Saturday, 27 January 2024

2024 - woohooo - new year

More of the good stuff to kick the year off, morning walk with Ange in the hills...

My school-mate Brendon Gass came to visit - so wonderful to see him - the god of seeing the beauty and loving life... philosopher 

Brendon and Aiden walking through old Sai Kung, perfect evening

...and with Aiden and Mikey Schats on the sunsetting golf course

The cat got extra long, for extra pats

Ange and I went to the East Capital Christmas-in-January, courtesy of Michael Hanson-Lawson; you carry your clothes, walk 10kms in, and then a hot shower overlooking Shek O golf course (where the Japanese executed prisoners during the second world war - seems inconceivable)

Even the old housing estates looked proportionally more cheerful.

The cat stopped by for its morning tummy rub.  As Simon Oz says, it has no shame.

...and more struggles with the bike-build.  This time the wheel dishing not right for the 11speed cluster; running a good centimeter left of frame centre.  If you look at the top of the wheel relative to the frame stud you can see it immediately.  Out with the spoke spanners, not frequently traversed waters, and no wheel building stand...deep breath.

Wheel dishing sorted, but then issues with the steering tube expander bolt and over-long cable housing. Wait for a 4 inch expander bolt from Taiwan... order compressionless cable housing... wait more... next weekend.

 
We went out for dinner to celebrate Ange's birthday at her favourite Alto in Wan Chai.

Aiden and Ev together (though poor Ev had been calendar-punked by having to study for his mock exams over this whole delightful period; his first exam had been on the 8th of Jan :-/

Wonderful neighbour Paul got a new gravel bike, super-hightech and just ... well wonderful... check out the carbon leaf-spring suspension fork, lightweight and maintenance free.  Carbon really is the most wonderful stuff in the bicycle zone.  This one built by an Icelandic bike company called Lauf.

We got a dart-board from the Priors, made a dartboard bracket (I had no idea there were such things) by taking the angle-grinder to an old electric motor mount, and had weekend days of darts in the interstices.

Sunday, 31 December 2023

The tail end of 2023

Not entirely sure what drove it... several possibilities... life brightening so in Hong Kong, such edgy years before... maybe just the sight of a break, however short... the prospect of seeing Aiden... glorious weather even?  Such a wonderful time.

Just perfect perfect weather, Clearwater Bay beach one basking.

From Jordan; Aiden and his mates rocking her Bambalam, fueling anticipation.

A new role at work... new shoes... but wonderfully interesting, and often more efficient at home.

Back on little Mils  with the village gang (Tracy and Simon back, such deeply cool and life-loving people) ... the tireless beauty of the beach.


Aiden came back... oh intergalactic delight


Wendy and Ian came to visit, which was just wonderful, we walked across the new TKO bridge

Ruby and Evan hung out watching movies over the weekend

Holly soaked up the cool weather and attention 

I rode so fast in my zef glasses that gob streaks dried on my cheek...

putting some relentless kilometers down on the Foundry, such a weapon...

Ange went to Bali for a week with a gang of mates, Ruby and Ev put in a cooking shift...

Both of the Schats boys were in right arm shoulder slings ...

 
I turned fifty four and was feeling fab


We went out for dinner and had one of those accidental parties ... I kept the shirt on all day

The self-acquired prezzie that the card so perfectly alluded to arrived a bit late... a Christmas project with all the bits being old-school stuff plus OEM carbon bought over time on e-bay
Aiden and his mates, Jake and Luke, all back from Uni; Sean and Gill, Luke's folks.
Sean has been the single biggest non family contributor to Aiden and Ev's lives, 
deeply deeply quality people, greatly appreciated...


...and more stupefyingly fabulous weather.

Morning coffee in bed with the cat :-)

Dismantled the wonderful Big Blue, lots of wear and tear over the years, a couple of crashes, great great bike though, unforgettable journeys

And then rolled into two Christmases - an afternoon and eve with Jason and Lara, with the gorgeous new Jesse to keep Ezra company (Ollie not getting it at all)

Followed by a Chrismas day bash at the divine Schats' house.


Nights duf duf duffing with the school mates come home :-)

Days on the hiking trails, High Island reservoir, emerald colours

A reminder of home walking to Yau Lei

And a sampan back to Sai Kung after lunch

Lorna, Pieter and Meadsy

Robyn spending some quality time with Hugo

Kau Sai Chau island golf course as a backdrop to an old working junk on the way back.

Grinding progress on the bike, discovering that old shit is, well old, and does not necessarily work.  Composing f-you letters in my mind to the sellers whilst dismantling fidly bits and pieces to properly clean and oil them before reassembly.

... along with stuff that shouldn't go together like titanium bar stems onto carbon forks, "school fees" and frustration.

Ruby went to Oman...

...sent astonishing photos of otherworldly places.

Jacques went to Paris with Chad to see his mom.

...and then suddenly it was the end of the year, and thank god for the trend, phoenix-like Hong Kong, the Covid exodus masses looking to return.

Saturday, 18 March 2023

Saturday; glorious spring feelings and colour

Jungle oats breakfast with Ev

On the haphazard, tree roots moved stairs down from the patio.

Roy and Debbie's big blue pot on the pine tree stump, spring joy.