Dreary Weather, Face Masks and Knitting.

January 28^th As you may or may not be aware, all Chinese people have a ‘Hukou”. This is like an I.D. card. Huan has a card, which acts as her I.D. and a book which is her ‘household registration’. Despite the fact that we live in Hainan her registration is in Dalian. Last night Huan was contacted by her ‘Area Boss’ in Dalian. They knew she had flown through Wuhan to Dalian and wanted more details. While some in the West believe I.D. cards are the bane of all evil, in this case it shows how they can also be beneficial. The government will be able to track all those people who have travelled through Wuhan and keep tabs on them. Huan will probably be contacted again in a week or so to see if she is still healthy or has come down with the bug.

As for today, we were confined to barracks, not because of the Wuhan bug but because of the weather. Wuzhishan was completely encircled by clouds over the mountains again and it rained nearly all day. All I needed was a fire in the living room and Radio 2 on the radio and I could have been back in good old Blighty!

January 29^th The weather was still miserable today, clouds all around again, but this time without the rain. That meant we got out for a walk, along the main street and back along the riverside coming home via the sausage market. It was like a British Sunday afternoon walk, Huan had on a knee length coat, I was wearing jeans, shirt and hoodie. The hood stayed down though, my hair needs fresh air too! I forgot to take the big camera with me but there wasn’t really much to take pictures of anyway. There were less people than expected; I guess some are staying indoors because they are wary of the ‘bug’. Of those who were out I would guess less than half were wearing masks despite the Hainan government suggesting they be worn. Huan and I will wear them in crowded places only.

Only one of us needed an OAP kip this afternoon, me. I felt very cold under the blanket and then woke up with a headache and the beginnings of flu symptoms. I’m trying not to worry too much yet, Huan has shown no signs of any discomfort at all since she returned. I gave up and took some Chinese medicine, highly recommended by the CMO, (Huan) twice before bedtime. By then I also had a splitting headache so my forehead, my temples, below my eyes and under my nose got a liberal application of Tiger Balm too.

January 30^th My headache was nearly gone, still there but not too bad, this morning. The flu symptoms had eased as well. The boss says I need to take the medicine today as well, so being an obedient soldier, I will.

Our weather was better today, still a little on the chilly side, but a walk in the fresh air was definitely what the doctor ordered. We took the other side of the river again, opposite our house, so that we could make the most of the sun. I had intended that we went up to the small village at the other side of the bridge to nowhere and turned to follow the irrigation canal. We were stopped! The village had put a guard post to keep everyone who is not from there from going inside. We tried to explain that we were not going to go inside but that fell on deaf ears. When we reached the road we passed the entrance to the village where we saw this sign, but with no guard point for some reason.

Once by the canal, I decided to give you a panorama from that side. You can see our complex of six buildings nearest to the river with a few villas in front of us. Our building is the second from the right. Behind our flats there used to be a mountain with rubber trees, and cows and things, that’s all gone and been replaced by what I like to refer to as the ‘council estate’. If you’re interested this photo was stitched, four photos each on two rows, eight in total.

Both of us feeling like an amble rather than a walk we stuck to the riverside so, as we had no photos on Tuesday or Wednesday, I’m going to bombard you with panoramas today. Here’s the first one, taken just after the sluice gates, you can see them on the right.

The next one is just a little further upriver and is Huan’s choice. I made two panoramas here, one much longer than the other. I liked the other, Huan preferred this.

And our last one for the day is at the next bridge where we crossed over to walk along the other side and get some Xinjiang bread.

Now if you go onto Google maps satellite view, or Google Earth, you can probably see where I took these. We live in a very pleasant place.

No OAP kips today, for either of us, just a lazy day indoors. After our dinner of seashells, could have been some kind of scallops, I’m not sure, we had a visit from a neighbour, bearing gifts. She had brought us some noodles because it seems tomorrow that is what we have to eat. Spring Festival lasts fifteen days and there are certain things you must do each day and certain foods you must eat. We usually forget most of it but, we’ll be eating noodles tomorrow! She was wearing her mask and wouldn’t stay for a cup of tea. In fact, she hasn’t left her house all day. There is quite a lot of worry here despite the fact that our county has no confirmed cases of the virus yet. Better to be safe than sorry I suppose.

January 31^st The Wuhan bug is spreading exponentially so we decided to make some changes in our routine. We will walk after our lunch when nearly everybody else is home for their lunchtime break. Most working people in Hainan rest from half past eleven until half past two which means the streets are fairly empty between twelve and two. We’re also going to check if I can have my PSA test done here in Wuzhishan which will avoid us staying in Haikou for two or three days. Unfortunately, the needle has to be done there so we still have to go.

