“So, it has arrived. This time tomorrow we will have done it. We will have performed ‘The Wind in the Willows’ to an audience. I can’t quite believe it and have spent the majority of the day pretending that this is not the case. Knowing myself pretty well, I had planned to keep busy today in order to fend off the nerves. After a fitful sleep, a Christmas market, a thimble of mulled wine, a tidied room and a “Ruthie nap”, I now find myself sat crossed-legged on my bed in about fifteen layers of clothes with nowhere to hide. This is the start of the beginning.

Chorus members wait in the wings before a show

The last week at Northern Stage has flown by. We have had the ups and downs of any technical rehearsal but what has driven us all through has been the patience, sense of humour and downright genius skill of the technical team. The show is enormously complicated in terms of set and the actors have had 4 weeks of getting to know the story and action of the play and the technical staff have just one week to help us to put it all together on stage. Some of the things we have anticipated having trouble with have been a breeze but then others, such as naughty caravans, have taken us by surprise. However, through it all what has been so refreshing and inspiring is the good humour of everyone. Erica runs a very calm ship and it’s fascinating to watch her bridge the gap between the cast and crew so that there is no distinction; we are one big company telling a story together. I am very proud of what we have achieved with Kenneth Grahame’s story and with Mr Bennett’s words and I can’t wait to play it all out to real people.

Mark Benton as Toad and the 'naughty' caravan

Now, to keep myself busy… I could do some ironing. Yes, ironing. Oh, and I might watch a couple of episodes of Eastenders whilst doing some lateral-thigh-training, that always helps. I don’t think I can pretend anymore. I am now feeling the nerves in every possible way. I’ll just keep telling myself it’s a good thing. I know it’s a good thing. Nerves are always a good thing. Aren’t they?”

2pm: Lunched and refreshed, the company meet up again in the auditorum. Still some hammering going on from the workshops team and the barge appears on set….

2.30pm: …except it keeps getting caught at the edge, to the misfortune of our friend Albert the Horse. Toad and the Bargewoman exchange ‘scanties’ while the lighting dept work on focusing. And an accordian brings it’s own positioning problems too, but it’s swiftly solved by stage management.

3pm: Accidental innuendo between Toad and Albert and everyone ends up laughing. Its a very funny moment and shows how well the cast get on. And then its time to do the scene over again… 

3.15pm: Feels odd to be so deep in the world of Willows, weasels and other woodland creatures when there’s so much going on outside the building but it’s very easy to lose yourself in it.  Theres a real playful energy to this session but it continues to move quickly ahead (touch wood!)

3.45pm: Spoke too soon! The tech slows down again as scenery is moved and lighting is changed – but the banter between the cast is fun (and not always very family-friendly!) The set continues to change as Mole and Ratty make their entrance.

Offstage, someone plays the riff from ‘Smoke in the Water’ – not sure that’ll be featured in the final show…

4pm: Time for a teabreak!

4.3opm: Everyone’s tea-ed up and ready to go. Squirrels and rabbits appear, as do a bunch of musical instruments (including that pesky accordian) while the weasels wonder ‘Where’s Toad?’.

5pm: As a newcomer to the process, you notice just how MANY things you have to think about in a tech rehearsal. Trying to get people and props in the right places is only half of it; bring in the sound, scenery and lights and it all gets more complicated – you begin to realise just how much work goes into making a show on this scale.

5.30pm: Reports filter through about the snow lying outside. Toad and co make plans onstage while the technical team plot around them.

6pm: Teatime for the company and the end of the blogging for today!

Ruth Johnson in costume as Mole

“It is Monday morning (22nd November) and I am sat on my sofa under a shower cap smelling of “exclusive colour blend technology” and feeling a little pensive. This will be the last document I create as a ginger. Well, for a bit anyway, and to be honest I’m a fake ginger as it is. I’m going brown for Moley. Moley-brown.

It is all very exciting at the moment. In exactly one week we will be opening, ‘The Wind in the Willows’. Having moved into the theatre and on to Stage 1 on Friday, and starting the technical rehearsals on Saturday, Northern Stage already feels like home again and I cannot tell you how beautiful everything looks. It’s wonderful to be back in the building again for Christmas and it’s great to be working with the whole team again. It’s really rather amazing to see all the elements of the show come together and to see what everyone brings to the experience. It’s not just a bunch of actors in a room for 4 weeks, it is that, but it is also the whole creative team coming together to make the magic. The set looks fabulous and feels like you are walking into a whole new world. Having all the props makes everything real, the sounds create a warm merry England to reside in and the lights are the fairy dust deftly sprinkled over everything like the icing on a very wholesome and gorgeously sumptuous cake. And it doesn’t stop there, all the marketing and publicity work adds to the excitement and buzz that’s brimming in the building. I saw a poster on the side of a bus the other day and felt like Carrie in the opening sequence to ‘Sex and the City.’

