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31/7/2016

Yesterday we took a train down to Hereford to stay with my brother Dave and his family. A very warm welcome and delicious food.

Today we walked into Hereford centre, where Ava loves the charity shops, with a picnic in the Cathedral grounds. JD is fascinated by the "dead people" in the churches, Cathedrals and Abbeys he has visited and now thinks any and every statue must contain a dead person! He's "clicked" with his cousins really quickly which gives Ava and I a bit of a break at times through the day.

Today was yet another sunny and dry day. We've been very lucky during our UK visit so far. Rumours of a wetter day tomorrow though. We shall see.

Sorted

29/7/2016

We had a lovely visit to an old friend Ally today. She and her husband Peter live in a quaint, converted Post Office which Ava, in particular, loved exploring. We were treated to a sumptuous three-course lunch with an Asian twist. Thanks guys.

Royal visit

27/7/2016

We made a visit to Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire yesterday where I own a small flat. It's a lovely little village where I lived for 4 years before heading to China in 1994. My flat has been rented ever since, through a local agency but I was finally able to show Ava my UK home, though sadly it was in a disappointingly poor state of repair.

For lunch, we headed into West Swindon to visit Paul and Caroline, my cousins, for lunch. And what a meal! They have a barbecue on the garden and a smoking machine in their shed and had cooked various meats, speciality bread and vegetable dishes. It was delicious and we - well, I - ate 'til we were overly full. Afterwards we were able to pop into my poorly Uncle John and Auntie Jackie.

Tour of London

25/7/2016

We spent a fun day up in London today in the company of my good friends Paul (the other one) and Elaine Bruton. I wanted to show JD the actual London sights that he'd become familiar with through a London-based storybook he'd been sent some time ago.

So we took the book along with us, pointing out the pages and the corresponding real places. We started at Trafalgar Square, where we got told off for trying to sit JD on a lion statue (unlike when I was a child and unlike the heroine of his story!). Then on to the changing of the guard at Horseguard's Parade. A salute from JD got the usual blank stare from the guard on duty, but a mounted policeman later let him stroke his horse and feed him (the horse!) a sweet.

We wandered down the Mall to Buckingham Palace and then walked back through St. James's Park, just about made it to the Houses of Parliament in time for Big Ben to chime 12. JD knows the tune off by heart as the supermarket down the hill from our Kunming house playes the tune electronically on the hour and we've paused to listen to it many a time. This was the real thing, though - a lot louder! Our attempt to take a river bus down to the Tower of London was thwarted by a police evacuation of the embankment, so we took a tube and saw the castle and Tower Bridge before a well-earned cup of coffee overlooking the Thames.

It was a tiring, but rewarding day. And great to catch up with the Brutons. Elaine was one of my best friends before leaving for China in 2005, while Paul is one of this blog's regular readers and most frequent commenters. Thanks guys for a great day.

Easy, tiger!

24/7/2016

We went to my parents' church this morning, and later to "Lark-in-the-Park" - a huge, free community event in Sidcup attracting attendances on the thousands throughout the week. My Dad has been volunteering as a night security guard there for many years. Nearly every attraction is free so we got JD's face painted (by a volunteer helper from Holland!) and let him play on the slides, rides and bouncy castles.

All and sun dry

23/7/2016

Today was our Open Day where we invited a lot of friends and family to come to my Mum and Dad's house for a chat over food and drink. We welcomed ex-work colleagues [eg Susie from Futurekids and Alan from National Power, in picture, left], family [eg cousins Maureen and Dorothy, left side below] and friends from College days [eg Ratch and Catherine, below] plus many others. It was a lovely event, held outside in the sunshine with a gazebo for those who preferred the shade. Thanks to everyone who travelled from near and far to come see us. It was terrific to catch up with you all again.

Power ahead to Stourhead

22/7/2016

The Sams family took us to a large National Trust stately home yesterday in Stourhead. We met up with Krista [see left], a mutual friend, and her Mum for a lovely day walking around the grounds and admiring the "Capability Brown" designed gardens [see below]. We enjoyed beautiful sunshine as we explored the area and finished the day off with ice-creams. Just as we drove back it started to rain - so far, the British weather has been very kind to us!

Some Sams

20/7/2016

We are spending a few days in Dorset with our good friends, the Sams family. We're squeezing this visit into the start of our holiday as their eldest son (Aled, the ginger below) is off to Nepal for a volunteering challenge within a few days.

