NEWSLETTER NO 29

CUMBRIA RMA MEETING AND LUNCH th Wednesday May 13 2009 at 12 noon

CROOKLANDS INN , nr

Our South meeting, close to the M6, (J36) at its junction with the by-pass / A 65. From the J36 roundabout take the A 65 east towards Kirby Lonsdale and you come almost immediately to a 2nd roundabout. Take the Kendal road and the hotel is on the right hand side of the road within ½ ml. As always members and partners are welcome. If you are coming it would be helpful if you could let Dick Chalmers know. Email address and phone number on back page. Tom Fraser tells me he has been notified of some new members so we look forward to seeing some of you as well as our usual friendly crowd. If you notify Dick it is often possible to arrange car sharing / lifts / and pick ups from public transport drop offs.

The AGM at Threlkeld This was well attended. We were pleased to have with us Deanna Selby, from Cheshire RMA, the N.W region R.E.M. Briefly, as Chris Chleboun, the President for 2009 / 2010, was unable to attend, Dave Prothero chaired the meeting. Alistair Yates was elected as Vice- President and Dick and Tom retain their positions as Secretary and Treasurer respectively, thus providing the solid backbone and continuity we need. Dick enquired whether we would want to elect a committee, which several larger RMA’s have but the overwhelming feeling was that while we are still small enough for everyone attending meetings to be involved and give their opinions we wish to continue this way. Tom gave us an explanation / overview of the years accounts. Dick then gave us details of a proposal to be put forward at the FRMA meeting in March from the RMA for Scotland. that smaller RMA’s should be entitled to send only 1 delegate to conference instead of the current 2 per RMA. After discussion it seemed that this proposal stemmed from the limited accommodation at Rednal. Tom as membership sec was able to tell us that this would only marginally reduce the numbers attending. He also pointed out that delegates from RMA’s fairly close to Rednal frequently do not take up accommodation. It was therefore approved by the meeting that our delegates, Dave Prothero and Chris Chleboun, should vote against the motion. They will report back on this at the meeting. Cheshire RMA are still concerned about the lack of insurance cover for group walks led by an RMA member and Deanna was able to explain the situation. She tells us that Nigel is looking into this for their RMA and thus for all RMA’s. Most RMA’s currently work on the position that a member is going for a walk and if you wish to join them you may do so. Therefore. Before the meeting at Crooklands, I (Helen Marrs) am going for a walk somewhere in the area. The walk should take about 1hr 30 mins. One possible walk up Holme Park Fell has an initial uphill climb of 200ms, really good areas of limestone pavement, with wild violets,orchids and wild strawberries. The views from the top are fab from Bowland in the S, across Morecambe Bay and up to the Lake District Fells. The downside is that the walk is accompanied by the noise of the M6 below.and a waste to do if visibility is bad. I will find an alternative walk, quieter and suitable if the weather should be poor. If anyone would like to join me, please be at Crooklands Inn 10 a.m.. Should you wish to join me, it would be helpful if you could ring or text 07712348901 on the Tuesday. p1

F.R.M.A. Annual General Meeting - March 2009

Your president and past president were sent out of the depths of Cumbria to represent you in the big city again, so I attempt to give you some idea of how it went. Looking for some inspiration in writing this report I looked back to last years, to find it had taken place in September - that was quite a relief. I thought those last twelve months seemed to have passed more quickly than usual.

Our second visit to this meeting did not seem quite as eventful as the first, trains arrived on time, the taxi firms in Birmingham still seem to be operating with their usual efficiency, access to building in Rednal did not seem to be causing the same problems and in fact all seemed to be running well, We felt honour bound to check that the pub we had escaped to briefly in September was still maintaining its standards, we were not disappointed, and again I was relieved to find this was not in fact now my 61st birthday. It was good to meet up in the evening with some of the characters we had met at the last meeting, Ewan one of the representatives from Scotland, yes the whole of Scotland, had returned with another colleague, and he spent a little time explaining the motion he was to put to conference in the morning which was to reduce the number of representatives from RMA’s of less than 100 members to one, his concern, having been picked up from last year that there may be some problem with accommodation.

Those of you who may have seen last years report may recall much of it had to do with the input of technology, well the theme did not escape us completely, the meeting in the morning was to take place in the Holiday Inn a bus drive away, because the conference centre at Rednal was being refurbished, all the electronic wizardly needed for a modern day conference centre being added, apparently, leaving your two delegates making their way to breakfast through the kitchens, as this work seemed to involve blocking our usual way from the accommodation area to the dining room. At breakfast we met up with a lady who had managed this problem by simply walking round the barrier, the simple solutions are always the best. After breakfast we were directed back to the accommodation a much more sensible way as a number of workmen had arrived and seemed to be discouraging the round the barrier route. A coach would pick us up shortly after breakfast.

A large coach duly arrived and to take us to our place of meeting, started to reverse up a short road towards the doors. There then appeared some one to assist in this process, who promptly directed our bus to park immediately outside the entrance gate, away from the building, thus ensuring anyone who wanted to drive onto the site had to drive through the exit gate, rather than allowing it to back up to the building entrance where it would have been well out of the way. The morning had not started well this had now been two blockages to progress - surely the theme could not continue?

We arrived safely at the Holiday Inn and settled ourselves for the meeting. Dick again managed the meeting in his usual calm authoritative and efficient manner, and we saw his considerate side when the treasurer who had not been well the previous evening had to stop briefly in his report to compose himself. Dick simply moved in and allowed time for him to recover. This report was made without the problems encountered last year. The Scottish motion was put to the floor and promptly amended. It was felt that constitutional rites should not be eroded by accommodation problems, which it turns out, could in fact be overcome, so the motion was amended to say that both delegates if sent to the meeting should in future have voting rites. This was accepted on a card vote. In the process of the discussion it turns out that in fact the R.M.A. based in France has members in most European countries, and I had thought members in Scotland were far flung.

Dick became past president, having given a résumé of progress through the year. Tom Fraser gave the Development report and it soon became apparent that we are part of a growing organisation; moribund organisations are being re formed; in particular there were representatives at the A.G.M. from the recently restarted Birmingham branch. Ralph Robins from Cornwall took over as President for this year, with best wishes from Dick and he continued to finish the meeting in a quiet and organised way. The disruptions to progress encountered prior to the meeting were not a portent of things to come; we breathed a sigh of relief, having been part of a meeting that had progressed smoothly.

Christopher Chleboun President Cumbria R.M.A. p2

NASUWT Annual Conference 2009

Conference began with the first private session at 2 pm on Easter Monday.The first public session was, in effect, the opening of Conference with a welcome given by President Amanda Haehner to the mayor of Bournemouth and a number of overseas delegates and guests from Portugal, Germany, France and further afield, including Iraq. She further included news that Ed Balls would address Conference and that Baroness Delyth Morgan of the Dept for Children, Schools and Family would be visiting. The Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor Stephen Chappell, then welcomed all to the town with a fulsome account of its benefits and the hope that a return would not be too long in arriving.

Julian Chapman was then inducted (with a protracted transfer of the chain of office!) before he delivered his address. This centred on his delight at NASUWT becoming officially recognised as the largest teachers’ union in the 90th anniversary year of its foundation in Cheltenham, the Gloucestershire area in which he has given his Union service. Outlining a personal philosophy of education for current times allowed him to point out the direction he feels education, and thus Union policy, should be taking. Recognition that teachers are better than statisticians at determining educational requirements for individuals was a point well-made, as was the need for giving vocational courses equal status to academic ones if the economic needs of the country are to be met. A vote of thanks and a seconder both spoke eloquently of Julian’s qualities in Union work, his commitment to education and sense of humour. The session ended with the presentation of a President’s medal and gift to Amanda Haehner, and John Rimmer speaking on behalf of the newly elected officers.

