Burmese python - Mui Wo

This snake slithered onto next door's front yard area in Mui Wo, yesterday evening.  During the afternoon the usually placid dogs that laze around in the garden next door were frantic, barking and generally very very excited.   I had a rake around in the shrubs nearby but never saw a thing.   Maybe I need my eyes testing as the python was appeared to be 7 or 8 feet long,  See the shoes in the pictures for a scale reference.   I grabbed an empty wheely bin and put it on its side next to the snake's head.   Within a few seconds it had taken the hint and was coiled up inside so I simply righted the bin and closed the lid.   Eventually the cops turned up and the snake was put into a rice sack and they carried it away.

  

It's been a while

Summers over now and the weather is back to a very pleasant mid twenties and with less and less humidity each day.  Had some great days on the beach at MKT doing nothing much at all, sandcastles,  hunting for pirate treasure, scrambling over the rocks with the boys and generally making full use of the hammock.

The garden has been retamed and is now basically under control.  The jungle of weeds and plants that seem to grow up to knee height in no time at all have been dug up and the ground is now clear. 

The well waters seem to be holding their own and delivering up clean water (well except for the time when a frog decided to live in the pipe and block the water).

We have had a few visits from our rodent friends, one of which had the idea of living in the kitchen cupboards.  A persistent gypsy it was but eventually the bugger was caught and sent on its way.

Not too many snakes seen this year, a couple of red necked keel backs in the garden and apparently another python made a foolhardy attempt at snaffling a chicken next door.  There is evidence of a pretty wide snake though as a discarded skin was discovered outside the kitchen door.   I am no expert but it had not faded completely and looked like it may have belonged to a rat snake.

Birds, we have a resident buzzard who seems to perch out on the telegraph pole just behind us.  Bright yellow feet and a very condescending look.  Seems to appear most when it is raining, maybe the pole is in the lee of the hill and it shelters there from the winds?   Apparently, I have also been luckily enough to see a pied kingfisher, a rarity I am reliably told. 

Nearly trod on this blighter today

I had to walk over to the house today to chcek on some plumbing works.  It was baking hot and I was walking quite slowly so probably not making much noise or vibration on the concrete path as I slothed along.  Nipper the ever faithdul pooch was dawdling along behind me when a beautiful, red necked keel backed snake, about two to three feet long slithered onto the path in front of me.  I barely had time to stop walking, I was so close to it.  Another step and I would have certainly stood on it if had not been looking.  Nipper took absolutely no notice of it all (thankfully).  It's apparently not lethal but does deliver a venomous bite.  The snake eventually took refuge in the leaf litter at the side of the path where despite its colourful markings it had superb camouflage.

Hong Kong - Ride of Silence

On 18 May about 1000 cyclist rode through the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui to commemorate the cyclists the world over who had been killed or injured when riding on the roads.  The event takes place each year and has now grown to over 300 locations across the globe.  Starting from the clock tower by the Star Ferry terminal in Tsim Sha tsui we rode past the Peninsula Hotel and up Nathan Road, (quite possibly one of the worst roads for traffic safety in Hong Kong)  So many cyclists participated that it took 45 minutes for the procession to cross the finsih line.

The long and winding road



Much to the sniggering of the boys many a weary hiker would wander along the footpath into Man Kok Tsui only to discover that the turn off to the path to Discovery Bay was now some distance and some hills behind them.  Welcome as the hikers are we decided it was only fair to put up some signs for them.  

Hong Kong in Bloom

It has to be said that Hong Kong really is full of surprises.  

Bees

The pictures are not too clear as they were taken with the iphone but a swarm of bees tried to set up residence in a tree outside the office today.  The third swarm this week (or possibly the same one, who knows?)  Just grateful that the neighbouring farmer was able to sort them out.  He basically appeared with a wicker hat that had a cloth bag sewn around it with a draw string.  He shinned up the tree, gently put the hat on the top of the swarm, lit a cigarette and then began to knock the bees with a small leafy twig so they crawled / flew up into the hat.  Ten minutes later the bees had all moved up into  the hat.   Ten minutes after that he took the hat down, pulled the draw string tight and carried the swarm away.  Amazingly, only one sting!   From what I could understand he takes the swarm into the forest and then releases it.  I strongly suspect however that a wok, some rice and hot oil is more of a likely outcome for them,
Just grateful

May Day Bank Holiday Weekend

Another sunny weekend.  Saturday I was out biking and came back after just shy of 90 kilometres with a very odd sun tan.  Sunday and Monday were spent digging and fettling about in the garden, interspersed with food and drink.  At the end of Monday my sun tan had expanded and turned me a deeper shade of red!

Planted or moved this weekend:

• Kafir lime trees
• Okra
• Winter melon
• Chili (if that is how you spell it)
• Lemon grass
• Rosemary

Dug up this weekend

• About a hay bale's worth of weeds
• Majority of the chili plants Nuch had planted last week - HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THEY WERE NOT WEEDS!

Built this weekend

• One very dodgy lean too shed to store all the garden tools in.  If it survives the summer I will be impressed
• A footpath sign pointing the way to Discovery Bay
• A footpath sign pointing the way to Man Kok Tsui

Hopefully now we will see fewer hikers who were hoping to walk to Discovery Bay and more hikers who actually wanted to come here.

Consumed this weekend

• Laarb Moo (Thai pork)
• Sticky rice
• Lettuce
• Mint
• Chicken
• Lasagne
• Sausages
• Eggy bread
• Carlseberg

Bust this weekend

• One well water pipe.

Oh and the telephone company came out to fix the telephone cable I repaired last weekend.  Pictures to follow of that classy repair.  Think trip wire or garotte and you are not far wrong.

Pictures from Easter 2011 at Man Kok Tsui

A glorious weekend of weeding, weeding, tree cutting, blisters and snoozing in the hammock.  The boys spent the majority of the weekend relaxing in the shade or plugged into their DS game thingys while Nuch and I did the manual labour.  I tried my hand at tree husbandry and set about felling some saplings with a machete.  It all was going very well until I failed to notice the telephone cable that was straining under the weight of the branches I was chopping down.  Yep it snapped eventuially but amazingly I was able to tie it all back together and all the phones work!  Animal wise we only encountered one small snake which is quite surprizing as the weather was warm and they would have all been fully charged up and active.  A harmless white spotted slug snake by all accounts but noone was prepared to pick it up.   After looking it up in our book of snakes to make sure it was harmless it was released back into the garden to continue terrorising slugs I guess.  

Matthew - Part Scouser - Calm Down, Calm Down

So what's new?

Arthur participated in the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens - Mini Rugby, (with grateful thanks to Ms. Roberts for the ticketing assistance!!!!)  Lucky bugger turned up on the Friday after me telling the club he was not going, got smuggled onto the team and then was the only one who got his mugshot in the paper.

Arthur 2nd from right

Matthew is continung to be, well just Matthew and for a five year old is remarkably adept at gussing all his Dad's log in passwords to the computer.

Nuch is up to her old tricks stuffing sausages and grawing vegetables.   Not only are they thriving in the vegetable patch next to home they are also now appearing in buckets and paddling pools on the flat roof top too.

And me, just plodding on.   Could be worse it could be raining (I will regret writing that soon I am sure!)

It had to happen eventually

It had to happen eventually, a flag pole that is. Well to be completely honest its a piece of bamboo with a loop of rope attached. flags. The picture does not really do it justice.  No idea what the correct etiquette is for flags so until someone complains.....



Hong Kong countryside

One of Lantau Island's hidden gems.  The picture does not do it justice.  Crystal clear rock pools and pristine countrysideand all just a few miles from one of the busiest and crowded places on earth. 

Lantau Buffalos - Medal winners (Under eights)

The under eights team photo after receiving their players' medal for participating in the Valley Fort rugby competition  at Kings park Kowloon.  Arthur is on the bottom row, second from the left.

Changeable Lizard

This fellow was displaying / sunning in the vegetable plot outside the house.   I know its a bloke as he is turning his head and neck orange coloured. About a foot long from head to tail in all.   When we first spotted him his head and neck was bright orange colour but as I got closer to take the pictures it slowly began to fade and lighten, presumably an attempt to make himself less conspicuous.

DIY

Its got to be said that I am absolutely useless at DIY. 
Q.  How long does it take to put up four venetian blinds? 
A. Not sure as so far today I have only managed to put up three.

Barking deer on South Lantau Road



Muntjac Deer



This Sunday morning, as we were driving over to Tong Fuk from Mui Wo for mini rugby we were lucky enough to spot a Muntjac deer run back into the undergrowth from the road side. 

Although apparently common in the woods and hillsides of Hong Kong, (a fact we can vouch for at Man Kok Tsui as they are partial to digging up Nuch's sweet potato crops) and often heard "barking" they are seldom seen.   Our first sighting ever.    

Chinese New Year at Man Kok Tsui

At long last we have electricity we can rely on, lights that work, fuses that are safe and switches that no longer look like something from a Frankenstein horror movie.   So not wishing to waste an opportunity we packed up the boat and headed off for a weekend of isolation.  It was brilliant.  No phones, no internet, no TV and no crowds.  The weather was warm and sunny and the winds were calm.  The boys were over the moon as they could now power up their infernal Nintendo thingys and I was happy as I could now get back to my ham fisted DIY and the obligatory random power tool use.  Nuch of course was in seventh heaven as she could now boil water, use the microwave and put food into a fridge that worked.

Mini Rugby - Lantau Style

As Chinese New Year approached, the normally vacant footie pitch has been commandeered for the Tong Fuk village party.  So the boys had to endure mini rugby on the beach.  It was pretty cold but noone seemed to mind and as luckily the tide was out, noone had to fish the balls out of the sea (or children come to think of it).

Birds we have oggled this month at Man Kok Tsui

Two buzzards (possibly paired) soaring.

A very fast peregrine falcon that screamed as it flew round and round in circles over one of the headlands

Possibly a buzzard being mobbed by a crow

Also two kingfishers and loads of blackbirds (Not the same as UK versions).  Spring seems to be early this year for the migrations.  Maybe I need to start looking at getting a decent camera to sanp the smaller birds too.

Oh yes and Nipper the dog discovered her terrier instincts when she was introduced to a rat that had been caught in next doors rat rap.   It took her a while to work out what to do, she knew she was meant to do something but the sly old rat kept stopping moving which seemed to phase the dog.  Once the rat mad a dash for cover, it was the last thing it shold have done.......

The renovations continue

This month will see a big leap forward for our little house.  All the electrics will be completed.  All the plumbing will be completed and all our savings will be depleted!   All we have to do now is clean up the paintwork (thank you electricians and plumbers) chuck in some furniture and sit back and relax.  

Not all true actually.   The potable water connection will take some time as the wheels of burocracy churn slowly.  We now have the mountain water piped in from the "clean" well, so we can at least flush the loo etc.  Once the water services department trot along and add in their meter we will have potable water to the kitchen and the bathroom.  Alas we still need to wait for the electricity board to also trot on over and reconnect our shiny new 3 phase circuits.   Once they have done that we can all make use of a rather fine electric water heater.   A hot shower!!!!!!.   A shave with hot water!!!!!!   Oh joy, oh joy.

Any how pictures to follow once we have tidied up a bit more.