Adjusting the lighting in Stage 1

I may be gushing, but I’m not going to apologise for it because I genuinely love what I’m spending my time doing at the moment and I love working with this amazing bunch of talented people. I’ve always known that Northern Stage is a family and I’ve been welcomed into it’s arms on many occasions. Returning to the theatre at the weekend was like going home for a Sunday roast with all the trimmings, made just like mum used to make. I’m going to make the most of it, make it last, and enjoy every last roast potato.

Oh, best see what’s happening under this shower cap! See you on the other side as a brunette!”

Phil Ormrod Assistant Director

“When I was small, my parents used to read The Wind in the Willows to me. Dad would play Moley, and Mum, Ratty; and they’d do the voices, and show me the illustrations, which I remember as quite the most beautiful things in my quickly expanding world. Then, perhaps when I was six or seven, they gave my brother and I the book on tape. We were due for a long drive shortly afterwards, so perhaps it wasn’t a wholly selfless gift. In any case, the temptation to squabble, moan or demand progress reports at five-minute intervals evaporated, and the back seat of the car was silent. All we heard was a quiet voice, leading us with gentle reserve along the riverbank, through the wild wood, and out into the wide world. It belonged, I later learned, to a man called Alan Bennett.

I started work at Northern Stage four months ago, and I knew already that the first show on which I’d be assisting would be The Wind in the Willows. It felt like a lovely treat to be allowed to revisit that world, and to hear that voice again. I couldn’t wait to begin. Now, as always happens with treats, I’ve barely got used to being in rehearsals and they’re already almost over.

Ed Gaughan as the train driver and Mark Benton as Toad

It’s the beginning of week four, and things are starting to come together. This is really my favourite part of the process. You can see clearly what the show will look like, and the relationships between the characters are clear. You have some sense of how all the technical business might work. The actors can play the whole thing through without feeling like they’re doing naked karaoke at the Monument on a Saturday afternoon. But you’re still a little way from having to finalise things: you still feel free to make creative decisions – as long as you can still see the wood for the trees, that is.

One of the perks of hanging out with actors is that you’re constantly amazed by how inventive they are. When you’re watching Ed (Gaughan)’s performance as the train driver, for instance, you should know that he’s got six other versions of the man hidden up his sleeve, any of which he can whip out at a moment’s notice. At this stage, although the details are beginning to firm up, the cast are still inventing things all the time. They’ll keep exploring their parts during the run, of course, but not with such freedom; and they were inventing things from the beginning, too, but without the understanding that we’ve all gained over the past three weeks. Right now, freedom and understanding have combined into the intoxicating feeling that every invention is a discovery: we’re striking gold, or alighting finally on the shores of undiscovered countries.

Director Erica Whyman in rehearsals

Being an assistant director is a funny job, because it’s different every time you do it. Basically, you’re there to support the director in whatever way they need. This can mean many different things depending on who you work for. This time round, aside from some practical responsibilities, it feels mostly like my job is to be part of a very interesting conversation. I watch, and listen, and try to ask helpful questions at the right moment (with varying success.)

A lot of people imagine a director to be someone who sits and tells people what to do. When you watch Erica work with an actor, you quickly realise that what she mostly does is listen. Then she responds, or makes a suggestion, and listens again. It’s her job as a director to have a clear sense of what the story is, and how she hears Alan Bennett tell it, and to make this sure this understanding comes across to the audience. It’s certainly come across to us. But she never insists on it. We feel like we’ve all discovered and understood the world of this play together. What Erica’s done is draw the map, with great subtlety, and a keen eye for detail. We’ve been allowed to roam all over it, and we think we’ve found a spot we like. Now – to set up camp!”

“We are eating a lot of biscuits. I like biscuits and have a belief that biscuits bring people together, which is nice. But we are eating a lot of biscuits!

Everyday, someone will bring in a new family-sized box of treats and we all gather round with giggly excitement, wondering what the new tin of delights will bring. I’m putting this new biscuit addiction down to the amount of energy we are spending in the rehearsal room. Yet again, we have done so much and I feel like I have so much to tell you.

