May
6 May
Since living in Hong Kong , when I wake up to a blue sky, I always
feel like it is a gift. When I can see the hills and Lin Fa Shan shining
in the sunlight, it just feels magical.
On Sunday Tara and I catch the little Discovery Bay ferry. Even when it’s hot, there’s a lovely sea breeze to refresh us as we chug along. I can see Lantau Island passing by on the one side and the skyscrapers of Hong Kong island in the distance.
7 May
When I have a cold, I wake up early feeling sick and I don’t like to
stay in bed feeling ill. So, I get up and go to the roof in the early
hours of the morning. It’s still dark when I climb into the hammock.
The sky starts to lighten and the birds start to appear. The white
egrets, stained peach by the sunrise fly by. A dove comes in fast, a
wonderful silhouette against the bright sunlight, his fan tail slowing
his flight until he lands.
9 May
Tara suggested a walk to the waterfall. It’s been pouring with rain so the waterfall should be looking lovely now. We look at the radar
before we go. We can see rain approaching but it should be clear for our walk. We walk up the back way, through the village and the
vegetable gardens.
Suddenly a roll of thunder fills the air and I whip out my phone to check the radar again. The bright colours showing heavy rainfall are closer. We begin to wonder whether we will actually have enough time to reach the waterfall and get home before the storm hits but as we are so close, we decide to pick up the pace and dash for it.
The waterfall does look gorgeous with a fresh flow of water rushing down the rocks and the lower pools have been flushed clear of the dense green algae that had grown over the stagnant pools in the dry season.
We only stop for a brief look and then turn tail and race for home as the thunder rolls become louder and more frequent.
It starts to rain softly and we both have a sense of urgency to get home. We make it in time and watch through the windows at the rain pouring down, safely home.
10 May
On the way up to Tara’s sewing lesson with Jemima, we pass a
Pagoda Flower shrub, Clerodendrum paniculatum, which is in flower now.
Tall spires of tiered bright coral-red flowers top the large green leaves and among the flowers are lots of Common Mormon butterflies. They are large and dramatic black with white details. These butterflies love this shrub and I’ve seen them here more than once.
17 May
As I walk outside to my front gate, I swing it open only to see one of the most wondrous insects, and one of my favorites, relaxing on the sloping ramp next to the steps.
It’s a Lantern Bug, Pyrops candelaria, and it definitely takes the prize for best dressed or most alien-like. It has a bright red, white polka dotted, trunk-like snout. A vivid green cape, decorated with white-ringed yellow spots, adorns its back.
19 May
I have a hanging basket in my garden with a pretty lilac convolvulus
flower in it and this spring a little frog decided it was the perfect
home.
The first time I saw it, I was watering and the poor frog got a
face full of water from my garden hose. It leapt out of it’s cosy pot
and into the palm tree where it looked at me balefully before hopping to safety behind the fronds. I absolutely love finding amphibians in my garden.
21 May
I had seen bright orange flowers in some gardens around Mui Wo
and had really wanted to find it to add to my garden. It’s a very bright orange, six petaled flower. The coral orange petals are spotted with scarlet and the center has a crown of sunflower yellow. So you can imagine my joyful surprise when I found one growing in my garden out of the blue. It didn’t take long for another plant to spring up, a foot away. It’s called a Toad Lily, alluding to the toad-like speckled markings on the petals.
25 May
It looks like it’s snowing in Mui Wo, except that the sky is a crisp blue. Sitting in the coffee shop, sipping on an iced hazelnut latte, I feel calm and rested, watching the tree lined canal with small fishing boats tethered to the sides.
The trees are the culprits, Bombax ceiba, Red silk cotton trees. They are elegant trees with straight trunks and spreading branches. I can see the huge pods full of white fluff high in the branches and every time there is a slight breeze, the fluff explodes into the air like a giant puff of dandelion seeds. The fluffy seeds fill the air and completely cover the bushes below. It feels soft and silky, like deluxe cotton wool.
The flowers are large and bright red. They look so pretty in the branches but be careful when they fall because they quickly become extremely slippery when trodden on.
28 May
As I was running up the old Village Path, I saw something fall out of
the tree above me and land with a plop on the step in front of me. I
stopped to look at the most flamboyant caterpillar I have ever seen, a Black-veined Burnet caterpillar, also called Drury's Jewel, Cyclosia papilionaris. Its body was silver grey but it was covered with bright yellow spikes in little tufts all over it’s body except for its back where it had six perfect cherry-red tufts like a colourful dice that had rolled a lucky six.
29 May
The canal that runs up the center of Mui Wo is tidal and the tides are really noticeable at the moment. The canal is almost dry during low tide and high tide is significantly higher.
There is a wonderful Chinese banyan tree near the market. Its
complex aerial roots make it a work of art. Hong Kong has many
Chinese banyan, Ficus microcarpa, trees planted throughout the city. Each one is a unique sculpture of living wood.
