復古色彩巴士

今午眼前一亮，我幾乎不相信自己的眼睛。從行人天橋上向下望，竟然給我一大驚喜─一部以復古顏色的奶白色頂和紅色車身的九龍巴士在總站停泊著。

最令我懷念是出現在下層車身中央那個古老的九龍巴士(一九三三)標誌。

其實這部巴士不是較新型號，而是稍為舊款的巴士，這正好配合復古的味道。這樣獨特的仿古巴士在我們的街道走，一定帶回大家舊日一絲絲的回憶！

Six Furlong

Brother Anthony and sister-in-law invited my wife and me to have lunch at Six Furlong Restaurant at Happy Valley. They said that it would be a pre-birthday lunch with me because my wife and I would be busy again in January in babysitting businesses.

Through two tunnels, facing a little congestion at Cross Harbour Tunnel at Hung Hum and up a narrow uphill road, we reached Shan Kwong Road JC Clubhouse.

This Six Furlong Restaurant has high ceiling, but not as comfortable as that of Ladies’ Purse at Shatin. [Note : 6 furlongs (an old British unit for distance) = 1320 yards]

The prices of food in the red menu had risen. I did not know if the prices are special for Christmas, but anyway eating out should be more expensive than at home.

There was cream soup or Chinese soup or duck’s meat as appetizer. The main course were beef steak or lamb chop or others. For desserts, we ordered Black forest cake, Chocolate Musse cake, cream on jelly and orange-flavoured cake.

Wow! Such set lunch priced at one hundred and forty-five dollars each. Probably it is the most expensive lunch I have ever had. Thanks to my brother’s hospitality.

A Spinning chair

Elly, Abby, Hayley found a shell-like plastic chair which can be spun round and round. Uncle HL Wat worked as the spinner. Every time when one of the girls sat inside, the orange curtain/blind was lowered and Uncle spun them as if they were on a Merry-go-round.

Hayley was the first to spin. We laughed several times when she walked out from the capsule chair on the lawn with unsteady steps. Probably she was a little dizzy after such spinning motions.

Doctor Sung suggested a method to reduce or minimize the dizzy effect. When one spins the chair in one direction, say clockwise, he should spin it in the the opposite direction, that is anti-clockwise, before he stops.

Abby was the next to try, then followed by Elly. At one time when Abby was sitting inside, Hayley and Elly attempted to spin the chair, but it was really difficult for them to do so.

Once Elly sat inside the chair and I acted as the spinner. What did she say to me inside when I was spinning the chair? Guess what she shouted to me. Below are the options.

A. Slower, slower!
B. Be Gentle!
C. Raise me up!
D. Faster, faster!
E. Stop, stop!

Christmas Eve 2011

Four cousins (in rosy pink, white, light pink overcoats and a red jumper) sat together at the dining table to witness the cutting of a birthday cake by their granduncle/grandfather.

Blowing of candles and singing birthday songs went over and over again because all the six girls at the party liked this game. Abby was the chief blower of the candles.

Finally the birthday cake was cut and shared among the diners. Elly and Abby eyed on the chocolate chips at the top of the cake and no doubt, they were given what they wanted. They ate them with fingers instead of spoons. As if a make-up, the chocolate melted at their fingers and round their mouths casting up two funny, but dirty faces.

The Green Lantern

Fresh News from Australia about a new roller-coaster

The Gold Coast theme park hopes that the Green Lantern, regarded as “the steepest inverted drop on a rollercoaster in Australia", will appeal to those visitors who enjoy gut wrenching, heart pounding, blood curdling action. Plummeting face-first down an “120-degree inverted drop" while travelling up to 66km/h is enough to turn some white with fear.

The ride on a 488-metre electric green track pulled “3.5Gs on hairpin bends". Oh, I am sure it is not a game for me, but to astronauts or pilots.

A Touch of Christmas

Here are some photos of Christmas Decorations on the window curtains of a few tall buildings in Wanchai and Christmas trees at different plazas.

May I wish, on this day of December 24, 2011, my readers especially, Felix, David, Sc, Ho Keung, Yin Ping, Connie, my students, classmates, relatives and colleagues a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and thank you all for your endless support to my small corner of writings. Hopefully I can write further on.

Elly turned into a baby Reindeer

Mother Connie put these pink antlers (hair clips) to Elly’s hair before dinner on the night of December 5, 2011. In a matter of a few seconds, Elly was turned into a baby Reindeer. Elly did not pull them off, but accepted them as funny ornaments on her hair for a while.

A Golden-coloured Christmas tree

A huge golden-coloured commercial Christmas tree is erected and placed in front of i-SQUARE, Tsimshatsui. It is not a real tree, but looks like a cone built up by golden balls of a famous brand of chocolate.

I believe there is no chocolate content inside these round balls because the heat of the sun would have melted the chocolate and turned it into a mess if there were really any.