Last week was brilliant, in a new kind of brilliant way. We have really started to focus on detail with the characters now. I am finding this a fascinating process, not only for myself but in seeing what everyone else is discovering with their characters. I won’t give away too much here, you will have to come and see, but I promise you that seeing these well-known animals and their friendship come to life is something very special.

Vicky Elliott and Mark Benton not taking rehearsals too seriously

I am so excited about this afternoon as we are all going to be fighting with stage-fighting expert, Paul Benzing. I never knew I had it in me but I can be a bit of a bruiser if I want to be! In the first session we had, I got so involved, that I questioned my pacifist nature. It was like dancing and was so exciting. Paul is a wonderful teacher, making us feel safe alongside challenging us to create realistic and complicated sequences. Having never been in a fight (well, not since a slight altercation with a 9 year old boy who was hogging my Spectrum ZX in 1989), I really surprised myself with how much I loved this session and can’t wait to choreograph more this afternoon.

The whole cast of ‘The Wind in the Willows’ could be seen having a lovely time at Northern Stage’s 40th Birthday celebrations last week. It was a fantastic night and was really lovely for us all to be out together, and we danced, oh how we danced!

At the end of this week we will be moving out of the unit and into the theatre. This is both exciting and scary in equal measure. Moving into the theatre means it is all real and that we are really doing it. In fact, in exactly two weeks we will be performing in front of an audience. My tummy just did something funny when I wrote that last sentence. Maybe I need another biscuit. Where are those biscuits?”

“Having resigned myself to the fact that I am unable to write daily about my adventures on the River Bank, in the Wild Wood and at Toad Hall, it seems wise to attempt a weekly approach but this is certainly not without its problems. So much happens during a week in the unit. Time is going so fast, in fact, the rehearsal room seems to have its own Narnia-esqe time warp world, that makes life in the real world seem alien. In fact, this weekend I have been very much wanting to don the fur coat and make my entrance back through the wardrobe and back into the little world we have created in the warehouse unit on an industrial estate in Byker, as I have been missing it and missing playing with my new friends.

In Chapter 1 of ‘The Wind in the Willows’, Kenneth Grahame writes that, “The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated.” That is pretty much how I’m feeling about this whole process and it seems that Oscar Wilde could have been (but I’m very sure he wasn’t) talking about me when he said, “Life imitates Art”. I’m finding myself becoming very moley!

When I look around the room of people all gathered together to make this wonderful tale come to life, maybe I’m not the only one who is taking on the characteristics of their animals. Erica is not putting us through any kind of method acting process, you’ll be glad to hear. We are not spending our spare time burrowing holes and bedding down with badgers or anything, but maybe if David Bellamy was secretly watching us all from behind the fridge he might just discover some interesting animal traits.

Friendship is key to ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and this is something that we have been exploring throughout the week. Upon meeting Jonathon Jones, I knew instantly that he was playing Ratty. He is the complete gentleman and I strangely felt a similar feeling that Mole has upon meeting his new friend. Justin Webb, who is playing Badger, is a wonderfully calm and wise influence and has the caring qualities of the leader that Badger is, even bringing in a whole joint of ham for everyone, which I could only dream (and did) about eating as I’m a vegetarian. The boisterous Toad, who is full of laughter and life is played by the exceptionally funny Mark Benton, who has us all in stitches, and also has the kindness and generosity of his amphibian counterpart. As a gang, Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad are a mixed bag of differences that make all the great friendships of this world work and as Mr Grahame says, “It takes all sorts to make a world”. It’s strange how quickly the company has all bonded as a group. With Dan Wheeler, Zoe Lambert, Vicky Elliott, Ed Gaughan and Gary Kitching, we have all become a little family.

The chorus have joined us more this week, which has been great. They are a lovely bunch of people and make for very scary weasels. It’s nice to get to know everybody more, especially as we’ll be spending the next couple of months in such close company.

I’m still very much discovering the character of Mole. He is not nearly as shy as I’d first thought. In fact, he is rather bold, makes new friends easily and is a strange hybrid of middle-aged bachelor and child. He finds wonder in new things and has a real sense of adventure, yet he is innocent and naïve and often needs looking after. I’ve taken to wearing spectacles during rehearsals now and this seems to be helping. I’m trying to look a bit like Alan Bennett. I hope he doesn’t mind!

