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

Back

4/8/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
We're back from our holiday in Dali.
And yes, we fnjoyed ourselves.
0 Comments

What a pane!

6/8/2021

1 Comment

 
Jiajia loves her gadgets and we have recently bought two robots. One cleans windows and the other cleans floors. I'm not convinced either saves a lot of time, but it is fun to see them scuttling about the house!
Picture
1 Comment

Win-win dow

16/11/2020

0 Comments

 
The view from our bedroom is so much better now after the "new" neighbourhood management company chopped back the branches of a tree immediately outside our window, repaved the sitting area below and planted flowers and bushes in all the garden sections.
Picture
0 Comments

Home work

22/2/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
JD's daily routine throughout this extended virus outbreak "holiday" involves doing 1½ hours of homework each morning (Maths and English with Daddy) and 1½ hours more each afternoon/evening (Chinese with Mummy). He doesn't like it, but he's getting used to it!
1 Comment

Do it yourshelf

26/9/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
We had workmen in for most of today and, by late this afternoon, we had a new wardrobe, five shelves, a hanging rack, four chairs, a table and three cupboards. We now have so much storage space that half of it is empty!
Picture
Picture
1 Comment

Sofa, so good

30/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
One of the final stages of our house move fell into place last week with the delivery of our new three-piece suite. So today, our old sofa goes to the old flat and a final cupboard is moved from there to our new flat. And then we need to pick up a new cupboard bought from a friend of ours. All change!
0 Comments

Feeling moved

6/4/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
For the last 20 months we have been living in a tiny flat while our main house has been gutted, extended, renovated and redecorated. Finally, this weekend, we moved back. Ten full car trips to take over the last of our basics we are finally all in - if not quite unpacked or tidied yet.
Picture
Picture
We now have an extended office, central heating, new kitchen (with new oven, microwave and dishwasher), two new bathrooms, two walk-in wardrobes, new floors and stairs, a utility room, under-stairs storage, new furniture and new double-glazed windows. It was a mammoth task designed, planned and overseen by my good wife. She has really stamped her unique artistic sense on every room, from  the "random" tiles to two antique doors re-purposed as table tops!
Picture
1 Comment

Cathy come home

14/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Lovely to meet up with Cathy yesterday, a friend for about ten years since I moved to Kunming. She and her boyfriend were up in Kunming for some paperwork business and came to the house here for lunch and a chat. Cathy lives in JingHong, a 45 minute flight away, in the sub-tropical south of Yunnan, where she runs an English language school called "Cool School" (my original suggestion for a name). JD enjoyed playing with her, despite him still suffering with a week-long cough and sore throat.

0 Comments

Single minded

12/11/2015

 
Picture
This week, Jiajia has been concentrating on decorating the new flat, bought on behalf of her uncle. I call him "Drunkle", as he's rarely sober. He's not technically Jiajia's real uncle - just a family friend whom Ava's grandmother made her promise to look after on her death bed. Not that "grandmother" was technically Ava's grandmother either, but that's another story!

Picture
Picture
Picture
New properties in China are sold as concrete shells, with no floor, no plastered walls and only the most basic of amenities. So Jiajia has been scouring markets and the internet to buy wooden floorboards, tiles, lights, sink, taps, etc. She timed it so that she could buy a lot of things on 11th Nov, which is "Singles Day" in China (11/11, geddit?). As well as remembering those who can't yet take part in "Valentine's Day", it is also famous for big discounts in shops and on internet websites. So Ava was up until 3am getting bargains for the flat from, as the floorboard shop puts it, "...the wood of departure Philosophical world". Quite.

The union of the crayon trees

10/6/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Jiajia, JD and I will be moving into a small flat early next year while our main house is remodelled and redecorated. After 4-6 months we should be able to return to a beautiful "new" abode - at least, that's the plan. The new flat is on the 11th floor and overlooks a Kindergarten now sporting a natty new name!
0 Comments

Daizzy and dizzy

2/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
We were treated to a visit from Daizzy and her family this week. She was in Kunming for a couple of days from Qiaojia (5 hours away by car - used to be 13!) where she lives and works as an English teacher. I did a week of training there some 8 years ago and we have kept in touch ever since. The weather was hot and warm and her daughter, "Amber", enjoyed playing on the slides with JD in our local children's park. Unfortunately, the following day was suddenly quite cold and wet and, perhaps because of that, I found myself feeling quite dizzy throughout the day (something I suffered from a lot a few years ago, but have been free of since). Hopefully it's just a blip on the health front.
0 Comments

Do it yourshelf, again

23/11/2013

 
Picture
Pleased with the shelving we'd had installed above my office desk some months ago, we decided to add more above Ava's table. The workmen cancelled their visit a few days ago, but turned up just an hour late this morning and fixed the shelves within 20 minutes. The photo [right] is a mixed "before" and "after" shot. We now have so much storage space we don't know what to fill it with!

