Blooming in Hong Kong

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

It is spring and it is blooming in Hong Kong.  Here are a few pics of some blossoms near my home.  Yeah the world is going through quite a time right now, but taking the time to smell the flowers is good anti-stress therapy. 

Have a great week.  Stay healthy!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Some Humour

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

Covid 19 is raging throughout the World.  I know it is serious, people are dying, and others are really sick because of it.  Yet I think having a little. break from the seriousness of it all is ok.  Here is a little covid 19 humour to at least give us a wry smile.

Teachers around the world are teaching online.  Here is my lovely wife teaching her grade 3 class, from our kitchen.   Thankfully her kids can only see Celia from the shoulders up.

This Israeli mom speaks for millions around the world who suddenly have their kids at home and have to do distance online learning.

 Hong Kong baby on the MTR.

 Hong Kongers wearing masks.

On the MTR.  Note the only one not wearing a mask is a westerner.

 Traffic jam of Hong Kongers, sick of being cooped up at home heading to our country park.  Crazy!

This poor kid trapped in the traffic jam.

In Canada social distancing is one hockey stick length away.

Have a great week everyone.  Stay safe!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Hiking in Shing Mun

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

Due to Covid 19 Celia and I are working from home.  Not ideal, but we have grown to appreciate our home and the location of our home more.   We live on the edge of Shing Mun Country Park and we are spending a lot more time in it than usual.  Below are some photos of a few things you can see in our "backyard."  But first a little promo from a gov't website:

Shing Mun Country Park commands a site of 1,400 hectares. From its northern edge in Lead Mine Pass, it extends to Shing Mun Road in the south. The western border lies in Tai Mo Shan, while Grassy Hill and Needle Hill mark the eastern margin. This idyllic sanctuary is nestled deep in the southeastern hills of Tai Mo Shan. Shielded by peaks and ridges on all sides, it is bestowed with lyrical scenery. For decades, it has been one of the best loved leisure destinations in Hong Kong. Funded by the Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation, the Government introduced a pilot programme for countryside recreation facilities in 1971. Designated in 1977, Shing Mun Country Park was one of the first country parks in the territory. Other country parks dated back to the same era are Kam Shan Country Park and Lion Rock Country Park.

In 1923, responding to urban Kowloon's pressing need for water supply, work began for the Shing Mun Reservoir. To make way for this monumental project, original villagers of the Shing Mun Valley were relocated to the New Territories. This impressive facility was eventually completed in 1937.

Sitting by the minibus terminus, the Shing Mun Country Park Visitor Centre offers interesting exhibits that present Shing Mun's history, background facts about the reservoir, the once thriving mining industry, war relics and the biodiversity in Shing Mun Country Park. Inside the country park, the Shing Mun Arboretum with rich plant resources is a wonderful place to appreciate Hong Kong's flora.

 Spring is near and the blossoms are out.

 People int the park lining up for a mini bus to get out.  Note the masks.

 Plenty of monkeys live in the park.  

 Plenty of hills and scenic views.

 Shing Mun reservoir.

Monkeys hanging out on a picnic table.

Have a great week!  Don't forget to wash your hands etc

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk