March 1st “The Lift-Your-Spirits Quote Book” compiled by Allen Klein, ISBN 0-517-16309-8, published in 2001. This month’s quote comes from the chapter “Arts/Dance”. The trouble with nude dancing is that not everything stops when the music stops. (Sir Robert Helpmann) Bob’s PS: - Just do it in the bedroom and enjoy yourself!
“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley,” taken from the poem “To A Mouse’ by Robert Burns. Substitute Huan for men and you have the best laid plans of the mouse and Huan often go awry and they did that very thing today. Huan should have been back to school today, at Yefeng, but she got a message that due to a confirmed case of Covid in Sanya her class was cancelled until further notice. Still, our plan of flat bread instead of pancakes (Shrove Tuesday) worked out, Huan made them in the morning. She also made some potato pancakes with fried egg that we had for lunch.
Our after lunch plan was a nice long walk which was also cancelled. Instead I was the chauffeur to take Huan, Zōushūxián and Yuèqiūhuá to the court so that some paperwork referring to our ongoing ‘gas’ case could be resubmitted.
We weren’t home long before we had a visit from the guy who had stopped to chat a couple of weeks ago. How he found our house and why he really came to visit us I’m not really sure but we had a good old chinwag anyway.
My dinner plan worked which I suppose was the second good thing that happened today. I fried up some diced onion with very small pieces of chicken and chopped garlic stalks so that we could put the results into Huan’s flatbread and have some nice wraps. I added a little touch of mayonnaise in mine and we both added a little pickled chilli and the outcome was delicious. It is definitely something we will try again in the future.
Because I had finished my Chinese lesson in the morning and because I didn’t have a thousand photos to sort and edit I spent my evening with more binge watching of Elementary. Huan did manage to get out for some music practice. Let’s see how tomorrow’s plans work out!
March 2nd It was back to school for Huan today. Yefeng classes have been cancelled
until further notice but the
After lunch we decided to do a little more exploring. On our recent trips while looking towards the gap in the mountains where Shangri La is we have not been able to see either the road or the gap. Today’s exploration was firstly to check up on why we couldn’t see anything and secondly to see if there was a way over the mountain to the town end of the landfill road.
Previously we have been able to go behind the ‘new’ hotel and the apartment blocks and join the Shangri La road up there. Today we found everything very overgrown and the track had also become impassable at the very end.
On the way back to the road I was testing out my camouflage!
Having had to go via the front of the hotel again we decided to pop in and have a look. The lifts were not working so our snooping around was limited to the ground floor and the ‘balcony’. The reception looks quite grand.
Behind reception we found a few people having their afternoon siestas but whether they actually work in the hotel or not is highly debatable. Here’s a view of Huan from the balcony and of me on the balcony, that’s the best I looked all day.
Climbing up the hill towards the gap we took our usual photo of the view, very nice.
Before too long we found out why we couldn’t see anything from a distance anymore, the road has gone. Here you can see that it has been planted with bamboo, further up there are banana trees, the result being that the gap is completely hidden by greenery now.
I found a way on to a track that looked promising, to get to it though I had to do a sit-down shuffle. Huan did a little better than me!
Following the track we ended up here, nearing the crest perhaps.
Our plan was to head to the left of the tree in the middle but to do that we had to go up the right hand side first. Then we had to find a way to another track we could see. The going underfoot was very dry and crackly, Huan got through, I fell through!
Huan took a lot more photos, the last one with me having a face like thunder; I was not a happy teddy at all. In fact the way I had fallen through the undergrowth I was completely stuck and needed help from Huan to extricate myself. Still, I only had minor scratches so I shouldn’t really complain. We then found that the track we had ended up on went up and over. Here’s the up.
And here’s the over, we had found
a back way into
Yet again I ended up on the floor. Huan had gone down first, the fence and its steel poles were strong enough for her, and for me. However, she used two bits of tree for the final bit which held for her but came out of the cliff side for me. You can see one under my right leg and the other over to my right. I’m beginning to wonder if Huan has taken out a secret life insurance policy, on me! I guess I’m lucky that there were no other mishaps today.
At least Shangri La was all downhill from here.
And here we are again at the entrance to Shangri La, looking over our part of the city.
Straight home we went only stopping for a nice cold water on the way. We seemed to have been out for ages and to have walked a long way but to our disappointment we had only been out two and a half hours and we had only walked five kilometres. Hot showers needed by both of us, probably me more than Huan, I was covered in dust, seeds and assorted vegetation!
March 3rd Our plans worked well today, for the most part anyway. Huan went off to
her class at the
After lunch Huan had a repeat deportment class, this year they are having their two weekly classes on the same day. My first task was to escort the ladies to school and then I went for an afternoon stroll, having a ¥3.00 ice cream on the way. That equates to thirty five pence at today’s rate, definitely good value for money.
Today’s photos are all about borders for a change. These two also suit black and white.
My plans went a little awry after I went through the bap market and started off towards home. I heard someone calling “LuóBóTè” so I stopped to chat. The pause in my walk ended up being over half an hour!
