November 18th Today was the day to get back on the road, back to where we started from. What was the weather like this morning? Well I could go for breakfast in my shorts.
After breakfast it was time to launch Donald from the secret underground pad.
The beginning was ominous; the middle was a bit brighter in parts.
The final run-in was vaguer but at least it wasn’t raining.
Our lunch stop was in Wuzhishan, at Baijiahui in ‘The 18 Bowls restaurant’. I took photos of my empty dish, all the individual dishes and then the whole lot together. Somehow they did not turn up on my phone so all you have is this.
Arriving home we found a new clever access barrier. I guess it hasn’t been fully commissioned yet because someone had to push the button for us.
They had told Huan about this yesterday and confirmed our registration number. At that time they also told her that each apartment was limited to two cars. I pray that our buildings remain as unoccupied in the future as they are now. Two cars per apartment, without the villas, would be 600 cars and there is no way to fit even a third of those in our place. PS The other gate, which was also installed while we were away, has already been broken by someone riding a motor scooter! They do have him (or her) on CCTV but have not located them yet.
After unpacking Donald and having a minor altercation with someone from our building we left him to sleep it off. The altercation was the tenant from the ground floor wanting us to move to allow him in to use his space that he had found. We didn’t stress that he was a renter but we did tell him that we have lived here for over ten years and have used that particular space on numerous occasions. None of us have allocated parking spaces! PS I also took some side views of Donald just in case he receives some spiteful scratches.
Our plans for the next couple of days do not include much except staying in. I did check the weather forecast and we are expecting the temperature to drop tomorrow morning to 13⁰C and that is at eight o’clock. I now have my pyjamas on, the bed is prepared and my feet are well protected. My half gloves are still in the drawer, for now. It is nice to be home though.
November 19th That didn’t take long did it? Already came down with a cold and had to take some meds last night. On the good side the temperature when I got up, at nearly eight thirty, had increased to 14⁰C!
Neither of us fancied braving the great outdoors this morning but after lunch we decided that we really had not option so out we went. Walking past one shop we were attacked by two little white pooches who you probably remember. Here is one of them in a suitably edited photograph.
On our way to Huan’s bank we passed the OAP exercise yard, it’s looking very good. I like that seats have been provided so that those of us unable to join in can watch in comfort!
While Huan was in the bank, (or should I say while the Queen was in her counting house counting out her money), she hired an enormous security guard to prevent me from joining her.
On the way down the road, looking for our usual skink, Huan found this fellow.
I didn’t find the skink but near his lair I did find a sneaky lizard peeping over the top.
We were both dressed up more than usual, I had long trousers and a long sleeved shirt, but the weather actually came good for us. In fact we were slightly overdressed!
Huan found someone else enjoying the sun.
I have to say having a nice day took the edge off not having the smiling faces of my two #1s around all the time. It’s such a shame that they had so much rain while they were here.
What’s going on here then? These youngsters were staring at me as though they I had just dropped out of a visiting spaceship. We walked along with them while we explained who we were, where we lived and why etc. Huan then picked up her phone to take a photo of me chatting with them. Can you spot the reaction? Perhaps they should have been in class somewhere.
This little pooch came running from metres away despite not having seen me before. He was so cuddly, I thought he might follow me home but his Dad said he wouldn’t follow me. Shame!
We’ll finish today’s words with a nice little bit of scenery; at least I think it is.
November 20th Today was more of the same, too chilly for walks in the morning, at least for us two cry-babies. We did go out after lunch though, just like yesterday, but on a different route. Xiaodao was where we began and where somehow I managed to capture a wee bird.
And then the director was pointing out egrets for me. Many photos were taken, all from too far away, so we’ll settle on these two showing all three birds. Both photos are very heavily cropped and are less than 20% of their original sizes.
On the other side of Little Island we found a pooch. He almost seemed to know us and there was no sign of his ‘parents’ anywhere. At least he didn’t try to follow us home.
For your relaxation we now present a pleasant view of a bridge over untroubled water.
Not relaxing in any way whatsoever this one is an “ugly cow”.
From a distance we thought that this was a rabbit carrying a turtle on its back. We were wrong, obviously, but we can’t be bothered to Google just what it is supposed to be.
