Bits & Bots & Bollocks (mainly bollocks...)

Back in the routine at weekend...

Walked to Sanlitun, our usual haunt on a Saturday - very cold but sunny & fresh : too cold to sit outside at the pie shop, so lunch at our new 'find' - a hearty noodle soup, dumplings & the most wonderful hot honey & grapefruit drink - total cost about 4 quid. Pity they still let people smoke indoors here - we really notice the difference, horrid when some inconsiderate sod lights up at the table next to you (and then possibly clears his (or her) throat)...

Off to see our watchman "You will like this - GENUINE FAKE!".....he knows I like anything that's red & black, although why it seems to cost more to make a watch that's red & black is beyond me, although he always has a good go at explaining why they are more expensive!!! He's learned to understand the word "BOLLOCKS!" before we agree on the usual price...all part of the fun...

Then off to the DVD shop - I've missed it. My favourite place in the whole wide world (that isn't covered in a sort of silky or lacy material)- I bought a pile of stuff and have been watching (then writing up reviews) pretty much one per night (sad, I know...)

Sunday, I walked to Solana - very colourful, which cheers me up. Even the trees outside have retained some colour. They were filming outside one of the bars I pass and I expected someone to come flying out of the door on the wrong end of a Kung-fu kick in the bollocks...

The fountains outside were frozen - it's about minus 8 degrees here at the moment, but no snow or frost, because the air is so very dry.

This shopping area is very 'westernised' as it's close to the US Embassy & an area where us ex-pats live (so it's not cheap!) and the word SALE is everywhere. I tried on some jeans in 'Pull & Bear' but they made me look like I was a penguin wearing a nappy. I guess that's why they were in the sale...I was going to take a photo as I looked in the mirror, but thought it would look odd - even the sound of the phone 'clicking' would alert the person in the next changing room & the assistant and they'd give me funny looks when I came out...

I've been cooking a bit more at my apartment, using some of the food I brought back from the UK - I only have one pan, so it can be a bit of a struggle at times...I had SPAM (grilled until crispy at the edges, of course, causing much smoke) with 'Bachelors' savoury rice, with some jelly I made the night before. Impressed? I was very frustrated with the jelly - I wanted to eat it straight away & didn't realise it had to 'harden' overnight - I shoved one bowl in the freezer to speed the process up - quite creative, I thought - but it was a disaster - was like slop with some frost on the top.

Class...

 

PS - I can't 'see' my blog (it's blocked, even via VPN)and I'm told some of the photos come out the wrong way round...sorry - they look ok when they leave here by email to be bounced around the world before they upload...