O pretty day

My colleagues say I never need to go away for a short break because "every weekend is a holiday for you". I must say when the sun is shining in Mui Wo, they might just be right.

Moove along now

On a bright sunny day, a nice patch of shade is bliss. So they ain't moving for nobody.

Perfect (10) storm

First typhoon signal 10 in 13 years and I must confess it terrified me. We didn't get very much sleep last night as we rushed about taping down the windows and then, just as we started to fall asleep, things started crashing about.

We waited for the ferries to start operating again but this was the sign that met us at the pier. Really? We knew since 8am that the signal was going to be downgraded to a T3. It takes close to three hours to react? And why, when they know how much pent-up demand there is for people desperate to go to work, do they put the slow ferry first?

Kudos to the New Lantao Bus company for getting buses out within minutes of the signal being lowered. The ride to Tung Chung extended my journey time by an hour but heck, that's better than having to explain to the boss why I could only get into office four hours after the T8 was lowered.

Luckily, good ol' McD's opened early for the hungry hoards waiting to get to work.

Hurry hurry home

After changing its mind time and again over the weekend, Vicente has decided to pay a visit. 

Crazy crowds at Central trying to get home before the typhoon signal 8 is raised.

 Last ferry is at 6.30pm.Pictures are blurry because I couldn't hold the cameraphone steady in the wind.

Ridiculous reservation!

Mui Wo public pool has only four lanes, with no separate training or babies' pools. 

In most places, this would mean a ban on private swimming lessons but in Mui Wo, they close half the pool instead – during peak hours (Saturday morning).

So 30 members of the paying public have to squeeze into one half of the pool while eight privileged learners have the other half to themselves. 

To make matters worse, the lifeguards spend all their time enforcing the "reserved" rule by chasing swimmers over to the other side. These are the same lifeguards who turn a blind eye to the numerous soakers, cannonball divers, splashers and even water pistol users on the hoi polloi half annoying the lap swimmers.

Up to a couple of weeks ago, they followed the usual rule of closing one lane for lap swimmers only. That was really good as the lap swimmers are a generally well-behaved bunch, swimming in the prescribed clockwise direction and giving way to stronger swimmers.

But this ridiculous way of dividing the pool, the place is now totally chaotic.

I wonder how much it would cost to reserve a lane to myself. It should be value for money, seeing as it comes with at least four lifeguards to enforce my reservation. Anyone wants to chip in?

Hazy day in Mui Wo

An as-yet-unnamed tropical depression hanging round Luzon is causing hazy and very hot weather in Hong Kong. The mountains have all but disappeared and there's a dusty taste on my lips. 

 I wish the typhoon would come now and be done with it.

Here's why you should never sleep with your mouth open in the ferry...

Party on the pier

What's happening on top of Pier 6? They've been setting up what looks like an outdoor disco for ages but there doesn't seem to be any signs giving us a clue as to what it is.

More importantly, why are we not invited?

Kit the baker is back!

The Kitchen has stopped baking fresh baguettes (in fact, it's stopped baking most breads) – which I think is a pity because that's what distinguishes it from the other restaurants in Mui Wo.

But never fear... because Kit, who used to bake bread for The Kitchen, is back after a stint at Michelin-starred restaurant Cepage.

She is setting up her own shop, The Village Bakery. It is on the quieter side of town, opposite the Jockey Club, but I'm sure it will be making its mark soon. Kit says she will start in August but you may have to wait a month before you can get your hands on her yummy baked goods.

Stay tuned!

Perfect drying weather

Now that the typhoon has gone, it's back to hot and windy weather again – just perfect for drying stuff, including fish. 

The smell takes a bit of getting used to but when dried, these will taste heavenly!