I have yet to go to the PSB (within 30 days of arrival to get my residence permit for one year. So I will then know if it is more or less difficult.

I have been in China for a little over two weeks now after 3 months in the UK. The time was not wasted however as my younger brother and I inherited the large family terraced house, so we have been busy with a new bathroom, kitchen and stripping wallpaper so that the plasterer could do new walls ready for painting. I managed to get government grants to get central heating and double-glazing installed about 8 years ago, while my father was alive, as there was a huge regeneration scheme for the area in play at that time. Then there was a complete rewire as the electrics were quite ancient.

I have had to start the DIY again in China as we have extended the studio facilities to the second floor. I now have an office of my own Ha Ha. My wife has invested heavily in the photography side and I bought another camera - this time a full-frame, so the enlargements don't show any pixels when they are huge. We've also been interviewing staff.

It was also useful being in the UK to deal with some legal matters like writing a new Will, sorting out bank transfers and downloading stuff from the internet in support of my wife's photography business.