The camera flash diverted the doctor's attention for a second, but he didn't bat an eye-lid at the rabble jostling around us during this morning's medical consultation. This is only half the crowd. We made the 45-minute bus journey to Taishitun hospital for Freda to have her 3rd (in a course of 5) rabies vaccines. This is following an incident in Simao, the day before Freda and Ali left for Beijing. Freda was bitten on the face while picking up a tissue at a friend's house in the College. The Pug's vicious behaviour has been attributed to poor training and aggressive temperament, rather than to rabies. The dog's veterinary records show that it has a full vaccination record and has never left the city, so is unlikely to have come into contact with a rabid animal. The injections are a precaution. Ali, Edie and I took the opportunity to have our three-yearly booster at the same time, given that we are currently living in a rural setting, where regulations regarding dog (health) care are somewhat more slack.

In many Chinese towns and cities strict policies are being enforced regarding dog ownership. All dog owners must have a licence and regularly vaccinate their pet. Failure to do so may result in confiscation of the dog. This is part of a nationwide programme to reduce rabies. Unfortunately there is no vaccination for nastiness, and many dog owners we know are absolutely clueless about training. I hope the owner, having 'lost face' with this incident, has learnt a lesson and keeps the crumple-faced canine companion away from people in the future.Fortunately, Freda didn't lose any of her face, which has healed with no sign of scarring.

I appreciated the true challenge of having to 'eat one's cake' this afternoon, when I waited for the results of my unlikely baking aim - to make a cake using the rice cooker, with no recipe. Perhaps it's something British in me that means I can't feel truly at home until I've made a cake, even though I don't bake very often at home, in Scotland. All I knew this afternoon was that the result would have to be physically impossible (or dangerous) to ingest for us to put it in the bin. As it happens, the children gave it the thumbs up and I'm now desperately trying to remember the recipe, so that I can do it again. It went something like this:

Steamed apricot sponge
Tip white sugar into a bowl, up until the point when you think, "It surely can't be that much..." (and would normally reconsult the recipe). Pour in some peanut (or whatever is available locally) oil - resembling quarter of a block of melted Stork margarine. Beat in three eggs. Mix it all together, trying not to reflect on how unhealthy it looks, or how bad the oil smells. Add some chopped apricots, nuts or other nibbles to provide some points of interest.

Now comes the tricky bit. Guess how much flour you might need to thicken this up to a cake batter - put this in a bowl and add a decent sprinkling of baking powder. It's better to under-, than over-estimate. Gradually fold this in to the oily goo and add more from the sack if the original estimate wasn't enough. Keep adding until it looks similar to a cake mixture that turned out well in the past.

Line the baozi (steamed bread) tray with a thin piece of cotton. I used a patch of old bed-sheet (the same as the curtains we made for the loo) but muslin would be better. This stops the cake mixture running straight out through the holes. Dab the cloth with oil, to help prevent it from sticking. Steam the cake mixture for a looooong time (wash up, make lunch, eat lunch, wash up again, have a cup of coffee), taking care to top up the water so your rice cooker doesn't run dry and  overheat. Don't be tempted to sprinkle extra flour on top because it looks too oily. Just let it steam. Once the top is set (no more goo), it's ready. Tip it out, peel off the bed-sheet, and slice. Spread with apricot jam or some other yummy spread. Once you've checked it tastes okay, you can leave the spread off.

Yanhui and her husband rent this yard from one of Hunter's uncles - 'Si Shu' (Uncle 4), or it might be No 7 uncle. I'm a little confused by the family tree. There are 5 uncles and 2 aunts in total, Hunter's father being the eldest, though he passed away several years ago. No 6 Uncle runs the B&B (and works on the railway lines) and this is No 2 Aunt in the picture. She suffered brain damage (I think at birth, though it's difficult to unravel her life story) and, unable to speak, relies on body language to communicate. She can vocalise feelings through shouts and cries. We've been getting to know her over recent weeks and are finding communication easier and easier, though we've noticed that many villagers ignore her. The dogs, on the other hand, find her passionate shouts and arm-waving somewhat alarming and howling in the canine community normally announces her imminent arrival. She's been visiting nearly every day and leaves with all our empty bottles and cans, though she gives me the bottle tops for my bingo set.

We met No 2 Aunt at the shop yesterday, on our way back from a walk. Her and the two girls had an ice lolly and we walked back to the house together. She has already told us about her past dog bites - a topic close to our hearts at the moment - and graphically recounts tales of being attacked when she was a little girl. Yesterday's story, however, was more upsetting. When she entered the courtyard and sat down, she was distracted by what we call the store room. She told us about someone who was tied up by the wrists and left in that room alone while the family went out to work - it's difficult to know who - either her husband as a little boy, or another relative. Her face and voice were pained as she recounted these memories.

Today's visit, when she brought us 3 home-grown cucumbers, also moved me, though this time Aunt No 2 didn't share the story herself. I came out of the kitchen to find her cradling Baby Annabelle in her arms, gazing at her intently and apparently lost in thought. She was much calmer than usual as she sat Annabelle on the ground and played with her, for over half an hour. Aunt No 6 had already told me that Aunt No 2 had a son, who was raised by No 3 Uncle (in Beijing?). Her son, now in his late twenties, has a little girl. Aunt No 2 is so proud of him (re-enacting the story of her pregnancy, ever increasing size and nursing of the baby) and can talk of him without the pain of other tales. 

