The sky is on fire, the streets are crackling and the cats are making a yawling noise and hiding under the sofa. It must be New Year again. I thought it might be quieter down here at Tressie’s house but it looks out onto a bridge over a lake and it makes an ideal launch… Read More »
My friend, the mad maths professor Zhemin, and his wife invited me to lunch in a nice hotel in Shanghai on Tuesday. As they they had mentioned Nanjing salted duck several months ago I thought it would be nice to take them one for the Spring Festival. I got it from the market for £2… Read More »
It was cold, icy with snow flurries, people wrapped up warm and doing last minute shopping for Spring Festival tomorrow. I had unwisely decided to go to shops and stock up on pizzas and chocolate for the holidays so that I needn’t leave the house. I had already had an unsuccessful trip to the German… Read More »
Unusually I was invited to do some work down in Hangzhou and it was handy as I had already decided to go there for a few days to give my lungs a break. A few nights in a plush hotel with a suite including kitchen, washing machine and more, was just what I needed. I… Read More »