Year of the Horse

Chinese New Year: a time for being with family. Happily we didn't have to travel 17 hours standing up in a train loo, although with no taxis around we did have to squash ourselves into a silver rickshaw in order to make it over to cousin David and Oddveig's place for dinner. 
At midnight Beijing bubbled with fireworks, ushering in the Year of the Horse. That's Alyssa's year. Apparently she will offend Taisui, the god in charge of fortune, so her finances may be a bit wobbly. But for the rest of us, the year will bring health and prosperity. And it will be an excellent time to travel, which is reassuring...