Oh, dear, I’ve done it again, I’ve got so much more to say and not enough space to do it. Maybe I’ll do the daily write up this week! I have not even mentioned the car chases, costume fittings, fights and biscuit intake. I will write again soon. I promise.”

“It is Halloween; it is dark, it is cold and I’m not scared at all. It is in fact 7am on Sunday 31st October and I’ve been awake for hours reflecting on the last seven days; the week that was ‘Wind in the Willows’ Week 1. If I cast my mind back to last Sunday, I can hardly believe the difference a week can make. I was abound with nervous energy that saw my living quarters being tidied, messed up, tidied, messed up and tidied, a fashion show catwalk for my flatmate in order to decide what outfit and accompanying legwarmers to wear (ensuring that I would be comfortable, warm and look like I had just thrown it together nonchalantly), and the repetition of the phrase, “Hang spring cleaning!” in a range of different accents and delivery choices. A fly on the wall would have been 118ing the number for the men in coats if it had access to an iphone. I was a nervous wreck.

Monday 25th October 2010 was bitingly cold and marked the first day of rehearsals for ‘Wind in the Willows’, directed by Erica Whyman. It was a day I had been very much looking forward to for a long time. I love the story by Kenneth Grahame and adore Alan Bennett’s stage adaptation with the joy and play he brings to the adventures of Ratty, Mole, Toad and Badger. I was ridiculously excited when I heard this would be Northern Stage’s Christmas production this year, little did I know at that time that I would be in it.

I’m playing Mole, a character that has fascinated me since being a little girl listening to my Grandma reading ‘Wind in the Willows’ to me, and a character I thought I knew quite well; shy, nervous and rather unworldly. On Monday at 1pm at the rehearsal unit I was certainly living and breathing those characteristics. I have never felt so excited and nervous at the same time. My mum had given me THE WORDS – a phrase that she has to say to me before anything vaguely testing or the sky will fall down, “Good Luck, Break a Leg and ENJOY!” she had chirped, hardly able to contain herself either (this being the same mother who had put a mole garden ornament in the middle of the garden on the day of my audition in August in some kind of worship to the god of small burrowing animals). As I walked into the rehearsal unit I felt very small in the large, cold wooden space with crowds of people. It felt like the first day of school and there I was with my satchel and big coat looking up at all the big people who were real live grown ups.

I knew lots of Northern Stage staff who were there for the meet and greet but I only knew two cast members, Vicky and Gary, who gave reassuring smiles. I plucked up the courage to introduce myself to a very friendly-looking lady, “Hello”, I said. She replied with lovely bubbly warmth, “Hello, I’m Zoe”. “Hello, I’m Zoe”, I said and she commented on how strange that we both had the same name. It took a good 10 seconds before I realised that I am not called Zoe and am, and have in fact been for 29 years, called Ruth. Whilst wincing with embarrassment inside I reintroduced myself and hoped that that would be the last faux pas of the day.

Erica then set the scene and introduced her vision for ‘Wind in the Willows’. Everyone then introduced themselves and we had a model box presentation of the set and the costumes for the show. I, and everybody else was bowled over. It is going to be beautiful. It then came to the read-through of the script. This was something I was looking forward to and dreading in equal measure as I had the first line, “Hang spring cleaning”. We all sat around in a circle in our big coats, scarves and gloves (there was no need to have planned my outfit) and then Dan, the Deputy Stage Manager read the stage directions and there it was, my turn to speak. Phew, after that first line was over I thoroughly enjoyed the read-through and it was great to hear the text come alive and the voices of the different characters. What struck me most was how funny the play is and it made me very excited about playing with the very talented actors that I was sat in the circle with.

I had promised myself that I would write a bit of this blog every night but this seems to have been a bit over-ambitious! My mind has been buzzing upon returning home and it is only on this early Sunday morning that I seem to have had the time to sit down and properly reflect on such a wonderfully wonderful week and I have only managed to briefly cover Day 1! I have lots more to share and will do so as soon as possible.

The most remarkable element of the first day of rehearsals for me was how quickly I went from feeling very shy and quivering, to feeling myself and very much welcomed. The creative team and the cast are all such lovely people and I really feel that I have already made new friends. I feel exceptionally lucky to be working on ‘Wind in the Willows’ and can’t think of a better and more exciting thing to be doing than messing about in coats with my new friends.”

