Michel's Blog - some personal comments on life in SW France - Welcome to Michel's Place (michelsplace, michelsplace.fr)

Plodding on ...

27/10/2014

.... with the very demanding schedule. It's quite a journey from my hotel to the current place of work (Ap Lei Chau), so it means an early start each day, and a late return. I'm working here until Saturday of this week, then I have a different location for the final week of this tour. That location is also quite a long journey, although will not be as bad as this one as most of it will be possible using the MTR - Hong Kong's excellent underground railway system.

There were some cloudy days recently, but it didn't rain much, although it has been rather humid and not over comfortable at times. Apart from a few cooler days a week or so back, it's been quite warm here so far this time. I guess I shouldn't get too used to it, though, because it will no doubt be quite a shock when I return to the temperatures of late autumn in Europe.

My current work location ....

22/10/2014

Star Cruise Liners in Hong Kong

.... requires me to cross Victoria Harbour onto Hong Kong island. There are various ways of making that crossing, but the most relaxing, especially at the end of a long day, is to take the Starr Ferry.

This photo (left) is taken from the ferry looking towards TST, where the two big cruise liners are in dock. These ships are basically floating casinos which leave port in the evening to go out into international waters, where there are no gambling restrictions! As one of life's born losers, they hold no attraction for me whatsoever.

Two weeks done ....

19/10/2014

.... and a chance to give the brain some down time! The work is very cerebral and intense, so you really do feel the need to switch off for a while when the week end comes.

The weather has remained settled and fine during the past week, but it was cloudy this morning, and the are some damp days in the forecast for the coming week. It has warmed up again in the last couple of days after being noticeably cooler for a while.

Majestic banyan trees (right) with their multiple aerial roots are quite a feature in Hong Kong. They can grow to enormous sizes, too. They do need careful monitoring, however, and a very large specimen at the entrance to Kowloon Park had to be removed during the week. I guess it had become unsafe. It was significantly bigger than the one in the photo and it must have been very old.

Week end at last ....

12/10/2014

Etrange rivages by Arnaldur Indridason

.... and it is certainly good to give the brain a rest after an intensive week of work. My first two weeks of work are in an area of the city which is not being affected by the democracy protests, but unfortunately for the following two that will definitely not be the case. It is currently not looking like there will be any resolution of the struggle in the week ahead, so I'm bracing myself for some very long days later on.
At home there is always something that needs doing, whether on the house or in the garden, so reading books it a pleasure I don't often seem to get to. Thus it's good to be able to use some some of the very little down time I get when on these tours for that purpose. This novel (left) has been translated into French from the original Icelandic - whilst the French is relatively straight forward, getting my brain around the Icelandic names, both of the characters and the places, is more of a challenge. It's an engaging read so far ....

So far, so good ...

8/10/2014

I seem to be reaping the benefit of making the effort to adjust my body clock, at least in part, before setting off for my tour here in Hong Kong, since I've been feeling quite alert today, which is usually one of the most difficult times during the first week of being out here. I'm hoping it will stay that way now.
The weather is currently settled and warm, which is very pleasant, but the hotel is over air conditioned for my taste, and the room will not budge above 24c, despite my best efforts.
There's a total eclipse of the moon this evening, but with all the high buildings in this part of HK, I've no chance of seeing it unless I take a trek out to the country, which I don't have the energy to do after a long day behind a desk.

Quite a frustrating day ....

6/10/2014

.... today, with long queues seemingly everywhere I needed to go.
I had to queue up for an hour and a quarter in the bank to cash a cheque; with today being the only time slot available for it, there was no other option.
I then hoped to get some lunch, but was again thwarted by enormous queues at three different venues I tried - in the end I just gave up!
A routine meeting occupied the morning, and quick trip to the IT centre followed my visits to the bank and the restaurants.
Work begins in earnest tomorrow at 07.40, so I'm hoping that I can get a reasonable night's sleep tonight after my efforts to adjust my body clock, at least in part, before leaving home last week.

Kowloon Park (right) remains a pleasant oasis in this busy corner of the city, and as it lies between the hotel and the MTR station, I get to pass through it twice each day for most of my time here.

Having worked in Hong Kong ...

5/10/2014

... quite extensively over the last 12 years or so, it seems quite a familiar environment to me now.
The weather today has been pleasant and largely sunny, although there is quite a lot of haze, despite some breeze. At least the very high humidity of yesterday has been blown away.

Victoria Harbour Hong Kong

I've had to leave the sunny autumn weather ...

4/10/2014

.... back home, and after a long flight I'm now ensconced in my hotel room here in Hong Kong which has to serve as home for the next 6 weeks. There's nothing like home comforts, but I guess this is a bearable alternative in the circumstances. A day to help adjust the body clock tomorrow, then work starts on Monday morning.

It was already dark by the time I reached Hong Kong, but it cleary had been a damp sort of day and the air was warm and very humid. I've not checked what the forecast holds - a job for tomorrow, that.

The warm sunny weather continues ....

2/10/2014

.... and it was 33c in the afternoon, yesterday, after another chilly start to the day with some "brume matinale".

I spent some time preparing for my imminent departure to HK, and then we built a low stone wall behind the new workshop. Hopefully this will help to retain the bank and prevent too much mud being washed down against the building over the winter.

One advantage of living in an area which was formerly quarried is that there is no shortage of raw materials for a job like this. The ground is full of stones, some of them very sizeable. The disadvantage, of course, is there's very little soil, so making a vegetable garden is a major undertaking.

stone wall

The morning mist ....

1/10/2014

.... was short lived today and the sun soon burnt it away. The settled, warm weather continues, and will no doubt be up to the high 20s again this afternoon, as it was yesterday.

The succulent cutting which we acquired a few weeks ago is really doing well now, and there are plentiful, bright purple flowers. The flowers close at night and then as soon as the sun gets on them next day, they open again. We are hoping this plant will give some ground cover on a dry bank which faces south - an environment which proves too harsh for many plants here.