We were lazy so didn’t go anywhere. As a lot of people are saying on the internet these days, we ‘self-isolated’ ourselves.

February 1^st Carrying on with this year’s theme of poetry, “Little month of February, You are small, but worthy - very! Will you grow up like the others, Like your sister months and brothers? Every four years with a bound, With a leap up from the ground, Trying to grow tall as they - All you stretch is one small day! Even then you're not so tall But just the shortest month of all.” (Leap Year by Annette Wynne)

Today’s weather was a little overcast and as we had no real need to go out we didn’t. Instead Huan carried on with her knitting and I carried on with changing the aspect ratio of my photos. It seems to be taking quite a long time but then again, #1 son is just as bad as me and takes thousands of photos where just a few would do. I managed to finish 2010 and 2011, and then synchronised mine and Huan’s computer. Only another two or three years to go, I can’t quite remember when I started using 16:9.

February 2^nd As we had two full rubbish bags on the balcony along with one bag full of plastic bottles for the cleaning lady, we decided that we had to go out today. However, we still didn’t go too far and we still probably wore too many clothes and just to be on the safe side, we also wore our masks. Just as we reached the river, a ‘strange man’ recognised us and took our photo. It seems I was supposed to recognise him as one of Huan’s singing group although How I could do that when he was wearing a very large face mask, sunglasses and a baseball hat I’ve no idea. Anyway, here’s the photo he took, not such good quality, we received it via WeChat.

I hadn’t taken my big camera today as we are quite limited on where we walk these days. Around the town we have no problems and of course we can walk along main roads in and out of town. However, many of our countryside walks take us through small villages quite a few of which are now banning ‘outsiders’. We have no way of knowing before we get there whether or not we will have to turn around and retrace our steps. Even our own complex has locked the back gate and put a notice on it. I did try and explain that as well as the security guards never actually stopping anyone at the front gate, there is also another way in without passing any security at all. “Ah, well nobody except you knows that.” was their response!

February 3^rd Busy day today! After checking with Dr. Tim in Haikou yesterday our first visit was to the local hospital to see if they were capable of doing PSA check ups. Arriving there, as soon as we crossed the entrance door, we were immediately zapped with temperature sensors by nurses wearing masks. In fact we were zapped three times each. I think the first zap showed us both having the exact same temperature, the second was much the same. They then checked on each other and came back to us again. This time we were marginally different, 36.2 for Huan and 36.1 for me. They let us in. The laboratory are able to check TPSA but not fPSA but as my last Haikou check up didn’t include the fPSA I think I’ll skip it this time too. We’ll return later in the week for the actual test.

From there it was off to the fuel station, Huan asking me “Why are we doing this today?” I told her that I wanted to be sure we had enough fuel to go to Haikou and back next week just in case they start shutting more things down.

As you know by now, Monday is shopping day so that was our next stop. Most of the customers are following the local government suggestion of wearing masks but not all. We were being model citizens ourselves! The bakery shelves were empty of supermarket baked products, I wonder if they’ve stopped the supermarket baking or if the staff stayed on holiday.

Quite a few other shelves are beginning to show signs of hoarding and/or panic buying. Our Dettol is down to half a bottle so it was on our list but there was none available. It will be at least a month until they are able to get more stock. At the checkout we noticed that the self check-outs were all switched off, I suppose because they utilise touch screens. I guess some of the health advice is beginning to trickle down and be taken notice of.

A trip to the police station was next to collect Huan’s local ‘Hukou’ card which should have been ready the day after she travelled up north. There were people working inside, behind the glass, but they are having nothing to do with customers at this time! We have to wait until there is a relaxing of restrictions from the local government. Oh what a life…

Home to our humdrum existence, me to my computer and Huan to her knitting. She has plenty of time to do this as the ‘return to school’ for everyone, children and OAPs has been postponed quite significantly. However, Huan doesn’t believe in relaxing, if something has to be done, once she starts she keeps going until it’s complete. Doesn’t she look grand and just look at the speed of those hands!

And so we come to the end of another week, a week in which Bob is actually beginning to worry a little, not so much about getting the virus, but about how life will change while the authorities get it under control. Bye for now!

Laser Torture, Hairy Potatoes and Stuff

January 1st No songs this year, poems instead. “Again I reply to the triple winds running chromatic fifths of derision outside my window: Play louder. You will not succeed. I am bound more to my sentences the more you batter at me to follow you. And the wind, as before, fingers perfectly its derisive music.” (January, by William Carlos Williams)

One good thing about not having a ‘real’ New Year means that everything is open as normal. We took a trip to the 快递 (Kuàidì), Express Delivery office this morning. There are many of these companies, China lives on “on-line shopping”. I just trust Huan’s choice, which was made on a recommendation from her singing and dancing friends. It didn’t cost a lot, only ¥60.00, and they even supplied some packing for us. You don’t need to see packed boxes though do you? How about the little birdie that was in their office instead? He’s a handsome little fellow that even let me tickle his tum. He wasn’t impressed when I got near his beak mind!

