Soaking in Shanghai!

As we stepped off the plane just over a couple of weeks ago, Shanghai welcomed us back with rain!  Apparently at this time of year we get three weeks of rain which is the rainy season.

 It is also known as the 'plum rains' as that is the fruit that is in season here at the moment.  After a sunny and bright UK we were a little underwhelmed by wet, grey Shanghai.  Until, that is, we saw the umbrellas and ponchos - available in all colours!

Everyone uses umbrellas when is is raining as it is too warm to wear waterproofs.  So in the heaviest downpour you are out in flipflops, your summer clothes with an umbrella.  Other footwear of choice are ankle wellies ( probably won't be getting a pair of those!) and crocs.

Thankfully, coming back to Shanghai did feel like coming home and we were pleased to meet up with friends who were great at distracting us from the jetlag.

Last Saturday Zak had his first birthday party to which we all went.  To the delight of Oliver and William, Steve and Lucy had organised a bouncy castle and various other activities for the older children.  To the delight of Sam and I there was lots of lovely food and wine (thank you for having a driver!)!  It was a fab party and great fun catching up with everyone.  It was also lovely to meet Lucy's parents, particularly her father aka 'the cleverest man in the world'!

We didn't realise but it turns out that the last three weeks in Shanghai are the busiest socially.  Schools finish and people flee the heat and some peopls are leaving for good.  This means that there are lots of drinks, coffees and meals out before the long summer break.  A hard life!  Sam has very nobley taken on the task of organising nights out for the men left behind by their wives and children!  On Thursday we went out with Kerry and Aled and were lucky to be able to sit outside and admire the view.

William and Oliver had their last art and music classes and came home with a pair of rather spectacular ladybirds - or ladybugs as the teacher called them to Oliver's disgust!  They also had their last sports class and finished with a team photo!

Green and Pleasant Land - Week 2

After a day recovering from the wedding ( thanks Mum for the lie in) we got back in to the process of catching up with people.  The Magees came for lunch and a play in the garden on the Sunday and Sian and Tim arrived from Cardiff. 

In the evening after offloading the children (Thanks Mum and Dad again!) we walked to a pub on the river and met Beth, Scott and Phil for a meal and a few bottles (!) of wine.

We then had a quiet couple of days enoying the nice weather and shopping for everything we wanted to take back to Shanghai.  William and Oliver spent time helping Grandma in the garden and playing thumb war with Grandad! We met up with Anna, Gerard and Amanda (and her bump) for a lovely mexican.  We went for a drink with Anna afterwards and she managed to smash a full glass of wine all over Sam!

On the Wednesday we headed south to Hayling Island where the Grants were holidaying and spent the day on the beach with them.

The weather was lovely and the Hawkridge's nearly managed to shed our jumpers whilst the Grant's were in shorts and tee-shirts and Alice and Charlie went swimming in the sea!! We had a delicious bbq for lunch which nearly resulted in disaster when Oliver stepped on a hot coal (taking after his mother!).  Luckily Sam got him in to the sea and then a bucket of cold water and all was fine.

On Thursday Sue and Suresh came to Guildford to spend the day with us and we had the hotest day so far.  We spent it in the garden, had a Chinese curry (Xiaolan's recipie) for lunch and supper on the terrace, by which time Sue and Suresh were enjoying a well earned rest having spent most of the day pretending to be wolves or little pigs!!!

On Friday we went to the Rowland's for lunch and we spent the afternoon in the garden whilst Oliver, Harry and William entertained us with their version of The Village People's YMCA!!

Alice decided she was off at the sight of them all!

That evening we went out for a meal with Caroline and Phil.  We had a lovely evening and even ended up at the Royal Oak for a drink where I bumped in to an old school friend!

Saturday was another hot day and we headed over to Kent to see John, Jo, Zoe, Harry and Chloe.  We had a fab day in the garden, on the tractor (which William and Oliver both had a go at driving) and in the paddling pool.  Oliver was in the wars again, this time stinging his hand on some stinging nettles, which almost resulted in a bush fire after John's attempts to get rid of the offending nettles with a blow tourch!!

On our last day Pam and Allan came up for the day for luch which was lovely and we got our packing done and had a nice relaxed evening with Mum and Dad.

The Wedding of Matthew Brown and Vanessa Ohlymeyer

Friday the 27 May arrived and the main reason for our visit home: Matthew and Vanessa's wedding.  Sam and I left Oliver and William for the day in Guidlford and set off for Cheam.  We arrived at the house to find Matthew, the best men and other usher fairly relaxed and ready to go. 

A few last minute tweeks to button holes and we were ready to set off for the church.  Thirty seconds later we arrived at the church - handily close as a couple of things were forgotten! 

As two o'clock approached Matthew began to look nervous and Vanessa was running traditionally late.  But we didn't have long to wait until we glimpsed the bride looking stunning, walking down the aisle. 

The service was fantastic, my reading went well and by three o'clock there was a new Mr and Mrs Brown.  Then the party began!

We all made our way to Nonsuch Mansion, a beautiful manor house built in the 18th century.  There, over copious glasses of chanpagne and delicious canapes (especially the risotto balls!) we caught up with Jim and Emma and Greg and Jacqui.  The rather good MC (Sam!)  called us in to dinner and we sat down to a delicious meal of ravioli, lamb and cheesecake.  The small portion sizes of meat in China must be having some effect as I gave two thirds of my meat to Jim and Greg and even Sam gave some of his away!  Greg also had my cheesecake - which he could not remember the next day!

Following dinner were excellent speeches by the father of the bride, the groom, the best men and a bridesmaid.  Vanessa had a teary moment when she realised what she had done!  Actually it was Matthew's fab speech that reduced her to tears.

After dinner we were entertained by an excellent band and following the brilliant first dance by Mr and Mrs Brown we all took to the dance floor to prove we could dance!!  The wedding photographer followed Emma and me around the dance floor until we agreed to have a picture with him!

 Miraculously, Sam and I managed to get our train at three minutes past midnight (with a little help from some revellers outside a pub giving us directions to the station and laughing at us as we standing right outside it) and were fast asleep by 1am - luckily in bed and not somewhere on a train in Surrey but only because Guildford was the last stop!

Green and Pleasant Land - Week One

We arrived in the UK at about 6pm on Satruday the 21 May and drove straight to Guildford to celebrate Dan's 30th birthday with the Smiths, Smiths, a Smith and Jarmski!

Despite not having slept much on the flight, champagne, a bbq and good company (my family and a few other animals!)  kept us going and we went to bed at 11 thinking we'd have a good sleep. 

Unfortunately, William and Oliver woke at 4am suffering from jet lag, fortunately Sam stayed up with them and watched Harlequins triumph in the European cup, so it wasn't all bad!! Somehow they managed to keep going until bed time!  Over the course of the week they woke later and later and settled on around 7am as a good time!

During the first week back Sam was back in the Ford office at Dunton and nearly at his old desk!  He had a good week catching up with friends (and doing some work!). 

William, Oliver and I spent the week catching up with the Magee girls at Godstone Farm, the Rowland's in Guildford

and the NCT girls, children and new babies at the ever popular Tumbletown.  It's hard to believe that in four years the numbers have nearly doubled!