She loves watching Freda and Edie play and enjoyed blowing bubbles yesterday. Sometimes she's like a young child. At other times it's clear she's a grown women, with a lifetime of experience, trapped in body that isn't always compatible with the social world around her. When she struggles to recount her stories I sense the same frustration in Aunt No 2 that I have felt many times when trying to communicate in China. Perhaps that's why we manage to understand Aunt - we've also had to find creative ways to relate to and understand others when circumstances are less than 'ordinary'.

Freda and Edie hopped out of bed and into a Hopscotch challenge at 7:30 this morning, without bothering to get dressed. I love this courtyard life. We don't open the yard gate until we are ready to face the world. Meantime we can lounge around in pyjamas, have breakfast and enjoy the view of the mountains in the morning light, all in the open air. It's going to be hard to beat this when we move on in September.

Unfortunately the blissful scene ended in tears as Freda pulled ahead in the Hopscotch and Edie threw her stone at her sister in a tantrum. Well, it was nice while it lasted.  The mantou are rising in the sun so only 30 minutes until breakfast.

I joined a bunch of the yard party adults for a walk up to the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall this morning before breakfast. It's great to have real countryside so close to us, and such an iconic structure to explore. This section of wall is unrenovated, so much more pleasant, atmospheric, quieter, (and cheaper) than my last Great Wall experience at Badaling. That was on a freezing January day, so today's trip was also much warmer... We had a great time. I hope to explore further another day when there's more time. There are even camping possibilities up there.

 

Jiaozi (dumpling)-making is a common activity when friends get together in China. No 6 Aunt provided the dough and filling, leaving the best part for this lot - rolling, stuffing and sealing the  jiaozi before cooking them in boiling water. Well, eating them is okay too, though often results in being completely full and not wanting to look at another jiaozi for a month.

A few visitors, who didn't quite grasp the value of such a hands-on, practical learning activity, tried to send the kids packing, telling them that their jiaozi weren't shaped properly and they should leave it to the adults (i.e. the women), not offering to lift a hand themselves. The same men wanted to use my sticks (gathered during the week for a craft activity) to start the BBQ and after huffing with me for confiscating them, marched down the street to take some from a neighbour's winter store. This didn't go down well on the lane, and we'll have to spend the week patching things up. What dumplings!

Twenty-seven visitors descended on the yard this weekend (this included about 7 children) for a party to celebrate Yanhui's departure from VSO. She's worked the PO for a year, efficiently and effectively supporting the Basic Education team and international volunteers. What's VSO's loss, however, is another NGO's gain and she begins work as the Communication's Manager of another development organisation at the end of August.

Although this wasn't an official 'activity weekend', I used it as an opportunity to try out some ideas on these friends and colleagues - a kind of pilot for the pilot. In the morning we all took a walk down to the river. Everyone had to find a stone they liked and bring it back to the yard to paint. It was mostly the women and children who took part, while the men sat in the courtyard smoking and drinking or, in Eric's case, stroking the dog. While Xiao Qian returned to Beijing with a beautiful stone, Eric will take home some fleas!

Twenty-seven visitors descended on the yard this weekend for a party, to celebrate Yanhui's departure from the VSO Programme Office. She has worked there tirelessly for a year, offering efficient and highly effective support to the Basic Education Programme and international volunteers. VSO's loss is another NGO's gain, however, as she begins work as Communications Manager for another development organisation at the end of August.

Some visitors came for the day, others stayed at No 6 Uncle's B&B but spent the day at the yard or on short outings. I took the opportunity to pilot a few activities for the official pilot next weekend. In the morning we took everyone down to the river to find stones, which were taken back to the Activity Centre to paint. It was mostly the women and children who took part in the activities (and cleaning and cooking and parenting) while the men sat around eating, drinking, smoking and chatting. Eric befriended Xiong Mao, our self-nominated guard dog, so while Xiao Qian returns to the city with a beautifully-decorated stone, Eric will have gained a few ticks and fleas.

Ali and Freda arrived last night, driven here from Beijing airport by Yanhui's sister-in-law. After a lazy morning of unpacking and settling-in, we took a walk down to the river with Sinyuan. When we visited the river last week there wasn't any water in it, probably due to the upstream dam. The water is higher these days, however, but not high enough to cover the rocky banks where we play.

Now that most of the cleaning has been done, we spent the day adding some finishing touches to the yard. As well as putting pictures on the walls of the Activity Centre (maps, postcards, photos etc), we made some curtains and a door blind, using material that Jiajia gave me in Kunming. This Indian raw silk, decorated with beads, may have been  intended for grander purposes but it fits our front door exactly. We shall take it with us when we leave.

Edie and Sinyuan helped to create a herb garden, using seeds we (naughtily) brought back from the UK last year. We're using an old, tin basin for the basil, thyme and parsley, and several small pots for the sunflower seeds.