Tomb Sweeping Festival

Me, my gf and her mum

Today is tomb sweeping day, the last major date in the Chinese calendar for me to participate in.  It's the day when you should pay respect to your ancestors by visiting their tombs and clearing them up.  Only, in a tropical climate after a year's growth, this is easier said than done...

Then, you should make sure your ancestors are well supplied where they are in paradise, which involves offering food in front of the grave and burning paper money (fakes, usually made out for $1,000,000,000 or more!), but if you really love your ancestors, you can really make sure they're living in style by buying a whole house and setting light to it.

Especially note the right-hand house with the sports car in the garage.

Me playing Mah-jongg and winning lots of money (I wish).

Life in Hainan

Life in Hainan is good

Chinese New Year 09

A few (somewhat belated) pictures from Chinese New Year 2009

I went to Anhui, a province in central china to stay with a friend for a week and enjoy all the tradational trappings of the spring festival.

Fireworks on new years eve over a temple in the centre of Hefei

We take my friends cousins on a pedalo ride.

I also managed a quick trip to nearby Nanjing, though the smog disappointed my view from the top of purple mountain overlooking China's old capital.

An unfathomable astronomical instrument

Above is the Sun Yat Sen memorial, tribute to China's 'founding father'.

A 'wishing' tree outside a temple on purple mountain

A collection of bells in a museum in Hefei

Burning incense in a temple dedicated to Bao Gong, an official so fair and upright that he sentenced his own half-brother to execution.

After visiting Nanjing, it was off to the Chinese countryside to visit my ex and her family. Which meant lots more eating - mmmm!

My ex eating her favourite snack - chickens feet!!!

The cutest little girl in China.

BETT 2009

We finally launched our Schoolshape software at the BETT 2009 exhibition in London Olympia.



Despite the small size of our stand we had plenty of interest, and praise was heaped on our work all round. This time last year it would have been hard to imagine the success we had that day.

Me chatting to a venture capitalist :-).

Xmas in Jersey

Preparing for the big day

We're all hell for leather preparing for our product launch at BETT, London Olympia on the 14th, can't wait! Our DIY approach has saved several hundred quid on 'stand design'...

And on the inside...

Pop in and see us if you're in London from the 14th-18th!