Week 45 - Ding dong ding, everybody sing

These little cuties are in the Early Years Choir... the ones with Santa hats on are 4 years old, and the ones without are 3 years old. They put on a Carols by Candlelight concert (with a lot of help from their amazing teachers) to celebrate the newborn King, and of course the other festivities that go with Christmas!  

The cutest bit was when they all stopped singing and dropped their jaws open when they heard a loud 'Ho Ho Ho' from Santa Claus!  

Week 44 - Christmas Tree Lighting

It's not even December, and Didi has befriended Santa and is leading him around to meet his friends! This was at the Tree Lighting Ceremony at school where the Junior School Choir sang and mulled wine and mince pies were enjoyed by all.

Week 43 - Hongqiao Flower Market

This week I went to the Hongqiao Flower Market, for the first time since moving to Shanghai, 4 years ago - loved it!!  How and why have I never been here before??  Has everything, and does not have the same feel as the fake markets, but can still find a bargain as well.  

The flower section was beautiful and had everything from potted plants, to cut flowers and stunning orchids.  These gorgeous little flower arrangements are especially for Christmas, as the Hongqiao Flower Market really caters for expats, not locals.  They said these would last for one month, so I'll have to go back next week to get one, as we went a few days before the 25th!!

Week 42 - Shanghai Zoo

Took the kids to the Shanghai Zoo, with some reservations with reports of poor conditions for the animals, and ended up being pleasantly surprised.  The gardens in the zoo were lovely, and it was a great spot to see some autumn colour.  Most of the enclosures provided a reasonable amount of stimulation for the animals in the outside sections but the inside enclosures tended to be a little bleak.  Despite no feeding signs, it infuriated me to see people leaning over enclosure walls reaching to the animals and throwing in human food, usually junk food.

I loved the red panda - in Chinese it's name translates to Inferior Panda, but I think it is just lovely, and this name makes it really seem like the poor cousin!

Week 41 - Step into an Optical Illusion

The old Shanghai Slaughterhouse was an abattoir built in 1933, and is now called the 1933 Building. It is made of brushed concrete, and is a series of ramps, bridges and staircases, basically in a spiral, but with a vast number of paths down.  The ramps are quite steep, but rough and ridged to prevent the cattle slipping, and the staircases apparently provided workers with a continuous line of sight to the cattle, while keeping away and safe from the stampede.

The space is now used for exhibitions and functions and is a secret delight of Shanghai that we enjoyed visiting.  That's me and the kids posing on the distant bridge!

Week 40 - Trick or Treat

Here we all are dressed up for Halloween.  My family are all pirates and my friend's family are all witches and wizards.  We had a great night trick or treating around the Green Villas compound, and the kids collected a huge amount of loot!!

Happy Halloween!!

Week 39 - United Nations Parade

This is Didi's class, all ready for the annual UN Parade.  His school has children from more than 60 countries, and his class of 16 manages to represent 12 countries!!  

Don't they look beautiful??

Week 38 - Sports Day

Hang on to your hat... first time these guys are having proper 'competitive' sports day, and in the sprints, you wouldn't want your hat to come off... even at the expense of first spot!!

Week 37 - Dead Things Museum

The Dead Things Museum, officially known as The Natural History Museum, really is just that...  hundreds of preserved dead animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures which have been in some fluid and have truly had all colour leached out!  There are also a couple of models, for example a big whale, and a poster demonstrating human ethnicity focussing on different noses!!

This is the most impressive room with the dinosaur skeletons... but it looks like it was curated in the 1930s, and hasn't been touched since.  It wouldn't be a surprise if Prof Indiana Jones stepped out with a group of students.

Week 36 - China National Day

Look at those flags waving proudly.  

Look at all those people out celebrating.

This is Lujiazui in the middle of the National Day Golden Week Holiday. 

Beautiful weather to cap it all off nicely!!

Week 35 - Fresh Vegetables

 

Look at those shiitake mushrooms, aren't they fabulous?? 

This little truck, which is a three wheeler comes loaded up with the freshest of fresh vegetables you've ever seen and sells them on the street corner, just outside the supermarket, where really you have no idea how old the fresh produce is. You just have to look and you can see it's amazing!!  And cheaper than from the supermarket too!!

Week 34 - View from Lujiazui

Went out for lunch with the girls to Din Tai Fung for some amazing dumplings. It was a perfect autumn day, and the parkland between the restaurant and the river had been recently landscaped.  The view over to the Bund was lovely, and the sunshine made everything glow.

