Apple tree and Chinese candy

In my mother's and brother's backyard is an extremely prolific apple tree; it has been producing apples at an incredible rate - to the point where Mum and my brother had too many apples and had to give some away. As such, when I went over to my grandparents' house today to do some gardening and other work for them, I brought with me a huge bag of apples for them. On the bright side, with all these apples we have fresh fruit for the time being!

While I was at my grandparents', however, they had something for me: A bag of Chinese candy. One of my cousins and his girlfriend were recently in Hong Kong and they brought back with them a load of candy from there. They gave a lot of it to my grandparents; however, it was too much for my grandparents and so they gave the excess candy for me to share with Mum and my brother.

Excess apples, excess Chinese candies - what fun!

Paris climate agreement

So while the current President of the United States seems set to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement, which is about reducing the world's greenhouse gas emissions and overall pollution, China and the European Union will be issuing a joint statement to stress the importance of the deal:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40106281

If the United States were to withdraw, it would only serve to further undermine its credibility, more so coming off the back of the president's disastrous meeting with NATO. Then again, the goal of this president seems to be to undo everything the former president did and to permanently trash the United States' reputation.

United States-China environment cooperation

I saw this article posted to President Barack Obama's Facebook page:

"Chinese cities pledge early carbon emissions peak under deal with U.S."

I am delighted that the United States and China are both working together to curtail the amount of pollution they each generate. The two nations might disagree on a variety of issues but it pleases me when they find common ground and that good feeling is further increased when it's on an important issue such as the environment.

I tend to dismiss comments that debate whether or not climate change is man-made because I think that reducing pollution is a noble goal in itself. Why would anyone want to live in a toxic world?

From China, with love

My Hong Kong uncle and cousin living in mainland China, both of whom are in the United Kingdom until next month, came to visit this afternoon. They stayed for over two hours before they returned to Nottinghamshire.

It pleased us that they visited; while my Hong Kong uncle came here within the last two weeks, prior to today, the most recent time my cousin in mainland China came here was for my 21st birthday party back in November 2011.

Everyone now returned

None of my relatives who were visiting are present here anymore. My Hong Kong uncle left in the late afternoon on New Year's Day and he should be back in China now. The house has felt different now that he's away again...colder...quieter. I'm back to being the only member of the family living with my grandparents.

College begins on the 7th of January. I'm looking forward to attending college again; my only gripe is that the new term doesn't start on Monday the 5th. Monday is a teacher training day, hence why there will be no classes then.

2014 birthday celebration

My birthday took place this month. My parents and brother came over on the day while my Nottingham aunt, uncle and cousins arrived for dinner. We ate fish and chips and Chinese food for the main course, and for dessert we ate a cake, which my brother baked:

It was a chocolate and raisin cake, which was delicious. As for gifts, my family gave me some money, my own baking tray and measuring spoons. I enjoyed my birthday and I look forward to being able to make desserts with my new utensils!

After Christmas Nottingham visit, 2012 (2)

My family and I travelled up to my grandparents' Nottingham yesterday morning to spend the day with relatives. The journey was awful for me, worse than it was last year: before I went to bed on Christmas Day I ate nearly an entire box of chocolate mints, so that combined with the twisty roads to Nottingham nearly made me sick. I was glad I could have my window open to allow the wind to blow through otherwise I would have vomited. It was my own fault, and should have known better than to gorge when travelling the next day.

To move on from my travel sickness, the people present for the day were my grandparents, Nottingham aunt and three of her children/my cousins (one of my older cousins, the one who currently works in China, was there); East of England aunt, uncle and cousins; my uncle currently in Hong Kong, the brother of my Nottingham uncle, and my older cousin's boyfriend. We last saw my oldest cousin at my 21st birthday party and my Hong Kong uncle this recent summer; I had never met my cousin's boyfriend before, but it was certainly a pleasure for me and my family to meet him.

The gift we brought along with us was another photo album for my grandparents. They appreciated the album we made for them for their 50th wedding anniversary; for Christmas, we created an album of pictures taken at their 50th. They loved it.

