Time to wash the windows!

Spring has definitely arrived.  Today was a holiday here in China so Tim had the day off.  Since the government heat has been turned off, it seemed like a perfect day to get our windows washed.  I don't know if I have ever explained how the heat works here.  Basically, we have almost no control over our heat for the winter.  The government provides heat through hot water (which the apartment owners have to pay for) and they decide when it's cold enough to be turned on in October/November and warm enough to be turned off in March/April.  During November we had to walk around in t-shirts and shorts because it was so warm inside but since we returned from Thailand they have scaled back delivery and it's been chilly during the day.  Now that April has arrived, it has been shut off completely.  Don't worry about us though, we have an auxiliary heater/air conditioner that we use when we have to.  Now, what does all this have to do with washing windows?  Well, the hot water that the government provides is heated by coal.  Dusty, black, (apparently) low grade coal that contributes to the poor air quality all winter.  It leaves a terrible mess on the windows and until they stop heating the water with the coal, there is no point in cleaning them.  It is not an easy task to clean them since we are on the sixth floor, but we have come up with a way that works pretty well without the danger of hanging out the window like a lot of the Chinese people do.  We use a mop to scrub them then splash on large bowls of water to rinse off the soap.  It leaves them looking almost new and everything went seamlessly until Tim was rinsing the last of the six windows.  He didn't see a lady standing down below and managed to splash her with some cold water.  He yelled out that he was sorry but she was mad.  She went over and talked to some of the guards who were nearby then glared at us as she drove away on her scooter.  We never got a call or visit so I guess they aren't going to bother with us.  Oops!

It really feels like a Sunday here with Tim being off work today.  I keep trying to remember what we did on the weekend that I can tell you about.  Yesterday we went for a nice supper at the Japanese restaurant with just the four of us.  Afterward it was such a lovely evening that we took the boys outside so they could ride around on their bikes in the dark.  I bought them some lights just for this purpose and they were very excited to try them out.  We had a great evening.

Aside from that there isn't a whole lot going on.  I've had the kids outside on their bikes quite a bit.  I must, must get one this weekend so I can keep up with them.  We did meet up with some of their friends at the playground on Monday.  Bill, Oliver and Peter were there and it was nice to see them again.

I'm still working on plans for our home trip.  I have been searching for deals and booking stuff.  It's fun!  I love doing this stuff.  Well, I must go get the boys ready for bed.  Talk to you later!

A little video of the boys: