Gung Hay Fat Choy!

- by Beanz

Gung Hay Fat Choy everyone. That is happy new year if you are Chinese. Today the humans abandoned me and Chips and went to the Chinese New Year celebrations in a nearby city.

There were loads of stalls and you could buy special drums to make loads of noise to keep bad spirits away. If they's have taken me with them, I could have made loads of noise to keep bad spirits away. But no, we were not invited on account of the fire crackers. And the fact that TJam wanted to have a relaxing time, and not two hyped up hounds learning about cultural issues, especially cultural things that fall on the floor, like noodles, rice and pad thai curry (or something, so we are told). Here are Bready and Bamgee buying some stuff.
Then they went to the parade. There was a dragon. I could have protected everyone from the dragon. Lucky for the dragon I wasn't there.

The humans were a little surprised that there were no Chinese people driving the dragon. Plus the cox was saying, "move it, move it" to the dragon drivers. The humans' Chinese friend said they say the same thing in Chinese, just that it sounds more romantic and festive when it it not done with a northern accent.

The humans were also stopped in the street and told they could "make a wish" on the Buddha. Now, I'm just a dog, not a theologist, but I thought prayer and meditation were associated with Buddhism. I didn't realise that all this time we could have just been making a couple of wishes. Let's see if Buddha comes good with all those bones I'm going to ask for...

anyway, next the humans went to the art gallery. Actually they just needed to use the facilities, but it turned out there were loads of interactive Chinese things there. And then Bamgee said, "Aren't those Silky's bags?" (Silky is her spy name) and it turned out that TJam's friend Silky has some bags for sale in the gallery! How cool is that?! Don't they look good.

Finally, the humans saw fit to come home and take me and Chips for a walk. There was a sugar dusting of snow while we were out and when we got in the car, look how cold it was:

Snow is forcast for tomorrow so we hope TJam can't get to work and has to stay home with us and sit in front of the fire, stroking us. We can always make a wish.