The Ciel Show

By Ciel - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Best laid plans...

Still trying to get back on Mountain Time, I didn't go to bed last night at all, stayed up all day. After drowsing a few times in the chair in front of the tv, I finally got up and went to bed around 8pm. Then I woke up three times before getting up again 4 hours later. Rats. So, I had some soup, watched some more tv and wrote here, and will try to sleep again, maybe get in another 3-4 hours before having to be functional tomorrow. Well, I guess that is pretty much the pre-trip pattern. But I... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 1:36 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Good to be home... but...

Is all this sneezing a cold coming on? Or did I forget to take my daily allergy pill? Guts are unsettled, too--so glad that didn't occur last week! The clock within is still really confused, as I find myself waking up at odd moments in front of the tv or dropping the book from my hands... this is why I don't read big heavy books in bed. Photos are getting processed up onto flickr, there are still a couple of batches to clean up and post. This has been good to do since my writing brain has not... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 2:19 PM | add or view comments (14) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, April 11, 2019

And back home again...

Back to my comfy chair, my own bed, a cat that is keeping the closest of tabs on me... And 800 photos to process... I will start with my favorites, clean out the extraneous, and in a while, post by themes on Flickr. Meanwhile, there is packing to undo, and laundry, of course. There are purchases and gifts to sort... Have you ever noticed after a trip away suddenly you can see what needs to be done around the house? So there's that, too. I have a few postcards to send out--email me your address... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 11:27 AM | add or view comments (10) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Bags are packed...

...and here I am, awake early again at 3:30 in the morning, second-guessing and worrying... One item we plan to take on the plane as a carry-on is a heavy cardboard tube containing my rolled paintings and Charlie's new flute. What will they think it is in the x-ray? Does that long metal tube look like, maybe, a pipe bomb? What if it won't be accepted as a carry-on due to size and shape? Carrying it through the security scanner ourselves, we can open it if necessary, but if we check it as... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 1:08 PM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, April 8, 2019

April on The Great Wall

I am soooo tired! We have been to the Great Wall and back, and I have had far more exercise... Well, as much as the day of the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace, but not just walking far and far... This was hills and stairs, going up and up stone steps and ramps, and coming back down and down stone ramps and steps... We spent as much time getting to the Wall itself as we spent on the Wall--maybe more! I will write more of this adventure in the Travelblogue, for now, suffice it... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 11:55 PM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Big V, I blame you!

I went to sleep soon after reading some of Big V 's mystery blog about the house at #407, and dreamed... I heard of such a great deal on a house here in China that I bought it sight unseen! Then we went to see it. It was a very small house built up above a cinderblock wall about 12 feet high. The thing was, there were no stairs--only a sort of ladder made of leather strips looped and rivetted into a series of toe-holds, and these in two lengths rather than a single one, so you had to switch out... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 5:01 PM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Temple Cat

We met a new cat today that hangs out at another temple on our street. This one was on someone's lap being petted when we arrived and went up to say hello to the man and the cat. The man soon got up and left, and the cat remained. From the look of this one, he is an elder of cats, and he was also the cleanest animal we've seen since arriving in Beijing. Well, besides the otters maybe. He's a golden tortoise-shell/tabby, with fur that has a gleam going on. He sat a bit forlorn-looking and I sat... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 1:51 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, April 6, 2019

The end is in sight...

Here it is, Sunday... We have only three more days before flying home. Monday we have a tour of an antiques market planned, and Tuesday, a trip out to a section of The Great Wall. We have a quiet day in mind today, just a stroll down the street towards a grocery store and a couple of restaurants. I expect we will choose one of those for lunch. We ordered room service last night. One dish was simply steamed broccoli in a light garlic sauce, the other was some kind of thing that was not green... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 2:27 PM | add or view comments (2) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, April 5, 2019

Starting Saturday

Today we plan to visit the zoo, especially the pandas. We'll take a taxi there and back again to save my back and hips which just can't take all the walking, so we will cut back on that as we can. The subway system is only a couple of blocks away, and would take us right there but would take a lot longer in transit. Charlie found something sort of fascinating in a terrible way: puppy-shaped ice cream. He said it was good and chocolatey, but acknowledged he should not have named it. Wu Ping, if... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 5:58 PM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

a few more notes on the trip

For the first time since we arrived here, I have managed not to fall asleep around 5pm here-time which is 3am home-time. This improves the chances of not waking at midnight, ready to begin another day. Naturally, our internal clocks will adjust pretty much in time to go home and be off by 14 hours there. Something happened on yesterday's tours that was unexpected and amusing: three times Charlie and I were asked by different pairs of women to let them have their photos taken with us. It's kind... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 4:49 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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About this Blog

I'm doubtful the events of my life will be of great general interest, but I'd like to share a little more of me to the several of you on Blogit I've come to feel are real friends, and the many I imagine are potentially real friends. We'll see how it works out. ______________________ all my words and images posted on Blogit are copyright 2005-present, all rights reserved.

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