Moving on up

It's moving week here in apartment 703. We have sorted through everything today and have a huge chuck pile, and heaps of stuff to send as well as suitcases full of stuff to take home on the plane. We still need to pick up our bikes which are being packed in boxes for the ship. My feet are sore and I am tired, luckily the removalist will come and wrap and pack for me. I only need to be here to make sure everyhting gets packed. They will be here at 10am tomorrow. I hope I get a good nights sleep tonight.

I have been to the dentist for which I hope is the 3rd last visit. Today he attached a temporary bridge. If it goes OK for the next 9 days, I can go in to get an impression for the real bridge. Then I will only need to go back and get it attached. After that during the last week I hope to go and get my teeth whitened, it's their birthday special and it really cheap.

So, here is to living in a semi-empty apartment for the next 5 weeks. I am looking forward to some closure on our shipment!

Kane got a job!

Kane had an interview on Monday morning at 6am China time (8am Australia time) and got a job teaching Grade 3/4 for the last 6 months of the school year when we get back. There was an incumbent in the position, so he really must have been the better man (no pun intended!!) I am so proud of him. He really wanted this job and tried really hard to do his research before the interview. So one of us is sorted, no it's just me who needs a job.

My Hens Night

What a night!!!

I got collected at 6.30 by my fairy god mother Erin and taken to Carla's house where everyone was dressed up as ugly step-sisters! I had to answer some questions about Kane and how I met and for each one I got correct, I got a present to open, the first one was a wedding dress to put on, and from then on jewellery to go with the outfit until I was dressed up to go out, but I only had one silver slipper :)

I opened some presents, some naughty (hehehe) and some nice.

As the night wore one, 4 wanna-be princes (!!!!), attempted to try on a slipper, but they didn't fit or match :(
At about mid-night, we stopped at our 3rd bar and everyone got off and made a chapel path with their hands in the air that I had to walk through while 'The Reason' by Hoobastank was playing in the background. And the end of the path was Kane in a gold crown with a bunch of flowers and the matching silver slipper. As we walked into the bar around 80 people were cheering and clapping!

It was such an awesome night.

And no hangover today, even better.

Kelly
xxx

Freakin Tired

...is what I am. It was sports day today. OMG, how exhausting. I have newly found or renewed respect for PE teachers. My voice feels broken from screaming kids names all day in the hot sun and wind. I just don't have the voice for that. Kane is much better at getting kids attention in an outdoor setting.

So, my team came last overall, and 2nd in the track and field events. "We are, we are, Phoenix"!

Luckily we had two former cheerleaders as our house leaders. They were great at motivating the kids, even though they were as exhausted as myself.

So tomorrow is the big day, my hen's night. I know I will sleep well tonight and I think I might need it in preparation for tomorrow evening.

Bye

Damn Blogger

Well sorry folks, it looks like I'll be adding no more photos to blogger for a while which is a shit, because we just got our furniture and it is wonderful. We both love the smell of new wooden furniture.

It is my Hens Night this Saturday evening. I haven't really given it too much thought because it has all been a surprise. I knew it was the 23rd, but what will happen and where we'll be is the surprise. However, the last few days the girls have been coming up to me saying stuff like, "are you looking forward to it?", "I can't wait", "I can't be there, and I'm sorry I can't', etc. It makes me think someone has gone to a whole heap of trouble and I haven't realised it yet.

I need to get through another root canal treatment before Saturday night though, but thankfully my dentist David is putting 1 of the crowns in on the right side of my mouth, finally, after 2 weeks, I'll be able to chew my food again.

Cheers

Week so far...

I now have a very long silk veil to go with my wedding dress. I can't stop looking at them both. I feel like a little girl wanting to play dress ups!!! Is that normal?

We get some furniture delivered this afternoon. I can't wait to see it, it'll be fabulous!

It's raining today, and this is my last free period for this week, as the sports days are on Thursday and Friday, so I really shouldn't be on here, but, it's nearly the end of the year and my dedication is waning.

My Ayi did not come on Monday so our house is quite messy. I can't wait for her to come on Thursday so that our house can become normal again.

Wedding Dress

I got my wedding dress today. I still can't believe that I have a wedding dress hanging up in the cupboard with 2 bridesmaid dresses. I am only waiting on the veil now.