And that’s all we have from our walk today. What will tomorrow bring? Well scroll down and you may well find out. First though you may notice that Chef Bob, after a break of a couple of weeks, is back on kitchen duty again. This is a noodle dish using one of our ‘emergency’ tins of stewed pork. We will replace it when we next go shopping.
There are no photos of the served bowls; we were both too tired and too lazy to get off our backsides for either the camera or a phone. I can tell you that although they started off identically they ended up quite different. Huan stirred in a couple of spoonfuls of something from a jar making hers a little spicy, I used parmesan making mine more cream cheesy. Both were yummy!
November 21st Not an image in sight anywhere today. The weather was marginally warmer today, by one degree at eight o’clock in the morning. I decided to stay in and cook our two day duck stew instead of going walkies. Why a two day stew on a Friday? Because the Minister of Labour has decided we will go to Ledong on Sunday and I will be put to work.
After our lunch of dumplings made by Huan and Sammy I decided that I needed more rest than I had been having and we went for an afternoon nap. Huan went out after that to pay one of our internet bills, maybe our house or maybe one of the rentals I’m not sure. I declined the invitation to accompany her and just took even more rest. One must be careful at one’s age you know. Besides, Dr. Liáng said that one of the side effects of my radiotherapy would be fatigue and that it could last for a couple of months, or four to six months, or even longer. In other words, if I want to be lazy I have a good excuse!
November 22nd After yesterday’s day doing nothing we decided that a market walk would be in order. Looking down at the river on the way the director was busy pointing me here there and everywhere. In fact there were quite a few egrets, six in total, five white and one brown. The brown one is obviously a chick but we thought that maybe some of the others were too and thus surmised that all six were from one family. We obviously had to show you all!
Arriving at the market we found that the first half was out of action, drainage works were in progress all the way to the main bridge over the river.
On the other side of the bridge however, the crowds were out in force! Thankfully we didn’t need to buy anything today so we could just go with the flow.
Our only produce photo was this one of goose eggs. They look very nice don’t they? Mind you, when I tried one for my full English one morning I was most disappointed. I found them to be rather anaemic and not very tasty. Your mileage may differ.
Nearing the end of the market, if you look closely you can see the pedestrian bridge over the river on the left of this picture; we discovered where the missing vendors were. Just look at the sheer numbers of people still on the road in front of us.
The director found birds on poles again but my attempts were terrible.
What’s this I see? Is it three men in a boat? Nope, it is in fact four ladies, one of whom is using an oar similar to one we had just seen someone else carrying up where we were walking. Were they renting the boat of were they a team preparing for something? We may never know but if we do find out we will of course let you know.
Outside his tea shop Dòu dīng was reclining and being ignored by all the snowbirds who were sat having a rest. I stopped to chat and Huan got busy.
Almost at the bus stop and it was my turn to spot a Leapy Lee, quite a big one too. Huan came around from the other side and tried to get one of us having a chat.
Our last one for today comes from a rear window and needs no translation. It is in English and I am fairly sure that, like me, you can understand the gist of it.
Naps were definitely needed after lunch today!
November 23rd I really didn’t want to go to bed last night because I didn’t really want to get up this morning. Why? Because the Prime Minister has got Rigsby on the move again, we’re off to Ledong to prepare the apartment for another new tenant. In the early days I enjoyed these trips but as time has gone on and all we seem to do is repair the properties when people move out it has become very tiring. I also knew what I had in store when we arrived!
Look at the lovely swimming pool Mummy, the one we can never use either because we are here at the wrong times or because we are too busy putting the apartment right.
Donald seemed happy to wait in the shade for a day or two.
Waiting for my lunchtime burger, am I pensive or am I tired?
Our only bit of scenery for today, the traffic island near our place.
Our plan was to nap and then work. I thought that the bedroom had a strange smell so I left Huan in there, (no, it wasn’t her), and got to work in the toilet/shower room. I had to scrub every wall from the ceiling to the floor, and the floor, and the sink, and the toilet bowl. I have cleaned a lot of toilets in my life but this was by far the worst. Huan did wake up before I finished but she didn’t take any photos, she got on with some wall filling in the living room. I told her that she hadn’t taken any photos of me because she didn’t want Chris and Sam to know that she was working me so hard, again! Mind you, I have none of her working either.
