Blog

Cleaner China

29/6/2023

I read a BBC article with some good news about China the other day. Although China is still one of the top polluting countries in the world, its efforts to switch to cleaner energy are huge and growing fast.

China already has more large-scale solar energy power plants than all other countries added together. And Chinese Solar/Wind energy is set to more than double in just two years time - faster than anyone predicted. Sure, China is still building coal power stations at some pace, but there does seem to be a genuine desire for a renewable future.

Denstroyed

27/6/2023

Our "Secret Forest" has reopened and I took a trip there today to see how well our den had survived the Winter ...basically, it hasn't!

It's now just a pile of branches and sticks. It doesn't look like it has been deliberately dismantled by anyone - it probably just collapsed during one of the many wind and rain storms of recent months. It's quite a shame after six years of building and repairing it, but I guess we won't be in Kunming too much longer, so it's not the disaster it might have been had it happened 2-3 years ago. Bye bye den!

You mean "No smoking"??

25/6/2023

Snap

23/6/2023

One of JiaJia's VIP bank accounts sent us a voucher recently for a free photoshoot. So Jiajia, JD, Ma and I booked a session at a photography shop the other day to pose for a series of (rather too formal, in my mind) photos. We are now waiting for them to be reproduced in a printed book, as well as a couple of them as framed pictures. And we'll hopefully get copies of them on a USB. So watch this space for the results.

A child without bones or tendons...

21/6/2023

JD's class teacher requires her students to write one or two 300-400 character "stories" for homework every week. This is a lot less creative than it sounds; the teacher sets out the topic and explains various words/phrases that must be in the story. At home, the students dictate "their" story into a phone which translates the speech into characters. They then send it to the teacher who gives her feedback. Once the students get the story back, they copy it out in handwriting, memorise it and hand it back in on paper. This is all in preparation for a "similar" story-telling section of the following week's exam. Cheating?

Here is JD's latest effort....

How I learned to make dumplings

On Sunday, the whole family rested, and my mother suggested teaching me to make dumplings.

My mother made a dumpling and put it on the cloth. I thought to myself, it's not so difficult to make this dumpling after all.

So, I tried to make it look like my mother’s one. But the dumplings I made were like a child without bones or tendons. They couldn’t stand up. I looked at the beautiful dumplings made by my mother, and then looked at my "masterpieces". They seemed to say, "Now you know. It's easy to eat dumplings but difficult to make dumplings!"

My mother patiently taught me the skill of making dumplings: "When you fold it up, pinch out the wavy creases." I wrapped it up seriously. This time I put the stuffing in the dumpling skin, carefully pinched the dumpling skin in the middle, and then pinched it from both sides to the middle. After a while, I mastered the method of making dumplings, and found that my dumplings were not as listless as they had just been. I was so ecstatic that I hurriedly put the dumplings in the pot and cooked them.

When the dumplings came to the table, I tasted the result of my own labour and felt it was particularly successful. I understood a truth: as long as you make a serious effort, everything can be learned.

All good things...

19/6/2023

My career at the Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (YUFE) is coming to an end this week. I now just have a hundred Final Exam Essays to mark and my time there is over!

It's been largely a very enjoyable 8 years at YUFE. I originally joined so that my schedule would allow me to take JD to and from school each day, and to be around at weekends (something I couldn't do in my previous job at Robert's School of Languages). But it turned out to be a good move anyway, with long holidays and plenty pf time in the week to do private lessons which have more than made up for the pay drop.

The courses have become progressively easier to teach over the years, as I collected resources and learned how to use some awful textbooks. The support staff have been consistently helpful and pleasant, if a little clueless at times! The number of foreign teachers in my Department started at 6, gradually dipped to just me, and more recently has been 2-3. I shall miss the place as I move on to a new chapter of my life.

Kunming and going

17/6/2023

I've seen such a lot of changes in this city in my 15+ years here - new airport, subway lines, upgraded museums, skyscrapers, new railway hub, etc. There's a lot of things I'll miss when we leave next year...

Deep, see?

15/6/2023

Sometimes the propaganda text messages I receive on my phone make me chuckle. But I will certainly try my best to learn from this deep-sea pioneer...!?

Hard to afFord GT

14/6/2023

Latest Lego build - a Ford GT sports car. This was a gift to JD from a family friend, and it was expensive "real" Lego, not a knock-off! It's advertised for 18+ year olds, so JD struggled a bit and I had to finish most if it by myself. 1500 pieces. Very tricky!

Not that complex...

11/6/2023

I'll moth you

9/6/2023

Saw this gorgeous and huge (but sadly deceased) moth yesterday. I'm going to miss the bonkers wildlife here when we return to the UK.

All wed?

7/6/2023

Kneely done

5/6/2023

Sometimes when you get
too much homework,
all you can do is
get your pen
out and
pray!

Wise words!

3/6/2023

Happy CD, JD!

1/6/2023

Yesterday was "Children's Day" in China. I was at work all day and Jiajia is currently away in Shenzhen. But JD's school organised various fun activities, some special snacks and personalised gifts. Then, after school, the mother of one of JD's school friends kindly picked JD up and took him, along with her son and daughter, to watch a movie and have some fast food. One happy son!