Week 33 - Year 1 Field Trip

Jie Jie and her friends had a lovely excursion to Century Park in Pudong, Shanghai where they were given teeny tiny coloured pieces of paper and then had to find a matching colour in nature to create an artist's palette.  The autumn flowers and leaves were stunning and the park really is a beautiful spot to visit. Funny enough there were about 4 couples visiting the Park taking wedding photos, I bet they were surprised to be overrun by more than a hundred 5 year olds!!

Week 32 - Rainy Days

First wet day at school this year. 

Don't they look cute huddled together beneath the umbrella??

Week 31 - Day up high for Didi and Me

Because Didi is starting full time school for the first time, to ease him in gently for the first two weeks he only has to go until 1pm, and in the first week, only every second day... so to make the most of our last day together, we decided to go up the Oriental Pearl Tower in Lujiazui.  Since I was last up there 4 years ago (when I was pregnant with Didi), they have added this sensational glass floor which is on an outside balcony.  I tell you, I never thought I suffered from a fear of heights, but my tummy leapt into my throat.  Didi wasn't very comfortable either as he reverted to crawling on the glass not walking. This photo just doesn't look real, and when I was taking it I couldn't look at what I was doing, but I love how it has turned out looking straight down the main pole of the Tower.

Week 30 - Back to School

First day of the new school year, both wearing uniforms for the first time, both at school all day! Nursery and Year 1 - how did they get so grown up???

Week 29 - Shanghai Sea Wall

On a glorious sunny morning, we rose early to try and beat the heat and cycle from our home to the coast.  The ride was interesting along canals, through sleepy migrant villages, shanty towns, farmland and forests, over bridges and past a number of sights we didn't expect were so close to Shanghai. 

At the end of the 46.13km round trip, we were exhausted, and spent the afternoon in the air conditioned comfort of home.

Week 28 - Fishing Village

Would you believe this is Hong Kong??  

This is a village called Tai O on Lantau Island.  The houses are built on stilts in the river, which is on the mouth of the sea and at the foothills of the mountains.  It is largely a fishing village, and the walking streets are lined with vendors selling fresh and dried produce, and the canals are the residents backyards with laundry hanging and boats moored.  

As well as walking between the houses, and stopping at a cafe with a balcony over the river, we went on a boat trip through the village which took us out into the ocean, where we were lucky enough to see wild pink dolphins frolicking in the waves.

Week 27 - Paper Cut Outs

Just outside the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office there was a lady selling greeting cards with the most divine pop up cut outs of various Vietnamese scenes when you opened the card.  You can see the post office (in orange), Notre Dame Saigon (red), a vendor with her baskets of fruit and flowers and an elegant lady near a cyclo.  Of course I bought a few... wait for Christmas or have a baby to see if you are one of the lucky recipients!!

Week 26 - Japanese Covered Bridge

The Japanese Covered Bridge is the entrance to the old town in Hoi An and was built in 1593 to link the trading communities on each side of the river.  In the 18th Century a small temple was added into the northern part of the bridge.  The entrances on each side the bridge are guarded by a pair of dogs on one side and a pair of monkeys at the other end.  It is a pretty little bridge and looks gorgeous all lit up at night!

Week 25 - Beach Holiday

This is the private beach at Le Belhamy Beach Resort about 6km outside HoiAn in Vietnam.  We are stayed here for 2 weeks, and enjoyed the beach and blue sky every day!  You can see the Cham Islands out on the horizon, and the sun loungers under the shade umbrellas to give us somewhere to relax and the kids to play.  

What a wonderful holiday spot!! 

Week 24 - Water Puppets

We are on holidays in Vietnam for largely a beach holiday but we had 2 days in Hanoi and wanted to see as much as we could in the short time.  We didn't really know what to expect when we turned up for this show.  But we had front row seats, and so walked along, tempted to drag our hands in the water which was the stage.  Roi nuoc is a traditional Vietnamese art of water puppetry, where the puppeteers are also in the water, behind that green screen at the back of the set. 

The show went for about an hour with 12 short scenes, each telling a Vietnamese folk story, myth or legend set to traditional music. The puppets 'swam' through the water, and were cleverly manipulated to struggle and transform under water.  This scene is from a folk story of a carp turning into a dragon, Thang Long, which this particular puppet theatre was named after.

Week 23 - China Maritime Museum

We keep finding little gems even after 4 years here - this amazing building is the China Maritime Museum out past Pudong Airport in Shanghai. The heat of the day was conquered by the air conditioning inside.  We spent about 3 hours exploring this museum, which was deceptively huge, there were control rooms to play in, engines to adjust, models to look at, phones to talk into, films to watch and computer simulated welding and crane driving exercises.  

