Tuesday 16^th March, 2021 1200

Got up this morning to the news that Beijing yesterday experienced its worst sandstorm for a decade. When Jody had finished her shower after me and gone onto Wechat she informed me there was a sandstorm. Yes, I said, yesterday in Beijing. No said she, Beijing yesterday, Lanzhou today.

Well it was still dark outside but the sun was coming up when we left. She was absolutely right.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-56399267

We were having a replica of what Beijing had, half of Mongolia floating about the city. Confusingly, there were no grains of sand raining down, it was all confined to reducing visibility.

Then when we arrived at campus we were confronted by a scene that wouldn't have been out of place on the set of “Flowers Of War”. The overhead power and phone lines immediately outside the school gate were drooping down and at their nadir were only about ten feet above ground. My best guess is that a truck had inadvertently taken them out.

Great start to the week!