Taking a toddler and a preschooler to China may have been an interesting decision. The toddler and preschooler are now 8 and 10 and so far don't regret it. Having landed on England's soil a year ago now, I can't say we have settled but circumstances and things do feel slightly less painful than they did from the word go when we arrived. After being semi- immersed in a people's way of being and language that is so very different to the British way, although I was desperate to leave China, it wasn't easy to return to some place and people that were at the same time familiar but now changed, diff ..read more

Hello and sorry for the prolonged disappearance of blogs. Seems l’m locked out of this blog via usual website login since l updated my phone (codes not being received by new SIM details etc) . Lockdown returned immediately after Chine New year and we’ve all been in a way conscripted into the fight against Covid. Every other day we are required to queue up for a nucleic acid test and we all have digitalized colour codes on our phones. Green means Covid free and not been near (800 m away) confirmed Covid cases and yellow means been near Covid and red means you have Covid.We are sort of governed ..read more

We are on the ascent to Golden week holiday. It is the holiday associated with the Mid Autumn or moon/mooncake festival (Zhong Qui Jie) and the government grants a week off work. Out of the 4 Chinese festivals, this is my favourite, partly because it was the first festival we experienced when we moved to the country, partly because Chinese New Year is so big and generic across Asia, partly because I have no idea what goes on in the April tomb sweeping holiday (its a solemn, private family affair), partly because never having competed in a dragon boat race, the June Dragon boat festival seems t ..read more

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain Published in New York by Macmillan: 2014 Diane Chamberlain is from New Jersey; USA. Her career before becoming a best-selling author was in social work and psychotherapy. She has written 27 novels and is the New York Times, USA Today and Sunday Times best selling author. The Silent Sister is a story of mystery as the main narrator; Riley unravels the secrets and lies of her immediate family's past. After her father's death, she returns to her former family home and RV park that was owned by her father. She has an awkward relationship with her brother who ..read more

The region around Guilin in Guanxi Province, China was the first area to open to tourism after the revolution. Once one has hiked along the furtile Longji rice terraces or strolled along the Yulong river at the foot of the Conical Karst Ruyi Mountains, one can understand why. As someone who has travelled there from Shanghai via sleeper train, it felt as though we were crossing borders into another country, the land was so different, the rural local culture and people so very contrasting to those further in the North, (hospitality was on a higher level, pace of life slow and easy). The only neg ..read more

The sweat has dried off just enough to enable typing without drowning the keys. It's time for another sizzling Suzhou summer with daily 90 per cent humidity saturation and 'feels like 43 degrees' temperatures. We cope by avoiding midday outdoor heat, finding opportunities for water submersion and taking heed of our UTI symptoms, (probably too much running, not enough hydration). Aside from UTIs, a ripped-off toe nail; (Emily) and an infected spider bite abscess; (Gideon), we have been quite healthy. I somehow forget that the blazing Suzhou summer is twinned with electrifying storms and river ..read more

If you are looking for a cuppa, some of the well-known franchises such as Starbucks, Costa and Pacific Coffee have made their indelible mark in Suzhou Industrial Park, (SIP). Hands down, Costa make the best mocha in the land. Starbucks has an impressive reserve in both SIP and Shanghai. But maybe you are looking for something a little less obvious and mainstream. Thanks to arduous, lengthy, caffeine-fuelled research, I have created a favourites list that will take you off the beaten track (a little) and involve very good coffee. For the more quirky and the quaint, I would recommend heading to ..read more

House Rules by Jodi Picoult, published in 2010 in America The story is told from multiple characters' point of view. It is divided into short chapters, and each chapter is seen through the eyes of one of the characters. The story's central character is arguably Jacob, a teenager with Aspergers syndrome who has a special interest in forensic science. As the plot develops he is framed as having murdered his good friend who his mother is paying for him to socialise with, (and on whom he has a crush). The second most significant character is Jacob's sacrificial, loving mother who works at least tw ..read more

Thinking about visiting Shanghai but not sure where to start or what it really has to offer? Shanghai is fascinating melting pot of foreign, private and state investment (approximately 1/3 each). It is a modern, bustling, coastal city that seems to sprout new attractions and buildings almost overnight. Read on to discover why the glittering lights of Shanghai have so much gravitational pull, with some helpful tips to make the most of your stay. 1/ The Huangpu River The city is essentially divided into half by the Huangpu River, with Puxi area, (the more established, historical part of town) i ..read more

As a foreigner in Suzhou it can be hard to find the locally- acclaimed and established amenities and shopping spots. The following provides details of some of the best market-style shopping facilities within and around the city. 1. Pearl Market Wei Tang Pearl Market Located: 20 Km North of Suzhou Industrial Park in the Xiang Cheng District. Zhong Guo Zhen Zhu Cheng, 88 Pearl Lake Lu, Wei Tang, Xiang Cheng District Tel: 13616270215 Travel by car takes approximately 45 minutes Travel by bus 7 and 871 takes 1 hour 40 minutes. The wonder of this market is that you are encountering a significant p ..read more