This Ferrero Rocher chocolate (金莎朱古力) has deep-rooted in the hearts of my family because we eat quite a lot of them at Chinese New Year.

Volkswagens as taxis

It is amazing to find Volkswagen beetles as taxis in Mexico. The models of these beetles are not the latest versions like those I saw in Vancouver, but the versions much much earlier with flat windscreens. The reason for so many such green beetles running in the city was that they were very cheap at time of sale.

Deep Bay at night

Yesterday I was invited by Mrs. D. Chan, my good friend and old colleague, to attend her daughter’s wedding banquet at Deep Bay Yacht Club (深灣遊艇會) .

After chatting with Mrs. D. Chan, eating snacks, drinking cocktail and some photo-taking, my other colleagues and I walked out to a third-floor verandah where we marvelled at the beautiful night view of the club and Aberdeen Harbour.

Below were swimming pools decorated with light bulbs over trees and pavilions. Further out in the harbour were two floating restaurants, Jumbo (珍寶海鮮舫) and Tai Pai (太白海鮮舫). Both restaurants sparkled with bright light. On the shore, on my right, were two piers where shuttle boats were carrying tourists to and from the restaurants.

Without such a chance of visiting the Yacht Club, I would not have taken such night-view photos.

Mrs. Garfield (Flower)

我發夢都估不到原來花也有嘉菲太太之稱。

這裏照片中高貴優雅帶有粉紅色花朵的朱頂蘭正是嘉菲太太。四朵同高度的花長得很奧妙，剛剛向著東南西北四個方向, 擁有指南針般的功能。

朱頂蘭的花莖通芯，花朵較大（13-20厘米）； 荷蘭培育品種先出花後出葉；南非培育品種先出葉後出花，其他品種多數花葉並出。 不同品種在不同季節開花，春夏秋冬都有，通常一年一次，少數一年兩次，有常綠及休眠兩種。

朱頂蘭較早在南美洲被發現並帶返歐洲培育；十八世紀開始，由荷蘭人大量地培育用作商業買賣，所以一路以來園藝培育的品種愈來愈多。

不同的朱頂蘭原生環境差別可以很大。Hippeastrum elegans 來自溫暖濕潤，陽光充沛的草原，Hippeastrum aulicum 卻附生在樹枒之上，樹蔭之中；有些品種的朱頂蘭長在懸崖峭壁，另外一些又會長在沼澤或河邊。

東南亞地區例如廣東，福建，台灣，馬來西亞等，水土和氣候都很適合朱頂蘭生長，並且能夠露地越冬。很多品種的朱頂蘭在這些地區都只會半休眠，甚至不用休眠。

3-D spectacles

Little sister Elly wore a pair of 3-D spectacles after taking her nap in the afternoon of November 29. I did not know how and where it came from. The paper spectacles were of the very primitive kind with one lens red and the other blue. Elly asked me to help her put them on because the thin blades did not fit well on her ears. The spectacles were supposed to be tightened by a rubber band round the head at the back.

Elly considered it big fun to add something new to her eyes. Since Elly did not watch any book, film or TV which is designed for three dimensions, I guessed she would soon become dizzy with things that were mixed with red and blue colours at her eyes. Luckily she did not wear the spectacles for long, otherwise the latter would make her eyes confused for a short time.

After school, big Abby picked up the same spectacles and put them on at her forehead for different poses. She just spent little time in wearing it too.

I remember that when I was watching 4-D “Shrek” inside a theatre at Universal Studios, LA, the spectacles were made of plastics and they were definitely more comfortable and enjoyable than those paper ones Elly and Abby wore.

Latest news: The ends of the blades of the paper spectacles attaching to the rubber band were gone because either Elly or Abby had torn them with force.

The Lacerda Elevator

The Lacerda Elevator is one of the most interesting spots in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Since Salvador was so populous a city for most of its history, city planners tried to figure out ways to help transport people to and from work over the rough landscape. The Lacerda Elevator was devised as a solution for moving workers from the harbour to the city proper. It is situated in the Cayru Plaza in the neighborhood of Comércio next to the Modelo Market, and connects the Cidade Baixa (Lower City) with the Cidade Alta (Upper City).

It first appeared in 1873 and became electric in 1907. By 1930, the elevator was renovated and expanded. Still working and transporting people over 130 years, the Lacerda Elevator is a must on any trip to Salvador. Built by Augusto Frederico de Lacerda with steel imported from Europe, the elevator was actually the most important method of transport in those times. Today it is estimated to carry approximately 30,000 passengers per day. It costs 5 centavos to ride the elevator and the entire trip lasts about 30 seconds.

At the top of the elevator, tourists can see a beautiful view of the harbour with luxurious yachts and boats anchored inside a shallow-watered typhoon shelter. The sea water beyond is in darker blue.

