Pipe dreams

I made the fatal mistake of listing my current projects which are filling different parts of the pipeline, some blocking the spout, others peering down the far end. This was a bad idea and having come back from serene Kyoto via a relaxing Tokyo I find myself in a mild panic. However, my current collaborator from Germany has just arrived and I can spend a few days concentrating on just one, or perhaps two of the most pressing ideas. We've spent this afternoon in my favourite 'all you can drink for a quid fifty' cafe and the dumplings and cups of pearl tea have seen us through a few nice problems already.

With Chinese lessons back to a regular schedule and the gym membership renewed (to try and shed a few of the higher curvature features picked up in Japan) there's already little space to breath. Beijing has, as of today, started to shed it's depressingly gray fog and has given us a few hints of blue sky. Spring may be on its way and before the sandstorms hit we should have a few decent days. Depending on the pollution levels we may even venture to do some work in a local park.