Do it yourshelf

12/3/2013

3 Comments

 
Picture
The list of "things to do before the baby arrives" is gradually getting ticked off. The kitchen is replaced. The old office is now a baby/nanny bedroom. The doors to the new office and bathroom are due to arrive and be fitted today. The wall shelves and self-standing bookshelves arrived yesterday and are already full of stuff. The live-in nanny was due to arrive last Sunday but, whilst driving here, she heard her 21 year-old son had been in a car accident and broken his leg. So we're hoping for a back-up nanny to arrive today. Clothes and nappies are bought. Another scan is due tomorrow. I've planned lessons for two weeks cover at school. And the interminable paperwork required to register a newborn in China is up to date. What have we forgotton...?
[P.S. The photo above makes it look like one very crowded corner of a
room! It's actually 2 separate places in the flat, photo-shopped together!]
3 Comments

Wallcome

25/2/2013

 
Picture
It's that time of year again when our school welcomes a group of foreign teenagers for 8 days training, preparing them  to be English teachers in Chinese school for 5 months. I do the majority of the training and co-ordinate input from six other teachers and five administration staff. This time we have 29 Lattitude volunteers from 5 different countries - our biggest intake yet. 25 of them arrived safely this afternoon, whilst 3 arrived late due to flight problems. One  won't be arriving until later in the week due to passport problems!
Picture
Meanwhile, back at home, Ava is coordinating something altogether different. Workers have been in to build a wall (turning our balcony area into a room) and knock a door in our en suite bathroom to allow the nanny and baby to have access without having to walk through our bedroom. Once again, the house is full of tools and covered in a layer of dust. After some painting, we are doing no more major work until the baby is here and settled.

Unstable tables and bad beds

17/2/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
I've spent the last few days turning our office room into a baby room and turning the balcony area into a functioning "office". It hasn't been easy doing all the lifting and lugging by myself, but as the other adults in the house are either too old or too pregnant it's been down to me. Not helped by my dreadful DIY skills, of course. However slowly I take the job and however hard I try, it nearly always ends in disaster:
Drill a hole in the wall? The drill bit broke. Shorten a wooden table top? The saw got stuck and the table snapped. Screw together a bed? Not enough bolts and the wrong size spanner for the nuts. Assembly a baby bouncer? The plastic leg broke. Drag a table across the room? The glass top suddenly slid off and shattered, cutting open my foot. You get the idea. Give me a computer or a blackboard any day!
Picture
2 Comments

Stone finish finished

3/2/2013

 
Picture
The kitchen is finally finished. It was, to a large extent, a cock-up from start to finish. Cupboard doors put in the wrong place, extractor fan initially at a jaunty angle, stone surfaces not joining properly, waterproofing layer not put in, drawers too high or too low, a hole to allow electrical acess forgotton and always a complete mess when the workers left for the day such as the man drilling the stone top [see photo, left] who managed to deposit a thick layer of dust throughout the house, despite the kitchen doors being closed and windows open.

Picture
Despite our patient explanations and encouragement to "leave it for now",  Ma-in-law never quite grasped the sense in waiting until all the work was complete before trying to clean everywhere. Every day she was waking up early to deep-clean the kitchen, barely an hour before the next set of workers arrived to create more chaos. Still, it's given her something to moan about... "I'm so old and yet I'm the only one who cleans the house!" ...THEN JUST STOP, WOMAN!!

Picture
My pet peeve was that all the wood patterns on the cupboard doors matched up with all the others around them except for one [..wonder if you can spot it, above?]. The boss of the installation company explained that wood cut from different parts of a tree leads to different patterns. All very interesting except that, as I pointed out, these are plastic formica doors. The nearest they've been to a tree is the MDF plywood underneath. We lost that battle, but they are going to replace another drawer which doesn't close smoothly. Believe it or not, we didn't skimp on the materials or the installation company - this is apparently good quality work for China!

