Happy in my hutong

The first day in town I spent pottering.   I had a late breakfast and Mr. Lee's, I went over to the very nice offices of EF and spent time with the teachers there, then had a wonderful dish of pork and rice with probiotic drink in the mall before returning to my hotel room and a rest.  I never managed to take a picture of a sign in my room telling me no prostitution, or gambling, and my room was rather cold but apart from that is was compact,  had a very useful kettle and some tea,  and had a simple view of the hutong roofs.

Beautiful Beijing.

The entry to Beijing was after a long slow progress across deserts with intriguing roads and stopping points marked out.  Out of the window I thought the city might emerge glorious but instead a dust rust sun hovered in the haze over a modern building on the outskirts The Norman Foster semi circular airport buildings looks beautiful in parts and provides space for the queues of people waiting to have their hands to be finger printed, their passports to be corrected and the expectant newcomer to spill out and onto a modern train whisking one to the baggage and then onto the trains into Beijing.  The adverts passed declared Beijing to be a green city but few people seemed to be using the train - and the IC sign for the underground pass card was only apparent to newcomers like me searching for it - so my assumption that there would be huge queues was totally incorrect.  Looking out of the window on the golden ginkgo enhanced route into the capital - no one took notice of me, one of the few foreigners - whilst I was fascinated by the tattooed young couple opposite me and the women with their fashionably dyed hair.  No uniform look and even those in uniform did not stand out or dominate the scene.
From the airport train,

Metro advertising.

I squeezed into the metro, again no one took any notice, not even to think this older foreigner might need help with her bag, except that just when this thought was going through my head, a hand whisked the cumbersome object up some troublesome steps,  with a merry "you are welcome"  in response to my thanks.   Then as I peered at the map trying to work out which of the many exits to use to reach my hotel a woman about my age, looked at the map, looked at the hotel address, which was handily written in Chinese and English, consulted her phone and told me in English how to get where I was going  Moments later,  a short walk along an unattractive main road, and right turn past signs to the Hockney exhibition and there in the lea of a high rise block and next to a grey low rise hutong, nestled my wonderful gaudy Chinoiserie hostel, with a cheerful welcome.

Despite having had little sleep I was determined to go out.  The young woman at the desk doubted I could walk to Tianaman Square, so I followed her suggestion and walked along to the park behind the Forbidden City.  Jianshan Park.  Peckish I grabbed the last meal available in the park kiosk - beef and noddles and having no idea what food would cost paid way over the odds for it, which rankled for much of the time once I realised how cheap most things were in the town.    Huffing and puffing I joined the legions of Chinese people also making their way to the top of the park to look down on the city that was Forbidden to the them for so long.   One man expressed surprise

Airport arrivals.

I was travelling alone but was reassured when I explained a friend lived in Beijing.  Beyond that and a few smiles shared amongst travellers following the same route, no one spoke to me, however, I felt very at home watching people pick up the leaves and take pictures

Beijing

Pollution protection

The Forbidden City

Chasing service.

I know this is modern life but currently chasing up things with Western Union - money not arrived - CPS stupid incorrect assessments - JohnLewis complaint, Nationwide Insurance - there are not enough hours in the day to resolve all the things that arrive mainly from poor service.I would like to spend my down time enjoying myself, but no such luck today.

.........


Phoned WU and they solved the problem, but I forgot I was cooking whilst on the phone and set the fire alarms off, so had to go out to get some food and wore the wrong glasses Plus made coffee without coffee and just spelled the word developer, delevoper!. All over the place in other words.

Poignant, positive, pouring, pointless Poitiers.

Went back to Poitiers to try and secure property in little town outside of Poiters only to experience a very cold, wet weekend with no trains So that was a bit off putting.  Then the sunshine came out and there was this lovely exhibition in the the Poitiers Palace, so not only did I see where Eleanor and the Duc de Berry got to hang out, but I saw some wonderful art currently installed there including the frightening glass floor.   Still not sure what to do, but the weekend was positive in the end and I braved going into a French restaurant after and had a lovely meal for about £15, then took the train home all the way to England.   Brill. 

