July 31st, 2016
A hot and sunny summer day meant it was definitely time to go adventuring in the Chilterns. So last Saturday I set of a not particularly adventurous adventure from Henley to Wallingford and back again.
This is a lush meadow heading out of Henley. So many flowers and bugs!
![meadow_scale](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/meadow_scale-450x300.jpeg)
I’ve visited Wallingford a couple of times in the past. It’s a pleasant market town just over the Thames south of Oxford. It’s most interesting features are the bridge, ruined castle, and this, the town hall. A local pub was having a “lure party”. I guess this is to do with Pokemon Go and not fishing.
![wallingford_scale](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wallingford_scale-450x300.jpeg)
It was so hot that I completely ran out of water on the return trip to Henley. Luckily I managed to find a stranger to fill up my bottle. The dryness and the ripening crops do make the fields a nice yellow colour though.
![yellow_scale](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/yellow_scale-450x300.jpeg)
July 24th, 2016
I’ve been decorating my home recently! These two oil paintings I bought on canvases from some student art market. The framer was a bit snooty about the quality, and actually I paid more to get them framed than the paintings cost originally, but they liven up the walls and I’m no art critic…
![paintings_scale](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/paintings_scale-450x270.jpg)
This one is a painting on rice paper I bought when I was in China back in April. Again I got it framed separately back in the UK. The lady in the shop didn’t speak English and my Chinese isn’t great, but I gathered it’s a painting of Suzhou in autumn by a local man who is old, famous, and blind. Hanging in my hallway now: looks really good.
![suzhou_painting](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/suzhou_painting-450x187.jpg)
July 12th, 2016
I had one last day in Shanghai after my holiday before flying back home. I arrived really early on the overnight train, so I had a great opportunity to beat the queue and go up the Oriental Pearl Tower which I had shunned before.
![P1120802](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/P1120802-450x281.jpg)
I went to the “middle” globe (which is actually quite near the top). You can pay extra to go to the very top globe but I doubt the view is much better and it is a lot more. The view is quite good, despite the smog. On one side you can see all the old colonial buildings and on the other all the modern skyscrapers.
![P1120789](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/P1120789-450x300.jpg)
Underneath the middle global is this exciting glass-floored observation gallery. It was a bit unsettling actually. Although I managed to venture onto the glass to take a few photos of my feet.
![P1120815](https://www.doof.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/P1120815-300x450.jpg)
The tower definitely looks better lit up by night. The grey-tower on grey-smog look during the day isn’t great.