Well, it was a late night and an early morning, with some of us almost unable to sleep with the excitement of it all. I have to say she didn't look like herself in her new uniform:-) but she was very happy and bounced all the way to school - "Papa, Papa, Mama - STOP! I'LL go infront, you follow me, I'll show you the way!!" Brill. Had a little moment when Mrs Gowland the headteacher took her away. Kept wondering what she was up to all day long. But managed to go swimming on my own while Mam looked after Oscar, who is becoming more, well, just more every day.
It was a blast from the past going to Chester-le-Street baths; my dad used to take us almost 30 years ago & it's still exactly the same. Anyway, Elly bounced out of school at 3.15 into an incredibly windy afternoon and ran all the way home pulling poor Benji with her. Her teacher, Mrs Muxworthy, said she'd had a good day, went a bit wobbly at lunchtime but everyone wanted to be her friend and she'd painted a nice picture of a flower.
I still can't get used to doing all of this stuff in English, and driving on the other side of the road still doesn't come naturally at all. But by far the biggest culture shock I'm suffering is the sheer choice of things in the supermarket. Last week, for example, I went to get some sugar. You can get caster sugar, golden caster sugar, organic golden caster sugar, Tesco's home brand, Silver Spoon, light brown cane sugar, dark brown cane sugar, and different varieties and brands of all these besides... it's the same with flour, and pesto, and toilet paper, cereal, bread and almost everything demands a substantial amount of consideration, which when you have a bouncing Elly and a bawling Oscar bodding around, isn't the most effective way to shop. And all of the supermarkets are in competition with each other too, and so there they are on the shelves, slagging each other off. 'Earl Grey teabags 1p cheaper than Morrison's' claim Tesco's. So far I've played it safe and gone organic wherever possible. Apart from usually being pretty good it cuts down the options dramatically!
Enjoying the weather oddly enough and the sheer Englishness of it all. Missing wholeheartedly Virginia and the Casal, the warmth of the sun, the coffee. But not the dusty house!
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1 comment:
nice blog !!!!!!!!
last year i went to china tour in that i like : Zhao Mausoleum (Zhao Ling)
about : Zhao Mausoleum (Zhao Ling)
Zhaoling is the mausoleum of Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty (618-907); he was one of the most brilliant rulers in Chinese history. Located in Jiuzong Mountain, 83 kilometers (51.5miles) from downtown Xian, Shaanxi, Zhaoling is the largest among the 18 mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty. It is also the largest royal mausoleum in the world.
Covering an area of 87.5 square miles, Zhaoling has 190 satellite tombs that have been verified with 37 which have been excavated. Th owners of the satellite tombs include famous ministers, royal families and high officials. All five forms of satellite burials in history have been represented here thereby justifying Zhaoling as the most typical imperial mausoleum in China. The configuration of Emperor Taizong's tomb as it overlooks the satellite ones symbolizes the utmost authority of the emperor.
The style of Zhaoling as it is set against the mountain is a miniature of the renovation in Tang Dynasty. Record has it that before her death, Empress Wende told Emperor Taizong that her burial site should be placed against a mountain so that there would be no need to build a tomb. After her burial, the Emperor wrote on the tombstone that an emperor regarded the whole world as his family. Why be bound to a mausoleum? In the mausoleum against Jiuzong Mountain, there was no gold or jade or anything precious except for some earthen and wooden wares. These were placed here to pacify thieves; their existence or loss was not important. From the excavated parts of the mausoleum, we could now say that the whole project was lavish instead of thrifty. Therefore, in setting the tomb against the mountain they protected it from theft rather than the initial propose as requested by the empress.
The construction of the mausoleum lasted 107 years beginning with burial of Empress Wende in 636 until completion in 741. Rich cultural relics were left on the ground and underground. Zhaoling as a witness to the development from the beginning of Tang to its eventual prosperity. It is also a valuable treasury to help us know the culture, politics and economy of the Chinese feudal society; kept in Zhaoling are large quantities of calligraphy, sculpture and painting works. The epitaphs written by reputed calligraphers in Zhaoling can be said to be the norm of calligraphy in the beginning of Tang Dynasty. Murals in Zhaoling are a portraiture of the real life in Tang Dynasty with a romantic touch. Glazed pottery figures are daintily designed with bright colors.
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