Week 25 - First haircut

It was so hot and sticky, and his long curls were giving him heat rash on the back of his neck and a few dreadlocks were forming, so I took him to Head to Toe, Jinqiao to have his first real haircut at 18 months old.  (We have trimmed it once before.)  He sat so still, while the snipping and combing was going on, sitting in a little red car - you can just see the steering wheel and back tyre.  He never ever stays still that long when I try to brush / comb the knots out!

Week 24 - Baishuitai, Yunnan

Baishuitai, or White Water Terraces, are about 100km from Shangri-La and was one of the most beautiful localised spots we saw on our trip. The terraces are formed as a combination of erosion and deposition of limestone, and the area has an incredible amount of water continually flowing, higher up the mountains in streams, and then just flowing over the stone. It is high altitude, so the water is cool, and also I think the cleanest flowing water I have seen in China!

Week 23 - Shangri-La

That's me and Ellie lolling about in rubber rings. We are relaxing in the Tianshenqiao Hot Springs not far out of Shangri-La. The water in the pool comes out of that cliff, and is hot like a bath. The minerals in the water made our skin tingle. Such a magnificent spot for a swim, surrounded by the cliff, mountains all around and you can hear the rapids in the river running just next to the pool.

Week 22 - Dali, Yunnan

This lady was selling chickens, for dinner, not egg laying, and although these 3 were on top of the basket, it was full of more chickens. Not exactly RSPCA approved! And certainly not free range now!

Week 21 - Kunming

We're on holidays in Yunnan, and while this is not the most beautiful photo of the region, it is interesting! This guy is curing pork legs using a blow torch, on a gas barbecue!! Then he picked up the leg and scraped off the burn, and then did it again. We didn't have this guy's pork, but cured pork leg is used in loads of dishes and is delicious. Mike was thinking about a dish called Pork Propane.

Week 20 - The Bund

Mike and I went out for lunch at Lost Heaven on the Bund, and then thought we'd go home via the Bund to Nanjing Dong Lu station, thinking there would be very few people because of the weather... How wrong were we? The crowds were still there, just under umbrellas. I love the sea of umbrellas crossing the road and up on the riverside promenade, where there is no shelter at all. I also love the misty view across to Pudong.

Week 19 - Thumb Plaza, Lianyang

Mike and I were out celebrating the end of the school year with his colleagues, and decided to walk home. It had been raining while we were there, and the lights were looking beautiful in the puddles. Mike took this long exposure shot, and I walked through it. So did a lady wearing elegant high heels... Sort of eerie.

Week 18 - Duolun Road

Our last ditch tourist outing for Mum and Dad's trip was to Duolun Road Cultural Street, in the Hongkou district. It's full of sculptures of writers, and there is a Modern Art museum, and loads of little trinket shops, one of which reportedly has the largest collection of Mao Badges. We went while Ellie was at school, and it was just a morning outing. We had coffee and cake in this building, the Old Film Cafe, but these girls, and also some very well dressed men were doing a model shoot and we kept seeing them as we walked along the street. I thought their qipaos were beautiful, and they looked so elegant in their various poses.

Week 17 - M on the Bund

I have wanted to go to this restaurant since arriving in Shanghai (almost). It is run by Michelle Garnaut, an Australian chef and Kylie Kwong visited the restaurant in one of her TV series. Anyway, with Mum and Dad visiting, I finally got to go!! We left the kids at home, and Mike was working and the three of us went out for lunch... the table setting was exquisite, and the view fantastic. We were sitting out on the terrace with phenomenal views down the Bund and across to Lujiazui. Lunch was delicious!!! This photo of course is of the view, through our glasses of Taittinger - what else would you drink?

Week 16 - Womende jiating

Womende jiating means our family in Mandarin. This is my family - my mum and dad, my sister, my husband, my kids and me.

We were all together for one week in Shanghai - Marnie flew in from London to see us while Mum and Dad were visiting too. Our house was full, but it was so good to have everyone here! Of course we talked about arranging a full family photo a number of times during the week, but this was taken just before we called a cab to take Marnie to the airport to fly home again!