What's going on......

In my neck of the woods.....

I get very frustrated with posting on the blog due to the limiting of access to it by virtue of where we are living.......it is challenging to post as the VPN gets cut off so frequently I can barely post a picture.  Consequently I have been avoiding posting even though we have been doing many things and keeping very busy.
Since I last talked to you I have acquired two new positions at Olivia's school.  I now hold the position of Executive Secretary on the Parent Link Board for the next school year.....going to be very challenging and stretching my skills with all the computer things I will have to do and learn, wish me luck!  I have also taken on the task of inventory keeping in the Middle School-High School store.  It is a small store so I am hoping it won't be too difficult, again it will be challenging my computer skills.  I keep saying it is good that Olivia will still be here to help me learn!
I have been busy attending added meetings and keeping on with life.  I found a neighbor who is a knitter.  She hosted the Beijing Guild Thursday evening meeting a few weeks back.  This Tuesday we went to the daytime meeting.  I haven't been able to go because of driver timing conflict with Mike getting out of work.  It is just a bunch of women who get together, chat and maybe some knitting goes on.  I did some unknitting as I can't seem to keep track of what I am doing while chatting......oh well.
I have also been working on a quilt for a sweet little girl:)  I have managed to make one for each of her siblings when they turned one.....she is 5...I think:)
Now I will show you pictures of this and that.  The Peonies above are in our yard, they looked like that last week, now they are gone.  The roses in the back yard have just started blooming.  We have all tea roses here.  Other houses have brambly climbers with tiny little blossoms, they smell heavenly...ours do not.

Pretty fabric for a quilt!

Pretty blocks for a quilt!

I have been to Wool Spinning City a couple times lately, finally took some pictures of a couple shops.  It is a large, 5 story building full of little individual shops selling wool yarn or fabrics.  They can make  coats, suits, sweaters and other clothes.  Whatever you want.  If you have a favorite sweater that is wearing out, bring it in and they can copy it so you won't ever have to do without!

The large cone spools on the wall shelves are very fine yarn for machine knitting.  They have many types of yarn available in skeins.  I picked up some different kinds to try my hand at working with cotton and weird textures.  Much more than I need, sharing with my mom:)

These booties are the same pattern  my mother has been making for just about forever, and here they are in the shops in China!  Had to get pictures to show my mom.  The pink ones actually have a little detail she doesn't do, I have to go back and have them teach me how to do it.

This is another shop in the Wool Spinning City.  The ladies are so helpful and offer to teach us anything we want to learn....the challenge for me of course is my Chinese is very limited.  If this place was closer to our house I would go everyday and I am sure my Chinese and knitting skills would improve, alas....

Hope you had fun reading.

Love, fondly, sincerely,

Zaijian,

Ramona