Wednesday, 3 February 2010

New Year, New Vehicles & Brian's Visit

As said, at RHKYC at Christmas, Fin was just in awe of the cars etc.
And Pete's friend Susan gave us her old trike which is going down a storm. He can even sleep in it. Have had a few accidents with the tipper-tray at the back suddenly deciding there is too much weight in it (not much shopping fits but its handy on daily grocery trip)and shedding the load (always with the eggs!) but its handier and actually easier to get round than our wee buggy.
But before she left Sue & I went to a couple of different 'play centres' for kids. And we found Fin's weakness - he's never had/ seen anyone on ride-along cars so really does NOT get the idea of pushing with your feet! He finally worked out how to move his favourite car (same as the one at RHKYC) but its not fast...or smooth...or cool...
And he does like to make his own cars too.

Pete turned up one day with a 2nd hand 3 wheeler 'jogging buggy' like the one we borrowed in NZ - they are stupidly expensive but very easy to push! He spotted this 1 passing Stanley's 2nd hand shop (which is usually full of brand new stuff donated by shops). Cool - bit bent but lovely to use, a wee bit taller than the buggy so comfier to push. AND came with attachments for a baby seat so could have baby & toddler in at once. Hmmm. Pete says we either have another baby or use it to cart his windsurf kit round in - it collapses down big enough to wheel his board along! So far just Finley and a load of groceries in it.

Pete's dad Brian arrived from a stay in NZ and finally broke the awful weather we had for most of Sue's stay. Just as well as he arrived with a horrible cold he'd been on antibiotics for ages with, and we were knackered. Finley wasn't tired, even after getting me up several times a night and then getting Pete up for good at 6am....but then he naps twice a day. So, much playing on slides (luckily every mini-high rise in our development has a slide and there are also public ones AND the ones at RHKYC HQ) and us generally not having much energy ensued.

Dead tired day - all down, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

Double slide boy, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

Double slide boys, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. Finley is funny - sometimes he charges up (or down) slides and scares me, other times he's desperate to hold your hand even when its too tall for me to reach, really...

The scarey spiral slide look down, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. But he's now completely confident on the pirate ship at RHKYC HQ (almost the same as the pirate ship at the block next to ours) and charges up the steps, along the head high platforms, then grabs my hand if we can reach to go down the spiral slide.

RHKYC Pirate ship about to go, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. At least 15 times in a row MINIMUM. Plus the club got a bunch of new cars/ trikes etc this month so he pushes them around.

RHKYC new toys, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. And, of course, the club wendy house is a fave - much door slamming and bursting out of the window shutters...

Boo Inside wendy house RHKYC jan 010, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. Brian dug Finley his 1st big hole, on Repulse beach, to the confusion of tourists. Especially when we tried to convert it into a car - not very scupltable sand. One bunch kept taking his photo and gave us mini polaroid pictures of him which were cool.

Hole Fin Repulse Beach Jan 09, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

I think I put up the famed pic of Pete & his 2 siblings, all blonde and under 10, on the Ocean Park cablecar on their way to live in Papua New Guinea in the 1980s? Can't find it now. Well, Brian hadn't been in it since then. When we were having some more not-beach weather, we went. Fin & I go weekly anyway.
Usually we stick to the baby rides, the goldfish and maybe the Whiskers Sea-lion show but tbh he prefers watching bigger kids or twirling the wheels on the car/ boat remote control rides (luckily not yet demanding coins in to make the vehicles actually WORK:)).
I don't think he's even noticed the pandas yet, as they tend to sit right beside a laptop. (Note the panda asleep on its iced rock)

Ocean Park - what da ya mean, look at the panda - there's 1 on the laptop!, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

What Panda -theres a LAPTOP, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. I finally saw the otters - at the UK zoo I worked in it was always the otters that hurt keepers, never the lions - but Finley was distracted by being close to a big boy. Same species as we had - Asian short clawed otters. I never forgot one sunny December morning in Suffolk, doing the otter feeding talk to a biggish crowd. A robin was hopping round the pool, looking gorgeous against the frost, and everyone was going' aww' and snapping pics of it. Just as I announced that the otters ate 'fish, crustaceans, small mammals, eggs and birds ' the female otter stopped juggling her boiled egg, darted out, snatched the robin, bit its head off and spread blood and feathers all over the front of the chest high viewing glass. Upset lots of kids and little old ladies! Hohoho indeed.
We went to watch the sea lions - an alleged display of how they train their animals but really clowning tricks for the poor things - not sure any zoo I worked in would ever have got away with it.

Ocean P Jan 2010 sea lion show, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Anyway, for once, Fin was totally engrossed. As usual half the crowd watched him instead of the stage, especially when he kept clapping and cheering. Of course when the sealion blew through a giant bubble maker (to proove it was a breathing mammal) he nearly made it onto the stage to chase bubbles - too much temptation!

Ocean Park entralled by sealion show, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.And we were all impressed at the dedication of the seal trainers in their tank (well, we were - I think Finley thought it was just an odd sea lion). Poo collecting....
We went to see the new bird show as well, and sadly it really depends which member of staff is narrating as to if its any good for us - I got bored as this time there was basically no English, but Fin was again entranced and got so excited we had to forcibly remove Firefox (his walking red panda) as it is very heavy (electronics inside) and HURTS when it makes contact if twirled by the tail.

Watching birdshow with walking red panda toy, Ocean PArk, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
They have now trained some of the parrots that circle in from the hill to take money for the donations box too.

Ocean Park parrot depositing donations, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. Ah the walking panda toy....I think I posted pics of Finley cuddling the barking pig we always have to go and see in the toystall in Stanley? These are the same just in different fur. My season ticket gave a discount & the vouchers Brian's day ticket came with meant we got him one at a reasonable cost, finally.

Brian soon got the hang of renting Fin out to tourists for pics. We could make a fair bit charging for snaps/ cuddle/ touching his hair !
Ocean Park fins photoshoot, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Not sure the selling blown kisses idea will work tho (mum taught him) - Finley tends to slap his hand to his face and kiss it but not blow it - so looks like he's doing the dumb 3 Stooges head slapping idiot thing.
We ate in one of the Park's hill top cafes for lunch (Fin woke to polish off the rice at the end of it).

Ocean Park posh lunch, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Amazing view and I finally used some of the discount vouchers my season ticket gives me. Pretty impressed actually - not only did we get 2 for 1 on the lunches (sort of bamboo-leaf-wrapped triangles of chicken), we got free ice cream, and, as a manager rushed over to ask if we wanted it, a free bottle of wine! OK!

Ocean P lunch Jan 2010, originally uploaded by wildcatfin. As before, this cafe does have jellyfish on the menu - dubious as it sits on top of the jellyfish displays. (We tried jellyfish with Brian the 1st Xmas he was out - sort of like cold, crunchy jelly...interesting texture but no flavour). I do wonder if any that didn't make it though the night are what ends up on the menu of the day.
Then I had to go get my fix of the 'Sky' guitar album being played with colour phasing lights and swirly jellyfish. Fin's not sure he likes it but he does like the interactive jellyfish bopping wall after it - projected animated jellyfish you can sort of 'bop' away from you when your shadow hits them. Similar to the 'shadow painting' in the kids zone, where as you jump around and waggle your arms, your shade wipes out a giant photo of fish/ animals etc to reveal a different one beneath it.

Ocean Park jellfish music hall, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

I think Brian managed to get a fair bit of sightseeing done, including walking over Lamma (where Pete had his au natrel night on the mountain experience - never go trekking after a whiskey session), and checking out the HK architecture. He even crewed for the wife of the commodore in a load of boat races at club HQ 1 day and did pretty well!

HK Harbour from kowloon by Brian, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
 I should mention that after nearly 2 years with no interest, Roger from the club boatyard gave Pete a contact who was interested, a French guy setting up a boatyard in China who wanted old but OK bots to train his new staff on. Pete rang, the guy visited and was very interested. THEN we had 2 more interested guys - both totally unconnected but all French! Weird....fingers crossed 1 of them takes the boat.

OK - whats this, then?

... the aliens have landed.
Nope, Pete's about to jump off a cliff.
Brian climbed up there with him - I have no desire to and am quite glad as from looking at the pics Brian took I think I'd be too nervous to watch anyway. Nice view from there (the Dragon's Back) over Shek O though.

OK, as far as I can work out; you para-wait for several hours/ days/ weeks (often having to give up at dusk and trudge back down the mountain with your giant backpack thingy). If you get lucky and the wind hits the tiny window of direction, speed, etc, you scramble.

SO:
1st he says his prayers; to the gods of not slamming back into the mountain, not getting blown behind the mountain and onto a BBQ and breaking his arm, not landing in the sea and losing his paraglider, and not muffing the landing and being saved by landing on 3 picnicking Phillipino housemaids who were OK finally but gave it really bad press (all happened here in the last few months to paragliders)...

Petes paraglider Dragons back, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Then he does a bit of macrame to calm down. Or get the leylines sorted..
 Then he spreads out his inflatable ready for his emergency landing...

Pete paraglider Dragons back, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
...Slaps on his space helmet and walks off a cliff backwards. Or something like that.

Petes paraglider Dragons back backing, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.
Yes he made it back Ok this time...

We ate out several times but Finley is so full of energy he won't stay still for long. After initial removal of anything grabbable from the table, and feeding, he gets very antsy if he can't go off and explore. Especially in Stanley where everyone brings their dogs out. But we discovered the manager of the local Pizza Express (I like them - had no idea you got NICE pizza places - will never go to Pizza Hut again here, its awful) also doubles as a child minder.
After offerring pizza sticker sheets (etc) which were alll enthusiastically shredded, and seeing Pete & I run up and down the street after dogs, he took Finley off to play with the staff and we didn't see him for the rest of our meal! Well, apart from the occasional beep of protest form their computer ordering system. Lovely :)

Fin playing with Pizza Express computer, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

Fins fave game at the mo is feeding people/ plants/ toys/ THINGS 'invisible food' which he picks up from the floor and passes to them. (He wasn't sure about the cool walking balloon we spotted 1 lady with tho. )
Which was done all over the place with Firefox to the delight of Chinese tourists. Then at the club (Middle Island) on Sunday, there was a dog tied up near the restaurant he was dying to play with and yelled his head off when I took him away from it, not knowing if it was safe. The lady owner came over and apologised for her dog scaring Fin, only to invite Fin to play with it when I explained, as her kids were all off at the barbecue ignoring the dog. And it refused to eat out of its bowl - it liked being hand fed. Perfect couple! Fin spent about an hour feeding it 1 dog biscuit at a time then confused the poor thing by moving onto passing it leaves and 'invisible things'.
We left Middle Island pretty late that Sunday night - Brian's last in HK with us. The boys decided it would be a good idea to paddle after 8pm..in the dark...with Finley...and unsurprisingly got soaked feet.So Pete took over from a dry perch whilst Brian de-shoed.

Repulse bay night winter paddle Jan brian soaked, originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

So eventually after the nappy was soaked AND Finley fell in several times, we decanted the baby into a spare jumper and went home to pack Brian off to the UK with wet shoes. Apparantly he always gets on a plane with wet feet, maybe it helps jetlag...
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