Farewell Aiden...

Farewell - for a while, Aiden - last photo before heading to SA

 

Beach cleanup-ish

Evan decided that his community effort was going to be "a beach clean-up".  As it turns out the beach was pretty clean.

A couple more from Jordan

 

Frosty looks on a winter's evening

 Not his happiest looking picture of all time, but otherwise very cool - Ev on the patio in the evening.

A last month of Aiden

Something of a delightful horror that Aiden is in his last foreseeable month in Hong Kong.  Its the thing that one really wants but doesn't - kids happy and ready to go - and the crushing loss of realizing that you are not going to be seeing them suddenly.  Maybe it's compounded by the covid closeness of these three perfect years (in that sense).  Either way - time to collect some beauty.

Sunday breakfast feed at Tracy and Simon's

Aiden and Ev loading up on the protein-based calories

Lara and Evan tucking in

Bambalam breathes life...

Jordan was back in Hong Kong for a month and wanted to set up a studio to do some photos for her clothing line, Bambalam.  Its been so long, like a sudden rediscovery, coming at the (is this the?) end of Covid obscenities in this part of the world.  Would love to post some Bambalam pics that she took of the boys, but don't want to front-run her.  A big upside however - a rare 8x10 family portrait by Jordan.

Exam-time mullets

 

Aiden at 18

 

The man of the hour; on our way out for lunch (restaurants now open until 6pm).
Resend I know, but I like it :-)

Ange offered birthday dinner requests.  Aiden, thoughtfully catering for some of his mates who came round, decided on mac-cheese with bacon and whatnot, and a massive apple crumble.  I have a large bag of sundried Tianjin chilies.  We made a hot side version in a separate dish for people who  liked a bit of spice, it was wicked.

Another resend I know - just love it though, the crocs, the wave and the missing shoe :-)

An isolated world gone weird

 The isolation that people are experiencing as this "dynamic zero covid" (I mean really, what on earth does that even mean?) has been a strange and unsettling experience for me.  The immediate environment is so often strange seeming.

Both boys have gone bogan with the hairstyles... ultra-zef

The patio at  night, signs  that Liz delightfully made for Ange's 50th now cheering our garden.

Someone's boat went on a trip without people and ended up on the rocks.  A tug came with a barge with a crane on it.  The  crane lifted it up and put it on the barge and off it went, to be thrown away (I can never get used to this place in that regard.  Maybe a R3mil boat... grim).

Walking in the morning, someone puts out seed for the birds. 
But this time the birds are a brace of vacuum cleaner boars.  Odd.

The boys go to training with the divine Mikey Schats, maybe 4 days a week.  And thank the lord for that.  So they needed  a 21 degrees slope angle box for some exercise that they do - which was cool to make out of an old table top.  Need to get non-slip strips for it still. Unusual thing to make.

And so into March...

 I was sitting here having a whingethink about how very groundhog day everything in Hong Kong is... and it is... but all this incredibly intense beauty as well :-)

It suddenly got hot, went from 14 degrees to 30 in a week - and with it, the season's first visitor.

I loathe phone cameras - but they are omnipresent...Evan grimacing as Aiden squeezes his neck.

Ongoing lockdowns do have cool workstations.

And the sudden-summer vibe brings out the new-Blue (and the slick of red-tide on the sea behind).

Glass half full... making the most of WFH

Three cheers for this bloke; his is the attitude to be bringing.  Work From Home done well.  The alternative attitude: interminable lock down cycles, ground-hog days of hamster-on-the-wheel lunacy with no end-game plan at all...

Clearwater Bay Beach 1, early morning, February 2022

Latest phone camera La La Land

 I borrowed Ange's new phone last night and took this picture, hand held.  The light filling the sky comes from the chokka boats' lights out at sea.  While I took the pic because of the lit sky, the subtle reflection off the water, and for Hong Kong, the amazing clear air, there just wasn't as much light as there is in the photo.  So exactly what software and multi-lens bit of wizardry is at play here, heaven alone knows - but it is pretty awesome, outperforming a human eye.  What is real?

Passage test cricket

 I've gone through a bit of a patch feeling grim about the state of the world and the HK interpretation of this &@#*ing pandemic.  However, there are these little jeweled moments for which I am utterly grateful, like an after work, rainy and cold outside, game of ping pong ball passage test cricket; flicking, throwing, three meats for LBW ... definitely batter hostile :-)

A customised Big Blue

 My Chinese New Year holiday project involved customising Big Blue by changing its wheel size from 26" (36 spoke bombproof touring wheels) to 650B (or in plain language, the original wheel size of most adult bicycles, 27.5 inch) carbon road, 28 spoke, fancy hub, rolling road demons which weigh about half the originals.  I have a suspicion that your levels of interest in this only fractionally exceed that of the boys and Ange, and thank the lord for that;  I'm looking for early morning motivation and hopefully these provide it.  Visually, it looks largely identical (should have taken a before and after photo) however, nothing changes a bike more than fancy wheels, and these in particular (a Chinese OEM manufacturer, larny carbon, hand built) provide a very different and much more lively ride.  Delightfully, with a few modifications, I could even get the mudguards back on.  The aging version of me has got quite attached to not having that vertical ass stripe that riding through anything wet without mudguards leaves you with.  Hope your weekend is delightful.