After an evening of socialising, drinking and general merriment we are faced with a 1 ½ hr road trip to the outskirts of Shanghai to look around the Superlux microphone and speaker manufacturing plant. We are greeted with a sign welcoming the ‘European Delegates’ to their factory. Barnabas Hung, the founder of Superlux is so excited that he could use the term European Delegates and all because there is a lone Englishman tagging along with a group of Germans. Once the welcoming has finished, we are ushered into their board room where we are fed like Kings whilst Barnabus gives us a short presentation about the company.

The company has been built up and when started 15 years ago operated out of Barnabas front room and has been built up to its current site which houses 4 large warehouses and production facilities and has a turnover in excess of 32 million US Dollars annually – wow.

It was fascinating to see that the production facility is clean, tidy and very well organised and only employs about 35 staff – quite a contrast to what you would imagine a Chinese manufacturing plant is run like. The staff are paid a set amount and in return are expected to produce a certain number of items. If targets are exceeded then overtime is payable. As a further incentive, the company has built an outdoor stage area on the sites scenic lake and if targets are met a staff party is laid on every 6 months with live bands etc – I wonder if I could convince Erica to do this with any savings I make for shows?

After our whistle stop tour of their facility we all pile back into the minibuses and head back for the centre of Shanghai. The afternoon was the first and only time of the week for me to become a real tourist. We were treated to a walk around the older parts of Shanghai in which we can see some of the more stereotypical sights – families cooking outside, market stalls lining the maze of narrow back streets, washing hanging on overhead power lines etc etc.

What is apparent is that the majority of residents from Shanghai live in these cramped conditions, and you can see respectably dressed business people in suits, ties etc walking into these almost shanty town houses with their ipods playing, briefcase in hand etc – what a contrast! Despite these conditions, everywhere I have seen has been remarkably clean – again, not what you’d expect.

As part of the project, this week Chris travelled to China to learn more about cross-sector leadership. Today, back to the EXPO…

“Today started with a taxi ride to the expo site again – always a treat in itself!

The group split up today and did their own thing. I decided to go it alone as I wanted to see 5 pavilions today and based on the hour long queues yesterday wanted to be able to change my mind as the day went on.

In short, I managed to visit Libya, Luxembourg, Algeria and Tunisia. All were worth seeing and all reiterated the fact that the UK pavillion is not so good and makes the UK look a bit up their own ar***!

I only managed to visit these four as the queues were unbelievable today with many queues reaching 1 mile long and a 5 hour waiting time – that makes Alton Towers queues look attractive!

The Expo suposedly averages 1 1/2 million visitors each day so queues are expected!
I had intended to visit Taiwan, China (cos I felt I ought to), Iran (cos I think Nazlis work on paper Dolls was great and wanted to learn a bit more about Iran) and Italy (cos my groups interpreter recommended this one) plus one random one, but all of my chosen ones were a minimum of 3 hours wait time, so I took the decision to wander round and visit pavillions with relatively short queues.

I also managed to visit the general Africa pavillion which has a small stand from each country within Africa where you get a brief but concise history and description of each country. Whilst in here I managed to see a South African Ballet show also – great!

Lunch was an experience in itself. As time was short, I walked into the first take away / food place I saw – KFC. Now, KFC in the UK is only used as a last resort, but here I was in the Asian area so the chicken tasted like chicken with a hint of curry and a hint of sweet and sour – it was the most bizarre thing I ever ate!

At 5pm we all met up as a group again, had a German beer followed by a backstage tour of the German Pavillion. Whilst here we got to see their 15 minute show 3 times. The first time from the Auditorium – and it is spectacular! The second time from the control room – boring as the operator doesnt have to do anything at all, not even press go as the ushers do that! and the third time from the grid – this was another of the many once in a lifetime opportunities I have had here this week.

To quickly describe the show, it is based around the energy theme – as are most shows here – and the auditorium is in the round on 3 levels with a gigantic mirror ball type structure suspended dead centre measuring about 3 metres in diameter and suspended on a 7m pole, but it’s not a mirror ball, it’s tiles are LED screens so you get a wonderful 3d moving image.

Throughout the show this ball pivots and eventually ends up rotating around the room depending on how the audience are asked to clap or shout, and all the while showing images of fire, clouds, a football and Germany – you had to be there to believe it and appreciate how spectacular this was!

Needless to say, seeing the show from the grid where I could really see how it works using motors, gears, lx etc was fab!

After this we went for a tour of the UAE Pavillion. This was also great and one of the things I learnt was that they use 42 projectors all controlled by a software package called Watch OUT. The show was fab but once again the technology wasnt anything spectacular.

