LOOKING BACK AT BEIJING

A very busy day, we were up early to be ready for the kitchen fitters who at last have turned the corner from stripping out and preparation to installation and with some of the units in place there is at last room to move and a finishing date on the horizon but a lot to do before then. We went to drop off the washing at the launderette which is miles away, I suppose there is little demand around here, most of the mansions probably have staff to do it! Anyway we then headed on to the Southern Cemetery at Chorlton where we cracked on with the spring clean up of the family graves and planting out bedding. It looks very well, it was the first time Mandy and I had been able to go together after my retirement. They looked worse than they were as the staff cut around areas with bulbs that are tended but by the end of May they are smothered in long grass. The battery strimmer is a great tool at sites without electricity and has made the task less awful. The Hardy family memorial bench has survived the winter intact save for a few bird droppings, we'll return and tidy that further with appropriate materials, actually it a lovely picnic spot.

The weather was again warm and sunny but a cooling front with rain is about to cross to the west although the rain if it comes will be helpful in the garden. Watering the bedding plants and lawn seeds is a twice a day job at present. We then went on to visit cousin Trish and Derek at Sale and popped into Marks & Spencers to get our fruit for tonight ( dieting day) but succumbed to one of their new range of ice creams, think Magnum only better. I've edited quite a few DVDs from the China trip now and lots of clips are on Youtube and the DVDs are being listed on our shop page. We've arranged to have our belated Birthday meal tomorrow at the Dog in Nether Peover with Trish and Derek.

Looking back at Beijing in our photos tonight, the trolley locations are mostly familiar from our last visit although new trolleys and certainly startling are those on the BRT services. A huge city but we covered a fair bit in a day even though we had our only day time rain mid afternoon onwards.