I wasn't expecting to get a name check in the Garden Centre!
 We still haven't got bored with our weekly visits to local Car Boot Sales. JD bought a Star Wars pencil case the other day (50p) and when he got home he found a tiny dongle inside [see right]. After some research we listed it on E-bay and received a sweet £15 profit when it sold within hours! So JD is now scouring car boot sales for bargains that he can sell online (such as the Star Wars sleeping bag, centre photo below).
My focus is on Gerry Anderson memorabilia to add to my collection. Every week I find something cool and vintage that gets my heart beating a bit faster [see annuals above and craft/characters below].
Jiajia, JD and I went to a new retail outlet last week. It was as big as St Paul's Cathedral, and had a dome to match!   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!
 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.
 One of Ava's favourite activities in the UK is shopping. She does surprisingly little in China, preferring to buy online and sell on the high street! She loves her lotions and potions, whether for herself or as gifts for friend, but her particular favourite is scouring the charity shops for a bargain. There are no charity shops in China. Ava often stumbles upon Chinese ornaments or pictures which are obliviously under-valued. Personally, I'm happier in Greggs, the 99p shop or Smiths but each to their own, right?
We weren't sure if this shop was named after our son, but we thought it was worth a photo regardless.  JD finally managed to secure one of the special car trolleys at our local supermarket after many previous visits when they were all being used by other children. He had a blast driving it around, shouting" Car! Car!" whenever any customer dared to stray into his path!
JD's other favourite events and places on our supermarket trips are the demo electric organs which he likes to have a play with, the huge fish in tanks which fascinate him, the candy counter where the shop assistants always slip him a free sweetie, the antics of the live frogs (also for cooking) and the streamers twirling above the meat joints - JD swirls his finger around in the air in time with those. Who knew shopping could be such fun?  Jiajia and I took JD to our nearest Walmart supermarket the other day, Jiajia to look for groceries and baby products, me to look for Chinglish. I managed to find some "chafing sausages" and a pack of "low-temperature wisdom" before a snotty little shop assistant tapped me on the shoulder and said in Chinese, "You can't take photos here!" I was my usual polite, smiley and slightly stroppy self, "Why not?" "It's forbidden" she replied. "Why?" "Because it's against the rules." "What rules. Show me the rules." "The rules say you must not take photos." "Then show me the rules. I don't believe you" "Urgh, foreigners!" ...and off she strutted, somewhat defeated I feel!  |
 AuthorPaul Hider started this blog to share his rather odd life living in China for over 20 years. Since returning to the UK in 2024, the blog now records his more "normal" lifestyle! Past blog entries
August 2025
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