Holiday fun

China's National day falls on the first of October.  As with the Chinese New Year three days of paid holiday are given, and the surrounding weekends are re-arranged so that everyone has seven continuous days of holiday.  These seven day holidays are known as 'golden weeks' and are usually not a good time to travel within China!  Having been back in Shanghai for a little over six weeks, we decided to spend the holiday at home.  It is often a good time to be here as the weather is a more bearable British summer temperature and the city can feel quiet, as everyone has headed off on their hols.  

Sam had the first Saturday of the holiday off and we started it with jidan bing for breakfast.  These delicious pancakes filled with egg, ginger, coriander, chilli and fried dough are a firm favourite with all of us.  We have recently discovered a new street stall near us which sells the best ones we have ever had.  Whilst sitting on some steps eating them a man approached William and Oliver and told them that they are now truly Chinese!

     

      

      

Unfortunately, in order to get his seven days off Sam had to then work on the Sunday and Monday.  The boys and I headed up to meet him for lunch at our favourite duck restaurant and to then go round the aquarium.

                                  

      

      

 The following day the boys and I met Anna, Oscar and Eva for a picnic in Century park.  I thought I had found a  nice quiet area until the school parties arrived!!

       

       

The rest of the holiday week was spent riding along the canal and watching the fishermen, picnicking,  swimming, making crafts and playing with friends and eating lots of jidan bing!

      

      

Towards the end of the week our neighbours, from the US, invited us to a 'black' party.  When I looked blank she explained that it was at the end of the day, everyone brings some food and drink and hangs out outside their house.  I made some comment about it being dark so hence the name black to which she now looked a little confused.  Sam then asked if it would be ok for us to head over at half five and she looked more confused and said is five thirty ok.  We had a chuckle about all speaking English but still having problems communicating.  At half past five we headed over to their house excited to be experiencing yet another different cultural experience.  We were chatting about the name of this type of gathering when someone explained that it wasn't a 'black' party but a 'block' party!  So basically a street party!  It was a fun evening and the cultural experience was learning that although we have a common language there can be a huge divide.  

Mr and Mrs Goodson

Earlier this year we had received the fantastic news that Tim and Sian were engaged, but unfortunately for us, when they set the date of the wedding as 7 September, we realised we would not be able to go as we were already due to be back in the UK in early August and also the boys would already be back at school.  However, as the date got nearer we realised that there was no way the Hawkridges could not be represented and so I booked my flights for a long weekend in Cardiff.

At 4.40 on Thursday 5 September my alarm woke me and I set off on my 20 hour journey to Heathrow, via Dubai.  I decided that, as I was landing at Heathrow at20:30 that evening, instead of heading straight on to Cardiff I would stay at an airport hotel.  And so I found my self checking in to the EasyHotel, which as you can imagine was fairly basic.  However the bed was very comfortable so I got a good nights sleep, which was not all that surprising given that I had been up for 25 hours.  When I woke up I was pleased to see that the extra £2 I had paid to have a window was money well spent...

                                   

                                   

On Friday morning I got the National Express coach to Cardiff where I was met by Tim, who had decided to pick me up in Sian's MX5 as it was a sunny day, great idea until he realised I was armed with a big suitcase ready to bring back all of the items Lucy had ordered over the Internet, so I wedged my self in with the case as my very own seatbelt come airbag.  We headed straight out for lunch with Sian and her father Wynn and then Tim and I went and did some food shopping followed by a coffee to catch up.  That evening Tim and I went out for a great meal and a few pints with Tim's friend Leighton, Wynn and Tim's soon to be brother-in-law Gareth.  We were very sensible and headed home in good time, which for Tim and I meant heading back to Leighton's bachelor pad.

                                     

The previous evening Tim had asked me if I would do a reading, which of course I gladly agreed to, but then established Tim did not have a printed copy.  Luckily Leighton had a printer, so on the morning of the wedding, after several electric shocks trying to remove a jam, I finally had a copy to practice.  After a full English at the house, Tim and I headed down to the venue to put all the seat covers over the chairs, it was good to see that Tim is still able to find ways to save a bit of money!

The ceremony at Cardiff Civic Hall went off without a hitch, Sian looked stunning, Tim got very emotional and my reading seemed to go ok.  The weather was perfect, the sun shining whilst we had photos before we all head to Cardiff Bay for the reception.  The meal was excellent and it was great to catch up with some of Tim's friends who I do not see very often and of course Phil and Caroline

                                       

       

                                    

After the meal one of Sian's friends suggested we all go on the carousel outside and I think it's safe to say we drew quite a crowd!!!

