It’s Spring in Beijing at the moment (or “dust season” if you prefer – Beijing is has a variety of hideous weather to suit all seasons), but given that Winter (or “death season” if you prefer) often sees temperatures of around minus 20 degrees Celsius, warming up takes a while – it’s roughly the equivalent of a Canberra Winter.
Today (well, 31 March) was super exciting, as it turned out. Louisette began holding onto her toys for the first time. I’d seen her grasping for her hanging toys (she loves hitting them – involving a great deal of adorable and random flailing with the occasional hit) so I placed the toy in her hand and watched in delight as she gripped it and shook it, making it rattle. This expression is halfway between delight and concentration.
Oh yeah, and we did a bit of China stuff too. We visited the (outside) venue where the wedding will take place – a beautiful sheltered courtyard with a Chinese-style pavilion.
And here’s the mandatory “street scene” shot for a new city (that’s the CCTV tower spire in the background).
I’ve had a simply brilliant time constantly using (and, frankly, needing to use) my pathetic scraps of Mandarin to get around – since Bil and Bonnie are a teensy bit busy with their impending nuptials. As an Australian, any bilingualism is pretty much a super power.
Tomorrow (ish): Baby in a bar.
Hmm when I went to China most people I bumped into spoke enough English to understand me when I spoke it myself. But I was in Shanghai, not Beijing… though I would have thought they’d be much the same!
Bonnee: Hone Kong was super easy. Here in Beijing not a single taxi driver has spoken any English at all, although most hotel or hospitality staff speak at least a little.