Ocean of Morality
  • Blog
  • Family
  • Relatives
  • Countries
  • Gallery
  • Guestbook

Tatty

31/8/2011

 
Picture
Unknown to us at the time, Ava's Mum spent two weeks in hospital while we were in the UK with a kidney problem. And she returned to hospital again yesterday after a bit of a relapse. With Ava away on business in Shenzhen it fell to me to get her a bed and bring in supplies. Thankfully, she's not comatose or anything, so she's been able to do all the explaining, ward-finding and bribing herself. I've been in Chinese hospitals dozens of times before, but this was the first time when I wasn't the sick one! I'm so glad I've never had to stay in one, though. They really are tatty places; noisy, dirty, chaotic and falling apart. Her room is half the size of my bedroom, but has five beds sharing the space. There's hardly room to move. However, Ava's Mum seems to quite enjoy the hustle and bustle, the visits from concerned friends and, perhaps, the opportunity not to do all the washing, buying, cooking, etc.

Just when you think you've got a handle on the peculiarities of Chinese ways, something new and bizarre pops up. One of the foods I was asked to bring in today was a small uncooked potato. On receipt, Ava's Mum cut off a thin slice and applied it to her wrist. A kind of medicine, she insisted! So we are paying hundreds of pounds for western pills and a hospital bed ...plus a raw tatty. Work that one out.

Blog plug 2

30/8/2011

2 Comments

 
Picture
Well what do you know? Perhaps inspired by Dave starting up his blog again, my other brother Andy has started up a family blog too. Both blogs well worth a look. And now the pressure is on the old man ...got anything to share with the world, Dad?

2 Comments

Blog plug

28/8/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
My brother Dave has started his family blog up again after a year doing other far more constructive things! I'm pleased though, as it helps me keep up with all his family news. Now if only I can persuade Andy and my parents to start one ...we'd never have to talk again!

0 Comments

High tea

26/8/2011

 
Picture
My new term starts today, though the other foreign teachers aren't due back until next weekend, due to a calendar mix-up last term! We had our usual whole-school meeting yesterday, preceded by a finger buffet! Our teaching building has a  lovely little rooftop garden, owned by the residents of the next-door building. But we got special permission to use it for the afternoon, and had sandwiches, cakes and fruit to kick off the meeting. A nice change from the usual "meeting+banquet" format". The main item on the agenda was the school's tenth anniversary celebrations next month. The school have decided to update their logo, which currently shows the union of (Chinese) dragon and plum blossom with the (British) lion and oak branch [see above]. Having won their last competition to create a slogan ("Education for Communication") I'll have a go at this one, too. The winner gets a pair of tickets to a beauty spa, which caught Ava's interest! A teacher/artist combination ...we can't lose!

Card beat that

24/8/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ava and I had a card in the post from our UK friend Vix today. She has a daily tear-off calendar which gives ideas for making cards, and decided to not only make them but send them to friends and family throughout the year. Lovely idea, right? I'm a big fan of "random acts of kindness". This was ours, chosen for the travelling theme. Thanks Vix!

0 Comments

Initially well spotted

22/8/2011

 
Picture
Jiajia and I spotted this car and trailer while in the UK. "Oooh, look - it's got the same initials as me." I said.
"Yes, and it's also full of rubbish!" she instantly retorted. Who have I married? Heehee!

We had a smooth trip back to Kunming, although with worse jet lag than usual. On boarding the connecting flight in Shanghai I was greeted by "Hey PJ!" - it was one of my students, on his way back from America!

Paul and Jiajia have left the building (...er, country)

19/8/2011

 
Picture
Ava and I began our long journey "home" yesterday evening, and arrive early tomorrow (local time). It's about 24 hours door-to-door. It's been a fabulous three weeks in the UK, full of wonderful experiences, happy memories and lots of love from family and friends. Thanks to all of you who supported us through your gifts, time, help and kindness.

Very nice Venice, crammed Camden, must-see Museum

17/8/2011

 
Picture
Jiajia and I spent another nice day up in London today, this time with our friend "Ratch". We met in Little Venice - where London's various canals can be seen - and took a narrow boat down to Camden Market. 

Picture
Camden has three markets, each of which was bigger than I imagined the whole would be. There were stalls featuring food from all over the world, but we'd brought a picnic, so we resisted the yummy smells. And there were plenty of shops selling unique  ornaments, unusual clothes and antiques. Surprisingly, Jiajia wasn't particularly impressed and so after a couple of hours looking around we headed off.

Picture
Despite feeling tired from all the walking, we decided to try and squeeze in a look at the British Museum. It was the final unticked "things to do" that Jiajia and I had listed before coming to the UK. Jiajia was suddenly full of energy as she walked around, gazing at the Egyptian, Assyrian and then Chinese displays. "You've stolen all our best stuff", she wailed, but loved seeing it, beautifully displayed, all the same. It really is an impressive museum. We said some rushed goodbyes to Ratch at the railway station half an hour later and just caught our train home. A great last day in the UK.