Tuesday began when Amanda Haehner presented and spoke to the annual report. Some of the concerns over the last year have been the inequality of conditions for part-time teachers and their pension arrangements, the situation overseas for Trades Unions in Iraq, Zimbabwe and Colombia, and proper implementation of conditions of service for teachers.

Compliance, or the lack of it in relation to the ‘blue book’, was a lively topic with the Union given the full backing of Conference to pursue teachers’ contractual rights in schools where there is not strict observance. Enforcement is now necessary.

Sadly, many delegates left the conference hall when the matter of Chartered Teacher status in Scotland was debated. Clearly there is need to reform the present system in which Scottish teachers need to pay for a modular course and spend many hours of study to qualify for higher pay scales. Conference felt the present scheme is not fit-for-purpose, attracts too few, and some performance management scheme similar to that in and Wales should be considered as a replacement.

A lively debate on Private Sector involvement in education ensued. The whole future of state education is seen to be at risk if the programme of Academy schools and other incursions into the state sector continue or grow. These are a threat to the established standard contracts for teachers & recognition of hard won union rights. NasUwt affirmed its commitment to state education & opposition to any erosion.

The workload audit motion was carried. Its essential component was that excessive bureaucratic lesson planning systems and the like are taking away the enjoyment from teaching and need to be assessed against a protocol which will allow teachers to teach.

An extremely lively session on special needs provision demonstrated the extensive concern of delegates not only over special needs provision but also the issue of inclusion. There is concern that alternative provision following the Academy model and involving sponsors could emerge. Clearly, inappropriate placement of pupils is seen as more likely if there is no national system of assessment of need and no appropriate facilities within every local authority.

Serving the Increased Membership was a debate looking at the role of the Regional Centre staff and the lay-led casework burden. Delegates were clear that the value of casework carried out by working teachers should not be underestimated and that an increase in staffing at Regional Centres, costing around £500,000 to add an extra member to each centre, was not a move to make without first surveying those currently performing lay roles. The outcome was to carry out a survey but the appeal was for a better response than in previous attempts to do this in order that a true picture of the extent of casework, benevolence and similar activity can be built. p3

In the evening the FRMA President’s reception took place at the Connaught Hotel. This was a very relaxed and pleasant session with delegates from Ralph Robins’s own Cornwall area, the neighbouring South-west and the majority of the Cumbria contingent attending. Chris Lines, Junior Vice-president of NASUWT, represented the Executive. A Gala Dinner followed, organised by the SW delegation, to which the FRMA group were invited. This year Conference took place in the SW, has a Union president from the SW and an FRMA president from the SW; surely an unusual occurrence, probably a first time and worthy of celebration. Singing around the piano went on late into the night!

The third day opened with debate on the situation of members working in special schools. Horror stories emerged and the view reinforced that everyone is entitled to a safe working environment. The idea that verbal and physical abuse is part of the expectation of the job was seen as too prevalent in the eyes of some managers and proper safe working conditions are needed throughout in special schools, pupil referral units and 16 -19 establishments. Government is exhorted by Conference to resist attempts to reduce public services during recession because need for these services increases at such times and by maintaining or increasing them the foundations of recovery are created. On Thurs a late motion concerning pensions should further reinforce this view. The National Challenge initiative was roundly condemned by delegates through its unfair categorization of schools by examination scores without reference to social factors. It was thought not fit for purpose – one size does not fit all!