Blogger Blocked Again

Hi everyone,

Please bare with us while blogger is blocked in China again.
Someone has obviously said something that has upset the communists!

Kelly

Almost everything crossed off the list

Today has been very productive. I have managed to fit in a trip to the framer, the silk shop to get a silk cashmere blanket, the dentist for visit number 13, and out to Dulwich for their international day. I bought two silk covered boxes out there. One we got as a keep-sake box of our time in China and we have put in it a few things to remind us of China and our trips while living here and the other is a silk box with a silk covered photo book with black pages. We will use it for the guest book/photos on our wedding day.

The last few weeks have been flat strap. I have had to write detailed lists on my calendar/diary to ensure that I had everything bought, collected or orgainsed by the time our shipment was to be sent. Well, our shipment day is only two weeks away now, on the 31st of May, although because it appears that it will not need as long in transit this time, we may have to push it back to the 6th of June. We need to be in the country before it arrives as it will only take 4-5 weeks this time. We have had our assessment and it looks at though we will be shipping around 9.5 cubic meters of 'stuff'. We have got some pretty good 'stuff' though... Wedding clothes, furniture, bikes, etc, etc.

I pick up my wedding dress tomorrow, Kane's suits will be here by next weekend it is anticipated, the furniture should be delivered this week and I pick up the final framed photographs next weekend as well as another cashmere blanket. I am going to see a tailor this Wednesday about getting a pair of pants copied as I love wearing them, I may get a few extra chopsticks from Carrafour before we go as we also like the Japanese style wooden chipsticks they sell.

All of this to think about and it is my 'Hen's Night' next Saturday 23rd. All I know is that someone will knock on my door at 6.30pm and take me somewhere... where... I don't not know, and that I will be out all night!!!! They're so sneaky, my girls here ;)

After that I have 4 weeks to go out to the pearl market to get my wedding jewellery made. Easy when considering how busy I have been in the last 6 weeks.

Take care,
Kelly

Update

Hi everyone,

I have a mid-week update for you all.

Our flights coming home have been confirmed!!!!

We will fly into Albury Airport at 1.20pm on Sunday the 5th of July.

One day before Kane's birthday.

Bye KK

xxx

Ping'an

On the 5th day on our holiday we took 4 buses to get to Ping'an. A small village of minority folk high up (800-900m) in a mountain village. The village is famous for rice terraces. It was truly amazing! Here are some pictures...

The rice terraces a 7 moons Lookout

A gully with villages houses in the background

9 Dragons lookout

Me with the minority folk and their record breaking long hair, this photos cost us 20RMB!!!!!

The village of Ping'an

Exploring the village

Exploring the village

On the final day we walked around a bit more, and then caught another 2 buses, 3 hours later we were back into Guilin only to take a taxi out towards where we came from... the airport. We got back to Suzhou at 2am, 11 hours after leaving Ping'an, God a hate the travel part, I love the being in a place part but, bring on teleportation I say :)

Yangshou

Yangshou is just gorgeous. I found it so different to Suzhou. For one, Yangshou has only 300,000 people living in it compared to Suzhou which has over 6 million. The sky was clearer, though never clear. The people were so lovely and helpful as well. We stayed 4 nights in a small village called Moon Village about 8 km's out of Yangshou town. It was just gorgeous. We stayed in a Chinese style 4 story house run by a lady named Wei Wei. She spoke excellent English, she was once a tour guide and so could tell us the best things to do and the average price, I still beat her price every time though!!!!We explored the city, rode a mountain bike through some old villages for 36kms and then took a 3.5 hour boat ride down the Yulong River on a bamboo raft push by a man and stick :) We hiked up moon hill and then went right to the top, a little scary if you ask me and Kane. Here are some pictures...

A gate house next to the Li River

Me standing by the Li River in Yangshou town

Kane with our hired mountain bikes during a ride along the Yulong River.

Kane on the raft on the Yulong River

Kane and I at the top of Moon Hill

A view from the top of Moon Hill looking into Moon Hill village

Holidays!

Hi everyone,

We hope you all have a great week. We are off to Guilin/Yangshou tomorrow. We will be away from a computer for a while, so take care, and we'll fill you in on our trip next weekend.

KK
xxx