In Knysna with Sue and Aiden in 2007

Raising boys - easy

Farting...

hygiene...

co-operation.

Hometimes in 2014

Killer flu, new haircut. February portraits

Hong Kong is in the grip of a beast of a flu epidemic.  550 people a day admitted to hospital; 6 people died yesterday, 214 were put into intensive care.  Aiden sidesteps it, Rich has had the flu shot, Ange seems so far impervious; Ev was laid properly low; Thursday night walked into our room, said "I feel sick" and promptly threw up on the floor.  Since then, he has been loaded up on a Ibuprofen and Paracetemol cocktail, and running a temperature of 38 to 40; when he hits 40, we start sponging him down, to bring it back.  Tonight he got a Voltaren suppository - fun little bum rocket, which seems to be working, and is long acting - tomorrow he goes back to the doctor.  The poor child has been absolutely wasted (to such an extent that Aiden has been completely and utterly decent and loving to him - fantastic).  In the midst of all of this, I decided to cut his hair to aid the cooling-down-when-sponged process. This was easy, because he had been saying that he was keen on getting his hair cut like Eden Hazard.  So I gave him this spitting image Eden Hazard cut - and out popped his beautiful little face - until now oft hidden behind a massive mop.  Despite the illness blues - he was shiny bright and keen to have a set of Feb portraits; here they are.

In the days between the travel, delight

Lovely super-cool sparkly Dylan came home.  Could there be anything better than cruising in Simon's convertible with your older cousin?  (only one, cruising with your big brother).  Aiden was in his element.

And then there was walking out for your first ever hard ball cricket match.  Bowling first, all good.

Opening the batting, did really well, scored some runs off good flowing strokes and some decent bowling, but was then run out (was a bit bitter about that for a moment or two - what can you do?  Get quicker between the wickets - beat your partner's call.  Running in full kit is a big change - much less scampery between the sticks.

They ended up losing, largely because of the batting prowess of the big dude on the right of the guy holding the ball (who stuck Aiden for a BIG six over mid on, third ball .  Very serious cricketer for a 10 year old - great timing, great eye, lots of power; sort of a mini Inzimam, if your memory goes back that far.

A new, better, bright 2015

2014 was a bit of a beast.  2015 promises to be a great improvement, insh'allah, as they say.  And of course it is the year in which you turned 21 - what a milestone - a million congratulations on becoming the person you have.

Out East, travel was back on the agenda with a vengeance, but first a few post Christmas new year festivities - starting with Gracie Mann's 18th birthday.  Being 45 means that you feel (very) old at 18th birthday parties, because, unavoidably that is the truth of the situation - insulation comes from the relative nature of things, namely that many of the people you know have had their 50ths, and some their 60ths.  But 18 one is not.  It was a masked ball.

The oldies congregated in pools of geriatricy (my word - masks where?). 

I arrived with a burglar mask.  Brett Free thought rightly that I would look better in his - from that point on damn cool - here with my one-time cycling nemesis Adrian McCarroll (who it needs to be said is a class person, and who has flown a Spitfire - not an everyday garden brag by any stretch).

This is, by contrast, what the 18 year olds look like.  Michael Schatz, looking slightly unsettled for reasons only clear to himself, is also an absolutely class person, armed with those human favourites of crystal humour, charm and kindness. He found his hands full.  (Personally, I think one should avoid women who dribble on themselves, no matter how utterly fantastic they otherwise might be ;-)

New-year's day saw us at the annual Hong Kong vs Visitors rugby matches at the football club.  Courtney (who used to play for the HK U17 and then U19 Women's teams) was playing fullback for the visitors.   She is a seriously talented rugby player (and all round human being, god I love and miss her).  The ref was appalling (was seen high-fiving the HK coach after the game !?! - very zuma-esque I thought)....

Aiden watching with Jordan, herself back from DSG in Grahamstown, showed his displeasure.

And then it was into the maelstrom for me, travel travel travel - like a dam(n) wall breaking ....

Paradise Hotel with Heda Bayron - reputedly the best Bryani in Hyderabad, which reputedly has the best Bryani in India - it was hot and tasty...

Breakfast in Bombay (on the Bay of Bombay - check out the Jennifer Ferguson song "Bay of Bombay", my early years vintage)...

Sunrise in Seoul...

Tea and snow in Tokyo...

Dusk in Dalian (check out where that is, bizarre place - SUPER fantastic people; but bloody bloody cold).

And then one final one for a smile - out of sync and poetry, from Korea - part of my "some brands just don't translate  well" collection; it made me laugh - all very Fifty Shades.

Die Wilgers Hospital - Monday the 31st of January 1994