Ed Balls began the afternoon session, impressing by speaking without notes. He made clear his recognition of NASUWT as the largest teaching union in the UK. He was complimentary about Chris Keates whose work with a number of bodies has been instrumental in development of policy and who has had a major part in establishing the National Agreement. Compliments to the Union for its role in addressing bullying followed a screening of a DVD used at each party conference this year. He was applauded for his stance in resisting calls for a review of the 3-yr pay agreement in the light of the present financial crisis and committed his Department to implement measures recommended in Sir Alan Steer’s report. He further stressed that a bill currently going through Parliament would shortly bring into law the compliance issues the Union has pressed for. Taking questions from the floor, he agreed to monitor the situation for supply teachers working through agencies where pay and employee rights were not always correct. He was a little more evasive when tackled about the role of the GTC, which the questioner said gave her no added value, but did add, there was to be no fee increase!

Chris Keates gave the vote of thanks in the form of a review of his performance since last year. An amusing way of making several telling points and highlighting NASUWT concerns over private sector involvement, the need to promote state education and that a six month training regime to convert ex- bankers into teachers was inadequate: “teaching isn’t rocket science, it’s harder than that”.

Inclusion was the next topic debated with members stressing that the criteria for inclusion are not clear and it is very easy for inappropriate measures to be put in place, especially when parental desires are too readily acted upon. The union is to pursue a campaign to secure a fit-for-purpose national interpretation of inclusion which delivers a core national entitlement for all learners and secures fully funded support for teachers.

Throughout Conference the FRMA maintained an exhibition stand to promote the virtues of remaining a Union member through a local RMA. There was a decent level of interest and the volunteer staff of FRMA secretary and treasurer were ably assisted by Dorset RMA member John Bagnall and others. Regrettably, I was unable to stay for the final sessions but the overall impression was that the Union remains committed to working for career teachers and has the overwhelming backing of delegates for its campaigns. Ralph Robins remained for the final debate on pensions and was able to speak. The FRMA view is that any tinkering with pensions now may have an undesirable effect, not only on those already in receipt of their pension but for future generations and should be examined with great care before agreeing to change. Encouraging was the level of support for motions debated. Very few speakers were against motions; very many were young first time delegates. When we look at rival unions and their demands it is now possible for all to see that the NASUWT is not only the largest teachers’ union but confirms itself as the most sensible and best, committed to press for the best conditions for teaching and learning in the interests of all teachers and pupils. Dick Chalmers. p4

Life in Catworld 3: Stripey’s Story.

No horrid pun in the title this time – just nasty alliteration.

The photograph shows a very young Stripey – less than a week old, in the crèche with her Aunt Smudge, before her eyes had opened. We are not sure exactly who is Stripey’s mother: either Black or Tabby, we were only certain of the 3 kittens Smudge gave birth to.

Her mother was probably Tabby, due to both having very similar facial markings, and both having a preference for life outdoors, at least in Stripey’s early life.

Stripey was born at some time during Friday May 9th 2008. Both Black and Tabby instantly put their 8 kittens in the same box in our garage in which Smudge had given birth to her 3 offspring. The crèche was instantly created, and all 3 mothers were quite happy to suckle, nurse and clean all 11 kittens.

Stripey is the prettiest of our cat family – although her sister Tigger may have just beaten her - see photo below left: both have white patches around the muzzle, cute pink noses, with black and gingery stripes on their heads. However, we kept Stripey and found alternative animate tin- openers for Tigger, so Stripey won! It also took quite a while for the full subtlety of her coat to mature – see photo below right. She is also the friendliest cat you could meet: always comes up to greet the human part of her family when out in the garden, or coming in from outside, and spends much time demanding stroking, ear scratching etc. She is at her friendliest when she thinks an edible treat is in the offing, but she is a cat!

Tigger (top) with Stripey (right) about 6 wks old. Almost fully mature Stripey, at about 10 mths.

