Yes, yes I know. I have binge eaten very badly over the past few weeks. All the delicious but naughty things that I can’t get in China. Fish & Chips was up there at the top of the list but I also indulged in flapjacks, toasted tea cakes, cream teas, Cadbury’s Dairy milk and sandwiches. That’s right, bread isn’t really a thing in China so sandwiches are rare. You can get them in Starbucks but they are not really very exciting. Not like the array that we can choose from here.

So now it’s back to a low carb and low sugar diet and to be honest I am quite looking forwards to it. My digestive system certainly is. If I was back permanently I would go easy but I kept thinking that this was the last chance in a long while… so I am taking a little more weight back with me than when I arrived!!!

To be perfectly honest it has been wonderful to be back somewhere where I can read all the signs and where I understand everything that is being said around me and I don’t have to be careful about which subjects I talk about. It’s lovely to be able to use complex language structures and know that everyone around me also understands.

It has been a holiday of touring Britain seeing family and friends who I haven’t seen for four or more year, but it a tad exhausting doing a road trip around the country when I wasn’t at peak fitness.

First stop was Morpeth in the North East to see the new home of Gordon and Anita, church friends who have relocated there. What a surprise Morpeth was with its market town atmosphere and delightful shops. I even made purchases at Rutherfords, one of the country’s few remaining independent department stores.

It was a perfect opportunity to meet the new members of the family who have both been born since I was last here. What a delight that was.

Then to Oliver & Steph’s first wedding anniversary meal at the venue, which gave me that chance to see the place where they married which I had only seen on zoom up to now.

Then it was on to Swindon to catch up with Ade and her expanded family. We helped to rescue Ade when she was trafficked and we have kept in touch all these years. Her kids are lovely.

Finally to Swansea where the weather turned and we had a mostly indoor time with Phil and Mike. Phil and I were colleagues at the University of Cumbria and they are both Sinophiles so we are hoping that they will come out and see us when they visit Harbin.

We also visited a former Shanghai friend in Chester where we were treated to a tour of the city centre and a little walk on the old city walls.

Then a trip down to Surrey to stay with more former Shanghai friends in the gorgeous village of Claygate. We visited the village Flower Show and this was so quintessentially British that I felt I could have been in an episode of an Agatha Christie novel.

The next evening the massive marquee was used to host a performance by the tribute band…

Again, this was so British as sat outside with our drinks and picnic listening to the music.

Finally, it was down to Bournemouth to stay with the girls and their parents who were visiting from India. This was a little more challenging as they spoke no English and our Gujarati is absolute zero.

The occasion to celebrate was Anissa’s graduation. She did exceptionallyp well getting a First in Social Work from Southampton Solent University. She really worked hard and deserved the success

In between all these visits we worked on the house to get it ship shape. We had new secure doors installed, security cameras and blinds etc. All good progress.

We visited tea shops

And walked along the Promenade

My impressions of the UK after 4 years away are that things have deteriorated. There are more potholes in the roads, signs need cleaning, lines in the road need repainting. Everything is SO much more expensive and the country is plagued by strikes.

As a case in point we needed to be at Manchester airport for an 11am flight. Only an hour away this shouldn’t have been a problem but there was only one train that would have got us there in time for checkin and we couldn’t take the risk that it would be cancelled. So we decided to go the day before and stay overnight in the new airport hotel (very nice indeed and I would recommend it). Our train was a lovely new one. Very nice I thought, but lo and behold we were turfed out at Preston because the replacement guard did not show up! Typical! Then we had to wait an hour for the next train as there were faults on the signals. oh Joy! Transport in China is not like this. It is fast, clean, cheap and above all reliable.

And so we leave the country where you can pretty much guarantee to find toilet paper in public conveniences (I have relished this) and where you get funny looks in cafes and bars when you ask for ‘hot water’ and return to China.

We need to go back early because Kevin has to renew his visa before the end of the month and I go to the Taiji summer camp.

I did some taiji practice in some beautiful locations

The weather during my stay hasn’t been great. The earlier heatwave finished as soon as I landed in the UK and temperatures have rarely risen above 20 degrees. It has been windy, often wet/ showery and I have made great use out of the few long sleeved and waterproof garments that I packed! It is going to be a great shock to the system to return to the temperatures in the high 30s and full on humidity. We won’t know what has hit us.

Now that borders have opened up again and travel is possible we would love to have visitors if anyone would like to have a taste of the orient. Just avoid the summer if you don’t like extreme heat. Lol.

Yes, yes I know. I have binge eaten very badly over the past few weeks. All the delicious but naughty things that I can’t get in China. Fish & Chips was up there at the top of the list but I also indulged in flapjacks, toasted tea cakes, cream teas, Cadbury’s Dairy milk and sandwiches. That’s right, bread isn’t really a thing in China so sandwiches are rare. You can get them in Starbucks but they are not really very exciting. Not like the array that we can choose from here.

