The Year of the Tiger!

Xinnian kuaile!!

So with the Year of the Tiger, I'm back after a 7 month absence, the GFW has prevented access to a number of websites, but we are now the proud owner of a proxy server in the UK, so we're back with access to the world again!! Hello YouTube, Facebook and Blogspot!!

Yesterday, I posted 'diary entries' for the missing time (maybe I'll go back and post some photos to match the stories later, but maybe I won't) and from today I hope to start my regular blogging again...


So let's talk about the kids' birthdays... Ellie turned 3 and and Jamie turned 1 on consecutive Tuesdays, and in the between weekend, we transformed our house into a pirate ship for a pirate party! Ellie had her heart set on a pirate ship cake (yes, from the AWW cake book) and so to match, I made a treasure island cake for Jamie. Mike constructed all the trimmings for a ship from cardboard, including a wheel and cannons! The deck looked awesome!!

Ellie was delighted to have all her friends over, while Jamie was a bit overwhelmed. Overall it was a pretty low key party, but everyone had a good time with a pirate story, musical statues and lots of delicious treats. The birthday cakes were a big hit!!



We've also been busy with the lead up to the Lunar New Year - Ellie was a donkey in the school production, and the toddler part of the show was so cute. The costumes were amazing, and I think all the kids enjoyed getting dressed up.

Last night was the first of two weeks of fireworks. Fireworks are said to scare away the evil spirits, and so are a big part of Chinese New Year festivities. We live on the 21st floor of an apartment building, so we had an excellent view. We went to bed listening to the constant snap, crackle and pop of fireworks and crackers, and seeing the room illuminate as the sparks flew. I am a tiger, and so according to Chinese tradition I am required to wear red every day of the year for good luck - I think this calls for a piece of red jewellery, but today I have tied a piece of red string around my wrist.


Waking up this morning was a pretty treat, as during the night we had a very light dusting of snow... not enough to build a snowman but enough to cover the sports pitch opposite. Looked beautiful.

Happy new year everyone - may you all be prosperous and happy in this new year of the tiger!