Elly’s first interest on birds

It was the first time, on November 18, that Elly saw a sparrow walking on the floor of a wide footbridge at an estate. Never had she seen such a small creature so closely with her eyes. She was holding her grandma’s right hand, so she was never afraid. She watched every move of the sparrow with interest. Her smile showed that she would like to accompany the bird and be her friend.

I was busy taking photos of her at that moment, not knowing if she spoke to the bird or not. The little fat sparrow, on the other hand, was not scared by the approaching couple. It did not fly away immediately, but remained calm as if it knew that there was no threat. It hopped a little towards the open and at last jumped to the railings and flew away to join its family.

Ayers Rock

Ayers Rock 艾爾斯岩 (Uluru 烏魯魯) is a large sandstone rock in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies 335 km south west of Alice Springs; 450 km by road. Uluru and Kata Tjuta (卡達族達) are the two major features of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (烏魯魯卡達族達國家公園). Uluru is sacred to the Anangu (阿倫特人), the Aboriginal people of the area, and listed as a World Heritage Site (世界自然遺產).

Uluru is one of Australia's natural landmarks, 3 km long and 2 km wide. The sandstone rock stands 348 m high with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total circumference of 9.4 km. Uluru is an "island mountain" left after the slow erosion of an original mountain range.[Uluru appears to change colour at different times of the day and year, most notably glowing red at dawn and sunset.

To look at the rock, instead of walking, riding a camel and a helicopter are more comfortable choices. Ayers Rock Resort and Ayers Rock Airport provide respectively nice lodging and fast access for tourists around the world.

棘海棠

最近在屋苑公眾花園的「展覽舞台」喜見兒時日日見的棘海棠(鐵海棠)。那一刻的它立即勾起我往日觀花的閒情逸緻，原來小小別緻的紅花及佈滿尖刺的莖，巳經足足陪伴了我十幾個年頭。

根據資料，這樣的常綠灌木，全株可達2公尺；莖幹粗肥有溝，密生黑色棘刺長2至2.5厘米。當年，我每每步步為營地將長出的新莖穿插在舊有的之間。一不小心的話，那些刺的確可刺破手指.

葉子少數生於嫩枝頂端，倒卵形至長橢圓形，長2.5至4.5厘米，兩面光滑，革質，葉柄短。花序有長花軸，長在枝梢葉腋，總苞2片對生卵形鮮紅、粉紅或黃色，花期5至9月。花苞顏色有紅、黃、橘、粉紅、白色等，而我見到的始終都是紅色的。 我希望日後可以見到其他顏色就好了。

有時，花中心湧出蜜汁；雄蕊有花粉，雌蕊有花柱。總苞片與花序之間有黃色蜜杯4至5個，吸引昆蟲來吸食花蜜及傳播花粉。果實又綠又圓，但我還未親眼見過。若果莖有任何破損或折斷的話，立即流出白膠槳似的汁，像受了傷流血一樣。不過我估計這些汁液十居其九是有毒的。

Marine Police patrol boats

A small grey motor boat sped in opposite direction close to a large Marine Police patrol boat last Thursday. The latter had slowed down before the former circulated round its stern.

From my observation, the small boat must have an officer who would like to get back onto the patrol boat and I expected the tiny boat will be lifted back to the deck of the mother boat by a crane.

A Portrait artist in Italy

The portraits of famous stars in a square in Italy attract people’s attention. This lady has asked the artist to draw a portrait of her for the price of 10 euros.

The portraits of the stars, for example, has been exaggerated to a certain extent, such as thick lips, swollen chins, twisted faces, small eyes, but the appearance, manner and facial expressions of the stars are retained. All these show that the artist is highly professional in grasping the important features and the outline of the faces. What do you think?

Lokum

Basically, Lokum is a kind of sweets made in rectangular or round strips and they are cut into smaller pieces for sale. There are many variations in flavours such as rose, lemon, mint,…. covered on the outside with coconut powder, chocolate or nuts.

Lokum appeared in 1776, invented by a confectioner at Istanbul called Bekir Effendi. Lokum is the short form of Rahat lokhoum meaning "give the throat comfort ".

Safranbolu (番紅花城), a town in the Black Sea region of Turkey, is famous for gold quality lokum in relatively cheap prices. There are a great many choices of lokum there too.

The lokum sold at the Old Bazaar duty free shop at Istanbul Airport are terribly sweet, expensive and marked in Euros.

It is interesting that lokum appears in the film, Narnia, in which the white witch gave the small child a red piece of lokum to eat.

Pinocchio

In these few days, Elly and Abby watch the cartoon film, Pinocchio (木偶奇遇記) with interest.. This film, made by Disney in 1940, fascinated the two girls a lot.

This afternoon, after Abby had gone to school, we took Elly to Ma On Shan Plaza for a walk. On the way, Elly discovered the banners high above her showing a Display of puppets at the plaza during Christmas.

I noticed this earlier and knew that the display of several big and small puppets had already been set up, but I did not tell Elly about it. The reason was simple enough. I wanted to give my grand-daughter a big surprise.

