Trick or treat!

Mui came alive with the living dead – plus a few witches, fairies and princesses – at Bizzie Lizzie's Halloween Walk this afternoon.

There was a Harry Potter, a few pumpkins and a police girl but Spidey appeared to be the costume of choice.

At the end of the walk, there were a few tired faces... even of those who didn't actually walk.

Sustainable living fair

We were walking through Chung Hau village when we spotted a huge crowd outside the art place, The Workshop on Rural Committee Road. Local entrepreneur Siu Ming was holding a Sustainable Living Fair.

She was selling organic produce from her garden in Nim Po Tsuen and giving free samples of her roselle tea, a refreshing beverage that's packed with vitamins.

She's also the distributor of So...Soap! which is made in the New Territories by farmers and housewives seeking some extra income for their families. The cakes of soap are HK$48 each and the bottle of bath and hand soap are HK$88 each.

Incidentally, Siu Ming is also going to be conducting classes on beekeeping and how to make organic fertiliser from buffalo poo.

There will be another fair next Sunday at the same place. Details are in Lantau Link.

You can contact Siu Ming on 6020-8829 or siuming@sosoap.com. She speaks English.

World Cup fever

China Bear has been packed today with Rugby World Cup fans. We can hear their cheering from where we are some blocks away. It's nice... gives some life to Mui Wo.

Apparently, some of the people at The Kitchen considered getting a TV set for the World Cup too but were vetoed by Mark. Good call... because The Kitchen is doing a roaring trade with folks who don't want to be deafened while having their meal.

Chinese pancake at Tai O

I had a day off on Friday so we decided to try Tai O on a weekday, when it is quieter and we can try the stuff that usually has long queues. Like the Chinese pancake at HK$20 each.

It doesn't look difficult but it tastes so good. First, flour and eggs...

A sprinkle of spring onions and coriander...

Some preserved vegetables...

Sweet sauce...

And some crackers for added crunch. Bon appetit!

Rainbow or rose?

Who will you be voting for on November 6?

I was rushing to the ferry the other day when I spotted a rare sight... Rainbow standing at the pier passing out flyers urging people to vote for him.

Pity I had only a minute to spare or I could have asked him his stand on buffaloes. I think that would be the deciding factor for me... if I could vote, that is.

Bag this!

My home is filled with lots of shopping bags bought in the mistaken belief that it will save me plenty of 50-cent plastic bag levies. But that didn't stop me from getting this traditional woven bag from Wellcome.

It's only HK$29 and makes a good souvenir. I'd like to think it was handwoven by old women wearing traditional fishing hats but I strongly suspect it was machine-made somewhere in Shenzhen.

Flea marketing

Buffalo Wilbur always accompanies me to the Discovery Bay flea market on the pretext that I am the one who will buy everything in the piazza.

But it is invariably he who calls five minutes into the shopping to ask me for money as he has found yet another boy toy.

I didn't get as much stuff this time – I guess the days of bargain Le Creusets are gone – but I did manage to get brand new leather boots from a charity stall for HK$120.

Of course, no flea market visit is complete without a rummage at my favourite stall, always at the same spot outside McSorley's. The guy sells clothes at HK$10 for five and is always swamped by maids buying in bulk to send back home. I got three nice winter jackets, a skirt and a long-sleeved top from this pile:

I was so excited shopping I stupidly forgot to check when the next flea market is. According to the DBay magazine, this is the last one for the year but I am keeping my fingers crossed there might be another before Christmas.

Those who want to know when the next market is, just keep your eyes peeled for posters from PALS asking for your junk. They usually tell you the date of the next one.

Cleaned-up pier

Doesn't the ferry pier look so much better now that it's been cleared of dead bicycles and tattered protest signs? I wonder how long this will last.

Naughty fungi

Shakespeare writes: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." I am thinking these mushrooms I found on our walk looks like some part of the human anatomy. Guess I must have a dirty mind.

Wonder what they are called and whether they're edible?

Happy National Day!

I think Mui Wo looks its best when it is decorated with colourful festival banners flapping in the breeze.
The flags are especially impressive when you see rows upon rows of them.