Something lurking round the corner...

I don't know about you but this guy scared the beejeezus out of me when I first saw him lurking round the corner. What is the point of the display anyway? Do not steal lifejackets or this bogeyman will get you?

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?

Barefoot in Central

The problem with only just breaking out my summer shoes is precisely that – they break. Having been kept dormant in the shoe cabinet for the past six months, soles come unstuck and sandals fall apart.

One fell apart just as I was leaving the ferry at Central and it made me suddenly realise what a long way I walk each day to reach civilisation. Imagine having to trudge up the overhead bridge and along the vast expanse of walkway on shoes that threaten to break your ankle every three steps.

It was way too early for any shops to be open and even if they'd been, the nearest place was IFC mall. I wasn't about to spend HK$500 on a pair of emergency Geox or something from Pedder Red.

To make things worse, this was a day of "special deployment", which meant the ferry docked at Pier 5 instead of the usual 6. So it was hoppity skip, hoppity skip to the Star Ferry pier... where I decided that if I wanted to get anywhere at least by noon, I was better off ditching the shoes and going barefoot.

It was a strange experience walking barefoot along the Stock Exchange and Jardine House, passing the suited or stilettoed office workers. Not something I'd want to repeat in a hurry.

I finally got my shoe fixed – temporarily – at the cobblers at Central MTR station.

But that experience set me thinking. Normally, if a shoe breaks, you can just turn round, grab a taxi and go home to change your shoe... but not if you're a ferry commuter.

So why don't they have emergency slipper vending machines at piers? And come to think of it, a couple dispensing umbrellas wouldn't go amiss either.

Or has the whole trauma of walking barefoot in Central addled my brains?

No joined up thinking

I've often wondered why they bother to put a roof over the ferry pier if alighting passengers still have to run that uncovered distance. How much more would it cost to just extend the roof just a few meters? Or maybe open the gate to the entrance lobby so we don't get caught in a downpour?

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.

Booth booty

Don't you think these booths are perfect for the Mui Wo ferry pier?

Not only will they add some life to the place, they will also help small entrepreneurs get a start.

Best of all, the police don't have to resort to this to keep illegal bike parkers at bay:

Bicycle clear-out

What a lovely sight on a weekday morning - a nice, clean ferry pier that doesn't look like a bicycle graveyard:

But for how long, I wonder?

I still think NWFF should set up a few stalls in that space and either open them for tender or offer them for rent to local craftspeople/ traders.

It will create a buzz for people coming out of the ferry, generate more revenue for the ferry company - and, more importantly, keep those illegal parkers at bay.

Discovering D Bay

Once in a while, Buffalo Wilbur and I like to slum it and go to Discovery Bay, even if there's no flea market to tempt us.

I know I often talk about how soulless D Bay can be but it has its positive points – chief among which is a ferry pier that looks like a proper pier with nice shops and clean wide walkways instead of a graveyard of dead bicycles and tattered banners.

Brrr... it's freezing

My colleague laughed when he saw me putting on cardigan, jacket, scarf then hat as I left work. "Is it that cold in Mui Wo?" he asked.

"You have no idea," I replied.

I never thought Hong Kong winters were especially chilly... then I moved to Mui Wo. After all, as the weather report keeps reminding me: "Temperatures over the New Territories will be a couple of degrees lower than those over the urban areas."

The area between McDonald's and the pier is especially cold. Even as I type this, my back spasms at the thought of braving it in the morning.

There's something about the wind there that cuts right through anything I'm wearing and leaves me shivering. Thank goodness for the breakfast stalls at the pier, which are always good for a warming waft of steam.

The poor cat has taken to burrowing under her fleece blanket so that her bum is warmed by the electric blanket. Buffalo Wilbur has been wearing three layers... indoors.

Thank goodness we live close to the pier and in a built-up area, which shelters the flat somewhat from the chilly winds. I really sympathise with those who have another 20 minutes walk in the biting cold to their uninsulated village houses.

Heritage tree

I got hold of some beautification plans for Mui Wo from way back in 2004. There, among the acres of concrete that the government seems to think is necessary for any countryside upgrading, was the lone heritage tree.

When my parents came over to visit, I left them to wander the town while I went grocery shopping. My mum later texted: "Come and meet us at the tree." Which tree? There are so many around. So I called her. "THE tree," she replied, exasperatedly. Finally, I got it. Of course, there may be many trees around but there is only one that can be called THE tree -- the spreading tree just outside McDonald's, the only green spot amidst all that concrete.

A few days ago, the tree started shedding leaves for autumn and it felt like I was on some country path as I walked through the piles of leaves. Today, I saw children having a fun time among the branches.