As we were approaching the site of display of puppets, Elly saw the lovely big puppets. Her smiles came with her great delight. We took a few photos of her and the puppets.

We hope that Elly's parents will take Elly and Abby to look at the puppets again in a few days ahead.

Wearing Sister’s sunglasses

This Friday afternoon, Elly found her sister’s sunglasses at our home. She was free to wear it because Abby had gone to school.

This blue sunglasses fit Elly round face and had dressed her up like the role of the actress “陳寶珠” in the Cantonese film called “女殺手”.

The statue of the Little Mermaid

The statue of the Little Mermaid sits on a rock in the Copenhagen harbour in Langelinie, Demark. This small bronze statue has for long been a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist attraction.

In 1909, Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg, having been fascinated by a ballet about the fairytale, requested Edward Eriksen, a sculptor, to create the statue, which was unveiled on 23 August 1913. The latter’s wife, Eline Eriksen, acted as the model for making such a statue. Unfortunately it has been severely vandalized several times.

Unbelievably, in May 2010, it was moved for the first time ever from Demark for transport to Expo 2010 for display in Shanghai where it stayed until October 20th 2010.

Elly drawing curves

A delightful scene came to my eyes two days ago. It was Elly who drew curves with her thick crayon pens on a few pages of a book.

With a close look at Elly’s drawings, I found that Elly was able to draw curves which looked like “6”, “9”, “0” and the letter “e”.

Recently, Elly shows a habit of drawing close curves. In addition, she attains the power of shading with colouring pens or crayons.

From now on, I believe her curves are no longer “closed” and “empty”, but filled with colour. What a quick advancement Elly has achieved!

Happy Halloween sweets

With the wise thought of sliding in a 4-walled wrapping card, a packet of 28 “Andes” mint chocolate pieces has been turned into a new present of Happy Halloween sweets.

The bats and a witch flying about, the pumpkin lanterns as well as the black ribbon totally dress up the packet of sweets into a welcoming gift to children and adults alike.

I think the idea of this kind wrapping comes from a traditional match box.
I agree with “Old ideas can be applied to new products” .

Some lovely potted tomatoes

I can’t believe that tomatoes can grow so well in a small pot. Here is one good example.

These tomatoes are relatively small, but they swell round like balloons. Lustre has added beauty to its smooth skin. The colours of red, orange and green are so inviting that anyone would like to bite them.

Mini-pepper

These lovely mini pepper pods grow well in a small pot in our public garden below. Their colours vary from deep purple to light purple ad pink, to orange and red. They shape like light bulbs, but they cannot shine. Under sunlight, they look as if they were waxed. Their lustre makes them even close to the look of gems.

Another look at Toyko Tower

Just as the Eiffel Tower is often used in popular culture to immediately locate a scene in Paris, France, Tokyo Tower is often used in the same way for Tokyo. It has been established as an important tourist attraction and symbol of Tokyo.

Tokyo Tower functions as a radio and television broadcasting antenna support structure and a tourist destination. The first area tourists must visit upon reaching the tower is FootTown, a 4-storey building stationed directly under the tower. Here, visitors can eat, shop and visit several museums and galleries. Elevators that depart from the first floor of FootTown can be used to reach the first of two observation decks, the 2-storey Main Observatory. For the price of another ticket, visitors can board another set of elevators that from the second floor of the Main Observatory to reach the final observation deck—the Special Observatory.

From dusk to midnight, the floodlights illuminate the entire tower. Sodium vapor lamps are used from October 2 to July 6 to cover the tower in an orange color. From July 7 to October 1, the lights are changed to metal halide lamps to illuminate the tower with a white color. The reason behind the change is a seasonal one. Orange is a warmer color and helps to offset the cold winter months. Conversely, white is thought a cool color that helps during the hot summer months.

Sky paintings

Very often I look for sky paintings at sunsets and sunrises from home.

(1) A clear sky is best for these paintings.

(2) No paint or brushes are necessary.

(3) The picture composition depends on the sizes and distribution of clouds, the rays of sunlight that are shining.


(4) Every second the look of the sky varies with direction of winds to the clouds, light intensity and the angle of sunlight that are shining towards the clouds.

(5) The view of the sky varies with the location of the photographer.

The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain (羅馬許願池) is a fountain in the Trevi rione in Rome, Italy. It is the largest Baroque fountain standing 26 metres (85.3 feet) high and 20 metres (65.6 feet) wide in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.

By legend, if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Among those who are unaware that the "three coins" of the film, Three Coins in the Fountain, were thrown by three different individuals, a reported current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. From another legend, it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.

It is estimated that 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy.

US Red Pears

Those fat red Anjou pears have long won my affection. They do not appear in our supermarkets for some time. Recently these long-necked U.S.A. red pears replace them. Without hesitation, I buy some to find out their texture, taste and sweetness. With a knife in hand, I peel off the skin of one after it is washed. The flesh, nice for a salad, is tender, moist, a little sweet and sour to taste.

