February so far

Taken on my hike to Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir

The westerly view from the apartment...pretty much every day this week.

Half way through February already and almost into a new year. I still can't quite get my head around that concept...a new year in February, but Hong Kong is certainly gearing up for something this week. Decorations are up all over the place and consist of lots of red and gold and lots of tigers. I even saw a fantastic tiger made out of flowers today and was kicking myself for having left my camera at home. Shops are also packed; more so than usual. People buying gifts and new outfits for the holiday, and I'm guessing that the sales that have been on since early December will finally come to an end now? The supermarket queue was a bit of a shock too. Normally the abundance of shop assistants makes for a fast moving line but clearly the shops DO shut for a few days as everyone was clearly stocking up. I can't quite imagine Hong Kong "closed", so I look forward to witnessing it.

In addition to all the activity and preparations going on around me, the weather has been weird. Horribly humid and as you can see from the pics, extremely grey. The sun did break through in Stanley, on the south of the island on Wednesday for a few hours; that I know because we finished our hike there and stopped for lunch. Very nice it was too. Made me wonder if it's always like that there and whether we picked the wrong location when we were flat-hunting...

Oh, and did I mention I saw my first snake on our hike this week? And no, I didn't stop to take a photo...that was the furthest thing from my mind, I can assure you!

February so far has been surprisingly social for me and with Alan travelling this week, I've barely had time to enjoy the peace and quiet in the apartment :-) Seriously...I mentioned that something shifted in January, and I was not wrong. The pace is definitely picking up. I'm not the sort of person who needs or wants to fill every minute of the day with social activity, or indeed activity of any sort, and I actually feel "sufficient" on the social front right now! It feels as though friendships are slowly starting to build...although it has to be said, things here seem to move at a faster pace. It's as though everyone acknowledges they are probably only here for a certain period of time so they just jump right in there. Naturally it takes some people longer than others to be ready for the HK social scene, but once they are ready, it's full steam ahead!

Well, my travelling husband is due home shortly and I expect this will be my last entry until The New Year. I'll try and take some photos but I have a feeling it's going to be MANIC out there and I think I'm going to have to take a few "chill pills" before I head out on Sunday evening...wish me luck!