Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

The warmth and joy of Summer and Autumn now lay beyond my grasp yet somehow remain close enough for me to feel them for an instant in the wood fires that keep the villagers warm at night along with that one off warm and sunny day that remains standing shakily on its last legs allowing random times for a good four to five hour bike ride.

Even though we partitioned to have it cancelled, winter was somehow allowed.
Politicians hey, can’t trust them no matter where you are!

Upon waking last week the last of the warmth that has been accompanying the daylight hours scampered to the land down under where I’m sure my family can be found rocking back and forth in their sunny corners repeating 'we are so warm we are so warm.’ The first ‘post scampering’ thoughts that found their way to my crazy conscious were that of ‘where the hell are my thermals!’  Yes winter has finally found its way to my part of the world so now it’s time for me to reacquaint myself with the couch, heater and DVD remote that I left behind nearly two and a half years ago and catch up on what everyone else has been watching over the past three seasons.

The days are bleak, the nights cold and everything in between is a wash of grey.
So far though it hasn’t been enough to dampen our spirits!

My northern winter jacket has only been out of the cupboard on four occasions and helped me stop freezing to death whilst sitting in a hospital colder than the Polar Regions for several hours each night for nearing a week. Sitting above me was a ‘drip’ that due to being room temperature (that of polar!) made my arm feel like someone was shoving ice into my veins for some sort of punishment.

Why was I on a drip?
Because I’m male and we believe we will ‘just get better’.
I had an aching ear that after three weeks began to fester and bleed on my pillow.

It didn’t get better by its ‘Male Self’ (of course) and it then took many types of pills and three drip bags each night before the doctor could get anywhere near to syringing and scraping away twenty years worth of ‘deafening moshpits’ and ‘earphoned adventures’. I am pleased to say that after what came out of my ear during my last two visits that all is well and Slayer still sounds like Slayer and Pink Floyd actually sounds much crispier and clearer.

What came out of my ear during my last two doctors visits?
Stuff not much worse than the ‘additions’ the McDonalds Crew adds to your burgers!

There have been a few splendid days during which I’ve snuck a day’s riding in beneath sunny blue skies. Sadly though the pandas are tucked away and sleeping soundly here by half past five when it is time to light the candles and cook dinner over a wood fire…if you lived in a village that is. I don’t so I head out for a walk for a few hours, have dinner and then either curl up on my couch and watch a DVD or head to MiMi’s Pool Hall for a couple of games.

Other than that, most weekends find the Leeds Lads half here and half there, visiting friends but here in Shaowu there is always a big dinner on where we warm ourselves by gorging on delicious food washed down by far too many cold beers after which we head to KTV where we strangle cats over more beer for far too many more hours.

Living in a rice field!
Tis pretty cool, pretty neat!
You really should try it sometime!

Now For a Bit on Singles Day – 11th November

Singles Day falls on every November 11th and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one exclusively for people who are still living the single life and it’s not so strange that China is the only country in the world that has set aside a special day for singles to celebrate their lives. Singles Day was first celebrated at universities in Nanjing city which is the capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s and got its name Singles Day as the date is comprised of four "ones".

Singles Day is now a special day for fashionable youths.

Singles Day is usually celebrated by having dinner with your friends, most of which will be single. It is also important that each person pay their own way which allows them to show their independence. On the other hand, many singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day by attending 'blind date' parties and along with choosing to marry on this day.

While relatively obscure in most other countries, Singles Day is likely to increase in prominence here in China as more single men are unable to find female partners. According to a recent study by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, more than twenty four million Chinese men could find themselves without spouses by 2020. Many younger women prefer someone rich and already in a position of some social status which of course excludes younger men, who are then left without a partner.

For breakfast on Singles Day, singles often eat four Youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks) representing the four "ones" in "11.11" and one Baozi (steamed stuffed buns) representing the middle dot.

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by Mclusky.
The album was ‘My Pain & Sadness’.

Along with Dern Rutlidge
The album was ‘Johnny No Straps’

Richie Ramone you’re freaking awesome!
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