Stripey was not always so friendly – she started life quite shy, slightly too spiky with her claws, and took time to recover from a serious trauma. We found what seemed to be a good home for her and her half brother Kiwi (he’s all black!) at , but when we delivered them, it felt wrong: it was a very boisterous family. The man of the house was a stream of consciousness stentor – everything in his head came out of his mouth in triplicate at 50 decibels. The rest of the family could only shout back; shy cat needed quiet reassurance which Stripey clearly didn’t get, so she quite reasonably spent the next 10 days cowering under a sofa, eventually scratching one of the kids. So they returned the 2 kittens. Kiwi had been more stoical, but the family didn’t want to split them up. p5

After 10 days away, the other 6 cats still here had broken their bond with Kiwi and Stripey, so 5 days of hissing followed until the returned pair were accepted back into the pack; this didn’t do Stripey’s confidence much good either. If you tried to put the stereo on in her vicinity, she ran away – much loud music and TV at Heversham, methinks.

However, in the following 2 months she matured into a fully forthright cat, joining in the rough and tumble with the other kittens, and demanding more than her fair share of the daily tucker. It also probably helped that she put on a late growth spurt, and is now the largest of our 4 females.

Self-confident that is, until when in February we put her in a cat box to take down to the vets’ for spaying. Stripey was absolutely terrified on the short journey from Cartmel down to the vets’ in Grange. She actually calmed down a bit when we reached the surgery; on the return journey she was much better, and when being released in the post-operative room (Hilary’s bedroom!) she instantly returned to normal – until a week later when we took her back for removal of stitches: the routine was repeated.

For the following 6 weeks, we had a very twitchy Stripey on our hands: at mealtimes she just legged it outside into the bushes for an hour or so, sneaking back after dark for her tea. She would also remove herself from sight when 2 people were in the kitchen at cat tucker time, especially if one of us came downstairs. A very clean pair of heels was also shown if anyone put on an anorak. A serious case of feline black coat syndrome.

Weird behaviour? No, entirely reasonable! Fear of the vets? Not as such. Remember, she calmed down slightly when we got her to the vets. The answer is clearly that she was terrified of being re- housed. The association with the vets’ is that we initially re-housed the kittens just after taking them to the vets’ twice for inoculations and boosters. So, although she was happy to be back after 2 more trips to the vets’, she expected to be taken away again shortly thereafter. Not stupid, are they? Rest assured, we would never want to remove Stripey from her home and feline family (little lion pack!) – And she is such a wonderful individual!

School vandals halted by black belt Taekwondo caretaker

A gang of youths vandalising a primary school were stopped in their tracks when confronted by the caretaker - a black belt martial arts instructor in full fighting gear. Adrian Gent, 55, was teaching an adult Taekwondo class at Moulton Primary school, Northants, last Friday when he heard noises coming from the roof. He went out to investigate, still barefoot and dressed in his dobok - the traditional white Taekwondo kit - to find four youths ripping lead piping from the roof. Telling the class to dial 999, he ran to the front of the building to block the youths' escape, catching two of them as they tried to climb over a fence. Striking a martial arts pose he told them: "You can deal with me or the police - the choice is yours". They chose the latter.

WARNING - E- Virus I thought you would want to know about this e-mail virus.Even the most advanced programmes from Norton and McAfee cannot take care of this one. It appears to affect mostly those who wer born prior to 1960.

Symptoms 1) Causes you to send the same email twice. Done that ! .2) Causes you to send a blank e-mail! That too ! .3) Causes you to send e-mail to the wrong person. Can be embarrassing !! .4) Causes you to send it back to the person who sent it to you. And that ! .5) Causes you to forget to attach the attachment. Yep ! .6) Causes you to hit 'SEND' before you've finished. Oh no - not again ! .7) Causes you to hit 'DELETE' instead of 'SEND.' and I just hate that ! .8) Causes you to hit 'SEND' when you should 'DELETE.' Oh No !

p6

Forthcoming Social Events

Wirral RMA are organizing the trip below. The closing date for booking is June 1st. Tom Fraser, myself and 2 friends have already booked to go. People travelling from other areas can meet the group at Hull docks. THE BATTLEFIELDS OF THE WESTERN FRONT

We are hoping to organize a tour of FLANDERS FIELDS in Septembert 2009

PROPOSED DATES: Sunday 20th to Thursday 24th September.

