So it’s my last day in China for three weeks! Tomorrow morning I’ll be jetting off back to blighty for Christmas (although from the news I’m  reading about the weather in the UK right now it’s not clear exactly when I’ll be getting back, Manchester airport was closed yesterday), I hope  I don’t miss Santa!!

Anyway, this is probably going to be my last post for a few days (although, who knows. when I’m lying awake and stare at my watch for the 35th time at 4am on Christmas day I might well be stuck for something to do!) so let me just wish everyone a merry christmas and hope you all have a splendid time here in Shanghai working  away while I’m doing sod all apart from eating Walkers crisps, proper bacon, sausage and egg sandwiches and drinking vimto back in the UK. (Don’t be in any doubt that eating is right up there in my priority list every time I go back to the UK, something my Chinese colleagues never miss an opportunity to remind me about, apparently every time I come back I am “much fatter”)

I spoke to my mum on the phone yesterday about coming back, “ooooh Millie (my two year old niece I’ve not seen for a year) is SO excited” she said “she keeps going on and on about it, she can’t wait”. Oh, I was touched, the last time I saw her she’d just started walking and could barely manage a “mama”, “I’m surprised she can remember me at all” I said, “not you” my mum replied, “I’m talking about Santa!!!”, ah yes, of course….

She does remember me though apparently, although mainly from the photo in my mum’s lounge of me all dressed up picking up my PhD certificate, the other day they were watching the news and a bishop was being interviewed, she jumped up and pointed at the screen saying “UNCLE DINGLE, UNCLE DINGLE!!!!”.. Oh god, this is all very “Daily Star” isn’t it… this blog may well change into a “don’t children / my mother say the funniest things” type of blog for the next few weeks, I apologise in advance…

Anyway, let me leave you with this:

Outside my local Yongqi hair butcherers, presumably this is in Russian right?

Oh ok, here’s the full picture, just in case any of you doubters think I’ve flipped the image or something (trust me, this is unreadable from every side and angle)