July 9th Someone slept badly last night, continuously playing roly-poly from one side of the bed to the other. Someone else got disturbed by the roly-poly. Confession time, I was the cause of the roly-poly. Maybe I should not have had that cheese before going to bed! The outcome was no morning walk, neither of us complained.
Leaving Huan at home to take a nap, one that I found out later that she didn’t take, (too busy chatting to her sister on the phone), I went out alone. Fresh air, exercise and a fag break were needed to restore my sanity. I set off across the little island.
Apart from those two scenes that you haven’t seen before there were also flowers.
It was a very warm afternoon with not many humans around; just the odd mad dog and of course his twin “the Englishman”. I like the sun! I didn’t leave the city.
Worries were setting in that there would be no photographs to satisfy the yearning desires of my loving partner, a.k.a. producer and director. Luckily, I found a tiny skink. It was very small and I had to chase it a lot but eventually I got a snap or two.
Six kilometres in I bought myself a cold coffee and found a nice spot for a break. All I had to do was make sure I would not be sharing the bench with ants. They must have been on a day off!
That second picture took a while to take; I kept waiting for something to move across my field of view. Eventually I realised that it wasn’t traffic, or pedestrians, or birds, in fact it was nothing extraneous to my eyes. It was ‘floaters’. Some of you may also have them; they seem to breed as you age. Most of the time they do not worry me but focussing through the EVF I noticed them.
Another thing I noticed was that our new coffee shop is now open. I had to take a few snaps here too so that I could get one where the doorway was not blocked and the person in the left hand corner was not waving and looking at the camera.
Let’s finish with a nice river scene, one in front of our house but at an angle we can’t see from our windows or balconies. We still don’t know how they will finish this gap.
July 10th The best laid plans of mice, men and husbands often don’t come to fruition. I did have a plan for today but it seems that SWMBO also had one. Hers entailed us going on a bus and all she could tell me was there would be black swans.
The other end was Shuǐ yún jū mínsù jiǔdiàn which translates as a residential B&B hotel.
At least Huan found some squirrels today!
The grounds of this place are very large, hilly too. Imagine my surprise when I saw this snaking down from somewhere up above.
At the top it wasn’t very busy, there was just one thrill seeking family.
Most of the views from the ‘start’ were obstructed by betel nut trees but we did find a couple.
We continued onwards and upwards looking for another viewing platform. As you can see the place was super crowded, must be the school holidays!
From here we had a view of most of the site, not bad.
While I was searching afar, Huan was looking closer.
Just down from the viewing platform there was quite a large aviary, with four big enclosures. The first three had a few chickens; the last one had one peacock and two peahens. At least I think they were peahens, the peacock must have been ‘displaying’ for a reason.
It was downhill all the way to the hotel itself where we found the
small ‘
Of course far too many photos were taken, by both of us.
Enough swanning about, how about some photos of me and her?
Around this time we started to realise that this place was in need of some maintenance work and that tourism was not really its thing yet. It looks beautiful until you get close.
You can’t see it on the photos but a lot of the wooden walkways were in need of repair. Some of the signposts pointed to things that don’t seem to be there. For example, we couldn’t find the ‘snake experience’. We did find more swans though which pleased the chief biologist.
There’s a clean looking swimming pool inside. Cue another bout of me grumbling that if I had known what was here we could have stayed a night and I could have come prepared.
Mind you, if you look carefully at that last photo you will see bamboo scaffolding around the top of the hotel, work is obviously ongoing. And this sign had me interested, until that is the staff told us that the bar was unfortunately closed. They didn’t know when it would reopen.
Look who I found on the other side of the pool. Believe it or not Huan has no idea who this is. She does know that her son used to watch Tom and Jerry but she knows hardly any other cartoon characters. I mean, if you have children then you watch cartoons with them, don’t you? PS Don’t look too closely or you might notice that Mr. Panther is losing his pink!
Going inside it would have been nice to sit and have a cold coffee, maybe even a secret fag. All they had was Chinese tea and a cold drinks machine. At least the views were good.
In the foyer, folk craft was in progress, some weaving and some sculpting.
So, worn out, thirst and ready for lunch, we set off down the road to Nansheng.
The first little restaurant we found had buffet style food, enough choice for us two. As luck would have it, there was also free iced lemon water. Heaven!
Appetites sated and thirst quenched all that was left was to walk down the street to the bus stop.
Back home, as we knew before we left, the electricity was still off. The planned outage was from eight in the morning until six in the evening. Stairs become less welcome as you get older! Having had a decent lunch we didn’t bother with a cooked dinner, we had sandwiches instead. After that it was time to get back to some reading, Colin Forbes for me, Chinese for Huan.