So now it’s back to a low carb and low sugar diet and to be honest I am quite looking forwards to it. My digestive system certainly is. If I was back permanently I would go easy but I kept thinking that this was the last chance in a long while… so I am taking a little more weight back with me than when I arrived!!!

To be perfectly honest it has been wonderful to be back somewhere where I can read all the signs and where I understand everything that is being said around me and I don’t have to be careful about which subjects I talk about. It’s lovely to be able to use complex language structures and know that everyone around me also understands.

It has been a holiday of touring Britain seeing family and friends who I haven’t seen for four or more year, but it a tad exhausting doing a road trip around the country when I wasn’t at peak fitness.

First stop was Morpeth in the North East to see the new home of Gordon and Anita, church friends who have relocated there. What a surprise Morpeth was with its market town atmosphere and delightful shops. I even made purchases at Rutherfords, one of the country’s few remaining independent department stores.

It was a perfect opportunity to meet the new members of the family who have both been born since I was last here. What a delight that was.

Then to Oliver & Steph’s first wedding anniversary meal at the venue, which gave me that chance to see the place where they married which I had only seen on zoom up to now.

Then it was on to Swindon to catch up with Ade and her expanded family. We helped to rescue Ade when she was trafficked and we have kept in touch all these years. Her kids are lovely.

Finally to Swansea where the weather turned and we had a mostly indoor time with Phil and Mike. Phil and I were colleagues at the University of Cumbria and they are both Sinophiles so we are hoping that they will come out and see us when they visit Harbin.

We also visited a former Shanghai friend in Chester where we were treated to a tour of the city centre and a little walk on the old city walls.

Then a trip down to Surrey to stay with more former Shanghai friends in the gorgeous village of Claygate. We visited the village Flower Show and this was so quintessentially British that I felt I could have been in an episode of an Agatha Christie novel.

The next evening the massive marquee was used to host a performance by the tribute band…

Again, this was so British as sat outside with our drinks and picnic listening to the music.

Finally, it was down to Bournemouth to stay with the girls and their parents who were visiting from India. This was a little more challenging as they spoke no English and our Gujarati is absolute zero.

The occasion to celebrate was Anissa’s graduation. She did exceptionallyp well getting a First in Social Work from Southampton Solent University. She really worked hard and deserved the success

In between all these visits we worked on the house to get it ship shape. We had new secure doors installed, security cameras and blinds etc. All good progress.

We visited tea shops

And walked along the Promenade

My impressions of the UK after 4 years away are that things have deteriorated. There are more potholes in the roads, signs need cleaning, lines in the road need repainting. Everything is SO much more expensive and the country is plagued by strikes.

As a case in point we needed to be at Manchester airport for an 11am flight. Only an hour away this shouldn’t have been a problem but there was only one train that would have got us there in time for checkin and we couldn’t take the risk that it would be cancelled. So we decided to go the day before and stay overnight in the new airport hotel (very nice indeed and I would recommend it). Our train was a lovely new one. Very nice I thought, but lo and behold we were turfed out at Preston because the replacement guard did not show up! Typical! Then we had to wait an hour for the next train as there were faults on the signals. oh Joy! Transport in China is not like this. It is fast, clean, cheap and above all reliable.

And so we leave the country where you can pretty much guarantee to find toilet paper in public conveniences (I have relished this) and where you get funny looks in cafes and bars when you ask for ‘hot water’ and return to China.

We need to go back early because Kevin has to renew his visa before the end of the month and I go to the Taiji summer camp.

I did some taiji practice in some beautiful locations

The weather during my stay hasn’t been great. The earlier heatwave finished as soon as I landed in the UK and temperatures have rarely risen above 20 degrees. It has been windy, often wet/ showery and I have made great use out of the few long sleeved and waterproof garments that I packed! It is going to be a great shock to the system to return to the temperatures in the high 30s and full on humidity. We won’t know what has hit us.

Now that borders have opened up again and travel is possible we would love to have visitors if anyone would like to have a taste of the orient. Just avoid the summer if you don’t like extreme heat. Lol.

We began the day at Rosenborg, once the ‘pleasure palace’ of the Danish monarchy. By that I think that they mean summer go-to rather than anything more sordid!

Built in 1606 by King Christian IV in the style of the Dutch Renaissance. Like much of Copenhagen it is on a smaller scale than other European cities but still quaint nevertheless.

Today Rosenborg houses many of the treasures of the royal family along with the Crown Jewels in sumptuous rooms filled with ornate ceilings and multiple oil paintings.

For an early 17th century castle it was ahead of the times in having a downstairs WC complete with wall to wall tiling.