Winter morning on the postage stamp

 

Sheung Sze Wan dawn, from the patio

Awoke to a gorgeous morning - air Antarctic winter clear, but with a sharp wind (and 12 degrees, unusually).  Decided that before failing entirely to engage in an active Sunday life, I would head out to the country park.

Holly was having none of it... too cold... too snug with your paw over your nose.

In the country park looking out over Steep Island, and Ninepins to the left in the background.
Some overnight campers packing up, and a beautifully lit bench.

On the way home I went through this very cool graveyard...

... and by the time I got back the sun was out on the patio.

The cat had uncoiled herself and moved onto the bed.  Perfect Sunday morning.

Monochrome moments

Saturday night football, Tristan and Luke with the boys, Ev sporting his new trim.
"Jy's die ou met die new fresh look; ek's die ou met die pep-stores broek" - Jack Parow

Daybreak morning sprawl

Aiden and Ange, Ev and Aiden looking on from the wall.

 

Portraits going wrong can be cooler than those which go right :-)

Po Toi O for Kev's birthday

I love a Sunday outing to Po Toi O, love the village, its surrounds, and the wok blasted, deep fried food.  Hope you beauties are having a good weekend.

In Po Toi O's alleys.  Simple geometric stuff, tiny houses, splashes of cool colour.

Steps forming a small boat pickup place for all  tides.  Smart.

Tiny weekend get-away on the other side of the water, Sunday cook-up.

Fisherman and grand-kids

The end of the jetty looking out to the islands. Kids used to fish off the end with handlines when they were little.

Aiden and Evan in January 2022 (and January 2012)

 Here is the photo from a photo, though this is the actual photo, of the boys that I sent you earlier today.  T-shirts are part of Jordan's creation, a business called Bambalam - you can check it out on Instagram.

And for a smile, here is the one that I took of them for Ange's fortieth.

Ange turns fifty - traveling when you cant - the best surprise party ever

The latest round of Covid restrictions put paid to the original plans for a surprise for her - difficult to go for a walk and then to dinner at a restaurant, when the restaurants are closed in the evening ... and in support of government efforts, one really wants to be outside.  (This not being the place to question those judgements as the rest of the world seem largely to be getting on with things now).  To the rescue came the "Mahjong Girls" (Ange has a regular Friday evening Mahjong event with a small group of really divine and caring people).  

Lara (Ange's lovely cousin who lives here) created the grooviest boarding passes, and at 11.00am she and Jason and Robyn and Pieter arrived at our house and presented Ange with her first boarding pass, for the first perambulatory flight, which took off from Hong Kong and flew to India.  Part of the government restrictions are people having to walk in groups of not more than four (I know I know, seems very strange) and so we headed off...

The amazing new "Party Class" which provides passengers with real walking space.
Lara (five months pregnant, very exciting) Robyn (a saint) and birthday girl Ange

Amazing India! Staying at the brilliant  beachfront Roti Shack!  

Arriving in India was as amazing as ever.  I was just astonished at the beauty and talent of Liz, creator of the Roti Shack.  She is an absolute art bomb of a beautiful human being - the signs (as well as the gift box featured at the front of this post) were all created and painted by her.  She had even made individually painted plates, and just fantastic Indian food to go on them, with the most wonderful rum mango lassies alongside.  Pete, as ever the gem, playing his part in a beautiful gilded Bandi.  After an delightful stay in India, the next surprise boarding passes came out, and the plane took off for Phuket...

Brilliant views out over Phuket.

Thailand was just unbelievable.  The divine Kim and Fiona had the appropriate picture of his excellency the King of Thailand in the reception area (with his dog of course), riveting Thai food, coconut cocktails ... even elephants; simply everything that the Thai traveler dreams of.  With the splendour taken in, the next surprise was a flight to sublime South Africa...  

The verdant bush of South Africa - a five star game lodge experience.

Steve and Karma (from Jozi and Msunduzi) made the travel weary smile.  Mieliebrood, biltong, droewors, Amarula, Tafel Lager, and Ghostpops; Steve cracked out some coils of killer boerie, and there were klein koeksusters for desert.  It was a good thing we were observing social distancing, or a flippin langarm fest might have broken out with ZA faves old and new pounding: van Jaluka tot Biggie, with a bit of Jack Parow in-between.  We loved being home.  But all good things must come to an end... or must they? Boom ... a boarding pass for Bali!

Bali was beautiful as always - Robyn and Pieter are diamond class human beings and friends.
Prezzies for Ange :-)

Fortunately Bali is really close to home, so the boys flew in for dinner, and there were beautiful 
orchids from Wendy and Ian.

A Bali beach bonfire, with a birthday cake from Pam, made for the perfect end to the trip.

I am so grateful to all of these super-generous, creative and wonderful people.  They soothed the isolation that Ange feels so keenly, not seeing her family, and for a moment, it was like the past two years had not happened - which on some level they really haven't.  

Loved talking to you today - thanks so much - miss you, love you, love to Mia and everyone else.  Until, one day, travel is real again.