October 14th Well the thumbnail is different this week!
“What am I doing?” Well, I am cleaning the balcony windows in the bedroom in that photograph. Next was the cleaning and polishing of my bedside corner. Huan took too many photos again.
Next up was some maintenance as well as cleaning. Both wall lamps needed to have their shades washed and also their mountings tightened.
Huan’s corner was next, a bit less furniture there.
For some strange reason Huan took no photos of the cleaning and polishing of the two wardrobes and Huan’s two chests of drawers. Never mind eh, you don’t need too many naked Bob photos. When it came to cleaning the lamp I tried to take the tube out and the whole thing fell to pieces. I guess it has been up there since 2007 and the internal plastics would have been very cheap.
Cue a trip downstairs for Huan to buy a new LED fitting. While she was gone I washed the shade. She came back which meant back to work for me and back to taking pictures for her.
We managed to finish everything just in time for lunch. Does it look OK to you?
No naps today, no walkies either, the rain came back.
October 15th This morning, while cleaning my teeth, I spotted three egrets on the other side of the river. Teeth done I tried my best but they were a little far.
Carrying on with our day, it was another of those admin days, or is it called a sick day. It was time to go to the hospital for my monthly injection of bobbyfilla, that is the bone strengthening medicine that is similar to Polyfilla. We found three friends on the way, the dog seemed happy to see us even though he was protective towards the baby. The Grandma was happy to see us and the baby was happy at the dog’s (not very loud or worrying) barks.
Soon I was in the waiting room with ‘only’ thirteen people in front of me.
While waiting I had to first be fitted up.
And then it was onwards to the battlefield!
I won! The other chap obviously had more worries than I did.
We eventually got in to see the doctor who sent us to the cashier and the pharmacy. Huan had to go off then and pay for the needle so I took a photo just in case she forgot. She took even more when she got back!
She took the third one because on this occasion, they did something they hadn’t done before, and gave me a little label.
At home, before changing I got Huan to take another photo of me with my passport. We will send that with a copy of said passport to try and convince my pension provider that I am not a figment of anyone’s imagination and that I am in fact, a real living person!
Having had half a day in hospital we rested, it felt good. Chef Bob was on duty again for dinner, these were the condiments available to Madame. Tomato sauce, brown sauce and Worcestershire sauce were hiding in the back row.
The plan had been to make baked potatoes, in the oven for a change, but the local vegetable shop didn’t have any spuds of a suitable size so it was just a simple dinner. Steak, boiled spuds, boiled carrots and boiled broccoli. At least only one pan was needed for the vegetables.
Huan went for the ‘French’s Yellow Mustard’, I went for butter on my tatties. It made a nice change and we both cleared our plates.
October 16th “Shall we do some
cleaning today?” My executive decision was that we wouldn’t because my feet
needed some exercise. They were a little swollen yesterday. Our route was to be
a combined countryside and shopping walk. Huan met an old singing friend who
may or may not be from the same home city,
I made the ladies pose on the bridge to Xiaodao.
We were heading alongside the irrigation canal when we spotted some cows. Also, just beyond the cows, the path had disappeared, as the farmer had just told us. We had to backtrack.
How Huan spots some lizards I will never know, this one was tiny!
Going uphill towards the big middle school I had to take this photograph. It just appeared to me as though we would breach the brow and see the sea. (Imagination is a wonderful thing.)
What we did find was quite a few egrets, albeit very far away.
Now a walk would not be a walk without some evidence of just where we live!
We are of course in Li country and in this little village a local man had built this small building. Our understanding was far from complete but I surmised that he was telling is that he lived in the small he house he was standing in talking to us and that he was offering us the chance to stay, or to live in this one. We explained that we already lived in Wuzhishan. He seemed very happy as we left, quite possible just because we had spoken to him. We have two views of the little house, one from the road and the other from across the field.
Leaving the village Huan took a few more pictures, some nice Li roofs and the local village people out on a clean up.
Our countryside walk over and heading back into town I spotted an old telephone junction box. I say old, but I have worked on boxes such as this. Everything is fibre-optic now of course. What I liked about his was how nature is reclaiming it. Huan even saw a little lizard running away as I opened the door and disturbed his nap.
Walking along the riverside towards the main road I found another wee birdy.
These two were my last photos of the day; just before we went shopping. Huan of course was still very busy with her phone.
She was still at it in the supermarket. She thought these people were chatting to me but they weren’t. Being newly arrived snowbirds they were actually discussing the price of vegetables while I was reaching for a Daikon radish.
We found another cat that could smell the first one on my hands. This one was called帅帅, Shuài shuài or just ‘Handsome’!
Finally we were welcomed home by Dou Dou.
October 17th Admin Bob started the day by printing forms, filling them in, scanning the forms after completion and then sending all plus my passport copy and stuff to my pension provider. Could it be the final transmission? Somehow I doubt it.
Charlady Bob then took over for some more admin. Here are some of the items awaiting washing in the bathroom and here is said charlady dusting the furniture.
Et voila, one empty cabinet all dusted and awaiting polishing and refilling. Yes, I know the electronics still need dusting and polishing.
Huan took far too many photos of me polishing!
Was it worth the effort? Well I think so and the boss is happy.
No rest for the wicked though, I was soon back to work.
And here is the unit pre-polishing, post-polishing and post-refilling. Can you spot any other differences? No prize for the winner I’m afraid.