From one web-page, I found these lines about pears. They run like this:
“A ripe pear is a sweet pear.

If a pear is left at room temperature, it slowly reaches its peak maturity. A sweet and succulent flavour appears as it ripens from the inside out.

The best way to judge ripeness is by applying gentle pressure to the neck of the pear with a thumb. If it yields to pressure, it is ripe.

To ripen pears, leave firm, unripe pears at room temperature so that they can ripen. Once the pear is ripe, it can be refrigerated to slow the ripening process and saved for use up to five days later.

Like many fruits, the flesh of cut or peeled pears will eventually become brown owing to natural oxidation. To keep your pears looking appetizing and to prevent browning, dip them in a mild solution of 50% water and 50% lemon juice.

Ripened pears can be used at once or put under refrigeration (35º to 45º F) until you want to use them. Refrigeration will delay further ripening.

For speedy ripening, place under-ripe pears in a fruit bowl at room temperature near other ripening fruit like bananas, which naturally give off ethylene and will help speed up the ripening process.

Thoroughly wash pears immediately prior to eating or preparation. Under cold, drinkable water, scrub the entire exterior of the pear, taking extra care to cleanse the indentations near the stem (at the top) and calyx (at the bottom) of the pear. Washing the entire exterior of the pear will help to eliminate dirt and/or commonly occurring bacteria that may be found on the fruit’s surface. Wash fruit even if you plan on peeling it."

Elevador de Santa Justa

The Santa Justa Lift (Elevador de Santa Justa) also called Carmo Lift (Elevador do Carmo) is a elevator/lift in civil parish of Santa Justa, in the historical city of Lisbon, situated at the end of Rua de Santa Justa. It connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo (Carmo Square). Since its construction, the Lift has become a tourist attraction for Lisbon as, among the urban lifts in the city, Santa Justa is the only remaining vertical one.

The panormaic views at the top of the tower allow glimpses of the Castle of São Jorge, the Tagus River, the lower part of the Pombaline Baixa, the National Theatre D. Maria II, while the upper entrance permits a view of the ruins of the Monastery of Nossa Senhora do Vencimento do Monte do Carmo.

The Elevator is a vertical structure consisting of a metallic tower, observation platform, walkway and base. Its base includes four vertical columns, each composed of two pillars.The largest part of the structure runs parallel to the Rua de Santa Justa. With a height of 45 metres, covering seven storeys, the tower includes two elevator cabins, decorated in wood, mirrors and windows, and an initial capacity for 24 passengers in each, but now to 29. The structure includes a dozen transverse beams, forming a double lattice, supported at the top by foundations at the Escadinhas de Santa Justa. On the sides of the elevator, the walkway is articulated by means of bearings, as well as on the pillars, which is articulated at the base.

On the top floor is a kiosk and lookout, with panoramic views of the city, while connections to the floors below are made by two spiral staircases, with different patterns on each storey. The main machinery was installed at the base of the Elevator, while at the exit to the Largo do Carmo there is a veranda to allow circulation. The corridor that passes above the structure, was transformed into a terrace, and exits to Largo do Carmo through an iron gate. The space destined the electrical equipment was located under the Escadinhas, in a space set aside for this purpose, under a vaulted ceiling.

The Lift is decorated in a Neo-Gothic style in iron. Since this was a new material at the time of its construction, it is symbolic of the technical and memorial construction from this period, representing the culture of the 1900s, when the structure and elevators were considered a magical innovation and portent of a modern age.

Ships in Trios

It is rare to see ships in trios that sail along Tolo Harbour, but today I saw them.

A marine-police patrol ship took the lead. From the white foam at its rear, I noticed that it travelled fast. The slow-going yellow tug boat went next. It was pulling a long heavy barge of sand or mud, 20 feet away from it.

This photo is rich in colour because of a clear blue sky and adequate sunlight. I love it.

A Two-year-old Headstand

Two-year-old Elly performed her “headstand” at the sofa at home yesterday.

Elly put herself upside down with her hands and head supporting her body weight. She closed her eyes perhaps she felt the blood pressure at her head. On the right photo, she even smiled a little showing her great success. I think her theory of gymnastics is “Enjoyment comes first and Skill next”.

Star of the Month

Australian oranges become our first priority of fruit this month. Their virtues are very juicy, fleshy and fibrous. It is difficult to keep the flesh “uninjured” when the skin is peeled since the latter sticks close to the former. The South African Sunkist oranges are much inferior because they are navel-less as well as too tough to bite and swallow.

The stickers on the Australian oranges are interesting and funny. In one of the brands (Australian Citrus), the sticker shows a “cartoon” man in front of boxes of oranges. Another set of stickers (Australian grown) shows several red strokes, simply enough to be recognized as a kangaroo.

