My man Jacqueboy has a fifty party

Jacques turns 50 on Tuesday - he shares his birthday with your mom.  He's been an absolute mainstay of support and love and ideas and wit and excitement for me in Hong Kong.  He is an absolute diamond, as are the others in his exotic and fabulously loving family.  Hisako planned an amazingly lovely celebration on a boat.  She asked everyone to write a poem, or sing a song - and it was hugely cool.  There were poem's (a guy called David Hammond wrote an absolute diamond - had us all in stitches), and there were songs, singalongs and even a quiz.  It was divine.

Little Jay - he's so utterly beautiful and divine - Jacque and Hisako's youngest of five,
and my godson - so someone who is connected to you too.

Jacques with a delightfully entertaining speech - he's such a utterly fantastic human being. 
Ev looks like he's seen a ghost.

Ange and I, chilling on the back of the boat.

Aiden with his Pure Soul T-shirt - he does, to a very large extent, have one.

Lots of kids - jolling about in the water - little Jay out there with his sisters.

Jacques and Jay - all hair and eyebrows - such a BEAUT of a human

At the end of the day at 89

Ange had made risotto balls - an intergen fave - so at around 8.30 we had a delightful influx of tasters

Ev was out at a party at a place called Chalk - which is a creative painting jol of some sorts.  He's had a lifelong thing for Allie - and so was super-happy to get home while she was still here.

Rob Arro's fifty-party and NextGen comes home

It's been a massively peopled weekend - beginning with a Saturday on which somehow it seemed that nearly all the village kids came home - summer starting in the Northern Hemisphere - and it's such a delight to see. 

It all kicked off with Rob Arro's 50th birthday celebration.  I'm not sure if you remember Rob, but he was properly f***ed up in a boat accident a decade plus ago.  The man's fortitude and steel is remarkable.  A massive statement in resilience.  The village clubbed together and bought him a new, light-weight, high-tech wheelchair.  It's very cool, with the latest battery and motor tech.  He told me that it is restricted to 6kmh - but unrestricted, is good for 50kmh!  Hopefully he does not remove the restricter; pre-accident days he wouldn't have thought twice; and he has the technical know-how for that not to be a problem.  You can see the new zoomer below. Fab day - all that fiery hot, superhumid - but fabulously clean - air from the Philippines blowing right in.

Watching children grow into adults - it's not something that I seem to think of - somehow life seems very immediate to me - so there's some measure of surprise to see them all together again, remembering them as a gang of just-post-nappie pickles when we first arrived.  I also think their relationships are special - it's unusual in our sadly suburban lives to grow up in a community outside a family - and yet here it is - and it feels much more family than friends. 

Sadly I didn't get pics of all the kids, waved the camera around when Dylan, Rory and Christian were are the party.  I'm particularly grumpy about a supercool photo of Jordan that I took - but which was horribly out of focus (wtf electronics - really - autofocus?) - I will have to head down there and beg her for a replacement.

Lara

Gracie

Allie and Courtney

Amber - Dylan's friend from South Africa - her mom lives and works here.

Dana and Allie

Routine and its joys

It's so fabulous being at home for a while.  I find it so much easier to amp up the exercise, and consequently the joy, when I'm not on the road.  G-Rose is progressing so well.  She loses the night carers towards the end of the month - which is amazing.   I so appreciated your father's day note btw - dying to know how Virginia is going (been scouring the web for things to do in and around there - it looks so beautiful in that stark Freestate way).

The beach this morning - out on Big Blue for a 5.30 swim - 30 degrees, 99% humidity
Hard to remember and imagine your super-dry winter.

 Sunday

The Parents.  Ev made it back to the pitch for the last game of the season - broken arm now fully operational. 
Everyone's smiling because they know that they are not going to be next to a pitch at 7pm next Sunday

Saturday 

I got back from India at around lunch time on Saturday, after a kak, bumpy, through the night flight.
At home, everyone was pretty much in the same mood.  Kip time.   Holly

Aiden 

This has nothing to do with anything - Big Blue - such a cool, slightly odd bike - the advantages of a "dikwiel"

Dai Long Wan waterfall - and weekday monsoon

Aiden and three of his mates hiked from Sai Kung to Dai Long Wan's waterfall to go jumping and swimming.  Its a lovely outing - thought the waterfall itself gives me the heebies - too many things that can go seriously wrong, I reason.  They had an absolute ball - Aiden was asleep by 8.30 on his return.  The waterfall itself is a lovely place, and because it's monsoon season, the plunge pool was full - all better from a safety point of view.  Aiden took this pic; such a cool place.

It absolutely poured this morning - frustratingly - loads of lightning etc - in short, beach closed, which means no ride and swim this morning - always a pity (yesterday was divine).  Here's the water coming off the slope at the back of our house.  I always think how much the parched Eastern Cape would love having this in the back yard.  It's that time of year.

SUMMER

I went to South Africa for the 80th, I came back for a couple of days - it was 26ish - then I went to Mumbai for a few - and by the time I got back Summer had moved in with a vengeance.  Black rain storms, wild heat and humidity - clean air and smiles...

Flying back into Hong Kong - the islands covered with summer clouds - and the Macau bridge snaking into Lantau

Back home - looks cool - but is wildly hot - the jungle zinging with cicadas, snakes everywhere, monster spiders :-)

Rose turns 80

Given the challenges of passing through 79, I'm especially chuffed to have been able to see Granny Rose on her 80th.  She's done amazingly with her recovery - smiling.