Shot at the castle

14/8/2011

 
Picture
After the informal photos from our wedding celebration, we were keen to get some more formal pictures too. My brother Dave and his wife Sarah managed to arrange for a photographer to give us a few hours of her time, and found a magnificant crumbling castle as a unique backdrop. The resulting photos were great, as you can see. Click here for more.
Picture
We were particularly fortunate to have made contact with a lady who owns a gorgeous Bed & Breakfast cottage next to the castle. She kindly allowed us "strangers" to use her rooms for changing clothes and her beautiful garden for bonus photos. She even cooked us a cake a supplied is with drink. What a star!

Ride or wrong?

13/8/2011

 
Picture
As part of the attempt to fulfil Jiajia's, "I want to be a princess" wedding wishes, my brother Dave arranged for us to go horse-riding in the Brecon Beacons today. No sign of any dragons to slay, though we were technically in Wales. I had a bit of a dodgy start. Whilst everyone else's head took 1-3 attempts to find a hat that fitted, mine took 22! Is my head really that oddly shaped?

Picture
But then it was Jiajia's turn to have difficulties, as her horse insisted on taking a different route to the rest of us, and grabbing whole branches of trees to munch as he went. Our instructor was very patient though, whilst Dave and Esme - old hands at this horse-riding  lark - trotted around at will. The scenery was fantastic and the two hours flew by. Having said that, we were all walking funny for the rest of the day, so perhaps it was best that we stopped when we did! Great fun!

Toilet humour

12/8/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
More strange lavatory messages sent to me by a friend from her China travels. As ever, they almost make sense, but...

0 Comments

Dover and out

11/8/2011

 
Picture
Picture
We chose the coldest and windiest day of our time in the UK so far to visit the very exposed Dover Castle! Ava's romantic views of castle life were quickly blown away! Entry should have cost us over £30, but came free with our apartment.

Picture
There's a lot to see and do in the castle area, but much of it includes outdoor queuing. We did one of the tunnel tours, but passed on the newest attraction as those brave souls waiting an hour in line for it looked frozen. We gave it few hours in total but were happy enough to get back to the car and return. 

Blueberry, blackberry and Canterbury

10/8/2011

 
Picture
Jiajia and I drove to Canterbury today, using my parents' car,  lent to us for the week. The cathedral - Jiajia's third in a fortnight - was quite expensive and very busy, but had lots to see inside. The cost of parking in the city was even pricier though. Jiajia bought lots of fruit and I had my first Burger King in a couple of years. We'd thought about joining a tour of the river but, having seen one of their punts from a bridge, decided not to bother and headed back to our castle.

"A princess in a castle"

9/8/2011

 
Picture
"A princess in a castle" was how Jiajia first described what she wanted her UK wedding to be like. This first manifested itself as a bouncy castle at our Winchester celebrations (which turned out to be a monkey, rather than a castle!), but then my brother Dave tracked down a fantastic rentable apartment in Walmer Castle [above the greenhouses in the photos above]. Not only is this in the grounds of a certified castle and just down the road from the holiday home where we were staying at the weekend, but it has 10 acres of beautiful flower and fruit gardens (Ava loves gardens) and includes free entry to all the English Heritage sites in the area.
Picture
The apartment itself is superb - spacious, clean and fully equipped. We arrived to find displays of flowers and a large food hamper which is keeping us well-fed. We are enjoying self-catering in the kitchen, which looks out onto blooming flowerbeds.

Picture
We are loving taking evening walks in the gardens as we have private access after the tourists have left for the day. There are acres of flowers, fruit trees, perfectly manicured avenues of bushes, a wilder forest area and immaculate lawns. There is also a pretty garden designed around a lily pond, built for the Queen Mother when she was warden of the castle. We're having great weather, too.

Wet but walmer

7/8/2011

 
Picture
Most of our friends and family have arrived at Walmer now and it's lovely to catch up with them in a relaxed atmosphere. We walked to the sea this morning, where Vix made one of her famous stone artworks. Then suddenly the heavens opened and we all scuttled back to the house, soaked to the skin!

Picture
This afternoon couldn't have been more different, with warm sunshine and clear skies. So we made the most of the fine weather with a garden bowls tournament. Sixteen competitors started with high hopes and it was finally won by Dave, Vix's boyfriend. But can it be a coincidence that his job involves advanced aerodynamics?
Picture

See the sea

5/8/2011

 
Picture
My parents drove Ava and I down to Walmer today. Ava has only really experienced tropical seas before and was intending to have a dip into the Kentish seas ...until she felt how cold it was! We are staying at "Westwood" - a beautiful  London City Mission holiday home - along with various family and friends (sany of whom couldn't make it to the wedding celebration last weekend). Some are arriving today - others through the weekend. Ava and I also had a little look at Walmer Castle, where we'll be honeymooning next week. But more about that later.

