Musings from Beijing

It looks like Beijing might be permanent for us now that I have discovered where to buy marmite. This place has an amazing combination of cool, kitsch and wacky all rolled into one. Last week we went to a restuarant and ordered fish, so 10 minutes before fantastically named "inside out fish" is served a waitress comes round with a box and lifts the lid and this huge fish almost jumps out of the box, waitress puts lid back on box, goes round the room showing person at the table in turn before heading off. 10 minutes later we have fresh fish for dinner!
I guess in china, having fish is like getting a bottle of red.

Just loving it

Bucket & Spade - Rant du jour

I am going out of my mind trying to book a nice decent holiday in ye old England. It is nigh impossible. Basically, we have a live in a crazy world, where all the middle class people in this country are trying to do their best for the environment and so try their utmost not to fly, hence the resurgence of the bucket and spade holidays. All well and good except, there is next to nothing of a decent standard in the entire country, ok I jest there are 10 lovely chintz free establishments. But guess what all of them cost the earth, are run by the pickest of people (in rural England the customer is Pauper not King) and most frustratingly they are all booked. Every last one of them. All of a sudden last week's report in the FT of a huge increase in sales of private jets makes a lot of sense, what’s a bonus-heavy City slicker to do, there is nothing for it but to get off the island, and leave the conscience-ridden middle classes to fight it out for the last of the chintz-free spots for their hols.

To end: Mother of three WLTM fun child friendly resort type situation Nr Dartmouth from 3rd August Any takers? I thought not

The Sisterhood is Alive and Kicking

All those who fear the death of true sisterhood (what with, militant feminism, and the rise of the stiletto-wearing-corporate-climbing-care only for numero uno ladies out there) fear no more. Underground in London, the sisters are, yet again, doing it for themselves. Seven years in London and several tube rides later, a clear trend, confirmed in this morning's crush hour, has emerged.

It is the demise of the gentleman that we should fear. Time and time again, when an obviously pregnant woman is on the tube, it is the women, not the menfolk, who stand and give their seat up for their fellow sisters.

Long live the sisterhood, or as the say in the homeland "Emang Basadi!"

The life and times of a Motswana Abroad

The right to the title "Motswana" has been contested over the decades, but I shall wear it and own it with pride and those that quibble, may quibble away!

The latest drama in life has been trying to answer the age old dilemma of how to convince the children to speak Setswana and not just to understand it. To that end, I have enlisted the help of a fellow Motswana at the High Commission and hopefully something will come from my plea for the High Commission to assist with the establishment of classes for children of Batswana abroad to speak Setswana with each other. Watch this space

All other ideas about how to do this are most welcome