Tearful

Very tearful angry etc. Bloody CPS apparently the police did charge BB but the CPS then pulled the case.  Their lawyers consistently justify their decision on incorrect grounds e.g. saying I gave the person money when that is not what I did, I put money into a business account, which turne dout to be his personal account which he had renamed.   What do you do when those who represent justice just completely ignore you the evidence etc. Even Bex has told them he has the money and that he has not given it back in all these years but still that cuts no ice.

I have also asked for his address several times, and not succeeded, but I might now have a way of getting his address.  So the battle goes on.    Now instead the battle is to ask the CPS why does it keep ignorring the evidence and why it has proceeded to a review when they know the OiC (Officer in Charge) is on secondment and that no one else seems to have taken on the case. 

Meanwhile though we are not leaving the EU on the 31st, but who knows still what the future brings. 

Never Knowingly Undersold - until now.

Is John Lewis officially worse than Curry's ........Yes is the answer to that.


I bought a computer from them in good faith, which I believed to be the same model as the one I had had to return to Curry's because of the fault. It took several months to sort that out with Curry's but in the end I got a full refund and they compensated me too for the trouble. Nothing like enough to compensate for the time, lost revenue, stress but at least they compensated me. They also replied quickly to my complaints, their replies were incorrect, and unhelpful, but they were at least replies.   John Lewis has failed to do anything remotely to help and they have also tried to sell me two products that were incorrect to resolve the problem! Their returns policy is crazily draconian - so because I bought the product, switched it on, set it up and then realised it was not the same as the HP that I had bought from Curry's as it had no ethernet cable - they refuse to let me return it.  My understanding under the law is that products bought online can be returned but I appreciate it is a difficult situation because I had used it once and to the best of my knowledge it does not have a fault - but this in essence means that if you have done the instintive thing and turned on a product then you cannot return it. I am not sure that is what the law intended.    Anyway so I have this damn computer and now have to find out whether they will return it or suggest a way of using an adapter to make it work.  Can I get this information from them?  No I was promised a reply about 20 days ago and have not had that reply, when I rang the women in Customer Services today to ask why I had not had a reply to my now several emails she said of that if I keep writingin that pushes me back in the system!  So their system is set up to disadvantage people with an ongoing query.

Because no one had replied to my emails I went in some time ago to John Lewis and tried to buy the adapter The sales person confidentally and cockily dished other technical support staff and said he could deliver. Whilst in the queue though I took another look at the product he had advised that I buy only to realise that whilst it had an ethernet port, it did not have a USB end so I would not be able to use it.   I could not find him, so gave the offending item back to his colleague and he told me to buy something that was a usb -c  I decided to ignore his suggestion until I had had email confirmation re what to do. That confirmation never came, so today I found a phone number rang in and their someone in passing said not to use a usb - c, as they are only for phones, but to buy....... So I have had this computer for almost a month. I have had only one reply from Customer Service and that was to say I would hear in 72 hours!  I have been in and been given incorrect advice.  etc.   Sadly it seems that John Lewis do not sell the connector - if you cannot rely on the sales staff to do their job, if the law seems set up to ensure you are in the wrong,  - how does one buy a new computer with confident. Of course you could argue that given I am employed by one company really they could ensure that I was provided with the right equipment, but that would be another battle.    So for the time being I am just hoping that once I get the right adapter I can progress.  But in the meantime  sod John Lewis' not going to you either now in the future./I have never really been there before as in my own head it is too expensive for me, but when Curry's were so awful, JL's was suggested, but from where I stand they are actually worse, because at least they have compensated me for their inefficiency. 

Lying in the Hert - a poem for National Poetry Day.

Do I leave the Lea

Lying in the Hert

A half river, New too

Two vistas to 

London town 

Plane plain 

That nevertheless

Nestles bright green life

And dark green paths

I forage here; gathering my buds.