I helped my grandparents in the kitchen in preparing the meal, which consisted of turkey, roast beef and ham, with stuffing, stuffed olives and a large bowlful of salad - that last one was particularly delightful to prepare, as I asked to slice the cabbage. Based on the mostly time we had while eating I would assume that the food was highly satisfying! (I relaxed a fair amount prior to having any food, so I wasn't in any danger of being sick.)

Much of the day was spent talking and catching up. It was interesting to hear about my uncle's and cousin's lives in China; their experiences of the country differ, especially since my cousin lives on the mainland rather than Hong Kong. My brother and East of England uncle, both being the cameramen, took numerous pictures of the occasion throughout the day. In the late afternoon the family created a playlist, with each member contributing two songs; I chose Gloria Estefan's "Reach" and, much to nearly everyone else's chagrin, Cher Lloyd's "Swagger Jagger". I seem to be the only person in the family with any time for her music!

After the music, the chatting and eating continued until the get-together ended, which was around 9:00pm. I am certain that everyone had a great day and is looking forward to the next time we all meet up.

After Christmas Nottingham visit, 2012

My parents, brother and I all spent the day up in Nottingham visiting family. Save for a couple of them who were busy for the day, most of my close relatives were there. It was especially good to see the cousin and uncle I have who both work in China. I'll write a little more about this tomorrow.

Norwich images from 2nd November

On the 2nd of November, my aunt and I made a second trip to Norwich, this time with the focus on me being able to see some parts of the city beyond the shopping areas. This was the day I was supposed to be returning home, but my uncle's rush of work resulted in my visit being extended.

My aunt and I again travelled via bus to Norwich; on this occasion we rode on a double-decker for the arriving journey. When we made it to Norwich, our first task was to have lunch: my aunt took me to a wonderful Chinese buffet.

After our meal we made our ways towards Norwich Cathedral, taking a long route there via the shopping and side streets. The above is of a pedestrianised street where some of the city's nightclubs are located (no, my aunt wasn't taking me clubbing).

This is the arch leading into the grounds where Norwich Cathedral and an expensive neighbourhood are both located. Vehicles enter and exit the area through this narrow point; I'd hate to get a moving truck past the arch.

This is Norwich Cathedral itself, looking towards its spire. The cathedral is over 860 years old, with construction starting in 1096 and ending in 1145. It is a truly magnificent building.

Located in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral is a statue to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, the commander of the British fleet during the Battle of Trafalgar. Another statue, one of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, is also in the grounds.

I've yet to read the books or see the films, but I just had to take a picture of a passing bus advertising The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 on its side.

One of the many side streets in Norwich. After spending over two years back in the United Kingdom, it still fascinates me how many quiet side streets and alleyways there are in the cities and towns. The best part about them is how fun they are to explore.

I was lucky to get this capture of a rainbow over Norwich. For about five minutes it was a double-rainbow, but the rain prevented me from getting any pictures. By the time the rain had stopped the rainbow had been reduced to a single, and the majority of the beam had faded away. The last part of the rainbow, shown here, shone for ten more seconds before it too had disappeared.

A better picture of the Norwich City Hall. The evening shot from yesterday's post was fine, but this capture done during the day is superior, and it doesn't contain The Forum.

We left a little earlier that time, as it was confirmed we were leaving the East of England that night and we had some tasks to complete before departing for Nottingham. It was a shame we couldn't stay another hour, as Norwich is a fine city: it's a pretty place, it's easy to walk around, there's plenty to do and it's not exactly hard to get to via public transportation. I'm really looking forward to visiting there again.

Golden wedding anniversary

It was a delight to celebrate my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary last Saturday; we travelled up to Nottingham in the afternoon to spend a few hours with them before the party and to give our gift to them early. They adored the photo album we assembled for them, to the point where they wanted to bring it to the celebration to show other guests.

Nearly forty people attended the event. Besides obvious people such as my grandparents, parents, brother, and me, others in attendance included my aunt/uncle/cousins from Nottingham, aunt/uncle/cousins from the East of England, Nottingham uncle's brother, my grandparents' nearest neighbours, and several other friends and relatives of my grandparents. At least three-quarters of the people invited to the party came, and one person who was accidentally not invited had the good sense to make it. Some of the people I hadn't seen for a couple of years, but there were others whom I hadn't had any contact with for close to twenty years, and a few I hadn't met at all.

