Following Orders, Singing in Bed

October 21^st More mornings like this would be very welcome. I was awake very early again, 6 o’clock, but felt very good. I must have slept well last night. I was out before seven, even before Huan had finished her breakfast. My route today was up the Haikou road. With the highway to Haikou now being open this road is much quieter and makes for a very pleasant walk, as long as you don’t go too far. The scenery is nice too.

Just before I took that photo, about five kilometres out, I called Huan to make sure she was ‘ready for school’. She asked me how far I had gone and then gave me instructions to walk only one more kilometre and then turn back. I said “Yes dear” and then, like the good husband I am, totally ignored her. I had a plan today, walk out ten kilometres or two hours, whichever came first, and then turn round and go back home. So that’s what I did. I almost walked straight past the next photo-op, then I heard a sound in the bushes and lo behold, I was being watched.

I carried on going, uphill, I was looking for the ‘honey’ place that we’ve often seen while driving but Huan and I didn’t get that far walking last time. I found it; I think about seven and a half kilometres out. However, it’s either closed down or it’s not honey season.

I continued onward and upward until I reached both the ten kilometre and the two hour mark. If I had carried on, I think the rest stop on the road would have been within another two kilometres, maybe another time with Huan. We’ll get the bus back from there. I was home showered and fed, with Huan’s lunch on the table before she got back from singing school. I could have lied and said I had followed orders, but I didn’t.

Now when we walk together the pace is usually between three and half, and four kilometres an hour so our last trip up this road, turning round about the five kilometre mark was not bad at all. Alone, I tend to walk much faster, by the time I reached my turn around point I was absolutely soaked. Luckily for me, it was then downhill all the way home and mostly under the shade of the roadside trees. This Endomondo screenshot will give you an idea.

Needless to say, I didn’t want to do any more walking today! Shopping was our afternoon duty, an empty shop again. Of course, in China, unlike the UK, shelves are stacked and fruit and vegetables are rotated so their shelves can be cleaned, while the customers are in the store. Many U-turns were taken with the trolley!

Almost nodded off in the chair this afternoon, one of these days I’ll break my neck! Huan only went dancing tonight so no cycling to the river which meant a big sigh of relief from me. It was a very silent sigh…

October 22^nd Today some dummy, who shall remain nameless, was practicing her singing, in bed, at five o’clock in the morning! To be fair, she wasn’t very loud but it was enough to disturb my peaceful slumbers. I did manage to get a little more sleep after. So, I had a slightly later start than yesterday but I hadn’t planned on a long walk today. I did want a hill though so I took the landfill route and checked on the highway progress on the way. It looks as if they’ve done quite a lot since the last walk.

A little later, I came upon a sign. Seeing the tyre tracks I thought I would go that way anyway but soon had to come back and follow the diversion.

I was diverted along the route of the new highway. It won’t be ready for quite a long time by the looks of it. Huan and I were thinking of walking along the route before it opened as we did with the Wuzhishan to Haikou part. We didn’t walk all the way of course, only twenty five kilometres. We think it would be an interesting walk but it’s months away yet, if not a year or two.

Once through all the dirty and dusty bits, and past the landfill, I had the more pleasant farm and village views. I got this next photo peering through a gap in the wall. I’m not sure what the farmer was using the fountain for but the ducks were probably having a good old gossip.

And my last one for today, what is this sign supposed to say? Could it be “Furry Baby” or perhaps “Funny Baby”? It is a shop selling baby things but it seems the Chinese has very little relation to the English in this particular case.

No more walks for me today, I had got my ‘ten’ in and a hill as well. I had a lazy day, guitar, Chinese, Blog, surfing the interwebs and reading. Huan had a busy day, first with a committee meeting. There is still no sign of us getting our gas back, more court appearances are required! She followed that in the evening with Dama dancing and singing by the river. She went on her bike again; I’ll try not to think about it!

October 23^rd Today I went for a serene, steady, sandal wearing saunter. I was feeling lazy and my legs were still a little sore. Instead of the Fuji I took the Nikon Keymission but there was nothing for me to video or snap. Never mind, there’ll be other chances. Just less than nine kilometres this morning so an evening walk will be needed!

The afternoon saw us both taking another one of those OAP naps before Huan went out singing at “Bridge Lady’s’ house.

She was out again in the evening but only Dama dancing tonight, no riverside singing. I decided to start out with them and make a little video. Here we are, in the lift.

However, there were only three of them so although they are in the video, I carried on filming for my two kilometre walk. I stopped to check on the park bridge progress and noticed the sun shining through the legs so I took a screenshot for you.

Once home, it was Blog, Chinese and Guitar, the internet would have to wait, no access to foreign lands again. Access regained at ten o’clock, will have to leave the video uploading over night, yet again. Here’s the URL - https://youtu.be/exPBMnyZZNA

October 24^th No walkies at all today. When I got up only 2% of yesterday’s video had uploaded and my access to the outside world had disappeared sometime in the night. That meant I had to start again this morning and keep checking the ‘little green tick mark’. If it changed to red I had to press ‘try again’ which I was necessary multiple times. The upload was eventually completed around seven in the evening.

Huan was out as usual for morning singing classes and afternoon singing practice. I took the opportunity of cooking today’s dinner, might as well make myself useful. I had already agreed with the Ministry of Food that it would be a chicken (and vegetable) curry, we both enjoyed it, Huan more than me. She likes it just as it is and I prefer to add little extras such as raisins and desiccated coconut. I suspect the coconut was way past its ‘best by date’ and was probably off! Here’s what it looked like pre-dressing.

No post dressing pic, I ate it all!