It's raining again...

This has been my view on the ferry the past few days. Looks quite apocalyptic. 

Speaking of apocalyptic rainstorms, have you seen this dramatic video of Sunday's black rainstorm by blogger Ka Ki Wong?

Finally, the flea market...

Perfect weather for the Discovery Bay flea market this time. Ok, a bit too hot but better than last week.

Next one's in about two months' time.

Here comes the sun!

The Observatory noted that this has been the gloomiest November in 127 years. It said: "The total duration of bright sunshine captured in the month was 101.4 hours, a record low for November since 1885.The monthly mean relative humidity was 81 per cent, tying with that of 1960 as the highest record for November."

After close to three weeks of rain, the sun finally came out today. No wonder everyone was looking cheerier  on the ferry today. Now to get the mould off my walls and clothes. 

Hot hot hot

When it's hot like this...

 ... don't you wish you were here?

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.

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.

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.

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!

Rainbow connection

The one bright spot in this rain-all-day day: a humongous rainbow. You can see the whole curve from Chi Ma Wan to Discovery Bay.

Pity my camera phone can't do justice to it.

The rainbow brought Mui Wo residents scurrying out in the drizzle to capture it.

I think there might be a village house at the end of this rainbow. Hope the two oldies who live in it find that pot of gold.

Low-lying clouds

Never seen the clouds come down so low before. Spooooooky...

Sunny days in spring

You know spring is here when the bottle brush trees put up a great show...

... and there's been a run on chickens in the supermarket because everyone's out barbecuing.

Sunny days

After weeks of miserable weather (notice how uninspired I was at posting?), Mui Wo is basking in the sun again.

Isn't it wonderful how the two sunny days have coincided with the weekend? The restaurants are packed and hikers are out in force... it's perfect holiday weather!

Some sun-worshippers even braved the cool sea water.

You'd have thought he'd have melted by now...

Frosty the snow man

Had to hurry on his way,

But he waved goodbye saying,

"Don't you cry,

I'll be back again some day."

Not in Mui Wo, it seems. Here, Frosty stays beyond the 12 days of Christmas, possibly thanks to the La Nina effect.

Longan season

Mother Nature is good at helping you cope with the extremes. When the weather spikes, she gives us longans to cool us down. Chilled, the fruits are like refreshing sorbets on a hot day.

The local varieties sold in Mui Wo have quite thin flesh that sticks to the seeds (the China ones are fleshier) but they are just as sweet.

The Banana Uncle is selling them at HK$8 a catty. I got two catties and now am having a luxurious longanfest.

A word to the prudish: Banana Uncle has taken to wearing super skimpy shorts in this weather so avert your eyes when choosing your longans... or you may see more spherical objects than you'd bargained for.

Typhoon Haima

The trouble with being classified "essential staff" and living in Mui Wo is that I have to monitor typhoon warnings very conscientiously. T1 and T3 are fine but I have a headache if it's T8 as the ferries stop running.

Some of my colleagues, who live on the islands, are forced to sleep under their desks if they can't get home that day.

Fingers crossed, it won't have to come to that for me as Mui Wo does have a land link. It's getting kamikaze taxi drivers willing to brave the winding South Lantau Road in high winds that is a pain.

The Met Office has said "the chance of issuing a higher tropical cyclone warning signal is not high during the day today" so phew...

I'm happy there will be ferries running even though the ride home might be as bumpy as the one to office this morning.
And here's what I woke up to the morning after a very windy night:

Cool acts

The staff at the China Bear are always so friendly and fun. We got a special ice sculpture with our drink today.

Meanwhile, some daytrippers create some cool art at Park N Shop. I managed to catch it before it melted away. Sometimes, art is ephemeral.

Hot hot hot

We try to live without air-conditioning to cut down on energy bills and save the planet. So whenever there's a very hot weather warning, this is what I feel like doing: Tsit on ice.

I think that penguin is taunting me.

First swim of the year – in fluorescent waters

I took off today instead of Buddha's birthday, which is tomorrow, and boy am I glad I did. The sun was out and, as today is technically a working day, the beach was just the way I like it – quiet but with enough people to make a buzz.

Last year, the waters were warm enough by April for me to take my first dip but we've had an extended winter this year so the sea never looked inviting – till today.

So I got my first swim, first ice-cream.. and was feeling such a sense of wellbeing, until I reached home and noticed that the sea had gone a fluorescent green.

Buffalo Wilbur says that's probably just harmless dye that they use to test the sewage system for leaks. But even the intrepid fishermen (the ones who wouldn't mind eating even the ugliest of fishes which have been fed on the strangest of things) are nowhere to be seen.

Coincidence? I think not.

Mad March weather

March really can't seem to make up its mind.

When I left for the ferry this morning, the coastal fog made it look like mid-winter. Now the sun is out, the temperature is 26C and it looks just like summer.

But I can't get rid of my fleece yet because the weatherman says a cold front is approaching tomorrow which will send the temperatures plummeting again.

I don't mind the hot/cold fluctuation so much as the coastal fog, which really screws up my work schedule (I have a strict boss who makes sure I clock in nine hours a day, to the minute).

And it can be unnerving sitting in the ferry in the morning, surrounded by white nothingness and hearing the mournful sound of the foghorn.

Especially when the waves suddenly get bigger, you see a flash of light... and realise a 20-storey container ship has just pass less than 1km in front of you.

Buffalo Wilbur keeps reminding me that all the ships have radar so it's not as scary as it looks.

But I don't and it's really unnerving feeling like a sitting duck.

Should I ask for a personal radar for my birthday?