The celebration took place at a fancy Chinese restaurant, with an entire room - which contained four large tables - booked for our group. After people started filling into the room I chose a table and waited to see who would sit with me - there weren't any pre-determined seats, so people could sit where they desired, although my grandparents' and their children sat at the "head table". We did not have to order any food, as my Nottingham aunt had been the primary organiser of the event and had chosen a set menu.

The speeches went very well: Dad was the first to speak - given that he is my grandparents' oldest child - followed by my uncle from the East of England and my aunt from Nottingham (my other uncle is in Hong Kong). Six of the eight grandchildren spoke next (my eldest cousin is also in China, and my other older cousin was briefly away during the speeches), with me going last: the content in my speech made it worthwhile me being the final speaker, and other than a couple of flubs when reading out my script I had no problems in giving a speech in front of nearly forty people. I received one of the largest rounds of applause, so I can safely assume that my speech was well-received!

I have plenty of pictures of the event - as do several other people - and there was more activity there than what I've written about, but in keeping with my personal privacy policy I cannot share any more here. All I can say is that it was great to celebrate my grandparents 50th, and everyone - especially my grandparents - had an amazing time.

Neil Armstrong, and the Moon landing conspiracies

I was completely shocked and upset last night to hear about the death of Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, and by extension the first on a terrestrial body other than Earth. His accomplishment and first words on the Moon ("That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.") are both symbols of hope and human achievement. Despite his obvious importance and place in history, Armstrong was a humble man, preferring to think of himself as someone who merely did their job rather than as a hero. No reasonable person can have anything other than respect for him.

My admiration for Armstrong is one of the reasons why it infuriates me to read comments on various forums dismissing (an understatement) the Apollo 11 mission rather than commiserating over someone's death. Moon landing denial is among the very few things that immediately anger me, and it is especially sickening when it's combined with the Internet equivalent of defacing a person's grave; it doesn't matter whether it's outright insults and denial to sarcastic "he was a great actor" posts. If someone, for whatever reason, doesn't believe the Moon landings took place they should at least have some sympathy for a person who has died; to not do so is an insult to the deceased's memory.

As for the conspiracies about the landings, the more I thought about them the more I came to realize they are nonsense. To start with, without even going into the various "problems" with pictures taken on the Moon look at history: the 1960s were the height of the Cold War, and the United States and the Soviet Union were far from friends; the Soviet Union would most certainly have been aware of the launch date for Apollo 11 and it's safe to assume that they would be monitoring activity coming from the United States. When the rocket launched and headed for the Moon it is likely that they would have been listening to as much of the communications between it and NASA as possible. Thus, if the Soviets had discovered the mission was fake they would have been the first to expose the United States. Other nations, such as the United Kingdom and China, would also have had the technology to verify the existence of the mission.

I don't think that bribery would have been possible. If the landings were faked all of NASA would have to have been paid off, followed by various members and aides of other government agencies, the aforementioned Soviets (I doubt they would have accepted money over the chance to discredit the United States and try to win the Space Race themselves), other countries that would have been able to monitor the mission, anyone who supposedly helped create the "video" of Armstrong and others in a film studio, and anyone else involved in faking the mission or had the ability to expose it. The more you analyze the conspiracies the harder it is to take them seriously.

Going back to Armstrong, he was a great human being; while he was somebody who declined to be in the spotlight he is still deserving of our respect and gratitude. He has a permanent, high-profile place in the history books and will continue to be a hopeful and inspiring figure for the long-term. I wish his family the best in this painful time for them.

Parting thoughts on the Olympics

With everything that has happened recently, the one topic I barely covered during its progress was the 2012 London Summer Olympics. I wrote about it a year in advance and mentioned it briefly when it began, but beyond those instances I have not said anything about them even though they have been the largest event in the United Kingdom this year! I suppose it can be excused because I was busy during the Olympics; I didn't get to see much of the Olympics, and the parts I did watch were when I was in Nottingham.

As for my opinions on the Olympics, I am glad that they went by smoothly, with the worst part I'm aware of being a few athletes failing drug tests (unfortunate and disappointing, but at least not destructive to the Games themselves). Despite comments from certain individuals doubting the readiness of this country for the Olympics, it pleases me to say that they were proved wrong: the United Kingdom was not overwhelmed during the two weeks, and nothing tragic such as a terrorist attack, a deadly accident, or a shooting occurred. No major disruptions took place anywhere in the nation, so the preparations and security worked.

