Jiajia and I have been blown away by the generosity of friends and family since JD's birth. Despite the multitude of things one has to buy for a new baby, we are only now beginning to dip in to the personal money we had saved up during the pregnancy. The biggest expense has been, and remains, the live-in nanny. But boy, is she worth it! With both Jiajia and I having extra work this month and Ma-in-law in hospital (for various imagined ills), we would be in dire straits were it not for our gallant nanny keeping the daily feeding, clothes washing, bathing and nappy changing routines going. Jiajia and I are hoping there will be more chance for us to play and bond with JD next month when we have a few week's holiday.
I'm a big fan of presents which cost in lot of time rather than money. So I was delighted to hear of my youngest brother Andy's present to his wife Ali, on their recent Wedding Anniversary. He painted this picture of their kids playing at the seaside. Brilliant, eh? Bet she was chuffed!
For those pondering my sanity, I present this photo of my Dad, taken at a recent children's event at his church. I think I can safely blame genetics for any semblence of craziness on my part...
Fame beckons for my brother David, who could recently be seen on the British TV drama, "Casualty". He is the half-marathon runner in red, centre of the picture above (with a pole sticking out of his head??). Admittedly he was one of a few thousand, but surely it's only a matter of time before Spielberg picks up the phone...?
The upcoming Olympics is even getting mentioned in China of late, though I get most of the hype from the BBC website. As the torch tours around Britain a number of my friends and relatives have reported seeing it near where they live or work. None more so than my nephew Louie and niece Daisy who, as you can see, went all out to cheer it along its way as it passed through Winchester last week. What a great effort!
Not to be outdone on the family front, my other brother's family had a noteworthy success last week, with my niece Esme [ringed in photo] winning the Herefordshire Girls Under-14 Football Final. She's not the tallest member of the squad, but is apparently very skilful on the ball. Girls playing soccer, eh? Whatever next? Well done Es!
A friend asked me last week where the surname "Hider" came from. I told him I'd heard it was a "German-Jewish" name and suspected it referred to the job of scraping animal hides many centuries ago. But on surfing the net the other day it seems more likely it comes from less exotic "Bedfordshire" and means someone who “lives at the hide of something" ie “beside something”. We do have a coat of arms though (looks like a walrus wearing a hat to me) and a motto; "Deus novis haec otio fecit" which means, "God hath given us these things in tranquillity". Quite what things we've been given isn't clear. But I do like a bit of tranquillity, so I'll take them, whatever they are. When I first lived in China, there were no private phones, no mobiles, no computers (let alone an Internet) or CD/DVD players. My College didn't even have a photocopier! I kept in touch with family in the UK by "a month each way" handwritten letters. How times have changed. Today I found myself translating (badly) betwen my parents and my ma-in-law as they waved Christmas greetings to each other through Skype. Technology has advanced so rapidly! Why doesn't Tim Berners-Lee have a knighthood yet? [P.S. Just googled TBL and found out he DOES have a knighthood - that was quick!]
In addition to my recent appearance on Kunming TV, my brother Dave was on BBC radio earlier this month talking very authoritatively about housing and homelessness in the West Midlands. Not to be outdone, my other brother Andy was on local radio this week talking about bullying in schools [click here to listen]. I particularly liked his "RAT" advice to kids being bullied. Our next step is to set up our own media company and produce programs about bullying homeless people in China... Hats off to my brother, Dave, who completed the Cardiff half marathon last weekend in just over 2½ hours. He's been training hard for many months (despite heavy family and work commitments) and, although he's not as chunky as he used to be, he's still no "Ethiopian bone-man", so I'm really impressed with the feat. I have personal experience (in my dim and distant youth) of what running over 13 miles feels like, and Dave looks a lot stronger at the end than I ever did! See his blog here. Well done bro'! A huge "Happy Birthday" to my granddad who turns 100 today! He's not as mobile as he once was (...climbing a tree at 85!) but still he has a quick mind and a genuine interest in all his children, grand-children and great grand-children. He's also the most humble, gracious and courteous person I've ever met. A true inspiration to all who have met him through his long life. I was so happy to meet him "one last time" (again!) earlier this year [see photo]. Have a very special day, granddad! 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? 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! 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.
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? 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! 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! 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?