Barred for life

13/10/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Five workers, five hours, £500 and we now live in a prison!

After a number of recent burglaries in our neighborhood - one ending in a murder - we decided to bite the bullet and install security bars on all our windows. We should now be safe from thieves, but in all sorts of trouble if there is a fire near the front door!

We also arranged for the workmen to add some extra bars to the rail of our stairs (to stop any toddlers slipping through) and repair our kitchen door which has become impossible to close or lock. All in all, a good half-days work. Something which definitely needed doing but which we had put off for some time.

0 Comments

Why DIY?

29/5/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
Jiajia and I hosted a nice evening yesterday with a bunch of foreigners from my school. We offered DIY pizzas (dough bases, with a wide choice of ingredients, as half the visitors were vegetarians or similar) followed by fruit salad and cream. Plenty of snacks, drinks and a silly game of "guessing lists" made for a fun time.
1 Comment

My newt

26/5/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
I saw this tiny little beauty outside the house yesterday, about 15cm long and shiny-silver in colour. It ran along a bit like a snake, weaving from side to side. I was tempted to catch it and bring it indoors to deal with any errant mossies, but eventually I just let it take its chances with the local cat population. We had a torrential rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightning, for a few hours two days ago and everyone thought the rainy season had finally arrived. But we've been back to dry and hot weather ever since, with the drought showing no sign of abating.
1 Comment

Water pain

12/2/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
We're entering our fifth day without running water in the house. Strip washes all round. Only our neighbourhood is affected (nowhere else in the city), apparently because we live atop a hill and there's not enough water to pump up here. Meanwhile Ma-in-law is feeling very vindicated for the many months (years?) of filling her bathroom with umpteen buckets of stored water.

1 Comment

Welling wall

26/1/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
On arrival back from hols, I found water running down the wall of our spare room. It must be a leak from the flat above, but they are away for Spring Festival and uncontactable. As you can see, the various work information I've stuck up over the months is now all soggy. But unreplaceable is the B/W print [top right] which was a one-off and is now destroyed.

1 Comment

I sink that's the lot

1/1/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Chinese tradition says that newly-weds should set up their home with new furniture and household goods during their first year together. Despite Ava already having a furnished house, we have done our bit to upgrade the decor and make the place more homely. Throughout 2011 we bought, or were given, a new cooker, a fridge, framed pictures, a dining table and chairs, an oven, a TV table, two shelf units, shoe cupboards, a bedside table, a microwave, a CD/DVD storage unit,  two wardrobes, two hat stands, new curtains and, yesterday, a sink unit [see photo]. Our 2012 plans are to simply enjoy the stuff.

0 Comments

Choc-a-bloc

14/10/2011

 
Picture
Traditionally in China newly-wed couples move into a new house, largely furnished by friends and family. Jiajia and I simply moved back to our existing house, though, after our brief "one-night honeymoon". We have been making plans for new furniture, however, with much of it funded through the generosity of our friends. We bought a small oven and two wardrobes earlier this year. A TV cabinet and cupboards arrived yesterday, a new fridge this morning and three shelving units (primarily for Jiajia's 100+ pairs of shoes!) are ready for us to pick up tomorrow. The house is therefore something of a tip [see photos] as we bring in new furniture, reassign or dispose of old furniture and try the solve the "3D puzzle" that is our current dwelling!

Making my new house feel like my home

8/7/2011

 
Picture
I had a fairly light teaching load this week, so I was able to move into Ava's house, unpack everything and sort out (i.e. "throw away") some of the copious amounts of "stuff" she has accumulated over the years. (I found 68 unused or barely used notebooks, for example!) A large house, used by just her and her Mum, has meant there has been little need to find extra space in the past. But my arrival has necessitated some reorganisation. The cuddly toys from around the house have been relocated to the top of the wardrobe, for example [see photo above]. I've also tried to spruce the place up a little. I'm not a natural at DIY, but I can get a bit arty when the mood takes me. Check out the lounge cupboards [see photo below]. Ava returns from Shenzhen late tonight, so we'll see what she thinks of the changes.
Picture

Dust in time

5/7/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
I spent this morning cleaning my (ex)flat. It's never looked so sparkling. The new tenant - a friend of mine called "Eve" (not "Ava" - that would just be too confusing!) - moves in the day after tomorrow. Hope she appreciates my sweat and toil!
1 Comment
<<Previous
    paul hider

    Author

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

    Past blog entries

    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
    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
    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.