Fin Swimming - last competition for 2014shn

The Silvery Sharks Fin Swimming Club had a great final competition of the year with some great races and lots of medals being won.   Some of the younger swimmers really showed how much their fitness has improved and have the medals to show for it but Arthur and Matthew learned some very tough lessons.

1. Count your laps carefully and do not stop too early, (Matthew 400m)

2. Make sure you touch the timing board when you finish or your time keeps on rolling. (Arthur 400m)

Arthur had seven races in all some of which he was competing two age groups high than his age. He won gold in the 100m and knocked 4 seconds off his China time.   The jury is out on that one though.  Some great swimming by Ivan and LD and the little water flea, Kaa Fai all of whom slowly wore Arthur down in the 200m mono fin race to push him out of the medals.    Kara fair literally streaked ahead to win gold, followed by Ivan and LD then Arthur.   Well done boys, it was one of the most exiting races to watch and you all deserve your medals.    

Matthew missed a clear place in the 400m (see lesson 2 above).  He was five seconds clear and swam like a demon to catch up but did not quite make it. He earned a bronze for his efforts in the 200m though and a gold for the 4 x 50m relay.

Mui Wo Python

I caught this beauty last year.   All afternoon the dogs next door had been making a right old racket  running and barking and generally making it very obvious something was not right.   I had a look about a couple of times but never saw the snake.   By the evening the dogs had quietened down and it was the turn of our neighbours to start making a racket.    The python had ended up on a concrete yard and found not find its way out.    Someone had brought out a rice sack that was obviously far too small to put it in and none was brave enough to go near it.   I grabbed a wheel bin and laid it on its side next to the by now very pissed off poor snake's head.   Luckily it went in side and when enough of it was in I stood the bin up and the snake was safe and out of harms way.   Eventually it was carted away by the cops.   Hopefully it was released back into the wild and did not end up in some police canteen's hot pot.

Red Tide

At first I though someone had thrown a pot of paint into the sea but alas no, it is the dreaded red tide  algae bloom that apparently forms as a result of increased nutrient loading from human activities.   Must be all those so called organic farms that are sprouting up on Lantau?   More likely it is the result of China farming effluent washing down into the sea.   

A new addition to the Mui Wo herd.

Riding home this evening and had to negotiate around a rather large bull who was standing side on across the road flanked by two other slightly smaller members of the herd.   After cycling around them a smaller cow came cautiously out of the bushes followed by a wobbly calf.    I can only presume the calf is recently born as some of its coat looked wet and it was absolutely spotlessly clean.

An Eagle Owl - My what big eyes you've got Grandma!

   Found in a built up area and thankfully released in a far more suitable place.   Some serious peepers!   Not exactly what you expect from a bustling cityscape is it but there you go.

HK Triathlon Association - The boys' first dabble in the realms of cyclists with pointy hats

No day of rest for the boys this Sunday.  Both Matthew and Arthur made their first forays into the murky secretive world of triathlon, albeit this was without the cycling part!    Wearing their cheap trainers, swimmers and an old school running the vest the boys were hob knowing with the skin suited kids who preferred to wear their race number on a special gadget belt and lace their swanky running shoes with toggles stolen from a a parka hood.   The boys did splendidly, both came out of the swimming pool in second place, pushed / wedged their feet into all ready tied trainers, threw on their vests and set off on the run.   Unused to running for anything other than a departing bus, they soon fell backwards but nevertheless they had fun.   

Next on the agenda was Arthur's 3000m open water swim in Deep Water Bay in preparation / selection for the 2014 Hong Kong Invitational, international fin swimming competition in December.     Despite the water looking clean and clear he swam the distance and came out with a fine coating of oil and slime.   Not ideal but his hair has a great shine!   Not sure when we find out if he has made the cut for the Hong Kong team but if not he will be swimming a parallel race in the local races anyhow.

Before that though he has the last pool race meet in December to contend with too.

Islands District, Inter Schools Athletics

 

Chucking the ball competition.   Gold last year, for Arthur but fourth this year thanks to the participation of the cricket fanatics no doubt!

Mui Wo Recreation Centre - An End of an Era!

The end of an era.   The most happening place in Mui Wo finally succumbs to the wrecking ball.  What will the new one look like, I wonder?