Plans and designs

4/8/2011

 
Picture
An ex-VSO friend of mine, Michael, kindly arranged for his daughter Ruth to show us around her fashion design studio in London today - of particular interest to Jiajia who has a background in design and would like to add her own clothes creations to the brands that she sells in  her store. It was a hive of activity, full of inspiration and ideas for Jiajia to pursue when back in Kunming. We planned to visit the British Museum afterwards but the rain and a rather punishing sightseeing schedule this week saw us heading home instead.

'Arrods, Ava 'n Abba

3/8/2011

 
Picture
Another day in London today for Jiajia (Ava) and I. We spent a relaxed morning with our friends Jo, Rob, Aled and Ben. Harrods was first on the list for a looksee, followed by a walk to Hyde park for lunch and a visit to Princess Di's memorial. Then off to Covent Garden (Ava needed more "Lush" soap) and a Chinese buffet.

Picture
My friend Miki had very generously bought top tickets for Ava and I to see "Mamma Mia" in the evening, including one of her famous backstage tours. She also got discounted tickets for my boss Robert and his Chinese wife Rachel, over in the UK for the school's Summer Camp, so were able to meet up to see behind scenes and then  sit together to watch the show. It's a great musical and the two Chinese girls were the first to stand up and dance at the encore!

Eye 'm Paul

2/8/2011

 
Picture
A second day in London today, starting with a spin on the London Eye - fast changing from a "must-see" to a "not worth the silly price". After lunch with my friend Cathy, Jiajia and I wandered down the bank of Thames to the Tate Modern art gallery. As ever, there was the usual mix of thought-provoking items and absolute tat (should that be the Tat Modern?). I particularly enjoyed "piece of paper and a biro" (I kid you not). Actually, I tried to take a photo of "chair and fire extinguisher" but the gallery attendant told me it was just where he sat and not art. What does he know? Jiajia, at least, was taking it all seriously and got very excited on spotting a painting by her all-time favourite artist, "Modigliani".

Picture
Later we crossed the Thames on the "formerly wobbly" Millennium Bridge and arrived at St. Paul's moments before it closed for tourists. I let Jiajia explore alone however, as the £15 entrance ticket seemed very steep for somewhere I used to go for free in my youth.

Ironically, people claiming to "simply want to worship" were still let inside, and for free. Any liars could always ask for forgiveness once inside, I guess?

Bucking the trend

1/8/2011

 
Picture
Jiajia and I spent our first day up in London today. We just managed to get to Buckingham Palace in time for the changing of the guards, but Jiajia wasn't that impressed. Nor for the Palace itself or Hyde Park or Trafalgar Square. However, we hit gold dust with the National Gallery. As an art graduate in China, Ava had only seen world-class oil paintings in books. She loved seeing them up close, and it was a struggle to drag her away after a few hours. Covent Garden also hit the spot, with the "Lush Handmade Soap" shop parting her with a wad of money. Out with history and culture then and, next time round, we'll stick to oils (and lotions to remove oils).

    paul hider

    Author

    Paul Hider lives and works in Kunming (SW China) and regularly updates this blog about his life there.

    Past blog entries

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009

    Tags

    All
    April Fool
    Basketball
    Birthday
    Blog
    CAL
    Car
    Cataract
    Cemetery
    China
    Chinglish
    Chippenham
    ChongQing
    Christmas
    Competition
    Construction
    Cooking
    Cop15
    Countryside
    COVID
    Dali
    Dancing Lady
    Dave & Esme
    Den
    Dentist
    Disaster
    DnD
    Dorta
    Druncle
    Earthquake
    Ebike
    Education
    Everton
    Exams
    Exercise
    Family
    Film
    Fishing
    Flashback
    Food
    Forest
    Fossils
    Friends
    Furniture
    Games
    Gardening
    Geese
    Gym
    Halloween
    Hamsters
    Health
    Heijing
    Holiday
    Home
    Homework
    IELTS
    IKEA
    Illusion
    JD
    Jiajia
    Kindergarten
    Kunming
    Language
    Laos
    Lattitude
    Leaf
    Lego
    Lexulous
    London
    Ma
    Mandarin
    Merton
    Minority
    Molly
    Mountain
    Movie
    Museum
    Nancy & Family
    Nanny
    Neighbourhood
    New Flat
    Olympics
    Painting
    Parents
    Park
    Party
    Paul & Crystal
    Pets
    Podcast
    Police
    Pregnancy
    Primary School
    Private Tuition
    Random Travel
    Relatives
    Renovation
    R.I.P.
    R.S.L.
    Running
    Schools
    Shenzhen
    Shopping
    Ski
    Sport
    Spring Festival
    Sri Lanka
    Swimming
    Temple
    TESOL
    Thailand
    Theme Park
    Traffic
    Training
    Transport
    Travel
    TV
    UFO
    UK
    University
    Vietnam
    Violence
    Visit
    VSO
    Water
    Weather
    Wedding
    Wildlife
    World Cup
    Xishuangbanna
    YUFE
    Yunnan
    Zoo
    Zoom

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.