We would travel by coach to Hull on Sunday 20th then take the overnight ferry to Zeebrugge with en suite cabin, dinner and breakfast on board, on the outbound and return journeys. We would stay at a 3* hotel in Arras for 2 nights bed and buffet breakfast, returning on Thurs 24th The cost of this 5 day tour, with the services of an expert guide, would be approximately £299.00, (based on 2 people sharing) Small supplement for single. (Last year this was £45 for 2 nights in the hotel, plus £25 for single cabins for 2 nights on the ferry) A deposit of £30 per person (refundable if insufficient demand for the trip) would be required by the tour operator by 1st of June.

This will be a unique opportunity, for you and your relatives / friends to visit these emotive sites and to remember the soldiers who fought in the trenches.

If interested please complete and return the slip below to John Leatherbarrow, 62 South Drive, Upton , Wirral,CH49 6JJ (tel: 0151 677 0552) together with deposit of £30 per person. Please make cheque out to John Leatherbarrow.

Battlefields Trip Sept 2009 I/We would like to reserve ...... place(s) I/We would like to reserve a single/double/twin room

Name(s) ...... Address...... Tel: ...... I enclose a cheque for £ ...... as a deposit for the trip.

Signed

Please return by June 1st.

______Lancs RMA have sent the following.

If you are interested in any of them please contact the organiser. I was made very welcome when I went on a previous one.

WEDNESDAY July 8th Settle to Carlisle railway and Vindolanda Cost £32 Closing date June 1st. Organiser Colin Farrell 01925 224015

WEDNESDAY August 5th Adventure Walk: Warton Crag, Leighton Hall Closing date July 15th. Organiser Brian Gerrard, 01942 816377

FRIDAY September 18th 10.30 am. Standedge Canal Tunnel, Marsden. Guided Boat Trip, £4.00 Organiser Margaret Ownsworth 01706 843824

TUESDAY October 13th Blue Badge guided walk around Blackpool Organiser Graham Kemp 01524 310649 p7

Wednesday August 19th Walking Event based at the Longsleddale Outdoor Pursuit Centre

Steve Morris who has contacts with this centre has obligingly organised this for Cumbria & Teesside members, plus any Cheshire, Wirral or even Scots members who may be interested.

Essential details: The day will have at least 2 alternative walks of varying difficulty, depending on consensus of those present. TF (has MLC) is happy to lead a walk over the fells at the head of the valley up to 2,500 ft. (Harter Fell). Low level or modest walks over pass to Kentmere valley and back are also feasible. Insurance cover is provided by the centre. Equipment needed: boots, waterproofs, clothing suitable for a day in the mountains; bring your own food & drink. Tea, coffee & biscuits will be available in the centre at start and end of the day.

Meet-up time: 10:00 at the Centre. Cost: free to North-west RMA members. (The RMAs will pay the daily hire charge for the centre How to get there: turn off A6 c. 3 miles north of Kendal following signs to Longsleddale. Continue c. 5 miles up the valley, turn up a lane to the right marked Stockdale, just after crossing bridge over a stream. The centre is just beyond a small row of cottages, 300 yds. up the track. GR 492053; the centre is marked & named on the 1:25000 OS Outdoor Leisure South-east Lake District Map. (If you miss the turning to the centre, you will find yourself at the end of the tarmac road in a further half mile). Further details: Ring Steve Morris 0161 652 6905 or Tom Fraser 015395 36326. Please inform Tom if you plan to come.

The world has become a wealth wasteland.

