A Busy April
Unlike Su’s last blog posted some three weeks ago which attracted over 100 visits in the first ten hours and still counting, the blog I posted yesterday attracted exactly one visit after one day – from none other than Su. Don’t cry for me, for I won’t stop writing anyway. We had just returned to Mei Foo; after Sunday Mass at Ricci Hall, followed by a detour to Conduit Road for a brief business meeting between Su and her tenants; when I casually asked Su what we had done in the last week. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, neither of us could recall with certainty certain details or their sequences, which is a major incentive for me to keep my blogs going. So here we go.
I am looking at a rather busy calendar for next week. On Monday, Su had lined up a dental appointment for Part 2 of her “bridge building” surgery and has asked me to stay home to meet Portia and her contractors for some remaining works in the flat. They would need help, she assured me. These after-sales visits, though necessary, proved to be tiring for both sides and we hope the loose ends will be fixed soon. On the brighter side, Su has found in Portia not only a trusted friend but also a reliable contractor whom she can go to for any future issues related to her other flats.
From Tuesday through Thursday, I have lunch appointments every day. In addition, I have an evening meeting at Zetland Hall on Wednesday, followed by dinner and a dinner appointment at the Golf Club at Deep Water Bay on Saturday. A message has just come in to remind me that I had signed up for an AGM of a charity in Tuen Mun followed by dinner on Friday, making the week somewhat cluttered indeed. Su had lined up something culinary for Sunday too. The diary for the following week looks crowded too, but I would deal with it when I arrive there.
Back to the week which just ended, we began on Monday with a dinner at House of Joy, which was billed as a French Restaurant featuring western food, specifically oysters and steak. It was housed at Block H of Jao Tsung-I Academy, which was about 15 minutes’ walk from home. We were joined by four other brethren who had organized it for my birthday, complete with a birthday cake bought by Bosco. Everyone brought wine or whiskeys, and we ended up taking back home the unfinished alcohol to continue the party. The following evening, which was my ID Card birthday, Su had booked Zoie Seafood and Grill at Soho West from 6pm, which was owned by a fellow PDG and named after his wife. It had great harbour view and should have good sunset view on a good day. It was our first visit, and Su had invited someone to the dinner to surprise me. She turned out to be Joann, who brought wine and champagne and paid for the dinner. The owner had arranged and paid for the cake. After dinner, we adjourned to Joann’s place and continued drinking till 2am, while Su was busy with her dog Hugo.
Su got a message from City Super on Wednesday advising her that some caviar soon to reach expiry date was available. Her trader mindset pushed her to go over and claim hers, which we split into three meals, supplemented by home-made seafood soup and champagne.
On Friday, Su had an urge to visit the Hong Kong Palace Museum for the special exhibition on “Ancient Egypt Unveiled – Treasures from Egyptian Museums”. It seemed that Su had picked the right time. There were not too many visitors; and we paid the senior rate. It was an eye-opening visit, and it reminded Su of her last and only visit to Egypt some 20 years before. She had since put out a blog with some photos, which attracted a good following. Then, as if the day were not full enough, Su got in touch with her longtime friend Andrew, who is running a dive shop in the Philippines and who happened to be in town, for a dinner at the restaurant at Tsuen Wan West we had used about a month before while we were having a staycation because of the minor works at home commissioned by Portia. The restaurant was owned by the same fellow PDG mentioned above and specialized in serving Peking ducks. It was a great meal during which Andrew offered to give us a big treat when his shop was running in full steam. We took home the leftover food and Andrew took us home.
Such was how we spent our days – well, not every day – in April which is the month marking my birthday and our wedding anniversary. We are blessed that our constitution is still holding up and we are conscious of keeping it that way. Whichever way one looks at it, there is nothing better to do under the sun than eating, drinking, merry-making and being amongst friends – good friends – these days when some key players of the world seem to be at logger heads with each other. Why should we suffer when they have a bad time.
I hope to talk to you again soon.
