Busy busy........

Like all of you we are getting so busy we do not know whether we are coming or going sometimes but this business is not only due to exams and preparation and marking but to sightseeing as well and of course the couple of hours we spend each day on the bus to the Polytechnic.

Since last writing many things have transpired, we have met new people, visited Suzhou which Mick has written about and will put up when he gets the pictures put in, Xitang and discovered local venues such as the Silk Museum and silk street, Phoenix and WuSan mountains as well as the ever available West Lake. We have even been to a concert at the HZ concert hall to hear a Canadian conductor strutting his stuff. So life is busy and interesting.

We have not forgotten about this blog but just haven't had time to spend on it.
Mick is now busy trying to plan our summer trip which is harder that we thought as there is so much to see and do. It has of course been made more difficult by the calamitous events happening in this part of the world. Tibet is unavailable to us without a tour and perhaps not even then as the decision whether to open the border again is not yet certain for July/August and added to that a tour operator recommended by Mick's brother is based in Chengdu the centre of the recent earthquake and lines there are down - or so it seems. He plods on doing his best but it is frustrating as well and as you know takes up too much time.

We will however continue to try to put something up regularly so you know we are still here.

The earthquake was noted here in HZ by the huge wind that occurred on Monday afternoon while I was teaching. It distracted the students and we even looked out of the windows to check that all was well. Later an email from a teacher told us that there had been a shock in HZ and that an aftershock was expected at midnight. We were aware of neither but saw of course the devastation the quake wrought on Chengdu and the surrounding area. Many of you have acquaintances there and I am sure you are concerned.

We follow the evening English news but it is not entirely satisfactory as the sound is bad and the internet takes such an age to investigate and often is unobtainable that we feel somewhat in the dark - not literally thank goodness - about events. We are always pleased to receive your updates of world, national and local events...so thank you.