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. Jiajia and I enjoyed a fabulous wedding celebration today. Ava coped admirably with the daunting task of meeting 100+ friends and family, and maintaining her smile. For me it was trying to place the multitude of guests from so many different spheres of my past life - college, work, social, relatives, etc. It was so kind of so many folk to travel large distances to join with us on our special day. If you were one of them - thank you! Despite minimal preparation (on our part, at least) the day went really smoothly and was full of memorable highlights - the venue (unorthodox perhaps, but with plenty of space to spread out), the bouncy castle (which kept young'uns and a few young-at-hearts happy), my brothers' drama "speech" (all lies, I tell you), the costume changes (Jiajia got through three dresses during the day and looked stunning in all of them - thanks Jo and Krista!), the picnic (guests bringing their own food saves so much hassle and expense!) and the ceremony (mixing formal and informal, traditional and less traditional, Chinese and English, religious and secular - thanks Dad for juggling all that!). Thanks too to all the youngsters who helped with the dress-holding, confetti throwing and car-mangling! The decorations were expertly arranged (thanks, sis-in-laws) - no mean feat in a building that size. And the cake that my parents sorted out was a fabulous creation, and tasty too. Dave and Andy did such a great job planning and running the day. I doubt many folk would have realised that the final schedule was only decided on the evening before, and the ceremony itself was rehearsed for five minutes just half an hour before the first guests arrived! The day rushed by for us, but is full of happy memories, aided by the 1000 photos the guests kindly copied for us before they left. Despite having technically got married a couple of months earlier in China, this will be the day we look back on in future as our wedding day. For more wedding photos, click here.
We travelled down to visit my brother Andy and his family today, in preparation for our Wedding Celebration in a few days. On arrival, they took us to Paulston Park, home of "Peppa Pig" (don't ask!). They go there often, as they have an annual pass for the family and were keen for Ava and I to experience some of the, frankly terrifying, rides. Ava was surprisingly up for it [see top right photo, with Ali and Andy to the right], while I took more persuading [I'm cowering behind Andy in the top left photo]. It was a fun, relaxed way for Ava to get to know my brother's family, and for me to reacquaint myself with Andy and Ali's kids, Louie and Daisy, who have grown up such a lot, even in the 1½ years since I last saw them.
We visited my Granddad today, two months short of his 100th birthday. It was so nice for Jiajia to meet him, since her own Gran had died just before I was due to be introduced to her. It was pointed out today that although I was the eldest of Granddad's twelve grandchildren, I'm one of the last to be married. So Ava was proof that I had finally made it! Ava and I are in the UK now, having arrived safe but tired yesterday evening. We're both a bit jet-lagged and my gout is worse than before, so we're taking it easy for as few days. Ava is really enjoying the flowers and vegetables in my parents garden, keen to help dig up potatoes and water the roses! I've been enjoying my Mum's cooking and starting to sort out more of my stored boxes in the attic. We have a fairly busy schedule ahead as we approach our wedding celebration on Saturday. The highlight of my school travels was a two week exchange to Germany. I remember my parents telling me, "it could be the only time you go abroad". 93 countries later, it still makes me chuckle. But my youngest brother Andy is putting my recent travels to shame. He may be based at a fairly ordinary secondary school (providing support to problem students) but that doesn't stop him bieng asked to accompany school trips around the world. An exchange to Germany at end of May (yes, they still happen), a visit to America the next week (including ending up in the back of a police car with two students searching for a suspect who had robbed them of their phones!) and then Spain two weeks after that! Alright for some, although our UK flights are just a fortnight away!
Mum and Dad flew back to the UK today. We had made vague plans for a final lunch, but Jiajia's good friend Yang Ping had other ideas, booking us into a very posh restaurant, situated in an ancient courtyard mansion. To the sound of Chinese zithers, we had the most attentive waiters yet, and a lovely variety of special dishes (2-3 of which I'd never even seen before). A fantastic final banquet. Then we drove to the airport for our final goodbyes. It's been a real pleasure having Mum and Dad here, perhaps for the last time. They've coped really well with spicy food, cold showers, strange weather and various minor ailments! All being well, Ava and I will be arriving in the UK in just four months time to see them again (plus the rest of the family, and friends). It should rush by too as we have so much to get done and prepare during that time (getting married on paper and secuting a UK visa to name but two!). For Mum and Dad's last full day here, we gave them a few choices of places to visit and, with the weather looking warm and breezy, they plumped for Guandu - an old town on the outskirts of Kunming with a nicely pedestrianised centre containing three active temples, a lively park, two ancient towers and a 600 year old pagoda [see photo]. As you can see from the photo, Jiajia has really got to know my parents well over these two weeks, to the point of feeling at ease insulting my "monkey" Dad and groaning at his jokes! It bodes well for later in the year when we visit the UK. A familiar face or two will be welcome when hundreds of new people turn up to our wedding celebration. My day's highlight was having my fortune told by a budgie [see photo]. On receipt of 2RMB (20p) the bird hopped onto the rack of cards and picked out one which, apparently, said I could expect a happy and healthy future. Well, one out of two ain't bad! |
AuthorPaul Hider lives and works in Kunming (SW China) and regularly updates this blog about his life there. Past blog entries
May 2024
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