Weekend

This weekend is Ching Ming Festival also known as Ancestors Day. The name denotes a time for people to tend to the graves of departed ones and enjoy the greenery of springtime outside. This tradition dates back 2,500 years throughout Asia. It is during this weekend that you pay your respects and honor those family members that are no longer with you.

Spend time with your loved ones.

Remember your loved ones where ever they may be.

Swimming and aeroplanes...

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I therefore intend to enjoy the springtime and greenery in the following ways:

Netball

Swimming

Hiking

All under the sunshine

There is no excuse. They are all on my doorstep now!

I have not been part of a netball team since I was 16 years old. Tomorrow I shall be returning to the court, almost 10 years later...I feel as though I am coming out of retirement!

Summer Time Season

1st April in Hong Kong.

The official summer season has begun. Outdoor swimming pools are now open! Yah! There are so many of them scattered around HK, particularly in the New Territories area, where the air is that little bit fresher and you're surrounded by mountains. The water is pretty cool to begin with, but once you've swam a length or two you're soon nice and warm. I would definitely recommend a visit to one, so nice swimming under the sun. It's also peaceful if you go during the day in the week when all the kids are in school.

Just when I was trying out bikes for size, a collision happened right before my eyes... An elderly lady on her bike didn't stop for the green light, colliding with a Mercedes car coming round a bend. It was awful. Luckily the cyclist lady wasn't too badly hurt, thrown off her bike though and shook up. One second sooner and the consequences would have been so much worse...You have to be so careful.

I am now in two minds whether to purchase bicycles for the two of us out here. With overcrowding, people rushing and no one seems to have any spacial awareness..The cycle paths are great, but the roads are frightening!

I did however love love my little bike in the UK, maybe I should sleep on it...

Carrot Cake Cook Off

Mmmm... my sweet friend and super cake cook Ana-H baked this delicious carrot cake. How amazing does it look?! It reminded me of England soooo much that I wanted to put it on here. The English carrot cake is much tastier, creamier and lovelier than the Chinese one. Just look at the two:

Do not be lulled into thinking you'll be receiving a fluffy, creamy, sweet sensation when you order the Chinese one. This is also called "Lor Bak Gou". The crust is crispy and the inside of it is soft, smooth and yummy. Not quite the same though...

Ana wins hands down...

xx

Chop Suey

A little exert taken from the musical film "Flower Drum Song " 1961. I love it!

The musical was influenced by the Chinese themed nightclub Forbidden City in San Francisco, which was in business from the late 30s to 50s. I would have loved to have gone there.

Here are some of the super ladies getting ready back stage...

Waking up with ailments

Why is it when you're in a foreign country it's quite normal to wake in the morning to be greeted with some strange affliction? Since being here I have suffered somewhat; swollen tongue (different parts swollen, usually one side one day, another side the next day), wrist and hand swollen and very itchy and very hot (but no bite mark, nothing), inside of nose really painful, tummy stabbing pains and this morning severe pain on the inside of my right foot (a red mark which won't let me put pressure on it).

What is happening during the night that is causing these unwanted occurrences?

Strange...

Soho Saturday

Where's your Soho...

London had the first in the 17th Century

New York's Manhattan followed

Hong Kong has Soho and Noho (clever thinking)

Stockholm has Sofo

and now Moscow has the latest on Savvinskaya Embankment

I've been Soho'd three times...

So here is my first little take on the far Eastern Soho

Jump off the Central-mid-level escalators and you're in the heart of Soho, where the food is good and the drinks are flowing! Deciding where to eat can be a challenge as you have almost everything on offer; Japanese, Thai, Greek, Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Spanish, British, Chinese, Italian... So if you're unsure as to what you fancy for dinner, I recommend a trip to Soho where you can take a quick trip around the globe!

icaramba

Warm, welcoming surroundings, freshly made tantalizing food cooked before your eyes, sangria, tequila...

PERFECT

Caramba SoHo

26-30 Elgin Street

Hong Kong

Monday's 2-4-1 on food!

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Time to walk off that food...

Hop back onto the escalators and they'll take you up, up, up and away, away from the crowds and to a peaceful spot on top of a hill. The mid-level-escalators cover 800m in distance and are even featured in the Guinness World Records as the longest outdoor covered escalator system! When traveling on them, the higher you get, the quieter and emptier the flowing steps become. As we get to the top, we're the only ones left. We jump off at Conduit Road and gradually make our way back down the winding path, back to a Saturday evening in HK Soho.

My homegirls

As time ticks on and the weeks go by, I have begun to count down the days until I am back with my friends and family in the UK. In exactly four weeks and one days time, I shall be in the middle of a wedding weekend, partying with friends and celebrating lots of love. I miss you my homegirls, where ever you are. Scattered around Europe... Please know that I think of you all often and cannot wait to share some fun and frolics with you soon.

Loves CC

x

Silvery Voice

Miss Yao Lee

Take me back to 1940s Hong Kong...

Pancake Colours

To find a cool place to eat, you often have to look UP in Hong Kong. As most things are hidden away and out of eye level. After some evening wandering and late night shopping (one Club Monaco coat for me), we were handed a leaflet for a place called "Pancake Colours". Sometimes it's nice when the decision is made for you, so we went with it! Crammed into yet another little lift, 4th floor please. Hello Pancake Colours... greeted by a mass selection of board games, colourful lighting, fancy seating and pretty decadent surroundings, it was a cool mix of pieces. "Would you like the party chair" of course I would! My seat moved, swizzled, bounced and had balloons stuck to the top of it. Perfect. Pancake Colours has a variety of food on offer, we went with lots of little dishes to share and a nice lemon soda to wash it all down, which was super nice! Good value, good service and interesting cool surroundings.