After lunch we had a walk around town to try and buy my new chair locally. I almost bought the one that Huan thought was good, even though I thought it was too expensive. When we had been everywhere else we went back to that particular shop and had another look. I didn’t buy it. It had one option that I don’t need; it can ‘lie down’. If I want to lie down, the bedroom is inches away from the office! Also, having a closer look at it, it appeared to lean a little to one side. The normal price would have been around ¥1,800.00 or ¥1,900.00 but it had been reduced in the ‘New Year Sale’ to ¥1,350.00. Huan even negotiated a further reduction to ¥900.00. It was the closer inspection that led me to understand why, added to the fact it was the ‘only one left’ and a display model to boot. Presently I’m using a dining room chair so it looks like the next one will come from Taobao after all.

Huan cooked us a lovely roast chicken dinner for New Year’s day, after which we lazed around again. She has no dancing these evenings; her teacher needs a short break. It made a pleasant change to be home together.

January 2^nd Whatever bug Huan had she eventually got rid of it yesterday, but not before passing on the bad throat to me. She really loves me and likes sharing! That meant I had no walkies today, yet again, but the weather was miserable in the morning anyway. I did think that when the sun came out after lunch I might go for a little one but sheer exhaustion took over and an OAP nap was called for. That was me dead to the world for a couple of hours.

Huan was out for a committee meeting again. No news except that the price of our water will be going up. It’s a shame my pension never goes up, but I suppose we’re lucky that Huan’s does. She also paid our maintenance fees for the next year; we must be one of the few that pay on time and in full.

Her Ladyship was back to gallivanting again in the evening, down at the town square doing her ‘Dama dancing’. I caught up on all my scanning and filing. I wonder how many of my friends do the same kind of thing. Old habits die hard.

January 3^rd Sometimes I have to do things I really don’t like to do, today was one such time. Those of you who know me, may or may not know, that I have a mole just below the right corner of my right eye. Well in the last couple of weeks I have noticed it appears to have grown, become a little more ‘wobbly’ and started itching. Also, a couple of nights ago I awoke to some blood spots on my pillow. Perhaps I scratched it when I was asleep or perhaps drying myself with the towel ruptured the skin, I don’t quite know. Anyway, the “Minister of Health” decided a hospital visit was in order, this is what happened there.

Talk about pain, which as you already know, I’m allergic to, this hurt! Afterwards the doctor told Huan that it could be less painful but that would have cost more and the healing process would be slower. How much did it cost? Well the fee to see the dermatologist was ¥13.30, (£1.45) and the charge for the treatment was zero. Yes, you read that right, zero. In addition to that, because it was the dermatologist in our local hospital there was no queue and we were in and out in less than half an hour, probably much less. It will take a few days to see how my ‘new face’ looks but here’s what it looked like when I got home.

Before going home though we had a stroll around town. The first thing I needed was a coffee and a fag! I know, I should give up but the spirit is weak and the flesh is even weaker. A new pair of casual shoes was next on the agenda; you know the type, canvas tops, blue, tan or white kind of thing, preferably as cheap as chips. Now Huan will buy herself cheap shoes but keeps guiding me towards Adidas and Nike and such like which I most definitely do not need and are absolutely far too expensive. It didn’t matter in the end anyway because not a single shop in Wuzhishan has shoes that will fit me. Stop sniggering in the back row! My feet are not that big, but Chinese sizes are all over the place. Usually a size 44 will do but today only one shop had that size and I couldn’t even get them on my feet. Haikou may be better or we may have to resort to Taobao again. I don’t really want to do that because shoes are the one thing I have never yet managed to successfully buy on-line.

Evening time gave me my first Endomondo of the year, not a long one though. I walked about five and a half kilometres just to give me my daily ten. We did walk a fair bit this morning so we entered that manually. It felt good to be out walking again. Let’s see how we go tomorrow, it won’t be too long though, it’s farmer’s market day.

January 4^th Would you believe that we both woke up with the sniffles and sore throats yet again? Whatever is around this year doesn’t really want to go away! We both still decided that a walk would be beneficial anyway as long as we didn’t overdo it.

We managed my planned ten kilometres and came back via the Saturday farmer’s market. Most of today’s photos were of dogs, and you’ve seen most of the dogs before. This one impressed Huan though because every time I stopped making a fuss of him, he put his paw out for me to start again. I’ve seen him a few times but Huan had only seen him once before, when we didn’t have a camera with us.

