July 2019

Of course summer came. Did I really think that I could avoid summer in Wuhan, one of the four ovens of China? Nope, not a chance. Amidst working during a busy season and planning our wedding in October (not sure if I’ve mentioned this before), July has been rather hectic, but that doesn’t stop us from taking some time to observe the beautiful things in life that keep us sane 😉

These flowers look like roses but they’re not the typical ones that you get for your loved one on Valentine’s Day. These ones were growing just outside my office building in mid-July, looking elegant and sassy!

Lotus is definitely the summer flower of Wuhan and there is no shortage of lotus ponds in the city, especially in university campuses. Here’s the one close to the south gate of HUST, though J joked that it was so hot that day that the lotus pads were drying – and it was true!

The people of Wuhan do love their lotus…to eat, that is. You’ve got your good ol’ lotus root but there are parts of the lotus that I didn’t even know existed before coming to Wuhan. Lotus pods and baby lotus stems, for example, are delicacies here that I can’t get enough of 😛

I travel west when I head home from work and so I often catch some nice sunset skies as I hop off the bus. It’s good to see God’s beautiful work of art at the end of a long, exhausting day.

This was a sight to behold. J and I were on a walk around Yujia Lake one evening and it began raining – with lightning and thunder! I am usually terrified of lightning but it was too good of an opportunity to capture some photos of lightining…or at least try. I kept pressing the button of my phone’s camera really quickly, hoping that one of the 2387942 photos that I took would turn out well – and I guess it sort of worked?!! This was the best one that I managed to get – not of a lightning streak but of light emerging from dark clouds looming over the book shop in the distance. Spectacular!

This cat did not seem to mind the outdoor heat and was ready for a long, lazy day ahead. It was only morning though, and I was pretty sure it went hiding somewhere else as soon as the heat of noon hit…

A random gathering with work colleagues from my department, at a very large round table that turns by itself! Convenient, as we didn’t have to turn it ourselves to get food, but you also had to be quick to get the food that you wanted or else you won’t get an other chance till it comes around the next time…if there’s any left 😛

My dear LS dropped by Wuhan as a short stopover and we only had a couple of hours to chat over some drinks. Very rushed, but it’s always fun and jokes when this lady is around. See you soon in October 😉

New glasses, yeah? It’s about time – I think I haven’t gotten new glasses for seven years! These took a bit of time to get used to but I like the thick black frames. And I complimented J by saying that he looks handsome in this photo and he blushed like a little kid, hehe ^_^

Another two weeks to go till September and then it’ll be one month before our wedding…stress and anticipation!! So much work, so much planning, so much to look forward to!

Saturday morning at Capucins

There’s a little place in Bordeaux not too far from Place de la Victoire, called Marché des Capucins. Locals like to come here as an alternative to the supermarket, because it offers a variety of fresh goodies at a cheaper price. Produce, meat, seafood, dairy products, pastry, flowers, wine…you name it!

I don’t come here as often as I should, but when I still had Mr.Nikon last year, I took him to Capucins for a visit. It wasn’t so much the prospect of buying anything as the sheer number of vendors row after row, the variety of goods on sale, and the vivid spectrum of (almost kaleidoscopic) colours that could be seen from end to end that attracted me to drop by.

Oh, and if I remember correctly, I had Mr.LS-san as my company. What better place to take a friend going to Bordeaux for the first time than its characteristic morning market?

We start out in the Saint-Michel district (which I had partly written about here) where another big outdoor market is taking place. Here you can find lots of vendors selling clothing and random accessories of all sorts.