It was also good that the United Kingdom came third in the gold medal count (29, behind the United States and China) and fourth in overall medals (65, behind the United States, China and Russia). In the first few days of the Olympics I was worried that this country would have the dubious "honour" of being a host nation that was obliterated in the medal counts, but I'm glad those concerns were alleviated once British athletes started winning!

I think the Olympics were a success, and judging by the positive international response to them I'm not the only one with this view. Now that the 2012 London Summer Olympics are over we can look forward to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in Brazil.

As an aside, while this is a small thing, it does feel good knowing that this was the third time I've been resident in a country while it hosted the Olympics (the other two times were in the United States with the Atlanta and Salt Lake City games).

More about the city and dinner

On August 9th my brother, four younger cousins, my cousin's boyfriend, and I went to the centre of Nottingham. To save time in getting there we took a bus ride to the Broadmarsh shopping centre, as walking would have taken us at least half an hour. Not that I minded taking a bus as it give me my first-ever "proper" bus ride since returning to the United Kingdom (the one we rode in when we left the airport in Manchester was a minibus).

The day was essentially a shopping trip; initially our group separated for the three gals to shop for clothing while the guys went to do something else. My cousin's boyfriend needed a new wallet, the cousin we were with needed a new hat, and we all wanted to go the HMV, so rather than wander aimlessly around the various stores we knew want we wanted and went directly for it. We did have to check out a few places, but before long a suitable wallet and hat had each been purchased and we made it to HMV and then another CD/DVD store named That's Entertainment. I did well in HMV...remember Kimbra? I purchased her debut album, Vows, in that store!

We met up with the gals once we guys finished our shopping goals for the day and then the re-united group went to Yo Yo Noodles, a Chinese restaurant, for lunch. Although the facility was primarily a take-away it did have a dining area, and we chose to eat in there instead of carry our food around Nottingham. I was glad, too...the meal was hot, and as it was a hot day it was good to eat it in a cool room rather than in the sun!

After the meal, it turned out that my cousin's boyfriend still had a piece of shopping to do, though not of his own volition: we were having dinner at an expensive restaurant that night, and extremely decent clothing was required. As such, my cousin dragged her boyfriend to a nearby clothing store to find him a good shirt for the evening; they were back a few minutes later, so then we had a look around a few more stores before returning to the bus stop outside the Broadmarsh.

It was around 5:00pm when we arrived back at my aunt and uncle's house. I was pleased to see that one of my two older cousins was waiting there and would be coming with everyone to dinner that evening; while my only younger male cousin and I caught up with him the girls went upstairs and spent much of next two hours getting themselves ready. I will admit that I was shocked to see all three of my female cousins wearing dresses, heavy make up, and high heels; it wasn't unexpected, of course, but it was still a surprise.

Before 7:30 (the time booked for the restaurant), everybody was ready and people from my grandparents' house was now over at my aunt and uncle's. The group now consisted of my brother, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle from Nottingham, my aunt and uncle from the East of England, five of my six cousins, my cousin's boyfriend, and me. The location for the night's dinner was a place called Signature Steakhouse.

Signature Steakhouse is easily one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. The portions were just the right size and the food was delicious - naturally, I had a steak, but they served other meats, such as lamb and chicken. The service was excellent, not at all rushed as to try to get you out the door in favour of the next customers. Not surprisingly, the meal was very expensive, but that was expected considering the quality of the restaurant, and worth it given that nearly the entire family was present and everyone had an outstanding time.

I think I speak for everyone there when I say now that it was a lovely evening - the type you hope would go on indefinitely and not ever come to a close. When the meal concluded we returned to our respective houses for the night, ending a spectacular day.

Rumbles Fish Bar

Back in June, I wrote about North East Cambridgeshire and what where we used to live in Littleport was like. I mentioned about the local fish bar, although I did not refer to it by its name, Rumbles Fish Bar. Prior to us leaving Littleport, my brother was able to take a picture of the take-out place:

We have not had any fish bar take-out meals since moving to Northamptonshire, although we have found a local Chinese restaurant that is very nice.