Keeping the plants warm in China

I've written before about the method used to preserve plants during winter. By early December many of the trees are painted white - I was told to keep the trees warm, but I think it is just part of a process. Perhaps there is some fungicide or similar in the white "paint", which is applied before the trees are wrapped in rope.

You can see in the photo above that some of the trees are wrapped in rope. In the fore ground are some trees wrapped in hessian. It is quite curious, but it obviously works as come spring when the coverings are removed the plants spring into life.

Prepared for the cold?

Well, a little more. I've managed a "donation" of a ski jacket which should keep me warm, some black "long johns", some great woolly socks, a beanie - all courtesy of my daughter from her snow expedition a couple of years ago. The jacket is great - and is now at the dry cleaners!

I also went into the city to see what other winter gear is available - and purchased a black skirt, and a teal blue long sleeved skivvy from Damart. Along with my new walking shoes, I'm happy that I have enough things to take. Sure to be cold there, but I can purchase extras I expect.

I walked from South Brisbane station, over the bridge to the city and around Elizabeth, Queen and Adelaide Sts, and back to Central station for the return trip. I noticed that there were so many people from other countries - languages other than English filled me ears wherever I went. And the only person I "bumped into" was a girl who was on the same TESOL course!

I'm still a little amazed that I have not received any paperwork from the College - it is less than 3 weeks and I'm still waiting for the "offer" and "contract" which were promised some time ago. I don't have the departure date in writing. I shall have to phone on Monday and hurry things up. I'm strangely confident that things will be OK - but just the same I'd like to see it in writing. (I would have thought it would be helpful to the College too, to ensure that we had all "signed off".

Today I am meeting with some great friends - women who have been in business, and with whom we have networked for a long time. We meet once or twice a year for a chat etc, and today we are going to the Wang Dynasty restaurant which is at Southbank. It was one of the restaurants that operated throughout Expo 88 - on the Brisbane River.

A Chinese restaurant - how appropriate.