The New Beachhutman Blog

We near the end of the school sports, and then have a bit of a break before the "Specials" start, during which period I am told all the restrictions will remain in place. I say "Grrr"

However, looking out on the wet streets this morning - raining again - and comparing the weather to last August, it is obvious things have been better.We have had more blue sky days by far, albeit some of them  a very pallid blue, but compared with this:

it's been really clear.  These days it looks more like this several times a week:

That's our office block.

The other factor in feeling better about the weather this August is that I am being a fat (ish) lazy (ish) Laowai and taking cabs more than the subway. The subway in Beijing, in summer, is too awful for words.With the government banning half the private cars every day, more people are using it, and it is truly ghastly. I have no desire to arrive each day at the office looking as though I have just emerged from a hot wash and spin cycle.`I still keep spare shirts at work for the days when I arrive sweaty, but have used them but once this August.

Anyway, it's time to go and try for a cab. With the Olympics, cabs have become hard to get - all those banned drivers using cabs, which is probably cheaper anyway - so there are fewer empty ones to hail.Yesterday it took 30 minutes just to catch one.