Pancake Colours

1 Great George Street

4/F, Island Beverley

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong

A date in Hong Kong

Nightfall

Peaceful

Calm

Twinkly

Picturesque

Serene

A nice place to be.

Fills my heart.

x

If you go down to the woods today

There are lots of trails to follow around Hong Kong. Walks that take you right up high in the hills and mountains, where the air is clean and there are no crowds to be seen, just green! Waking up yesterday, with the sun shining high, I jumped up and set off on the Lead Mine Pass Trail...

I was having a nice relaxing rest, until Aliens landed...

So I scrambled and made for safe land,

Down the rocky path, back to a hamlet of Hong Kong.

Jasmine tea

I was never really one for a cup of tea in England, however in Hong Kong, I have grown so fond of jasmine tea. This refreshing beverage is almost instantly provided as you are seated in any restaurant; big, small, cheap or expensive. I think I will miss this when I eventually return to the UK. I've recently noted the longer I stay in Hong Kong, the more my pallet learns to appreciate the different tastes on offer and I start to feel qualified to critique the food put in front of me.

My current read:

Jasmine Tea (Love in a Fallen City)

Eileen Chang

Photo: Courtesy Chen Mi Ji Cultural
Production Co. Ltd

Sweet Jane

Today we discovered a nice little place to take a rest; a high-up hideaway that lifts you out of the crowds in Causeway Bay, provides excellent peach tea and delicious ice mocha. Accidentally spotted from ground level, Sweet Jane is slightly hidden away which makes it even more appealing. When we enter we have the place to ourselves, and during our 90 minute hideout only one other table joined. Sweet Jane has a slight European feel to it, food on offer is pretty mixed although not everything on the menu is available. Surprisingly Corn Beef Hash is on there, which of course we ordered to see how it faired up against our own British comfort dish. However, after 10 minutes of ordering we were informed that the Corn Beef Hash was 'sold out'... hmmm, or did the preparation just go wrong! Anyway, sitting above the crowds, sipping our drinks in calm surroundings, sharing our Swimming Centre chips, we had an unflustered dining experience, something of a rarity in Hong Kong.

Sweet Jane

Flat 2J

Poo Foo Building

1 Foo Ming Street

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong

New favorite band

I haven't loved a song this much in a long long long time...

Yeasayer

You can follow their blog here

Hear them sing a song here

See you on the dance floor soon my Manchester friends.

My bus journey

Bus journeys in Hong Kong can be amusing. I would say that 85% of people on them fall fast to sleep. I have seen individuals drop their heads onto peoples laps, rest their heads on strangers shoulders and awake in shock to be snuggled up close to a new sleeping partner... Today however, hooray! I finally finished my Chanel book during my bus journey. This was given to me as a leaving gift from my friend Sarah and has taken me four months to read (the first few chapters are pretty hard going but once into it, I loved it). Such a thoughtful friend, she sent me the film for Christmas and I have managed to stop myself from watching this before completing my read. Tonight I shall watch the film and see how well Audrey portrays the inimitable Coco...

My bus journey was venturing back from my afternoon in central Hong Kong where I went to a little shop called Vintage HK. This spot has a selection of old and new things, bits and bats from Asia and Europe and a few items of old designer pieces too, which I love. It took me while to get around everything as it's pretty crammed in but I left having spent $40 and a smile on my face!

Tuesday's are definitely my favorite day.

Hong Kong's hot egg custards...

WE LOVE THEM and so does HONG KONG!

Bakeries are filled with their sweet tastiness.

Definite recommendation.

Get them while their hot.

Temperature's soar

Hong Kong is humid today, the sun is shining (27') and the humidity is high (82'). Picking items up in your flat you notice a kind of dampness to them. It's not so nice but then it could be worse. I am happy the sun has returned.

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In other news, I had my first encounter with HK scallies the other day... A scuffle in a plaza was taking place, I decided to intervene as it was happening in my walking path. One poor geeky boy was surrounded by a load of boys. I shouted, they ran. I was shaking a little bit afterwards. So Hong Kong youths are not all as innocent as I initially thought. I doubt they would enjoy making puppets.

Indoor garden

In England Sunday afternoon's could be spent 'pottering around in the garden'... This is our indoor garden. I have grown fond of our little friends, I know when they are thirsty and when they want some sunshine on their faces. I love to see them guzzle up all the water right before my eyes!

Crafty business

My craft box!

Here's one I made earlier... I said it, I said those famous Blue Peter words! I even had a silent giggle to myself as I placed the puppets down in front of my eager pupils today. Who would have thought that working on the letter P could be so much fun! I loved our crafty lesson, the children's faces as I produced all the stickers, whiskers, glue and felt, preparation was definitely key for a smooth outcome!

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After teaching we wandered around our neighborhood and then a little further-a-field. Wow, Hong Kong loves shopping. I know I've probably mentioned this before, but it is CRAZY! There are soooooooooo many shops. So many plazas. So many people looking in these tiny little shops. The shops are full of stuff too, rammed in with people, accessories, handbags, clothes, computer parts & games, trinkets, jewellery, home ware, beauty bits, sports stuff... the list is endless. If you need something, Hong Kong will have it.

Walked-stopped-looked-walked-looked-stopped...

Finished the day with a delicious Octopus ball, mmmm.

Interesting choice of words

During my little wander today I came across these T-Shirts for sale..

Incase you can't quite make it out...

"Play the music and fuck my brain off"