Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Domestic Workers

After visiting The Peak this morning I went to the bus station to get a bus to Stanley. At the bus station I saw hundreds of young women queuing up for buses. The night before I had seen hundreds of such women sitting outside in the evening playing cards and having a picnic. I couldn’t… Read More »

Spot the difference

They drive on the left, they have electric sockets which fit my camera recharger. My UK phone works here, nobody spits, nobody blasts their horns as soon as the lights turn green and everyone understands me. It’s hot hot hot but everywhere is air-conditioned and thankfully they don’t hang dirty plastic strips in every shop… Read More »

Demolition Derby

I often get on the wrong bus and couldn’t understand why I could get ON the number 15 bus at the office and get OFF at Taiping Bei lu but could get on the same bus and get to my office. It always takes me to Confucius Temple and I have to walk miles to… Read More »

A night in Changzhou

I’m getting some prices together for a possible garment order from my mates at Storm Textiles in Changzhou. Storm Texties belongs to Eric. His mate Dick comes along because he wants to get out of packaging (not literally) and wants to do some business with his old buddy Eric. Dick can also speak English well… Read More »

Angry Zhao

The man I call “Mr Zhao the driver” doesn’t have anyone to drive around now his boss and his family live in London but he has been employed by that family for many years so is the most trusted employee. Mr Zhao does odd jobs around the office and comunicates with the management office. He… Read More »

A day in the life of Shanghai

I love going to Shanghai and am quite happy to go once a week for work. If I have to stay overnight I usually stay on Jiaozhou lu which is close to the Jing’an Temple on line 2. It’s handy and I usually meet up with my friend Jude Shao for breakfast or lunch. Turning… Read More »

My Sheffield Experience

The South East Unviersity is a well respected university in Nanjing – one of the better ones. Every Saturday afternoon and Sunday I go there to work for the British Council. Recently I was surprised to see a huge banner advertising a talk on Novel Sensorless PM Brushless Drives by professor Z. Q. Zhu from… Read More »

Return to Nanjing

I was really looking forward to getting back to Nanjing after 8 weeks being depressed in the UK… so much bad news and miserable people – was desperate to get back to happiness in China. Yes, I know there is bad news here too but it’s sometimes good not to hear bad news everywhere you… Read More »

Nit Picking and Windy Ridges

I bought the Sunday Telegraph and almost immediately regretted saving 20p – it isn’t half as good as the Sunday Times. After spending a few hours reading the paper and Polly scurrying around the house cleaning around me we decided to go to Llyn Mawr for a walk and a picnic. John soon came back… Read More »

Stoats on the Edge

Frank, Julia and I decided that after our big lunch we should get some exercise so we headed out of the back door and straight up onto Bamford Edge in the Peak District (Bamford). The sun came out and we were soon shedding clothes. Walking along the edge we could see for miles along Hope… Read More »