It was amazing, and the kids loved it too.

Week 22 - Early Years Graduation!

Such a proud moment, my little girl has officially finished the Early Years Program at school. Where has the time gone?  It doesn't seem like three years ago that she first walked through the gates of school into her morning Toddler class, and then her days seemed suddenly really long when she started full day Nursery, and this year she has learned to read and write in Reception!  And now she's done, completed Early Years.  After the long summer holiday she'll come back to school into Key Stage 1 - big girl now!

Week 21 - Chairs on trikes

For a few days in a row, these three tricycles, well laden with cane chairs of all descriptions were seen pootling around Jinqiao.  Each morning they were parked here fully laden, but by the late afternoon their stock had diminished and they trundled off again.

The stacking of the chairs was truly amazing, an intricate array of ropes holding them in place.  I never saw any transaction occurring, but they were definitely for sale!!

Week 20 - Xintiandi

Sort of out of the blue, an old buddy of Mike's from uni days contacted him and said he would be in Shanghai for a weekend... we met up for lunch at my favourite Hunan restaurant, Di Shui Dong, and then thought we had better show him something touristy in Shanghai.  So we went to the relatively recently rejuvenated show case area of Xintiandi and went to the Shikumen Open House Museum.

I always enjoy going through this museum, and this time, instead of focussing on the structure and architecture, took this photo of the desk in the study. I love the blue and white ink pot and the old family photo.

It's quite amazing really to see the old style houses in Shanghai, even if they have become a bit sterile in the renovations.

Week 19 - Myths and Images Tour of the Bund

Through Time Out Shanghai Magazine, I went on a tour guided by Chen Danyan, an author who has meticulously researched the area surrounding the Bund, and interviewed scores of Chinese people who live, or lived in the area during the time that it was largely an international section of the city.

The tour started on the roof of the recently renovated Peace Hotel, and although it was particularly smoggy this is a view across to Lujiazui from the roof.  This is the iconic tower on the roof which is visible from all around, and makes the Peace Hotel easily recognisable.

The hotel is truly stunning and the art deco interior is beautiful. The spirals, on the cornerstone of the tower are a motif repeated inside. We walked from the Peace Hotel, down to the park where Suzhou Creek meets the Huangpu, then back through some of the lanes behind the Bund, and then finished the tour with a drink at the elegant Glamour Bar, at M on the Bund.

Week 18 - Water, not wine

After about an hour of running around, and scooting, and chasing balloons, and playing with friends and frisbees, Didi kicked me out of my armchair where we had been relaxing with friends and demanded a drink in my 'fancy cup' - very happy with water in a wine glass.

He looks quite at home really... lazy Saturday afternoons in a beer garden will probably feature in his future!!

Week 17 - Founders Day

Founders Day was a day for our school to celebrate its British links, and did so by having a day full of carnival or summer fair activities; including a merry-go-round, sideshows, face painting, sports games and of course a hog roast. The kids loved running around on the field and then we sat to watch and listen to a performance of the combined choir and orchestra, from both the senior and junior schools - incredible talent capped off with an impressive fireworks display.

Week 16 - Dancing in the Park

As a last ditch tourist effort, we spent a day in Puxi, and took Didi along while Jie Jie was at school. We explored the Shanghai Lanes, had lunch in the former French Concession and then went to Fuxing Park to see the gorgeous spring flowers and let Didi go on the Merry-go-Round.  

But what really surprised us was the loud music playing and the number of couples dancing (properly) in the park.  I loved that Didi joined in, and looks like he is dancing with an imaginary partner!  The really random bit, was when the music played was 'Click go the Shears'!

Week 14 - Pearl Tower

Once again we are 'home' in Shanghai - at least for a few months until the summer holidays.

This view of the Pearl Tower is from the Flair Bar in the Ritz Carlton in the IFC - stunning views to enjoy while sipping cocktails!

Week 13 - Here comes the Bride

That stunning bride is my beautiful baby sister.  She is almost ready to walk down the aisle of St James Church, Islington, in London.

I was a bridesmaid with those other two, who are friends of Marnie's from school.  We were making sure Marnie was all ready before we did our final touches, like shoes!

We had a lovely morning getting hair done at a nearby salon, then make up back at the house.  A white London taxi was the wedding car. And the flowers were stunning.

The reception was held in the Islington Town Hall, and despite the weather, the day was perfect.

Best wishes and much love to Mr and Mrs D!

Week 12 - Changing of the Guard

This beautiful horse is a police horse patrolling Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard ceremony, which is held about 4 times a week during spring. 

