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Plane cooking

31/12/2016

JD's had a nasty cough (again) all week, but with no signs of diminished energy. So today I set up a series of activities to try and wear him out.

First was the building of a Boeing A380 (his favourite plane) from junk [see above]. He was visibly excited as it took form and he couldn't wait to get inside and play.

Next up was some painting. Initially this was supposed to be painting the plane, but the paints and brush were too small, so we focused on a colouring book instead.

And later, Mother-in-law took over, getting JD to help her make huntun dumplings for our supper. JD fell asleep quickly in the evening (but then woke at 1am 2.30am and 4.30am with coughing - off to the hospital tomorrow!).

It should be so (clothes) easy

30/12/2016

Not a clue what this one was trying to tell me!

Wanderful

29/12/2016

My e-bike reached 10,000km today. 10,000 is "wan" in Chinese.

Bow, bash and brush

28/12/2016

JD's school had a Chinese New Year fun event this morning. Each child was allowed to pick three activities to try, before having a picnic in the playground. JD chose the "bow and arrow balloon pop", the "lion obstacle course" and the "plate painting". I was struck again by just how well-known and popular he is in the school, with frequent call-outs and hugs from teachers and classmates, as well as cooks, cleaners and guards!

Pot problems

27/12/2016

Christmas food was a little bit hit and miss this year. Ava cooked a large roast chicken on Christmas Eve but forgot the potatoes, so we had to make do with "chicken and peas". For Christmas Day dinner, we had a hotpot [see photo], but the electric pot died halfway through the meal and we weren't able to cook half our raw ingredients. We eventually heated it all up on the gas stove in the kitchen - not quite the social event it is meant to be. But yesterday, my friend and colleague Julian gifted me two boxes of mince pies which was an unexpected and much appreciated treat.

Merry Cyclemas

26/12/2016

We had a quiet-ish Christmas Day yesterday, as is often the way in China. JD brought some excitement to the morning however, totally blown away by Santa's visit overnight and opening all his gifts under the Christmas tree. His main present was a new two-wheeler bicycle which he enjoyed trying out later in the morning. His favourite gift though was a toy electric drill which kept him amused for ages. Ava got the latest iPhone and I got a year's subscription to "The Week" magazine. In the afternoon, I drove JD to a large play centre in the north of Kunming for a few hours of fun and games there. Merry Christmas, readers!

Cinder Claus?

25/12/2016

This showpiece in DaGuan Park, which made me scratch my head, seems to have muddled up Cinderella's pumpkin carriage with Santa's Christmas reindeer. Oh well, it's the thought that counts...

King & Queen of Kunming (for a day)

24/12/2016

It was great to welcome back old friends Marie and Albert to Kunming yesterday. Marie was a teacher of French and English at Robert's School some 8 years ago and has kept in touch ever since.

We spent yesterday morning walking around DaGuan Park, before a tasty lunch and a walk to the Bird and Flower Market. The day was rounded off with a nice evening meal with them and other mutual friends. They fly off tomorrow - an all too brief visit.

Nip? Nope!

23/12/2016

...because we wouldn't want any nipping, right?

Parents' Meeting

21/12/2016

Jiajia, JD and I enjoyed a nice meal with JD's class teacher yesterday evening. Teacher Gen invited us to join her for a hotpot along with her private student (English name, Grace) and her student's mother who, rather conveniently, owned the restaurant. We had good food and a nice chat about teaching, JD and life in general. I was interested to hear Gen Laoshi say that JD's Chinese is at, or just above, the level of the others in his class and that he often explains things in class in Chinese that he has learned in English (such as how a plant grows or why planes need to travel fast). I know his English is about the level of a 5-year old (and he's not yet 4) too, so in the language arena he's doing well. Less so in the dancing and singing, apparently!

Land here

19/12/2016

It was only the other day that I noticed that the paved area outside the library at my University doubles as a helicopter landing pad! As yet, no choppers spotted, but if I see any I'll try and take a photo and let you all know!

Narcotics dealer?

17/12/2016

My University colleagues and I had a meeting yesterday about the new term. We were also told that our canteen cards would lose their credit by the end of the week. I was a bit annoyed as I'd put 200RMB (£20) on mine at the start of term but never used it. But, on the advice of our department leader and with the help of a Chinese English teacher I know, I was able to top up the card to the maximum (adding an extra £80) in order to claim the maximum University subsidy (they add 10RMB for every 4RMB you use, as meals cost 14RMB - £1.40) and then spend the lot on cigarettes (the canteen can't reimburse cash, but you can buy goods to use the card up) and then sell the fags to the next door supermarket. All apparently legit, if time-consuming. I made 1200RMB (£120) profit for an hour of paperwork and queuing! Gotta love China.

Class ic

15/12/2016

JD had an Open Morning at his school yesterday which Ava and were able to attend. It was very well run with the students sharing breakfast, dancing, painting, doing PE, having story-time and eating lunch. And we saw first hand what the teachers have been telling us - that JD is smart enough, but not always willing to follow teachers' instructions or participate properly in class activities. Thus, he just stood still during a fan dance, made a green ball of gunk instead of a multi-coloured tissue and was shadowed by a classroom assistant during the PE activities! Not great but, the teachers insist, not a big cause for concern. We forget sometimes that he is 6 months younger than the rest of the class, and coping very well in two languages. Still, I gave him a little talk afterwards about his behaviour.

Dabbling

13/12/2016

...because we wouldn't want any dabbling, right?

Pan Long walk

11/12/2016

JD and I went for a walk along the PanLong River yesterday. Despite the smell (it's not a clean stretch of water), we had a lot of fun and walked about 5km before heading back on a double-decker bus, much to JD's delight.

Growing problem

9/12/2016

These are some little pots you can buy here with earth and seeds inside, ready to go. Oh, and the obligatory spelling mistakes too.

New directions

7/12/2016

I'm not a huge fan of using technology in my lessons, especially in China where there's never a guarantee that everything will work as intended. So I do tend to rely on flashcards and the blackboard (or whiteboard) perhaps more than I should. So it was with some trepidation that I embarked on my most technically challenging lesson ever today. In preparation I had hand-drawn a simple map, photographed it and loaded it into PaintShop Pro to add colour and symbols. From there it was imported into Powerpoint to add some functionality and it was thus projected onto the wall of the classroom. I then used a magnetic toy car on the whiteboard to move around the map according to the students' instructions. Somewhat to my surprise, it all went very smoothly and the students grasped the concept very quickly, before drawing their own maps and giving each other directions in pairs. Back to cardboard and marker pens next week, however. I don't want to push my luck!

Happy and angry

5/12/2016

JD and I went to our "secret" forest yesterday afternoon. There were fewer bugs and nuts to collect than usual, so we focused on making little artworks to photograph. These were our favourites. JD's frown is meant to reflect the stones' expression, not his feeling about the activity!

Flashback: This day in ...2005

3/12/2016

Another in my occasional series of "Flashbacks" looking back at blog entries made before this Weebly version started.

I’m getting a bit frustrated with the quality of Chinese goods! The handles of my new pair of scissors fell off after a week of use. My ironing board topples over when you put an iron on the tray where the iron is supposed to go! My new nail clippers broke (yes, the metal actually sheared in two) as I trimmed my nails. And the jumper I bought a few days ago developed a hole the size of a 50p piece under the arm after just one day’s wear. I took it back to the shop and, as I walked in, the shopkeeper grinned at me and pointed to his armpit. It seems the whole batch have the same defect! The answer? He arranged to have it darned by the afternoon, and now it’s as good as new. You just don’t get that sort of service (or quality) from your local Marks and Sparks!!