It feels like spring is here. It’s getting a little warmer every day. At this time of year in Ireland we say, “there’s a grand stretch in the evening”. It means the evenings are getting longer after the darkness of winter. In December it gets dark at about 3:30pm in Ireland, so we can’t wait for longer evenings!
Two things are going around this week, chocolates and influenza. I hope you got lot’s of chocolate and no flu. Our students are staying safe by wearing masks and using hand wash before class. We take a lot of safety precautions against colds and influenza here in Japan. In Ireland I have never seen anyone wear a mask! Colds are even more common there, maybe that’s because they don’t wear masks.
It was Valentine’s Day last Sunday, and a big thank you to our students who brought us chocolates and sweets. Some of them were even homemade! Thanks for going to the effort. I’m going to get fat after all that chocolate. I must keep track of who gives out sweets, so that I can repay the favour on White Day.
Have a great week.

Alan