If you ever wondered what the nobility in Denmark got up to the the 17th Century for fun then look no further. The answer is here- the trouser wetting chair.

The unsuspecting victim would be asked to sit in the chair which would then release two prongs (seen in the circles) and at the same time make a farting sound. Water would squirt out of the prongs and into the lap of the poor gentleman making it look as through he had wet his pants. Simultaneously if a button on the back was pressed then a puddle of water appeared beneath the chair. Such japes! It makes me wonder if life was really really boring in the winter here…

The Crown Jewels were smaller than ours and less heavily protected but beautiful all the same.

Then on to the Round Tower which was once part of the university. It contains an observatory and planetarium at the top, a library (once upon a time) and a church for the student at the bottom (because education and religion were intertwined)..

The tower is unique in that access to the top is via an internal ramp rather than stairs

Peter the Great once rode up here on his horse!

No visit to Copenhagen is complete without seeing the Tivoli Gardens. Essentially one of the world’s oldest and most expensive fun fairs nestled in between beautiful gardens and fountains.

There are several stages for concerts and other performances. It was Jazz Week when we were there so music surrounded us at every turn which was rather nice.

We resisted the urge to spend vast amounts of money on either the rides or the numerous wine bars and high end eateries. Instead we wandered around just soaking up the carnival atmosphere (and a little bit of rain).

Finally a visit to Christiana, a strange hippie commune in the heart of the city full of graffiti, wall art and hash ( which we were offered but didn’t buy!)

I was delighted to find on the Tomas Danbo’s trolls here. I had seen his work on Facebook They are so full of character.

Finally, I made it back to the UK however the long haul flight really took it out of me, even with the airport assistance (invaluable). I found myself back in Blighty but quite run down and even needed some support from the good old NHS. It was quite lovely not having to even think about payment. I honestly don’t think that we appreciate our health services enough.

Originally we had planned an action packed month traversing the country a couple of times and visiting people that I hadn’t seen for a long time. It was going to be a squeeze to fit everyone in and sort out the house but I was looking forwards to it. However all that had to be curtailed and I was forced to pace myself, sleeping regularly and cancel it cut short some visits, which was a great shame but necessary.

One of the things which we did prioritize was Oliver & Steph’s first wedding anniversary celebration which was held in the same venue as the wedding which I had missed.

It was a nice opportunity to meet some of Steph’s extended family and to catch up with mine.

But in all the visiting we had planned a little break for just us. A mini break somewhere that we hadn’t been before. Kevin had arranged it all and we went for a long weekend to Copenhagen.

The weather was dull, wet and dreary when we left Manchester but we arrived to glorious sunshine. It was lovely to be in a European city after 6 years traveling around Asia. Little things like coffee in the hotel rooms (although I did actually miss not getting my 2 bottles of water) and no noodles for breakfast!!!

We took a sightseeing tour on a boat around the canals.

The Danish in the 1600s wanted to attract the wealth of the Dutch so modeled much of their new city on Amsterdam hoping to attract lots of guilder but it turned out that the Dutch preferred their own Amsterdam because everyone there spoke their own language. So the experiment in Copenhagen failed. All that remains are the colorful buildings.

Below is an interesting recycling plant, the one with the chimney on the right. It burns rubbish to generate power for the city. At the side is the world’s largest climbing wall AND a dry ski slope! How innovative! This is the way we should all be going really. I was impressed.

The navel vessel beside it is known as the ‘whoops-y-Daisy’ due to an unfortunate incident a few years ago when the captain accidentally fired a missile into a group of holiday homes, destroying 4 completely and damaging 140 others (one of which belonged to his mother-in-law!) He apparently got off scot free and the missile launching company was blamed for faulty equipment!

Which isn’t. This is in fact an ordinary stone bridge painted to look more opulent with a marble effect but which ended up costing much more than if they had used marble in the first place!!! The folly of mankind.

Where Hamlet was performed on its opening night. This theatre is interesting because it is built on special poles which absorb body heat and recycle it to form the heating in the building. another great innovation.

It’s much smaller than you imagine. Commissioned by the son of the founder of the Carlsburg brewery (yes Kevin had some) and modeled on the likeness of two different people. A famous ballerina called Ellen Price and the sculptor’s wife (as Ellen Price refused to pose naked). She has been vandalized many times and has had at least two new heads. So locally she is known as ‘Frankenstein’.

I love the shape of this spire. There are dragons at the base which were placed there as protection against fire (this is a very Chines idea and animal spirit protection can be seen on many rooflines in Asia). It has worked here though as despite several fires the building has remained untouched.

This is the view from our room. We got an upgrade (thank you Kevin). More lovely spirals. It looks to me like a helter skelter.