It's been a tough year for the richest people in the world. Last year there were 1,125 billionaires. This year there are just 793 people rich enough to make our list. Like the rest of us, the richest people in the world have endured a financial disaster over the past year.Today there are 793 people on our list of the World's Billionaires,a 30% decline from a yr ago. Of the 1,125 billionaires who made last year's ranking, 373 fell off the list--355 from declining fortunes and 18 who died. There are 38 newcomers, plus three moguls who returned to the list after regaining their 10-figure fortunes. It is the first time since 2003 that the world has had a net loss in the number of billionaires. The world's richest are also a lot poorer. Their collective net worth is $2.4 trillion, down $2 trillion from a year ago. Their average net worth fell 23% to $3 billion. What a shame.

In view of this perhaps we should send them this contribution from Charlie Shaw, now living in the deep South (Reading) but keeping in touch. Charlie writes:- In these “credit crunch” times perhaps the old recipes may come back! These are 2 from Witherslack W.I. The 2 ladies were friends of my great aunts in the 1920’s. Having been offered duck’s head complete with beak and feet with the skin on in China, I won’t be trying the giblet pie.

Brawn Salt a pig’s head and leave for 3 weeks. Soak it in cold water 12 hrs. Put in a pan with cold water and boil until tender – 5 or 6 hrs. Remove all bones and mince the meat thoroughly. Add pepper and mace to taste. Press well in a colander to extract the juice and make the mould firm. Mrs M Lambert.

Giblet Pie Prepare goose giblets as follows :- Singe and scald the head and wings: Remove the eyes and beak. Put the claws and legs into boiling water and hold them there for a few minutes until the hard outer skin can be peeled off. Take the gizzard, cut through the outer skin , peel open and throw away the interior. Carefully take out the gall-bag from the liver. Cut heart and liver in halves. Skin the neck and cut in 3 or 4 pieces. Wash all well; throw into boiling water and boil 1 minute. Take out and put into a pan with a sliced onion, a bunch of parsley and herbs, a few peppercorns and enough water to cover. Simmer 1 ½ hrs. Skim well, strain off the stock. When giblets cool cut them in smaller pieces. Have 1 lb of rump steak cut in pieces about 2 ins square. Put the steak and giblets in layers in a pie dish. Season each layer. Pour in the strained stock. Cover with crust. Bake 1 ½ hrs Miss Hodgson p8

CHINA - 2008 (part 1)

6 years ago we planned our big escape – A friend from work whose husband had had a massive stroke & myself with 88 yr old mother both in the same hospital, with no hope of any holiday for years. We wanted to go to China – The Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, the Yangtze Gorges. Then last year Jenny’s daughter said “Mum I’m pregnant and when I’m on maternity leave I’ll come up and look after Dad while you and Helen go to China.” I asked Mum go into respite care and suddenly she found she could manage all sorts by herself that she hadn’t been doing !! We spent 2 weeks poring over brochures and found what we needed – a whistle stop tour of China, 5 cities & a Yangtze cruise in 16 days. It included everything we wanted and more we didn’t know existed. We flew overnight to Beijing, my 1st longhaul flight. Knowledgeable friends said we must sleep for a couple of hours when we got there. No chance ! Arriving at the hotel at noon we were off on our first visit at 1 pm. Over 2 days we saw fabulously carved and decorated red, blue and gold palaces and temples, and beautiful gardens with statues in stone and bronze of lions and dragons, symbols of power,and cranes, the sign for longevity. All designed for the use of the emperor, his family and concubines, the main palace called The Forbidden City – forbidden that is to the poor peasants living outside this decadent splendour until the 1920’s. No wonder Communism flourished here. We visited the Hutongs, the old quarter preserved for tourists Extended families live in rooms surrounding a courtyard, so you go outside from room to room, pretty cold in a Beijing winter. Shared toilets down the alley.