The washing machine, which sits on the balcony, needed a new hose, the drains needed unblocking and the toilet bowl was still badly stained so we had to go out shopping. Shopping done and dinner finished we walked home and envied the children, just being children.
Even though we were in Ledong we still found some car art for you.
And from car art we go to a self built car, well it’s a sort of car. How he did this and how roadworthy it is we do not know but he does have a number plate.
Back at the apartment Huan called our Mr. Fixit Man, the shower he had fitted was still leaking. While he was here, we also got him to install a new air-conditioning socket in the bedroom, to do a cowboy job on the living room light and to put the new hose on the washing machine. This is a man whose phone number we do not want to lose!
When he was gone and I managed to stop Huan from doing any more work today we both got on with our WiFi stuff, me on here and her on the phone. I first had to find the ‘changed’ WiFi password somewhere in the Ledong files. Success, Huan was happy. Just when I had almost finished my daily scribbles she got a message from the Wuzhishan group for our apartment there, the new lifts have arrived. These are for buildings two, five and six, which includes us. With my brain in negativity mode all I can think is that I will have to use the stairs when we go home!
November 24th Getting out of bed was not so easy this morning, all that stretching, bending and scrubbing had played havoc with my poor bones. And there was more work to be done today, albeit a lot easier. First, the sun is rising somewhere over there.
The rest of the clean-up went reasonably OK but problems did arise again.
During this work we found that the shower still had a drip under the taps, and no, I do not mean me. Also the kitchen tap had developed a leak. Mr. Fixit Man was given another call. He would come during his lunch break from his real job so we went out for a walk around the local park where Huan found two lizards thus keeping her happy for a while.
You have seen many photos of this park in the past so let’s try a few different ones today.
Look closely at that last picture and you may well spot this little butterfly.
I was not really in the mood for having my photograph taken but the director did kindly let me take some of her. Her smile improves my day tremendously!
She did manage a long distance shot of me though when I was going to try and take some photos from the central pergola. I failed, the access was chained off. This part of the park appears to be slowly dying which is a shame.
For a change here is a panorama from the other side looking towards our housing complex. We are on the right of the buildings but with a view the other way, not over the park.
This side of the park is used much more, today there were at least three sets of snowbirds around the edges, a few walking around for exercise and a couple of local families hiding from the sun under the enormous canopies. Here are some snowbirds using one of the canopies for the same thing, shade, and for its sound properties.
It’s in the evening that the park comes to life though, mostly for children. Since we last took a walk round it a lot of stalls have been opened.
On our way home we had a little walk into the area that we overlook. The lie of the land precludes us from seeing the inside from our apartment but it is a lovely little place.
Over lunch time Mr/ Fixit Man arrived and sorted everything out. I’m not sure how he sorted the shower out but in the kitchen he fitted a new tap. The old one was rusty which is what I had thought. We shouldn’t complain, it has lasted over eleven years, not bad for non stainless steel.
Once all was shipshape and spotless again I went out for a little break while Huan waited for the new tenant. She is the landlady really; I am the fake one, the worker bee. I didn’t go far.
To waste time I even sat at both sides of the swimming pool.
Back home in Wuzhishan Huan decided that we should eat at Xiǎogǔ jiějiě’s restaurant, one of the places we had been with my children when they were here. Huan had soup, I had the other thing. Would you believe that my shirt stayed perfectly clean while I was using chopsticks and then got dirty when I used a spoon to finish off my sauce bowl!
We had to do a little shopping after dinner, Huan needed walnuts, snacks and washing up liquid, and we needed milk for the morning. This one is for all you “Lord of the Rings” fans out there. I have no idea just what the advertisers are trying to say here. Maybe you can help?
Once again back home, all I did was my daily Chinese lessons, updating the Blog would be left until the morning! I was too tired for anything else. It’s ‘dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones you know, they are getting very stiff and creaky! Back to being Bob for a while with SWMBO still looking after me, see you again next time!