The colour of these oranges is in an inviting rich orange. I always consider this rule correct: “The more orange is to the oranges, the sweeter the oranges are.” The texture of the skin is as rough as that on the moon because there are small depressions all round.

In these photos, some of the oranges appear as pumpkin-like, some with a “volcano” top, but they all look common by their distinctive navels.

A Delightful scene of sea birds

This series of photos were taken on a BC ferry (see the big chimney) at time of crossing the Strait of Georgia that separates City of Vancouver from Vancouver Island.

The arrival of these unexpected visitors on top of our heads startled me with joy. I supposed they were sea gulls. Their flying skill was superb. They flied at the same speed as that of the ferry. For some time, say, twenty minutes or so, they followed close to us. Some of them were stable in the air. I wondered if they would finally land on our ferry.

It was the best moment to take a few pictures of these friendly birds of the twenty-first century. Since they did not succeed in getting any food from our ferry, somehow they disappeared behind us. No wonder their leader led them away to hunt for fish elsewhere in the sea.

Please click the above collage photo to enlarge it.

Graca Trams in Lisbon

Gracia trams (奎卡電車) are main means of transport shuttling up and down the narrow and hilly streets of Lisbon(里斯本), the city itself surrounded by hills on three sides.

The old trams are single-decked with wooden decorations. Our old Hong Kong trams looked almost the same, but double-decked, running on flat lands along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island. Those in San Francisco are quite different from Graca because they are open on both sides with seats arranged on two sides along the central line. Passengers can step on or off any time they want if they are quick enough.

The Graca trams are small and always crowded with people. In two of the photos here, you can see how narrow the streets and pavements are. Driving through these streets need skill and care! Graca trams usually run very slowly. One may take a lot of patience in sitting inside before he/she reaches his/her destination.

Photos at Breakfast time

These photos were taken when Abby and Elly were eating a breakfast of cereals in milk. Since the cereals had soaked in milk, they became soft and easier to be eaten. The two girls ate, drank and soon finished the breakfast.

When I took a few snapshots at Elly, she gave me back “automatic” smiles. She knows that she should smile when someone aims a camera at her. On the other hand, Abby used her arms, hands and fingers to show different postures.

White Followers

There were some twelve to fifteen white seagulls flying behind a marine police patrol boat yesterday when it sailed along the Tolo Harbour. I wondered why because there was nothing to eat on such a boat. Did the birds consider this boat as a big whale which might know where to find for fish?

We experienced such an interesting scene when we were at sea on a BC ferry heading for Victoria, Vancouver Island. A flock of sea-gulls chased after the ferry for a certain distance away from Tsawwassen Ferry Pier. They flied alongside the ferry at almost the same speed. For some time, they followed the ferry and soon they left. My only thought at that time was that the birds were saying good-bye to the ferry or perhaps, us because it was sailing away to Vancouver Island.

Full of Satisfaction

On the night of October 18, 2011, we dined with daughter’s family at our usual restaurant. The bun, soup and the dish of roasted chicken, fish and spaghetti suited my appetite.

Philip bought desserts of fabulous cakes (each sold at $13) after dinner. The cakes were in flavours of Green Tea, Mango and Strawberry. I love Mango best. Abby loves Green Tea and Elly loves Strawberry. We are in three Colour Parties – Green for Abby, Yellow for me and Red for Elly.

The 25 de Abril Bridge

How amazed I was this Monday afternoon when I saw a bridge in Portugal which looks like the Golden Gate Bridge in television!

The 25 de Abril Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) "25th of April Bridge" is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the south bank of the Tejo river. It was inaugurated on August 6, 1966 and a train platform was added in 1999.

Because of its similar coloring, it is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. In fact, it was built by the same company (American Bridge Company) that constructed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and not the Golden Gate, also explaining its similarity in design.

With a total length of 2,277 m, it is the 21st largest suspension bridge in the world. The upper platform carries six car lanes, and the lower platform carries two train tracks. The bridge was named Salazar Bridge (Ponte Salazar), in honour of the Prime Minister until 1974.

Soon after the Carnation Revolution in 1974, the bridge was renamed the 25 de Abril Bridge, the day the revolution had occurred. A symbol of those times was captured on film, with citizens removing the big "Salazar" brass sign from one of the main pillars of the bridge and painting a provisional "25 de Abril" in its place.

The First flight of Boeing 787 to Hong Kong

For the first time, All Nippon Airways (ANA) flied a Boeing 787 carrying about 200 passengers, including aviation reporters from Toyko to Hong Kong the day before yesterday, October 26, 2011. It arrived at Hong Kong after a four-hour and eight minute flight.

The aircraft is more fuel efficient than other planes because carbon fibre is used instead of aluminium for its construction. The special charter flight came after years of delay as Boeing engineers dealt with glitches.