As soon as six o’clock arrived the Minister of the Interior began grumbling with me trying to explain ‘estimated time’ to placate her. She was told it would now be half past eight, I went back to reading. Just a few minutes after eight thirty we had light again, Huan disappeared inside to use her phone, I sat with the balcony light on and finished my book.
Today’s photos were then uploaded, sorted and some minor editing was done. The rest of the work will be done tomorrow!
July 11th It took me all morning but I eventually got there. Huan had given me 108 photos from her phone yesterday and I had over 160 on the camera. Mine are fairly easy to whittle down; the director’s are not so easy. From over 260 I managed to get it down to 82, quite a few of which I used in yesterday’s post as you can see above. (That was all written today as well.)
Huan had her afternoon nap while I finished off yesterday’s post. The plan was to go out when she woke up and after our 2pm coffee. Analysing the situation, when she did wake up, I decided that it would be beneficial for her to rest a bit more. (I wonder if that had anything to do with her latest medical results. It seems that she may have an iron deficiency.) We both thought that a stroll after dinner would sort us out but the rain decided otherwise and paid us a visit. Never mind, sometimes lazy days are good for you!
July 12th I slept badly again last night, maybe because just before going to bed I had a message from the police. “You have three points on your licence for not giving way in the old market part of town”. Neither of us have any idea of what I have done wrong. There are no traffic lights there, although there are a couple of pedestrian crossings. Normally I do the right thing and wait, depending on traffic circumstances of course. There was one old dear who did not cross even when we gave her the nod. Was she the one? Maybe there will be a photograph when we go to check. Our dash-cam is no use, all that showed was the sky. A new one was ordered today.
Anyway, tired or not, an excursion was needed. I declined Huan’s invitation to visit the traffic police today, that can wait until Monday. We set off along the road to somewhere as a starting point for a short countryside walk. The Fire & Rescue service were out for some training and for a change they had forestry engines with them too.
Our route was then to go
alongside the mansions on the hill. “I wonder if we can go this way for a
change” said
We still had some muck to bypass on the way while I went to the end of the road and Huan headed down the shorter route.
We headed down the hill towards the river finding a bird for Huan on the way. Cor, luv-a-duck, he’s a handsome fellow isn’t he?
At the river we had to avoid an excavator so we ended up very near the water.
Before too long we were in the
As usual Madam went a bit berserk with her phone. The boys were eating fruits from the tree that you saw in the previous photograph and discussing the merits of their cigarette cards. It seems that one of them was worth ¥50.00. I suggested he keeps it until he is sixty!
Since we last walked this way the village road has been resurfaced. I have to say that they did a great job. I wonder if these are the trucks that did the work.
Also on the road was a solitary ant dragging a fly home. The photograph leaves a lot to be desired but I think you can get the general idea.
Before we left the village we created a lovely view for you. It will make a good wallpaper.
We took a different route home so that we could see if the goats were in residence. They were.
On the way out we had some minor worries.
We didn’t have to backtrack far and then we had a pleasant surprise. Looking behind the school our old path has been reopened now that the construction work is almost done. Unfortunately for Huan the squirrels had not returned though.
There was a Taobao delivery waiting for us at the gate, four tins of sweet corn for our weekend salads. Huan decided she needed evidence of my technical abilities with boxes.
At home is when I found out that our dash-cam had recorded tree tops and sky. Ordering a new one became quite the marathon. The computer wouldn’t give me the relevant choices because it didn’t know my location. We got there in the end, we had to order using Huan’s phone which, like all our phones, has location data.
July 13th Huan was out on the balcony early this morning, she had spotted a bug. Of course she had to take a photo of it and then wake me up to show me!
Market day comes round every Saturday, without fail, and we do our weekly duty, also without fail. I remembered this week to leave the camera at home. Off we set with me hoping that I would not regret that decision. We took a different route this morning; we needed to stop off at the old Baijiahui to buy bread for our feta cheese salad. That route took us past a newly opened shop which I had to stop at. I had to speak to this little guy and his dog.
If you didn’t guess from the background of the previous photo, the new shop is yet another ‘snack’ place. We now have at least six of these types of stores. I would not be surprised to see an increase in overweight Chinese children in the years ahead.
Instead of a small electric car, or an electric moped, I found you an electrically assisted pushbike today. My interest was piqued as I wondered how it would cope with all the hills we have. The owner was conspicuous by his absence so I couldn’t ask him.