We are staying in the Sams' house - a huge place with a steeply rising back garden which backs onto a forest and a lovely park area. We've had a very warm welcome and when, on arrival, JD was shown to a huge toy railway their youngest son Ben had prepared, he gained a friend for life!

We spent our first half-day in pretty Sherborne village, full of charity shops (for Ava) and the Abbey above (where JD played "spot the dead person"!).

A ping-pong tournament (JD cheated, see below) and a BBQ ended off the first day's fun.

Spudding and pudding

18/7/2016

We have arrived in the UK and are spending the first few days at my parents in Sidcup. They met us at the airport with a huge hand-drawn Welcome sign and pork pies! It's really hot here, so Ava is loving their beautiful garden while JD is loving "helping" by digging up spuds and watering the vegetables. As for me, I'm relishing the prospect of all my favourite "unobtainable" dishes such as casserole, fish-n-chips, toad-in-the-hole and rhubarb crumble ...oh and a large Wetherspoons breakfast which is planned for tomorrow morning. So happy to see my old folks after 1.5 years away and 24 hours of travelling. Let the holidays begin!

Outward bound

17/7/2016

Ava, JD and I are heading to the UK today for 5 weeks' holiday.

Just kiln' time

15/7/2016

I found a game on my (ex-Ava) iPhone the other day. Seems I can create bowls and vases on a potter's wheel, fire them, paint them and sell them. The money can be used to buy more colours, patterns and things like handles and spouts. This one sold for 67 which is a fortune, or possibly just average, or maybe an embarrassingly tiny amount. I haven't really been playing long enough to know...

Sopt the mistakes

14/7/2016

The supermarket down the hill from where we live has put up some bright, new signage. Sadly, though, the spelling hasn't improved!

Now I've really reached rock bottom...

13/7/2016

Bottom of the class

12/7/2016

I shouldn't really laugh at students' mistakes, but...

Splashing out

11/7/2016

JD, Ma-in-law and I went to Kunming's DaGuan Theme Park yesterday.

We walked around in the 28°C sunshine seeing the modern art statues, eating snacks and going on some of the rides. JD loved the bumper cars, the carousel and the digger, but his favourite is the Log Flume. I went on with him last visit, but managed to persuade Ma to take him this time. Ma insisted on paying all expenses - a last fling for her before we head to the UK for a month.

Sclerous to believe

10/7/2016

Impressive claims made on the packaging
of the clothes pegs I bought yesterday!

Room 101

9/7/2016

We were back at the Mushroom Farm yesterday for a BBQ with the owner, Julie, and some of her other friends. Before eating, JD and I had a wander round the farm and surrounding countryside, spotting cows, goats, pigs, horses, dragonflies, dogs, praying mantis, colourful spiders, butterflies, hedgehog, lizard and a huge frog - the size of my fist. I really like the way JD is so curious about wildlife and so fearless about interacting with bugs and small creatures (if not cows and horses!).

The converted school which houses all the mushroom beds has a room marked 101 - supposedly containing "your worst fear", according to the novel "1984"!

Loo seat? Lose it!

7/7/2016

JD walked into the office the other day sobbing "I can't get it off!" He'd been tempted to "try on" his child loo seat which he puts on top of the normal toilet seat to stop him falling into the WC. But what goes on doesn't always come off quite so easily! He was also a bit miffed that I insisted on taking a photo before easing it off. Still, it'll teach him not to mess with things without considering the consequences, as did the blu-tac up the nose and the gun pellet in the ear!

Earthy smell?

6/7/2016

Great name for a new perfume...!

Top Marx

3/7/2016

JD and I met one of JD's Kindergarten classmates and his Dad in Yunnan University's campus yesterday. We managed a quick cycle and ball kick before the heavens opened and we ran for cover in the nearest faculty building. It's been a particularly wet summer here this year (which hopefully puts paid to the droughts of recent years). And the building we stumbled into turned out to be the "School of Marxism". Who knew such places continued to exist? You don't see a whole lot of Marxist practices in China these days, for sure.

Laughing policemen

2/7/2016

I got my passport back earlier today, complete with new visa and I quickly went to the Public Security Bureau to register the updated documents (they'd already rung twice to remind me it was due).

The police station had a rather jolly collage of smiling officers' faces in the entrance hallway [see above], and the obligatory Chinglish on the door. Now, with my new visa and registration we can, on Monday, start the process for JD's entry/exit visa and the renewal of my driving license. Oh yes, red tape is alive and well here!