Along the riverside I had another pause when I spotted a small RV with two young people. Nothing special about that I suppose but they were travelling with three cats and a dog. The dog had its ears pegged up, I couldn’t understand the owners’ explanation, but Google suggests it may have been due to having its ears cropped.
The cats were fine although I didn’t manage to get a good snap of the ginger one, closest to me.
I had yet another pause when I stopped for a bottle of water. The stall owner was busy wiring in a socket so I had to interfere didn’t I? There were only two wires, both blue, so I started asking questions about the earth wire. He pointed out that the freezer had a three pin plug; I tried to explain that it wouldn’t make any difference if the socket didn’t have the ‘third wire’. In their case, their fuse box had an earth wire, whereas in our house we don’t! Needless to say I failed in managing to impart any advice whatsoever.
All that was left for me was to collect the ladies from school and escort them home.
March 4th Huan had to go out in the afternoon today so we had to make doubly sure we had a morning walk. Over the bridge to ‘somewhere’ we turned left and decided to see if we could follow the irrigation canal to the mansions on the hill. We did try this a long time ago and it wasn’t possible but you never know if anyone has cleared a way in the meantime. It didn’t take us long to get stuck.
It looks very pretty doesn’t it but the path disappeared five metres later. We had to cross back to the other side, by retracing our steps.
We went as far as we could before we couldn’t go any further, in exactly the same place as a couple of years ago.
We had to navigate our way through the woods and aim for the road to the mansions. Here I am trying to catch up with Huan after making a short Douyin video, you can see it here - https://youtu.be/K5-SxMLdXs8
Next I think we found where the sorting hat from Harry Potter’s world comes from. However, some had been ‘eaten’ by butterflies!
Soon we passed a small farm where the cooped up geese seemed very happy to see us until they realised we were not going to let them out. We almost caught the owner of the farm going to the big outdoor loo; just as well I shouted Nǐ hǎo when I did. Before too long we were passing alongside the mansions, a nice little path.
This route brings us back to irrigation canal, pretty close to where we got stuck earlier.
Before we could check the canal Huan found a four winged butterfly. I thought it might have been a moth. Google told us that it is a “Skipper” butterfly having some of the characteristics of both moths and butterflies.
Looking back down the canal you can see that we would not have been able to get through.
We set off down another old route taking in this lovely scene on the way.
Lots of photos taken of Huan, many that she ordered me to delete, but this one passed the test.
Eagle eyes spotted another insect, a grasshopper this time I believe.
Our path brought us out in Zana village where within a few metres we turned off again, down the hill into this piece of farmland.
And here’s Bob again, with some bananas, I was coming back to Huan from another dead end!
A minor obstacle appeared in front of us, a small log bridge, so I gave Huan the chance to take a few photos on the trot to create a gif of me going across it. I also took a few photos of her from the other side. Neither of our attempts were good enough to create gifs with.
It seems that the last time we had walked this way, with Katherine and Wei, they had all seen a chicken house with Chairman Mao on the door. I hadn’t seen it so I looked out for it today.
And this is the beautiful farm that the chickens live in, along with the ducks and the geese.
And this is one of the reasons we love the countryside.
Black and white to the fore again, on shack in the woods and one of two guys making a bamboo boat. Huan thought it would be good for tourists but as they were using old, rusted wire to hold everything together I disagreed, H&S you know!
A bird of prey caught our eyes next; at least that’s what I thought it was. We never saw it swoop but it did hover quite a lot looking downwards, never quite near enough though!
Another black and white, Bob coming out of the village shop, water in hand.
This village also has a des res; just right for us. Originally this would have been for three families but I think with a little work it would be fine for Huan and I, what say you?
One of the things we like about Wuzhishan is that from many streets you can have a view of the mountains beyond, just like this.
The last part of our route took us past where some squirrels live. We both had our tools ready, camera for me and phone for Huan. We both failed again, too far away.
To finish off the day’s walk, but not the photos, here we are back at the irrigation canal looking towards our buildings having gone around in a large circle. We think it’s very pretty.
It’s not the end of the photos because Huan had to go out again this afternoon, she joined the cleaning party at the OAP school. They even gave her a little uniform jacket that she has to look after until school closes for summer. Here they are, all posing outside the old government offices.
With nearly three hundred photos to sort and edit today I was too busy to start boiling tomorrow’s duck until around half past four. It took me a while later on the realise that the boss was getting very fidgety. Today was supposed to be an eating out video day but Huan has hulusi practice every night around six o’clock. No video was made today!
March 5th Walking days are good but then again, so are lazy days, or market days as we call them. We were late this morning, nearly half past ten when we arrived there, Huan thought that nearly everyone would have gone home!
I took most of the photos today, having forgotten what I had said last week, but Huan was still the director. She chose a basket of rabbits where a woman was picking them up by the ears and then putting them down again. By the time I got a view she had gone!
Bigfoot was in residence, unusually for a market day, but she was on a chain so couldn’t follow me home, shame really.
We often have tests while we’re in the market, ‘what are these?’ I asked Huan. She had no idea so as we often do we resorted to Google. They are in fact Horned Melons’ a relation of the kiwi fruit. I couldn’t get Huan to buy any, just as well I suppose as I’m not a fan of kiwi fruit.