                                     

                              

The evening do was held at a small club, where we were joined by more friends so it was great to see Syd and Kev for the first time in almost 3 years!  The drinks kept on flowing and as the DJ cranked things up the only thing left for me and Phil to do was show everyone that we have still got the moves for the dance floor, at least we felt sure we did anyway!

                       

I had a lazy Sunday morning at Tim and Sian's, taking the opportunity to watch Match of the Day, until Mr and Mrs Goodson arrived back from their hotel and we then had a few hours recounting stories from the day and having another full English!

At 2pm Tim and Sian set off for two nights of Glamping in west Wales and I set off on my 27 hour journey home involving a coach to Heathrow, a plane to Dubai (where I managed a spot of breakfast and duty free shopping, including finally finding a 10th anniversary diamond ring for Lucy) and another plane to Shanghai.  I eventually flopped into bed at about 00:30 Monday night feeling very tired and not particularly excited about my 9am Tuesday meeting, but it was worth it as it had been a fantastic few days, which I would not have missed for the world.

Back to school for Oliver but not quite for William and other medical dramas

Oliver and William started year 2 on the 21 August.  Unbelievably, this is their third year at the school here in Shanghai, and we are still not used to the August start.  It feels wrong!  I went in with William and Oliver the afternoon before to meet their new teachers.  We are delighted that they are both British- lessens the chance of developing an American accent! 

That first morning back we all had to be prised from our beds to be ready and out of the house by 745.  Even at that time it was pretty hot and we had a rather sweaty walk to school.  

                                 

After picking them up at the end of the first day they both chatted all the way home, buzzing about their day.  William even declared that Miss Wright was his favourite teacher. 

      

However the buzz didn't last too long, as after supper William called out that he had swallowed a marble.  I rushed up to him to discover that he had swallowed a ball bearing from a magnet game.  William, Oliver and I jumped on the bike and went to the doctor round corner who said that she thought it best for us to go to the hospital, so we returned home to wait for Sam to pick us up.  During this time I felt pretty calm and William seemed fine until he turned to me and asked if I thought he was going to die!!

Thankfully Sam soon arrived and we headed off for our first A and E visit in China.  As we drove in to the hospital there were hords of people milling around and coming and going.  It looked like it would be a long wait.  However because of medical insurance we were whisked through to the VIP section.  William was seen and x-rayed immediately and the surgeon saw us within a few minutes.  The ball bearing was clearly in his stomach and having examined another one from the game the doctor was confident that it would do him no harm and should be allowed to pass naturally.

                                 

 In the interests of making some money he said we could admit William to be monitored overnight but it could take about three days to come out.  When we didn't look that keen he said we could all have beds and order takeaways, all on our insurance!  But he also said it would be fine to monitor him at home which is what we decided to do.  

For the following two days I kept William home from school and closely watched over his toilet habits. On Saturday at pretty much exactly 72 hours after swallowing it, the ball bearing reappeared.  

Luckily Sam had taken over monitoring duties by this time.  

                                   

William was delighted to see it again, although disappointed that it had lost its shine.  He and Oliver insisted on it being washed and put it back in the game.  The following day William took it in to school to show the class, along with another one from the game so he could show them how it had changed colour.  His experience fitted in rather nicely with the work they are doing about the human body in science!

Life didn't quite return to normal as a cough Oliver had had got worse.  A visit to the doctor resulted in being told that he had seasonal asthma.  We were given a course of steroid tablets and inhalers.  However, nothing seemed to be working and typically, while Sam was away living it up in the UK at the Goodson wedding, Oliver got worse. We went to a different doctor who, at once, suggested that he had a chest infection.  Blood tests revealed an infection and Oliver was sent for a chest X-ray.  The medical clinic we go to is a private one, however the X-ray was a real eye opener.  Oliver, wasn't tall enough for the X-ray machine so the technician was momentarily thrown until she spotted a two drawer filing cabinet.  Se wheeled it in to the room and with great delight lifted Oliver on to it.  I had Daily Mail headlines flashing through my head when I considered had this been an NHS, let alone private, hospital in the UK!  Oliver was very brave and gave me a little wave from the X-ray room in to the parents area.

It turned out that he had quite a bad chest infection and the doctor decided to give him antibiotic via IV. I talked him through what would happen and he was fine until the nurse failed to get the cannula right the first time.  Then he quietly cried until they got it in to his other arm.  He soon cheered up when the nurse gave him a lolly.  

                               

                                

It took about two and a half hours for the whole drip to go through, during which time Oliver decided he needed a nap. 

                               

 The following day he was allowed to go to school but had to return to the doctor after school for another IV.  Another nurse was on duty and asked me how many people did I think were needed to hold Oliver down while they inserted the cannula!  I told her that as long as she got it right first time he would be fine.  She was fantastic and he even claimed it didn't really hurt!