Charlady Bob was done for the day. However, Chef Bob still had work to do.
After our dinner of minced pork noodles I was sent to the gate to collect a parcel and then put to work again, this time as Electrician Bob! Huan took well over fifty photographs of me and my tools so I had to edit and combine!
October 18th Will we or won’t we get out to the market today? We woke up to rain but with the promise that it would disappear before ten. It did and we got out! Now about these two, they are wearing their flying goggles but their plane is smaller than either of them!
Our route was the wrong way round and shorter because the rain was supposed to return before the morning ended. We found a camp site where we have never seen one before.
There were also a couple of nice motorbikes there. Actually there were three but the third was not as nice. Of course the cc count is too much for me.
Cars with people seem to be a thing today.
Surprisingly, despite the inclement weather, the market was crowded.
Huan was in full directorial mode today but she had to do her own camera work with her phone. The first one she decided that I should show you is all to do with hawthorn berries, you have Hawthorn Roll, Fruit leather(?) and Hawthorn slices.
Her wishes then turned to various market traders, nuts and seeds first, then village bamboo stuff and finally village wooden stuff.
This strange object turns out to be an oven for quail eggs. The outside is made of salt.
With my hands full of shopping I directed Huan to take this one, which may or may not be various characters from Sponge Bob.
After lunch there were no naps and I was put to work as Charlady Bob again. Here I am washing the things that came from the other living room cabinet and those same things laid out drying. Our alcohol section looks rather sparse doesn’t it, that’s because I don’t drink alone at home.
And here is the polished and re-filled cabinet.
Was I finished? Of course not, I was thrust back into the kitchen to resume my duties as Chef Bob. Mind you it was easy, take the Xinjiang bread and cheese out and make the salad. The mayonnaise was for my bowl of salad, as was the blue cheese. Huan’s was feta cheese.
October 19th First the bad news. Last night my Facebook account suddenly went off and asked me to log in again. I tried to do so and was informed that my account had been disabled. Going to the help page you can see “You'll know if your account is suspended or disabled because you'll be informed in an email, and when you log in, you'll see We've suspended your account or We've disabled your account.” I had no email! You have to appeal within 180 days. To appeal you have to log in. I can’t log in because my account is disabled. Just what did I do wrong? It seems that I have been removed from everywhere, all groups; all posts of mine have disappeared etc. Maybe someone reported me as using their name? I have no idea and of course with Facebook you have no chance to chat with anybody to sort it out. This morning was no different.
Anyway, we decided that as the weather was good and the computer said it would stay that way that we should have another upriver video day. On the way we passed an X-Peng with a monkey hitching a lift on the back. I’m not keen on the doors, how about you?
With my brain being saturated with FB problems I forgot my hat this morning so on arrival in Nansheng I bought a new one. I do look rather fetching don’t you think?
This is where we were headed.
Some collages required today, here’s the first showing the lovely greenery at the side of the path. “Surely we will find wildlife” we thought, and we were hopelessly wrong.
Somebody was enjoying himself.
And then we weren’t! The path ended and we had to find a way around the hillside looking for another bridge to cross the tributary before we could then cross the river.
We ended up going through a farm where the back gate was open. Look carefully and you may see a mutt. The farm people told us as we were going out of the back gate that it’s better we don’t go that way again because they don’t have enough money to pay if the dog bites me!
Out on the other side the going became substantially easier.
Soon we were crossing the tributary bridge, wonderful scenery, something to smile about.
The director found something to make her happy too.
We also found something that we may well have to come back and investigate further. We have no idea what it is, do any of you bright young things know?
From there we headed towards the main road and took a #5 bus home. Outside the house Huan found her last lizard of the day.
And here we are sitting on the sofa just finishing off the video.
You can see it here - https://youtu.be/p3jbyEbYsL8
Being a Sunday you may be assuming that Charlady Bob would be having a day off. Well, you would be wrong. There are fewer photos though because I banished Huan to the shower while I got busy. It was the turn of the small cabinet in the dining room. Here it is prior to being dusted and polished; the contents are being cleaned as necessary in the kitchen.
Huan did manage one photo when she got out of the shower.
This is the cleaned, polished and re-filled cabinet minus the glass door. This way you can see better what is inside. I’d be quite happy without the door, there is only one, but one must do as one’s told mustn’t one!
October 20th Just shopping this morning with lots of snowbirds.
In the afternoon I ran away so that I wouldn’t have to do any more work this week. I had good reason, honest! First though, yesterday we passed a vehicle outside our place, just a little up the road, Huan thought it was a mobile betel nut place. I just thought it was a motor home. On my way to town I took a closer look.
It turned out to be a mobile acupuncture vehicle; they even had a bed on the opposite side. I ran away faster!
I was actually out for three things, to buy a new battery for my watch, to restock one of my heart medicines, (the one that the hospital keeps running out of), and to have a sneaky fag. Now before you nag me, it’s the first one this month and my daily average is still down at 0.06! This was my resting spot for NAAFI break today.
I walked home along the river walkway and would you believe it, there were birds today. My phone though is not much good at long distance stuff; I could not crop these much at all.
And there you have it, another week over. This week I can’t post this on Facebook so if any of you would like to help, please share it where you can. It seems like it could be a while before I get things sorted out. In the meantime, don’t worry, be happy! Bye for now.
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