The time was now 9pm so we went for something to eat in another Chinese restaurant on the Expo site ( you can begin to see how I may be losing weight!).

Tea was great – as all Chinese food is, and afterwards I was hoping to see another pavillion, hopefully the Iranian one as the queues were getting smaller, but it turns out that although the site is open till 12 midnight, you are unable to join a queue after 10pm so I unfortunately missed that one – gutted. Anyway, not to be too depressed we all decided to have a drink back at the hotel bar…or maybe 4 or 5 drinks which is why there aren’t any photos now!

So to summarize all in all another great day!

Tomorrow we have an early start and are driving 1 1/2 hours outside Shanghai to have a tour around a Chinese Manufacturing plant so thats going to be great – both to see the Shanghai suburbs and to see a manufacturing plant.

In the afternoon we are visiting a market where we can buy pressies for people followed by a farewell meal as its the groups last day together here. Hopefully it’ll be early to bed as we have to get up at 3:30am to travel to the airport for our journey home. I will obviously be on this as I havent heard back from Erica giving me the ok to stay for another month yet!”

As part of the project, this week Chris travelled to China to learn more about cross-sector leadership. This time, we hear about the EXPO…

“So today has been a day that will stick with me for the rest of my life – and its not over yet!

We went to the EXPO which, as I said in my tweets is totally and absolutely the best show ever – even the likes of Disney Land are given a run for their money.

We went firstly into the Shanghai corporate pavillion, where we were lucky enough to have a back stage tour. Now before I explain too much and get too excited again, you should all know that the World Expo site has had 4 billion spent on creating it – twice as much as the Beijing Olympics and the site covers 20 square miles with free public transport on site. For the transport you get to choose between a bus, underground train or a boat – its great!

Inside the first part of the Dreamcube

The Shanghai corporate pavillion has had no expense spared. It is the result of Shanghai wanting to show the world how good it really is. It’s so advanced and is nicknamed the Dream Cube. Basically you walk in to some weird arty installations that don’t do a lot, but all of a sudden the space springs to life using light, sound and projection. The exhibits are all interactive and do things like change colour if you touch them.

The second and most exciting part is a projection, sound and light show which demonstrates Shanghai’s past, present and future ambitions. You are sat in a room with 18 x 12000 lumen projectors projecting a full 360 degree image. There are thousands of magic wands hanging from the ceiling and the main topic of the projection is energy. So, about 400 people are stood in this room and asked to do things like wave your arms, clap etc. The more you move the more energy is produced and the more exciting things happen with lights. If that wasn’t enough, the projection then switches to a live camera of the building from the outside, where whats happening inside is replicated outside, so the entire cube (with a footprint of about 60,000 square feet) lights up, changes colour etc – its truly magical.

Inside the Swiss pavilion

The chance of having a backstage tour to see how it was all installed and how it works is also a once in a lifetime opportunity. All I can say about it is that we should make sure that our Production department dont go see it otherwise they will be getting too many ideas!

Following on from this we went to the UK pavillion – I could get straight in as I have a British passport so didnt have to join the hour long queue. It wasn’t great – it was simple but didnt have any interaction and very little signage. If I’d queued up I would have been absolutely fuming.

Then it was off to the Switzerland Pavillion which although took a little over an hour to queue for was really worth it.

Words really cant describe what the expo is like so I suggest you take a look at the website which is also great but not half as good as experiencing it first hand.

Posh Chinese Restaurant

Anyway, after Expo we went on another sightseeing trip along the Bund – which was fab as you could see the lights of Shanghai turning on as it became darker.

Then onto a top notch Chinese restaurant with views over the river of the Shanghai you see in all the guidebooks etc back home. You know when you are in a really good chinese restaurant when the chopsticks are silver plated on the tips! – The food was once agin excellent and cost just 150 yuan (about £17) including several bottles of beer and wine etc.

Shanghai by night from the bar this evening

Then last of all we made our way to a bar on a rooftop, again looking across the river at Shanghai lit up at night – words cant describe that also.

Tomorrow we are off to Expo for some more tours etc and plan to stay there until it closes at midnight as the area looks stunning lit up at night.

So, if we dont manage to see the rest of the 20 square miles tomorrow, Erica – can I have the next 4 weeks off please?!!!!

Just for those that still don't believe I'm here!

Also – another rule of the road learnt today – if as a pedestrian you see the red man; don’t cross, and if you see the green man; don’t believe it and assess whether you really need to walk across a road!”

Find Chris on Twitter at twitter.com/nstasmo