The doctor diagnosed pneumonia which meant he has been put on antibiotics for ten days and needs to have another X-ray.  In himself he seems fine and is more than happy going to school!

Having not had to really utilise the medical facilities in Shanghai other than for routine appointments, it seems that this is our year for getting the most out of our insurance! 

Dubai - fountains, fish and ninjas.

On this trip home to the UK we tried going via Dubai, firstly because it was cheaper and secondly to help with jet lag.  On the way out we had one night there but decided to have two on the way back, giving us a full day to see a bit of Dubai.  Sam was flying home for work so had a seat in business class which he gave up for me for the London to Dubai leg of our journey.  I had a lovely relaxed flight drinking Verve Clicquot and having delicious food paired with excellent wines.  

     

   

Unfortunately I was only able to make one visit back to the three boys as the seatbelt sign seemed to be on rather a lot and my book was gripping!

In an attempt to combat jet lag we forced ourselves to get up in the morning and head down to breakfast which was pretty much eaten in silence by Sam and Oliver, the non-morning members of the family.

After a short walk to the metro and a quick journey we arrived at the Dubai Mall.  

                               

All of us were impressed by the sheer size of it.  Sam and I quickly snapped out of our mall gazing when we heard Oliver shout 'Cool, William, look at that Ninja'.  We realised that the boys had never seen anyone in a burka before and gave them a quick lesson on Dubai culture!  

The morning was spent looking around the excellent aquarium and lunch was eaten watching the fountain display. 

                                  

       

                                   

                                 

  

 A trip up the Burj Kelifa had been intended until we read that, although it is the world's tallest building, it's observation deck is 22 metres lower than the Bottle opener in Shanghai. 

                                  

                                  

 Having made that saving I had a quick look in the gold souk but couldn't find anything I liked.

Our afternoon was spent by the hotel pool swimming and relaxing and eating pizza for supper.  It was lovely to sit outside and enjoy the very different Dubai heat and the lack of mozzies.  

                                  

                                  

Gadding about Guildford

After the wedding we collected the boys from Sue and Suresh where it sounded like they had had a fab time.  We then spent a day at John and Jo's before they headed off to Canada.  Oliver and William enjoyed seeing the cows and riding in the tractor.

       

       

     

       

       

    

After heading back we chilled out for the weekend in Guildford before Sam headed to Essex and work for the week.

Mum, Dad and I took the boys to a local National Trust property, Clandon House.  In the grounds is a Maori Meeting house which was purchased for £50 by the Earl of Onslow in the 19th Century and shipped from New Zealand to Guildford. When we were in New Zealand in February we went to visit the village it comes from.  

         

       

                                       

       

We also spent time going out for coffee, going up Guildford Castle (an annual pilgrimage for the boys!) and playing in the garden. 

        

 Mum and I also enjoyed a few g and ts looking at the view.

        

      

Sam and I met up with friends for dinner in London one night and I spent a day with the Magee women at Godstone Farm.  

        

        

At the end of the week I headed to Essex to meet up with Jess and Louise and meet their new arrivals and Sam came back to Guildford with us.

On the Saturday we spent a lovely afternoon and evening at the Rowlands where we were joined by Tim and Sian.  We drank champagne to celebrate their engagement and clearly took our eye off the ball with the children.  

       

They all dressed up, went a bit 'Lord of the Flies' and locked Tim and Sian in the playhouse and then undressed and went on the trampoline! 

      

      

The Sunday was spent with Zoe, John and Chloe seeing their new house and trying out their new local which was rather good both for food and children.

     

The evening was spent with Beth and Scott and the girls seeing their new house and chasing foxes round the garden!

For William and Oliver's birthday Ellie and Dan had offered to take them to the Natural History Museum to the dinosaur exhibition.  Oliver and William had also expressed a desire to go on the London Eye.  Early on the Monday morning we headed up to London on the train and managed a trip on the eye without too much of a queue.  

       

This was followed by lunch and a trip to the museum which the boys and all of us thoroughly enjoyed.  

      

     

      

      

The mechanical dinosaurs were fantastic and very realistic.  

       

That evening William and Oliver fulfilled a dream.  In my parents garden is a playhouse and last year my mother told the boys that they could sleep out in it the following year.  Oliver, William and Sam headed off down the garden and set up camp for the night in the house.  They all slept well but were disappointed not to see the foxes.  

       

                                    

Our last day was spent buying last minute bits, including school shoes, and packing.  The last evening was spent eating fish and chips with Mum and Dad and sharing a few glasses of wine with Janet and Sue.  But the holiday wasn't quite over as we were looking forward to a couple of nights in Dubai on the way home.