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My newt

26/5/2012

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.

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Water pain

12/2/2012

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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.

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Welling wall

26/1/2012

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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.

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I sink that's the lot

31/12/2011

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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.

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Choc-a-bloc

14/10/2011

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

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.

Dust in time

5/7/2011

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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!

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A moving experience

4/7/2011

Today was set aside for moving into Ava's house. She is currently in Shenzhen buying stock for her store, so the car is free and she can't badger me about throwing away a lot of the stuff she hoards! It's has gone smoothly except for the final car trip from my flat. It was a heavy load, so the gatekeeper unlocked and collapsed the bollard at the end of our alley, to allow me to reverse the car closer to the door. As I drove over the horizontal bollard, there was an awful crunching noise. It seems the car was riding low from the weight of the luggage and something caught on the bollard. Something which has now been ripped off. So I didn't "save money by moving everything myself" afterall! I was really gutted after driving so slowly and carefully amongst all the really closely parked cars near my flat and Ava's house.

Moving into Ava's for good is more of a mental adjustment than even getting married on paper was. Ava's Mum has been very kind and Ava has been very relaxed about me moving stuff around and sorting things to make space. But my little bolthole flat is not mine anymore and this is my new life now. It will take a while to get used to it. A month in the UK will help, I'm sure.

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My newt

Water pain

Welling wall

I sink that's the lot

Choc-a-bloc

Making my new house feel like my home

Dust in time

A moving experience

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