This is my forth layout in 2 weeks. And my second for the Stretch Your Sketches challenge series at Ella Publishing.
SPRING IN BEIJING
As the weather has started to change from winter to spring, here in Beijing, I've been thinking a lot about the changes I see around me and wanted to document them.
The trees begin to bloom.
People stand in trees to take photos.
People stick their kids in trees and take photos.
Little white fluffy cotton like whisps are floating through the air. Sometimes it almost looks as if it is snowing.
All the crazies come out (last year at this time I caught my pickpocketer in the act)
The already chaotic traffic patterns become even more so. There are official rules and then there are unwritten traffic rules. But when the weather turns, even those unwritten ones are broken.
Less layers. We put away the long underwear and the wool coat. Also the hats, scarves & gloves.
No more tights. Wearing boots less.
Turning off the humidifiers as the natural humidity increases.
No heat or air conditioning. (The government turns off the heat in March. A/C doesn't come on until June.)
Lots of wind and clear blue skies.
People start to paint things - refreshing the lines on the streets, repainting walls, planters, et.
The door men change into their warm weather uniforms and abandon the big heavy army green coats (migrant workers too).
Construction projects start up again after the huge long break after Chinese New Year.
The heavy army green blankets that hang in doorways are removed. No more heat to hold in. The clear plastic strips that retain the A/C are yet to go up.
Men sit on wooden planks and hang from ropes to wash the windows of my building.
What changes do you notice as the seasons change in your part of the world? Tell me the first two things that come to mind.
Margie - I LOVE that macro shot of the blooms! We are in that grey area between winter's end and Spring's really hanging around. We still have plenty of days where we NEED heat (and I would freeze if the govt turned it off) and then the occasional day where we can throw all the windows open and really enjoy!
Posted by: Cheri | April 21, 2011 at 12:30
Very interesting post. The first two things I notice are how all of a sudden the grass turns from dingy brown to bright green and the smell in the air of fertilizer on the fields (I live in a rural area with lots of farm land.
Posted by: Mary Ellyn | April 21, 2011 at 12:54
This is really neat to see and read. I love the photos of the flowers and can't get over the government shutting off the heat in March. Nice blog banner too! It's been too long since I was here last and remembered you experimenting with the look of your blog. Wanted to come back and see what you came up with :)
Posted by: Danielle Hunter | April 21, 2011 at 13:28
I love how you turned the sketch upside down - I may have to do that myself. =) This is a lovely post. I like all the pictures and the story that you've told here, so interesting.
Where we live the spring is a season of fluctuation. Hot one day and then chilly or gray the next. It will be like that for a couple of months. Then it will just be plain hot!
Posted by: Donna Jannuzzi | April 21, 2011 at 13:43
Thanks, Danielle. Yes, in a bad year, it can be really annoying when they turn off heat or A/C on the scheduled day but the weather doesnt cooperate. If it is really bad, they do extend the deadline. But I hear not in the countryside where the people are the poorest. That may be just rumor? Thanks for the compliment on my blog but I am still experimenting. I hope to put something of my own creation in the blog banner soon. Im just starting to work on revamping the whole look. Thanks so much for checking back in with me.
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | April 21, 2011 at 17:44
Thanks, Donna. Yes, spring is often a season of fluctuations, isnt it? We only have a fleeting spring here - just a couple of weeks and then it turns unbearably hot humid and the horrid pollution takes over the skies. Im anxiously awaiting sketch #3. Thanks for stopping by.
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | April 21, 2011 at 17:47
Wow, love those trees! Loved reading about the changes too that signal the warm weather. Here Down Under, the trees are turning yellow/orange/red and the air is getting nippier. The electric blanket has made it's appearance and so too the warmer gear. The exact opposite of what you're experiencing! :D
Posted by: Winnie H | April 21, 2011 at 22:37
Those trees are amazing, arent they? My favorite part of spring as well as living somewhere with four REAL seasons, unlike Southern Calif. Stay warm cozy under that electric blanket.
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | April 22, 2011 at 01:22
I think those flowers have to be the most gorgeous thing! I wish I had a tree like that in my backyard :) As for the changes here... well road construction is one (we laugh about that as every Spring the potholes are so bad from the winter weather and so the city has to fix them), and the other thing I noticed just yesterday was how I wanted to open the window to get fresh air into the house - I love open windows, hearing the birds chirping is a sure sign of Spring. Oh and the street cleaners... they came by yesterday as well to clean the dirt off the streets. (It's another thing that happens here... they use gravel instead of salt on our roads, they then clean the streets by collecting that gravel and recycle it for next year). P.S. Thanks for your comment today!
Posted by: Ginger | April 22, 2011 at 16:38
Sounds like you have rough winters. Unfortunately, birds chirping isnt something we hear much of here in this city. Usually the only ones are from people who bring their caged birds to the park. I miss that sound!
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | April 22, 2011 at 21:05
Two words: less snow! I think the gigantic snowpiles in some of the public places are almost gone. Someday our grass will turn green. ;^) Thanks as always for sharing the lovely photos.
Posted by: Carol Anne | April 23, 2011 at 21:38