You can’t believe howv quickly things happen in China. One day I came across a Chinese version of “Boris bikes” outside MacDonalds – it just popped up overnight. It’s quite a long way from the centre of town and there are a lot of young people around so maybe that’s why they are located here. … Read More »

You see all sorts of things for sale on the streets but the things I really take exception to are the animal skins, horns, feet etc. It’s gruesome and I don’t like to stop and have a close look because it would make me sad to think how they were captured and slaughtered. I don’t… Read More »

Winter is the worst time for pollution and 2013 is no different. I couldn’t resist taking this photograph on the way to Shanghai on Monday morning.  That day the pollution was so bad we had absolutely no view whatsoever until about Suzhou. Shanghai was slightly better but it does make you want to hold your… Read More »

Cold is not a big enough word to describe today. It is well below freezing and a slight breeze made it very uncomfortable. I had been up by the river exploring the Swallow Tail Rock and was on my way home. Bus 33 was full as usual and we were static at the bus stop… Read More »

Tressie and Bill have gone scuba-diving in Indonesia and to stop their cats dying of starvation I have offered to cat-sit.  They don’t do much these cats. For one thing, they never want to go out. Secondly they just lie about the house doing nothing. Finally they take no notice of me whatsoever, even when… Read More »

It’s Christmas Day and it’s business as usual in sunny Nanjing….. well, maybe NOT that sunny. I checked the air polution index this morning and found it measured well over the maximum recommened level of 100…. 253 means heavily poluted… and that’s the Chinese government meansurement which is usually significantly lower than the America Embassy… Read More »

I had spotted the mosque a week or so ago when I was waiting for the number 7 bus. It is on Shengzhou Lu near the Confucius Temple. Walking today, in the hope of finding some fire-crackers, I wandered past the mosque and decided to pop in to have a look. I have seen mosques… Read More »

I made a rare appearance in the office today to finish my visa renewal process. When I got there, weighed down with paperwork I could hear shrieks from the girls and the boys laughing. Then I saw the reason for all the commotion… a small bright green parrot had sought refuge in the room. It… Read More »

They do it everywhere – not just Shanghai. In the year of the tiger a few years ago I saw lots of striped pups being sold on the streets of Nanjing. I thought they had been sprayed just to make them look like tigers but in the year of the rabbit and this year, the… Read More »

I only wanted some toothpaste but when I go to the supermarket I get this selection. Of course they are all in Chinese so I can’t really tell the difference. But is there a need for so many varieties? Colgate, Crest… they are all the familiar brands but I can’t imagine that you get the… Read More »