Xinjiang bread was on the menu for lunch today, and tomorrow, here’s the stallholder putting one in and then taking some out.
Bread in hand we decided to cross the river and walk home down the other side, far less people, and I was enjoying being in Huan’s company today. Even the view lifted my heart.
Passing the pet store Huan insisted I take a photo of a little hedgehog, I failed miserably. With her phone she did much better than me.
I contented myself by taking a photo of the whole store. Of course if you want to see what else they have you are going to have to a great deal of enlarging and other processing. Sorry!
And that was the end of our lazy day, apart from my cooking and Huan’s evening hulusi practice. Oh, we did do something else, remember the pressure washer from last week? Huan decided that we should order one so expect to see photos of me with buckets of water in the near future. We also ordered a couple of small insulated bags, the type that children use for school, so that we can, maybe, explore a little further afield and have drinks and lunch on the way.
March 6th Changhao road called us this morning with a planned turn off on the way, intending to stay on concrete all the way. The first thing we noticed was a huge empty space that hadn’t been there two or three weeks ago. This used to be a wholesale warehouse.
Our first detour didn’t get us very far.
Our second detour took us down to the river where we thought that may be a path upriver on the other side towards Changhao, or at least as far as the first village. Here we both are ‘on the rocks’ and not yet shaken or stirred.
Maybe you can tell me what these little creatures are.
How did I get into a position to see those wee beasties? Well I got a little shaken and stirred while using the stepping stones. At one stage I yelled at Huan “push” as she was behind me. She didn’t push and I fell back into the water. Luckily for me, Huan’s phone was not at the ready! As I was extricating myself I spotted another strange looking creature.
Pretty soon we realised that we were not going to get very far on the opposite bank so wasted a little time taking photos of each other taking photos instead. Both of us needed to get down between the leaves in order to get some shots in focus.
For what seems to be the hundredth time this week Huan managed to catch me on my backside yet again. I was having to do the shuffle bum to get back down to the river.
Not the complete invalid though, here I am leaping like a gazelle! Huan sees me doing this and thinks I’m fine, she doesn’t understand that, just like the younger me, I now sometimes get just a little bit frightened when jumping over stepping stones if I am unsure of the width or the stability of the landing spot. I blame it on deteriorating eyesight and balance.
Goats, as I am sure you are very well aware, are extremely sure footed, even across rivers and stepping stones. We saw a few on our way up stream but this one was the one that had to be snapped. He, or she, would not take its eyes off us at all.
This also seemed like a good spot to take a panorama of the few hundred metres we had moved in the nearly one hour we had been down in the river.
“The goats came through here” said Huan and promptly disappeared.
Following her wasn’t so easy but at least I didn’t fall down any holes or have to do any more bum shuffling. Once we climbed up the bank this was the welcome sight.
We knew where we were now but it still wasn’t too easy to find the road that was somewhere there through those trees. It didn't help that the farm gate was closed so we had to find another way around. When we did find it, Her Ladyship was happy.
This scene is looking back from the bridge we had been heading for. You can probably see that we didn’t have much chance of getting there via the river banks, we would have had to paddle!
Arriving at the little village we were welcomed, as usual, by the guard of geese. I didn’t stop to chat for long, I desperately needed water, internally and externally.
Spot the expression! I realised as the water hit my head that I should not have used a bottle out of the fridge. Stupid boy!
Home was a welcome sight, where I then remained doing nothing until bedtime, apart from my Chinese review. Huan still managed an evening’s hulusi practice with the ladies; I don’t know where she gets the energy from.
March 7th Who would guess that old men could look forward to shopping days? Well shopping means limited walking, a little carrying and certainly no bottom shuffling along the aisles! For a change here’s a snap at the cash desk showing off our reusable shopping bags.
Why was I alone at the cash desk with the bags? The astute among you will have noticed that some bags already have contents whereas others don’t. Somehow we had managed to arrive at the checkout and start the process while completely forgetting to go to the grocery weighing and pricing counter upstairs. I was therefore monitoring the bags while Huan went back up. Luckily Baijiahui was not too crowded today so before too long the boss was back.
Finally, for today, and for this week, we popped down to the third floor where someone has been knocking a load of bricks out. We wanted to see which walls were being removed. With all the bricks we had seen we thought it would have been one of the two or three bedroom apartments. We were wrong, it was a one bedroom and they had removed all the interior walls! We both now wonder what it will look like when it’s complete.
So we have had a great week, gorgeous weather, despite Huan’s machinations I’m still alive! This week’s weather forecast is not so good but hopefully we’ll still get out and about a bit. If Huan persists in taking us through the woods I may well have to invest in some new clothes though, to protect my legs from brambles, insects, leeches and seeds.
With the world still in a bad
place our love goes out to all of you, hopefully the ‘trouble’ will not spread,
or even better, it may come to an end completely. I’ll leave you with an old
photo, one in which I was obviously happy even though I may have had my worries
about the world. Despite being in the army, (this photo was taken in
Wherever you are stay safe, take care, we will be back next week.
PS For family - I lost that ring on Pwllheli beach in the summer of 1973!
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