It seems that it’s not only cats and English children that like boxes. This little chappie was happy sitting in his box snacking on peanuts while his Mum and Dad were busy making and selling peanut oil.

And our last photo of the day, also from the market is vegetables. Can you guess what they are? The nearest I could get from Huan was “hairy potatoes, they are white inside”.

Lunch today, even though it’s the weekend, was not the ‘Full English’. Huan had cooked so much yesterday, vegetable dumplings, sliced stuffed eggplant and vegetable balls, that we had too much food in the fridge. Not to worry, I love all of those things!

We both had an OAP sleep in the afternoon, disturbed by Huan’s singing friends. The ‘boss’ wanted them to go up to the place where they practice to film a short movie. Whether we will ever get to see it I don’t know. She also came back with a few balls of wool and some knitting needles. They have been asked to knit some sweaters for poor children. The finished products must be produced by April, by which time of course, sweaters will not be needed!

January 5^th Two sleepy heads this morning, for some reason we both woke up late. Still, we did have our first real walk of the year, thirteen and a half kilometres in three hours. We went upriver the northern side of the river and came home downriver on the southern side. Did we see much? Well it was not a very auspicious start. When we were in the lift going downstairs I told Huan I had forgotten my old tracksuit bottoms for the clothes recycling bin. No problem, we can do that tomorrow. A short way into the walk I realised I had also forgotten my glasses and my camera! At least I remembered to get dressed!

Not having the camera means I wasn’t really looking out for much but I did spot what I thought was a dead worm. I thought it was a worm because it was brown and I didn’t have my glasses on. Huan pointed out that it was in fact a dead snake.

There was a little lad from the village there who was warily walking away from us until we saw the snake. He then came to have a look too. To our surprise, he held out his hand and asked for money; that rarely happens in China. Perhaps his sisters who were nearby chatting to him were egging him on.

To come downriver on our side of it, we usually have to fight our way through the undergrowth just near the bridge but today we were lucky, there’s a new set of steps, not quite complete yet, but good enough for us.

Being out so late today meant that when we got home neither of us felt like a real lunch. Instead we had milkshakes made with Nescafe Smoovlatte Mocha and ice cream, very nice! That meant we finished off Huan’s Friday cooking marathon for this evening’s dinner so no work needed by either of us. After that it was the usual Sunday for me, a nice hot salty bath, this time in the company of “Denise Mina”, an author who, in this book anyway, writes a great story set in Glasgow. Huan did her stint of Dirty (oops) Dama dancing.

January 6^th “Monday is shopping day, is everybody happy, you bet your life we are.” A bit of poetic licence there, I know they are not the correct words. Anyway, morning was lazing around for me while Huan went to her choral practice.

Now you may not know this but I am in China on a ‘spousal visa’, in other words my visa is dependant on Huan. All Chinese people, as you may remember, have a household registration book, known as a ‘hukou’. Now because we live in Hainan, and not Dalian which is where Huan’s hukou was issued, she has to get a temporary card here every year. If she didn’t do this, we would not be able to live here despite the fact that all the property we own is here. Tomorrow is the expiry date of her present card so she had a trip to the police station today. There was a new girl there who had no idea, and it didn’t seem to be ‘in the file’, that Huan lives here along with me, her foreign husband. We now have to wait another three weeks before a new card will be issued. Don’t you just love bureaucracy?

So, shopping today was after lunch, not a big shop, we’ll be off to Haikou again this week. It was also time to replace the music SD card in the car, Christmas is now well and truly over. The dash cam SD card also needed replacing. Both SD cards were brought home with us and promptly forgotten about until I started today’s Blog entry!

Do you remember the previous saga of Bob’s office chair? Today we learned that money had been reimbursed to Huan’s account. This is good news, right? Wrong! The chair cost ¥218.00, the shipping charge was ¥90.00. For us to send it back the charge was ¥60.00. Total cost equals ¥368.00. I didn’t expect to get our return shipping cost back, but what appeared in Huan’s account didn’t even equal the cost of the chair. She received ¥198.00. I have to leave her to argue about it but I doubt if anymore will be forthcoming. Just to add to how comical it all is, Huan received a phone call this evening from one of the express delivery companies. Having not ordered anything we were a little puzzled, could it be a long lost Christmas card perhaps. Nope, it was a replacement arm for the chair we had already sent back!

At least the day finished on a happy note, I had a call from #1 son, it’s his birthday today. Happy Birthday #1!

I’ll sign off here, post this, and then get on with the SD cards. Bieee for now.