There are no decals on cars for today either, but there is an ornament. I thought it might have had something to do with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but I was wrong. It has something to do with Pokemon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirtle
From odd things on cars to odd things in Huan’s hands. As we passed one of our stops on our rounds today, to chat with the tea shop owners and their two dogs, Huan was given some gifts. There were a few rambutans and then these, a couple of shower heads. Well that is what I always think of when I see them. They are in fact lotus seeds, I’m not a fan. Huan can eat them all.
July 14th Rain didn’t stop play today but it did change the plan. The forecast was non-stop rain from nine onwards although it didn’t look too bad outside. We set off about half past eight aiming to avoid the countryside and shelter when necessary. Walking down the main road Huan was surprised to see a lizard, especially as the weather was so miserable.
At the end of the road we were still quite dry and the heavens had not required us to take out our umbrellas yet so we decided to walk to the old site of the ‘lady in the lake’ in Camelot. Our beautiful stream side walk with shade and ducks was no longer!
Across the stream a couple of our desirable residences were still vacant. These two are villas in front of the apartment blocks. Why do people do it?
The going became a bit more difficult but Mary Poppins bravely carried on.
We braved the wet pathways and decided we would see if today we could go round the top. Last time we had tried it was not possible and we had been forced to backtrack. Luck was with us and the ground became dry enough for us to show you the lake that was.
It would appear that someone drinks here sometimes!
Beyond this waterfall is where the lady of the lake used to reside. If you wish to see what she looked like you can check back in previous posts. She was still there in July 2018 and February 2019, definitely gone by July 2022.
The fake Wuzhishan is showing its age, I wonder if they will refurbish it once the hotel is complete. At least our way out is not yet completely overgrown.
What happened to the swimming pool?
Up to this point we were still quite dry and umbrella free.
Another few views of the inside of the apartment complex. These will please one of our subscribers who owns a house here but who works on the mainland.
On our way back into town Huan found a bird and I found another thirsty dragonfly.
Because of my ‘penalty’ points last week Huan decided we should buy fish today so we took a detour on the way home. If we hadn’t done that we would have beaten the rain! Anyway, three bags of fish in one hand and my umbrella in the other and then I hear the plaintive cry of SWMBO, “Look Bobby, birds in that tree!” I did my best.
We got home wet; I guess it could have been worse if we had gone off to the countryside. Naps were not taken today although I think I would have liked one.
July 15th This morning was to our trip to the police station. Firstly though, we had to find the driver of this pick-up. The distance to the right is not enough to get down the rather high kerb without bottoming out our door sills. The saloon you see would have even less chance. At least today the pick-up had a phone number on display. We rang it, Huan spoke to the driver, he was in a queue at the hospital. We had no choice, we had to wait but thankfully, he wasn’t too long.
At
the police station Huan did her thing of talking too much and translating too
little. She even offered to take the penalty points on her licence! The points
are not a big problem, they revert back to zero next month anyway when the year
is up. There was also a fine to pay, ¥100.00. At least the policeman showed me
the photographs so I could see what I had done wrong, the camera did not lie.
Huan had been ready to argue black and blue if it had been an old lady who we
waved across but who would not go. It wasn’t her, it was a younger man.
Interpreting what the policeman said it is much like the
From there it was time for the weekly shop, with photos of an electric cow. The owner came while we were taking the photos; he was quite amused when Huan told him that I did not believe that he was putting 97 octane milk in the tank.
Some dithering after lunch, mostly because of the weather forecast. “It would rain all day, every day until Friday.” Outside the sun was shining. When Huan went for her nap I went for my walk, the usual sneaky fag break type. The sun was shining as I set off, the birds were singing.
I even found a baby lizard for Her Highness although I could not get near enough.
Into my second kilometre and the sky darkened ominously.
Before long, with the wind behind me pushing me along, the rain came and caught up with me.
Within minutes I was basking in the sunshine again so I continued on my merry way. As I approached the town roundabout, (yes, we only have one), the rain came back. I changed direction, went round the corner until I reached the three kilometre mark and stopped early for my break. Having now been caught in two rainstorms in one afternoon I decided to surrender to the weather and walk home. First though, a portrait had to be taken.
At least I got five kilometres in, Huan usually thinks that five is ample. After dinner we had a call from the local repair shop, we had left the car there this morning with no air conditioning. It turned out to be the compressor, almost ¥1,500.00 to repair. Retirement is great until you have extra bills to pay. If we were still working we would be buying a new car about now!
So, to the title of “Swanning Around In The Pink” you can now also add “Singing In The Rain”. Our rain, like rain everywhere, is wet, but unlike many places, it is not cold. In fact it can be quite enjoyable. The umbrella is more for the camera than me. I don’t think the Minister of Finance would be very impressed if this one failed again!
Stay tuned for a trip to Sanya and our new dash-cam. Bye for now!
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