On Japan, the only major aviation market where Boeing clearly dominates its European rival Airbus. ANA expects to have added 55 Dreamliners (as people call Boeing 787s) to its fleet by March 2018. That was welcoming news to Boeing after China Eastern.

The 100 seats available to paying passengers were sold out soon after they went on sale, with more than 25000 people scrambling for scarce tickets. It is known that a pair of tickets that ANA offered on an auction site for charity sold for more than $90000.

Look at the pilot at the cockpit and how our Hong Kong Airport welcomed this "new visitor". Was he a Japanese? In my opinion, he was.

爬滑梯

世上有爬格子動物(從事寫作的人)，也有爬山專家，阿比和艾莉卻是爬滑梯能手。

兩星期前，我們帶阿比和艾莉到屋苑小小的遊樂場去玩，可以給她們多些手腳運動。大家都知道滑梯應該是從上而下滑下去的。兩個小妮子取難不取易，要違反地心吸力定律，盡用四肢向上爬。首先她們彎著身體，手握著扶手用力向上拉，將腳板微微曲起成勾狀，盡量抓緊滑梯面，同時奮力向前衝。

初時，阿比的鞋太滑，她索性把鞋脫下來，妹妹見狀也跟隨拋棄了。結果她們三番四次爬上滑下，腳踏在深藍色軟墊上好十次左右，換來的是兩雙「藍精靈」的小腳板，這也許是軟墊上的膠粒在日曬雨淋之下脫落變成粉末的關係。太太與我都不約而同的叫孫女們看看自己的腳。艾莉和阿比都沒有多大反應，只是傻笑一下。看著兩孫女樂在其中，弄髒腳板的趣怪表情，心都笑到出來了。

若想看清楚照片，請你將滑鼠移到相的位置按兩下去放大。

A Classic Rolls Royce

On October 1, I found this luxurious Rolls Royce in the colour of "Pink Lady (cocktail)"at City One.

From its decoration on the outside, it was obvious a classic car for a wedding. I could not see the bride and the bridegroom in the car yet. It might be too early and was parked outside a school.

The dolls at the front were bears of opposite sex, a male and a female. The male bear was in a black suit and hat while the female a white wedding gown. They were so placed that their faces touched each other. Behind them were some beautiful roses, real or just plastic ones I never knew.

The car registration number, “GB 183”, when twisted a little, is good . It may mean “Groom and Bride 一 (生) 發”.

破浪前進

吐露港彷如一個湖泊，來往的船不多。偶爾間可看見大大小小的船隻把恬靜的海水破開前進。相中的小輪勾起了我一絲絲的回憶。

上中學時期，因家住灣仔，每天都要從灣仔碼頭乘渡輪過海，然後坐巴士返校。當時行走灣仔和油麻地的渡輪首尾廂座是開放式，每每海風吹來，熱氣盡消；要是下雨天或遇著惡劣天氣時，坐在這裛一定會衣衫盡濕，唯有悶坐在緊閉窗户的中間船艙；遇上大霧的早上，當船離開碼頭的時候，心情開始緊張起來，因為四周一片白濛濛，渡輪當然要慢吞吞的前進，自身要不時響號，通知前面的船隻要躲避；那時我總會有些恐懼，每刻都東張西望，看看是否有龐然大物撞向渡輪；平時只要用二十分鐘的船程，在盲目前進之下，船會用上雙倍時間以上，當我離遠見到淡黃色的(油麻地)碼頭霧燈時，心情才平復過來。

幾年前，有一次和女兒、女婿、親家奶奶及太太遊船河，正是乘坐類似相中的小輪從馬料水公眾碼頭出發，經吐露港，繞過船灣的黃竹角咀，進入印洲塘海洋公園，登上鴨洲看風化石，然後船駛吉澳島全團用膳。吃過飯，船繼續向東駛，事關船又細，大浪令船搖晃得像大家「騎馬仔」一樣，不過船仍然努力破浪前進至老遠的東坪洲。上東坪洲主要是看地質及岩石被侵蝕的痕跡，大家不難上了一課地理堂。當日坐了差不多五至六小時的船程，上岸的時光只有兩小時左右，回到馬料水公眾碼頭時，太陽已經開始下山了。

Small berries

A big surprise came to me today as I was studying some small plants with light green leaves and thin branches in a park. Suddenly I noticed some berries of different colours had grown out from these plants– green, white, pink and red. I think they may attract small birds to eat them.

Does anyone of you know the name of this kind of plant? Please tell me if you do.

Elly and Abby melted into cartoons

It so happened that Elly and Abby walked near the TV set as they were watching cartoons yesterday morning. I took several snapshots at such precious moments.

Inside television, there was a Mexican visiting a restaurant with the chef making food for him.
They looked as if they were inside the cartoon show.

Sea cucumbers

Today, let us look at some sea cucumbers at the ocean floor if the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Most of us know that Sea cucumbers (海參) are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single branched gonad. They are found worldwide on the sea floors. There are a number of holothurian species and genera, many of which are targeted for human consumption.