Hong Kong Fin Swimming - October Championships

Since joining the "Silvery Sharks" Finswimming Club last year the boys have really improved their swimming.   This month the competitions were held in Ma On Shan.   Both Matthew and Arthur came home with medals for their efforts.  Well done boys...

Arthur

Matthew

Matthew took Silver in his age group's 50m relay and Bronze in the 50m mono fin but due to his Dad's advice of not going too fast too soon he misjudged it all and cold not catch them up.   He has however avowed never to listen to my advice ever again.  

A true sportsman's smile!

Marcus

School Team ma

Arthur on the other hand, still basking presumably from his China exploits in the summer when he swam with the Hong Kong team in the China National Youth Championships, was his usual laconic self and did just enough to win gold in his age group, 4 x 50m relay and 400m bi fin and silver in 200m and 400m mono fin (I think).  He has an uncanny ability to swim like he is not trying and keep himself exactly half a centimetre in front of the competition and no more.   I do admit to getting few school reports that were worded similar, "Does well but could do more if he applied himself."   But to be fair to him he certainly applied himself in the last race of the day and showed his speed in the 50m relay when as the last swimmer and in throe place by two or three metre he powered past the two leaders to take first place.    

Have to say well done to the other Silvery Shark swimmers too.   Amalea and Ethan did brilliantly entering their first swimming competition and they really swam their hearts out.   And after swimming together in their 50m relay race and winning gold, they and their teammates had to do it all again when the race was rerun after every team did a false start.   However, they won through again and just like Arthur, Ethan swam like a demon to pull his team from third to first.   Exciting stuff to watch too.   What was also great to see was the number of children from Mui Wo School who are getting active in the sport too.

Marcus and his Mum

Amalea and Ethan

Goodbye Facebook

We are now Facebook free.   No more adverts, no more pictures of other people's food, no more dross.  

How to lose a parrot and find it three days later!

This is Wong Dai our orange winged amazon parrot.   We think he is a she but we are not sure. I bought Wong Dai in 1999 when she was a very young and angry bird.   It took me at least a year before I was able to get her to trust me and not bite lumps out of me but since then she has turned into a sweet and adorable pet.   She loves to have her head scratched and tickled and fussed over.   As time has gone on, Wong Dai's family has grown with her.   Her arch enemies are Mango the macaw who lives in the cage next to her and Matthew! Noone knows why she dislikes Matthew but she has done ever since he was a baby.  

Up until last week Wong Dai had never uttered anything other than ear splitting screams and she has made it very clear that Matthew's fingers are fair game if they ever come within biting range.   This has now all changed.   For the past five years, Wong Dai and all the other parrots have lived up in their cages on our rooftop.   A place where they can make as much noise as they want.    They have plenty of fresh air, sunlight, shade and loads of things to keep them occupied.   They have survived typhoons, tropical rain storms and the winter chills.   Never once have their cage doors been blown open and never once have they escaped. BUT, .somehow, last weekend Wong Dai went missing.   The cage door was found open and the bird had literally flown the nest.   We searched and searched and searched.   We woke up before dawn hoping she would call out as normal but we could not find her nor hear her.   Her green feathers we presumed made her almost invisible in the trees and her silence we took to mean she was miles away or dead, killed by a snake or mobbed by other birds.

The boys were distraught and although they cried innocence we suspect they were involved somehow as it was their responsibility to feed the birds and they were the last ones to open the cages to do so.

Nevertheless in the late afternoon on the third day Nuch carried some washing up to the roof to hang out to dry and thought she could hear Wong Dai calling.   We all rushed up to look but could not hear anything.    I searched the internet and used my laptop up on the roof to play a recording of an orange winged amazon's call.   After twenty minutes, we could hear her calling back and eventually we spotted her down on the floor just a few yards away from the house.

With the aid of one of the boy's fishing nets we managed to scoop her up and plonk her back in her cage.   She had lost a fair amount of weight and was dehydrated but otherwise seemed uninjured.   We made sure she was firmly locked back in her cage and left her to rest.   Thankfully, she is now back to her normal self and more.    Whenever Matthew says hello to her, she replies with hello too.   And whenever Matthew puts his hand towards her, she moves towards him and lets him pet her.

So there you have it.   If you want to get a parrot hand tame and talking.... all you have to do is let it see that the grass may not always be greener on the other side.