when we first moved into 122, a whole new concept of hong kong living opened up to me…community.

there was lisa, mel, paula, andrea, alice, caroline.

soon, there was lucy. then alice moved down the road, and lisa moved back to the uk. jules moved into 1b with her boys. tinja moved into 5a with her girls.

into lisa's flat moved weng. and then there was tara. gorgeous. nicole moved in. julie arrived. 122 was a great place to be.

lucy left, katie took her flat, susan moved in. ruth took 1b when jules left.

jennifer was always in "c" block, our goodnatured, "actually i do have" what ever item i was looking for.

two years ago, paula left. sebastian still remembers annie.

with the rents rising 60-70 per cent (while the rest of hong kong is dropping rental prices) people are moving out of our building briskly.  nicole is gone. tinja left over the summer. ruth was meant to leave, but they have been hanging on for the past few months, hoping the prices would go down. they haven't. she has put in her notice, and they will be moving in mid-april. right around the time it seems team caldwell will.

it's odd.

we should have received a notice from the government by now, telling us what our rent was being increased to. it hasn't come.

this last week i have been reminded again how much i love this building. or, the people in it. the spirit of it all. how we can rely on each other. how we help each other.

charles and i are not the "primary mourners" in editha's death. we are among her friends. but being able to help, being able to rally around and take care of katie and tara's kids so abi can take some rest (abi is tara's helper and was with her when the accident happened) and so katie can take care of the details is so important. being able to take your cup of tea/glass of wine over to someone's house and the door will be opened and a couple of people are already gathered there.

we're likely going to have to leave all this.

yet, as we learned during those infertility years, hope has a whisper that won't let you rest, or accept defeat until you have truly lost.

"you haven't received your renewal notice" she whispers. "maybe the government is lowering prices and you can stay."

maybe! i think.

but probably not.

i don't know. it is all so sad.

and i will stop now. charles and i are headed out.

i did a great hike the other day. it was all stairs. ursula is useless going up stairs and i am useless going down stairs so we were a fine pair, but we did it in 2hrs 12min. hooray for us. took pix, to be posted soon.

sad news

everyone is okay in our household but there has been a very sad development with a neighbour. please hop on over to Charles' blog for details.

the death of john travolta's son, jett, has been particularly unpleasant for me. dying of a seizure while getting into the bathtub.

i heard about the death first on msn, and then my mother sent me a link (because she's my mum and this is the equivalent of sending newspaper clippings) about the death.

to tell you the truth folks, i don't always shower when there are other people in the house. i try to, but it's about 40-60. i know i shouldn't shower when i am alone, but, sometimes i do. it's not that responsible of me, but i try to reason, i am SO careful in other areas, can't i have a bit of grace in this one? shouldn't it all even out in the wash, sort of?

i then remind myself that jett travolta died with people in the next room, which is a sobering thought. there are several scenarios where it is nice to be bathing and showering with someone, but, what if you've just come back from a midmorning hike? even though it is cold you have the outline of where the camelback was resting against your back, and it is all sweaty?

to be fully responsible to myself, do i need to have someone in the bathroom with me while i shower? for the rest of my life?

i have fought so hard and given up so many "basic essentials" that most people enjoy to get the quality of life i have now. no drinking, VERY few late nights, i sleep a LOT to combat the tiredness, i live with a slow metabolism, hair loss, temper troubles and weight issues. but i have a great quality of life. i just need to be careful about the parametres i live in.

for some reason, having supervision while showering just seems like a mammoth privacy issue removed. not sure why this one bites more than others. but if i owe it to myself, my magnificent and my family…shouldn't i?

can i? of course.

will i? i have so far, but we'll see how it goes.

today andrea and i went for a hike. we did the parkview-jardine’s lookout-mount butler-tai tam upper reservoir-parkview walk that janne and i did on thursday.

one of the reasons i was eager to return to this walk is there is comparitively little slope downhill hiking, maybe 20 minutes. the rest is stairs, some flat terrain and an uphill slope right near the end. my knees and hip are still bad, and i am meant to stay away from downhill walking and am forbidden from jogging uphill and downhill. this hike has been good for me.

the second reason is, three years ago, during the 60th Anniversary of the liberation of hong kong prisoners of war, a plaque dedicated to the winnipeg Grenadiers who defended Wong Nei Chong Gap was unveiled at jardine’s lookout, which is where the grenadiers ensured the gap was held to prevent the defeat of hong kong.

today i took a picture, but the sun was strong, and the wording of the plaque faded, so here is what it reads:

This plaque is dedicated to all members of the Winnipeg Grenadiers of Canada.

In the early hours of December 19, 1941, “A” and “D” Companies of the Winnipeg Grenadiers of Canada fought to stem the waves of Japanese troops attacking the strategic high ground on Mount Butler. After a vicious struggle the Canadians became divided. A group was driven downhill to Jardine’s Lookout, where Company Sergeant Major John Osborn took charge of about 65 Grenadiers of “A” Company. Hand grenades were thrown at his group. Osborn responded by flinging these back at the enemy. One grenade was thrown which he could not pick up in time, and after shouting a warning he threw his body over it, thus saving the lives of several comrades. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for military valour in the British Commonwealth.

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i’ve learned that nearly 2,000 canadians, alongside other commonwealth troops, fought in the battle of hong kong. in 1941, the japanese attacked hong kong the day after the attack on pearl harbour. after 17 days of fighting, hong kong surrendered on Christmas day. the fighting claimed the lives of 290 canadians and the survivors spent almost four years in POW camps. a further 264 canadian soldiers died in the camps.