It is interesting indeed that sea cucumbers communicate with each other by sending hormone signals through the water.

A remarkable feature of these animals is the catch collagen that forms their body wall. This can be loosened and tightened at will. If the animal wants to squeeze through a small gap, it simply liquefies its body and pours into the space. To keep itself safe in these crevices and cracks, the sea cucumber hooks up all its collagen fibres to make its body firm again.

Some species of coral-reef sea cucumbers can defend themselves by expelling their sticky cuvierian tubules to entangle potential predators. When startled, these cucumbers may expel some of them through a tear in the wall of the cloaca in an autotomic process known as evisceration. Replacement tubules grow back in one-and-a-half to five weeks, depending on the species. The release of these tubules can also be accompanied by the discharge of a toxic chemical known as holothurin, which has similar properties to soap. This chemical can kill any animal in the vicinity and is one more way in which these sedentary animals can defend themselves.

Like sea urchins, most sea cucumbers have five strip-like ambulacral areas running along the length of the body from the mouth to the anus. The three on the lower surface have numerous tube feet, often with suckers that allow the animal to crawl along. The two on the upper surface have under-developed or vestigial tube feet, and, in some species, lack tube feet altogether.

In those sea cucumbers that lack regular tube feet, those immediately around the mouth are always present. These are highly modified into retractile tentacles, much larger than the regular tube feet. Sea cucumbers have between ten and thirty such tentacles, depending on the species.

Fishing at Fort William

There are two beats on this short river, River Arkaig (10 miles north east of Fort William, Scotland) between Loch Arkaig and Loch Lochy, the lower beat has deep rocky pools. Occasional salmon and sea trout are caught in high water.

The River Nevis is less than one-half mile from Fort William town centre. Fishing on the river is controlled by the Fort William Angling Club. Fly and worm fishing are both permitted and the river provides both Salmon and Sea Trout when in spate. Spinning and float fishing are not permitted. Fishing for Brown Trout is allowed above the lower falls at Polldubh and no permit is required above that point. Permits are issued on the day of fishing at 9am and are available from The Rod and Gun Shop in Fort William.

The baits used are colourful and feathery. They look very much like toys.

Here is some other information about salmon and trout fishing in Scotland:

Wild Atlantic salmon fishing in Lochaber always put the well-being of the salmon first. The number of rods permitted to fish any one stretch (beat) of a private river is regulated. In most instances, a private beat would be for three or four rods, and is reserved in advance Monday through Saturday. Permits for Single or two rods fishing one or two odd days can be difficult to place at times but is possible with pre-enquiry at association or club rivers and streams and the local fishing school. The vast majority of Wild Atlantic Salmon fishing is fly fishing only with catch and release close to universal. Bait, prawn, worming and spin fishing is mostly prohibited. There is no Wild Atlantic Salmon fishing anywhere in Scotland on Sundays.

There are more than three thousand lochs in Scotland of over 10 acres There are no fishing licences in Scotland. One pays only for the wild brown trout fishing. In most instances, a permit is required. Day permits are from £10.00 and are dependent on the management program of the particular water and quality of fishing. Permits are purchased locally from Tourist Information Centres, tackle shops, Estate Offices, game keepers and the local Fishing School. The wild brown trout open fishing season in Scotland is from March 15th through October 6th. The fisher is generally permitted to keep two or three wild brown trout daily however people are encouraged to return the trout to their natural habitat if they are not going to be eaten. All brown trout over half a kilo (one pound) should be returned as they are the most valuable of the brood stock. Fly fishing is generally the order of the day and certainly so on the best quality waters. Spin fishing is permitted on some of larger lochs. Bait fishing is not permitted in fresh water lochs and rivers.

Blue Icebergs

Take a look at these blue icebergs. They appear as if there were diamonds.

A blue iceberg is, in fact, visible after the ice from above the water melts, causing the smooth portion of ice from below the water to overturn. The rare blue ice is formed from the compression of pure snow, which then develops into glacial ice.

Icebergs may also appear blue due to light refraction and age. Older icebergs reveal vivid hues of green and blue, resulting from a high concentration of color, microorganisms, and compacted ice. One of the better known blue icebergs rests in the waters off Sermilik fjord near Greenland. It is described as an electric blue iceberg and is known to locals as "blue diamond".

Cartoon fans

Abby and Elly are cartoon fans, especially the latter who is totally absorbed in cartoons. She even stops drinking milk from her cup, watches and smiles at the cartoons she is watching.

This time she sees some big-eyed children skating at a playground in television. Though she does not know how to play the game, she loves to see these big boys and girls in TV playing and shares their fun.

She likes Elmo and Abby Cadabby in Sesame Street best because she often asks us to play their videos from Youtube.

Recent programmes she watches are BabyTV and 我們這一家(主角─花師奶,花老爺,花帶柑,花帶桔).