Sissi and I went to an area on the other side of Jinji Lake that I had never been to before. It’s a small inlet leading on to the canal system, but on one side there is a lovely wooded area full of some kind of pine tree. The water here seems so clean and it was refreshing to walk over the carpet of pine needles and the smell rising from them was quite pleasant as we strolled in the winter sun.

New life is appearing through the brown underlay as the new suckers seek to climb to the heavens making this miniature landscape underfoot look quite spectacular.

We saw two old people fishing and by the time we reached them they had hung up their fishing nets to clean them of the debris that they had picked up along with the fish, however I never saw the fish.

As we leave the woods we come into a very commercial looking place filled with new restaurants and cafes, but they have been built to look as if they are from a time long long ago. I’m sure that tonight this place will be heaving because today is Christmas Eve.

I’ll not be partying this evening, in fact I have a class and as far as I’m concerned it’s just another day of the week. I am lucky that I can avoid Christmas this year which suits me just fine.