Next morning Tiananmen Square, no crowds now but at the Mao Tse Tung Mausoleum at one side, a queue of 200 waiting to get in at 8.30 a.m. – almost mid morning by Chinese standards. Then The Great Wall, amazing how it follows the ridges and valleys, not the wide 8 abreast roadway I expected but varying with the width and steepness of the ridge to single way with steep rocky steps. Amazing to see the Chinese tourists, families pushing granny up from behind in her carpet slippers. I had not anticipated that 95+% of the tourists everywhere would be Chinese, their heritage opened up to them only comparatively recently. At the wall we met a group of American tourists, saw perhaps 7 groups over the whole holiday and only 1 other British group. Chinese family groups were the norm, Mum, Dad, 2 sets of grandparents and the much loved and spoilt , only child, result of the one family, one child policy, the girls now as important because they have the pick of the men for husbands. 118 men to 100 girls. Everywhere we went ordinary people tried to communicate with us, have photos with us, fascinated that we had travelled so far to visit their country. Then a complete contrast, back to the Olympic sites, the Birds nest, the ice cube, its exterior polythene layer rippling like water in the breeze. Modern China. Next day a 2 hr flight to Xian with its old city walls, an ancient Mosque & Muslim bazaar. By now, tutored by Jenny who had been to India, I was learning to barter, something I thought I would never be able to do. Then to a Buddhist monastery, modern living quarters, an ancient 7 storey Pagoda with fab views of the modern city and a monk sitting with his pet crickets. Next the Terracotta army. Photos do not give you the scale of the pits, or show how few have been repaired, put back together like pieces of a jigsaw. I didn’t know they were destroyed 2 yrs after completion by peasants in revolt, digging to get the weapons they knew were buried with them. End of another dynasty.

As this holiday was very cheap, we had expected basic tourist hotels, but apart from one, they were of a higher standard with large rooms with armchairs and tables as well as 4 ft twin beds. The ambience and decor were extremely good and 2 had swimming pools. As well as visiting the tourist sites we wanted to learn about how the Chinese people live. In each city we were met by a local guide and found them willing to answer our questions. Indeed surprised and pleased that we were interested, We gathered that most of their groups were American and by and large, rather more exacting. Guides had to have college diplomas and several spoke 2 languages as well as Mandarin. Most travelled for 1-1 ½ hrs to work and lived in newish apartment blocks, some still sharing with parents, but this was good as they looked after the child out of school hours. Two family apartments frequently had 2 bathrooms. Obviously all guides to foreign groups were government vetted but wherever we went people seemed to feel that their gov’t had given them a better standard of living than their parents had had. As early risers they wanted us to start our day at 8 am. Suggestions that we needed a 6.30 alarm call to be ready for 8 were instantly repudiated by the whole group. Up, shower, breakfast and out in ½ hr seemed to be adequate for us all !! Breakfast? These hotels catered mainly for Chinese but amongst the20 or so noodles, soup, rice dishes on offe, we found bacon, omelettes, hard boiled eggs, plenty of fresh fruit and as a concession to foreigners a toaster with sliced bread – make your own. Also cornflakes but as the milk was soya it was disgusting. Tea was green or jasmine –managing without my tea for 16 days was hard. In Beijing our guide had told us booze was dear in the hotel and directed us to the supermarket just across the road. Jenny and I had taken T-bags but with no milk in the rooms she said she would go there while I had 1st shower. She arrived back 10 mins later. No luck ? No not that. She hadn’t managed to cross the road !! We wanted anyway to see a Chinese supermarket so tried again later, after the rush hour.3 lanes of traffic each way at a busy junction where as far as we could see everyone ignored the traffic lights. We took our life in our hands and went for it, and found that the cars did go round us. Outside the supermarket – no car park – a bike park. We later found bike lanes on every road and what you can carry on a bike and trailer is amazing. Inside a cross between Netto with everything out of boxes and an indoor market , live fish in a tank, eggs in polythene bags , locals selling their own grown veg. No real milk but we got some coffee mate – genuine Nestles. While we were there others of the group came to buy drinks and as we attracted much attention I think that not many British and US tourists actually went outside the hotel. We also came out with a quilted jacket each, the first of many purchases.

Next time - Guilin, Shanghai and the Yangtze river

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