I took the kids, anticipating walking up to the Palace fence and watching easily... I wasn't prepared for the crowds at all. The crowd from the fence was easily 6 deep, with people of all ages on shoulders as well. All around the base of the Queen Victoria statue in the middle of the road was packed. My little two didn't stand a chance, and I was sure I would lose one of them!  Fortunately we did get a good spot on the barriers onto the road (which averaged 3 deep), and we saw all the Guards march by, plus the marching band and several Royal horsemen.  

But supervising it all were the London Metropolitan Police on their gorgeous horses. 

Week 11 - Finalising wedding flowers

This beautiful collection of spring flowers is in Islington.  From the Karst Peaks of Yangshuo, via a few days in Shanghai, the kids, my parents and I were now in London to help my sister get ready for her wedding.

Here she is finalising her choice for her bouquets... what a gorgeous shop, and what beautiful flowers!!

Week 10 - Karst Peaks

This is the view from our balcony at the Yangshuo Village Inn, a little out of town in a small village called Moon Hill Scenic Village.  The scenery was stunning and our few days here were just amazing.  We had an equally spectacular view out of the other side of our room.

Week 9 - Chicken anyone?

This man, just to the right of the bike, sells these chickens, yes, that one on top and all of those in the cage on the back of his bike.  He will kill and defeather it in about 5 mins, collecting the feathers and blood in that billy hanging at the back; ready to go home and cook. 

Can't get fresher than that!!  But not so sure about any free range standards being met either.

I love his coat just hanging off the side of the cage.

Week 8 - Welsh Dragon Cake

Happy Birthday Mike!!  

But this Welsh dragon cake is not for him... he decorated it with our leftover fondant from the Octonaut cake for his Welsh colleague. According to school tradition you make a cake for the person whose birthday is immediately before yours... as it happens they are on consecutive days, and I often make fun of my Welsh boy, born on St Patrick's Day!!!  

Are you impressed that his clothes for the day match the Welsh flag??

Week 7 - Happy Birthday Helen!

My dear friend Helen turned 40 this week, and to celebrate had a wonderful cocktail party at Isola, an amazing Italian restaurant in the IFC.  The view was stunning as the Pearl Tower was changing colour frequently.

What a wonderful evening!!

Week 6 - Spring is finally coming

These bright flowers are bringing some spring happiness into our home.  It seems to have been a long and cold winter, but finally we are getting some warmer weather.  The flower lady has these beautiful tulips for sale for just 25RMB ($3.70), and after she presented the kids with a sunny gerbera each, how could I refuse? Why is there only one gerbera? Because one of my children decided to remove each petal from their flower one by one on the way home.  

Week 5 - Din Tai Fung

We had a little craving for some xiaolongbao on the weekend, so headed down to Super Brand Mall to Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese restaurant chain which specialises in these delicious soup filled pork dumplings.  They make so many and the kitchen is open for everyone to inspect - I love the stacks of steamer baskets and all the stainless steel in this industrial kitchen.

Week 4 - Nanjing Massacre Museum

I visited the "Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders" on a day trip.  The Nanjing Massacre occurred as part of the Japanese occupation in China during the Sino-Japanese War (WW2). This museum was built on the actual site of one of 26 mass murders which occurred during a 6 week period from December 1937.  

While much of the display in the museum was horrifying, and defied human sensibilities, it was very sensitively done, and provided plenty of room for consideration and thought.

In the grounds of the museum there were many sculptures, like this one.  This is a copper walkway bearing the footprints of 222 historical witnesses, including survivors of the massacre to maintain a permanent memory of the horrors of the Japanese Occupation.

If you would like to see more photos of my day trip to Nanjing please visit my travel blog:

www.aboo10.travellerspoint.com

Week 3 - "Octonauts. Explore. Rescue. Protect.", Jinqiao

The GUP-A cake we constructed to celebrate Jie Jie and Didi turning 5 and 3... 

My contribution was baking 3 slab and 2 round cakes ...

Mike made the fondant and turned plain cake into fancy...

Kwaazi, Captain Barnacles, Vampire Squid and Octopus figurines from Argos...

Happy Birthday Kids!!!

Week 2 - Jie Jie's 5th Birthday, Jinqiao

Happy Birthday Princess!!

Week 1 - Australia Day, Jinqiao

Back in China, and the first post for my new blog with the Welsh theme, what better than to talk about than Australia Day!!   Look at our cuties with their kangaroo flag tattoos on their faces. We are in the midst of the Chinese New Year festivities and we were lucky enough to have the most spectacular firework display outside our window which we said was for Australia Day, but really was for wealth and fortune in this lucky lunar year of the dragon!!