremy's place in Nishi Gifu (south Gifu), enjoying lunch, silly gifts and playing in the snow. Jeremy put a lot of effort into making a wonderful lunch, and everybody also brought along a plate. The food was plentiful and wonderful! Today it was the largest amount of snow I have seen and it was truly exciting (perhaps because I didn't have to go to work...) The following pictures are before and an hour or so after shots of the view from Jeremy's apartment.

We had some fun with snow fights, snowmen and just being crazy. I somehow ended up on the ground making a snow angel. My backside was really wet and cold after that!!!!

Here are some kids making a snowman. I seem to have something against snowmen. I tried to decapitate one with my fist, but I have ended up with a bruised hand... Snowmen: 1, Suzi: 0...

Jeremy somehow got me on to the ground. I think it is some kind of vengeance for me putting snow down his pants. While I was down there, I thought that I may as well try making a snow angel...

Jeremy actually started the snow angel thing. He thought the best place to do it was in a car park...

This was a battle of snowballs. I forget the name of the battle, but we had to stand there and throw snowballs across the river. You weren't allowed to dodge incoming snowballs. I threw like a girl. The balls never quite made it across...

The snow was so soft and it was tasty... Also, people felt inclined to shove snow in my face...

Here are a couple of photos of the pretty snow....

Inside was a different story. We all fought for the heater, and it sometimes had to be turned off because the power kept on turning off (Jeremy was using too much electricity whipping up a storm in the kitchen). Here's Megan the evil Christmas Heater Hog.

Kerry made a wonderful apple pie/pastry thing. But I was so full that I could barely eat anything!

Don't mess with the cooks! Lena and Jeremy are preparing yummy potato pancake thingoes... they were really yummy!

Sarah and David know the best way to keep warm!!!This is a pic of me on the way home from the station in Ogaki. Normally Ogaki is a piece of cement rubbish. It's really grey and mundane. But the snow brings some magic!!!

Last of all, I think it's best I show you that I have truly embraced the Christmas spirit! Here is my Christmas tree! It is half my height!

If I don't post next week, I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas! I will be thinking of you! I am going to Kyoto for 2 nights on the 26th December, so I will make sure I have some nice photos to post!!!!

Lotsaluv,

Suz