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after taking pictures andrea and i climbed a 150 or so more steps and then stopped for a photo opp. it was a great day and despite the fact that we had no makeup on, we wanted to be in the pictures. so we jumped up on a rock and snapped away.

and then we kept climbing. i think andrea had harsh words for me.

at the top, we began a descent. it was moor-ish and grassy. we were directly opposing causeway bay and hung hom, it appeared. there was no pollution and the day was gorgeous. we crossed a small bridge and then began an incline. we took a picture of the incline, and then also of the hill we had just walked down. and then the stair climbing began again. it was funny to book back and see the tiny descending figures and to know that we had been them not too long ago.

the steps were more uneven here, but we managed. we were at mount butler! definitely a cause for celebration, mainly because for a second there i thought we were getting lost…this was a walk i have only done once! we took more snaps and headed down, picking up the pace.

100 steps down andrea realised she had left her sunnies at the top.

this was karma taking a giant bite from my bottom. you see, two days ago when janne and i did this hike, while taking off my top shirt, my much loved pink lulu lemon headband got caught up in the neck of the shirt and dropped to the ground. i didn’t notice it until 1k later. knowing how much i love my headband, janne insisted that we go back for it…in essence redoing 1k of a very steep incline. so today, smiling at the irony,  i rushed ahead and grabbed the sunnies. payback.

we got to quarry bay country park and turned and headed for tai tam reservoir, this was the downhill bit that was tough on my knees, but it ended soon enough.

we crossed the reservoir (the bridge in the distance beneath the red arrow,) and began the incline. i showed andrea where i dropped my headband and where i realised my error. she made a cheeky comment. and very soon it seemed, we were back at parkview and the hike was over.

here are a couple of pictures. andrea will send over the good ones and i will try to add a few comments. any pictures of close mountains, look for paths, or people ascending/descending. i climbed those paths today!!!

it was a great morning. we hope to do it again next week.

well, the parent of triplet support group seemingly annual debate on should parents of triplets get handicapped parking stickers resumed today.

the original poster, who was asking how people got the dashboard stickers, got some feedback, and then posters began stating their opinion that parents of multiples don't need the handicapped sticker, and if safety is their concern, park furthest away from the door.

one mother justified their having the sticker by saying that many people abuse the stickers (so what's one more?).

and then the original poster came back with this. the highlights are my own. i am reprinting her message in full because sometimes when just excerpts of statements are printed they can warp a sentence, or thought.

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I just wanted to share my opionion. One of the reasons the thought crossed my mind, was b/c of a multiples book I read when I was pregnant. They said that having triplets is considered a disability. Another reason I spoke to the Pedi. about it and she agreed. I do not plan to use it every time I take the kids out. The only time plan to use it is when there are no parking spots available or I have to squeeze into a tight spot, for which I can not put a triplet stroller in-between my car and the other car. I wont put it behind my car b/c of the crazy people who speed around curbs and race to take spots. I am not concerned about other people with disabilities and taking their spots. My children come first and if having a handi-cap sticker allows me to make my kids safer, then I will do it. I will not feel guilty, as others have posted, there are many people who have them that are in less need of them than I am. I do not want it to save myself from the walk…I want it for the safety of my children. Unfortunately there is only one store in my area that has spots for families or pregnant women. And due to the freezing weather here (-'s), it would be nice to be able to have that option if need be. Thank you for all the comments and advice (even the disagreeing ones). It is greatly appreciated.

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think having the handi-cap sticker would likely make her children safer, but then again, wouldn't it make all children safer, being closer to the front door?

in case you don't remember the post from last year, having a handicap sticker is not something i would do for my family. there are people in greater need of that spot than i. my family doesn't need that spot. others do, we don't need the sticker.

what do you think of triplet parents who have handicapped stickers??

sports day

today was sebastian's sports day.

each student represents one of the school's four teams: unicorn, pheonix, lion or dragon. sebastian is a lion, and has a dark blue uniform. this is not by coincidence. the dark blue uniform is the easiest to clean and therefore, i requested that my son be a lion. the fact that my last name is lyons is merely coincidental.

sports day. always fun.

there were seven events that the children spent five minues competing in. they were given two minutes to walk to their next event. sebastian did very well in the relay race, in the "chase race" and loved playing giant parachute.

points were given in the individual games. last year the dragons won in the year 1-2 sports game.

this year, the LIONS won! whether it was due to meg's creative scorekeeping or the year one and two blue lion effort, they were wonderful and WON! let's hope years three through six can continue!

and then it came time for the parent race. i did not compete in the parent race. truly, my hip wouldn't have snapped in half had i ran, but i was not wearing an appropriate upper garment.

lots of my friends ran, and you would have loved to have seen my friend mandy run! she was amazing! i love backing a winner!

and then there was the dads race. the kids were going crazy, cheering for their parents, "go 2N dads!" they were yelling, and charles obediently went and joined the race, even though he was wearing clogs instead of trainers.

and he did SO WELL! he came in second in his heat and was picking up speed towards the end. you could tell if it were a 200m race he would have won. i had mums turning to me and saying "your husband is such a good runner!" and i couldn't hear them because i was so busy yelling for him. (not that i had much of a voice left after yelling for sebastian all morning!!) but i did mention later that if they thought charles was good at springing, they should see him in long distances, where he really excels.

my men were FANTASTIC today!

i celebrated their excellence by going out to lunch with some of the other mums in the class (the ones who ran) and in a few minutes i am heading off to a board meeting. WELL DONE BOYS!!!

want me to stick a broom up my bottom and sweep?

my great friend charmaine is full of wisdom. when she is racing around the home while working on her excellent business www.adoptionprofiles.ca and organising a swimming pool or extension of her home being built, and someone asks her to take on another task, she is wont to say with a smile, "and would you like me to stick a broom up my bottom and sweep the kitchen floor while i'm at it?"

being a naturally curious type, i usually say yes, but that's just me.

so the other night, charles and i were in bed and we decided it was time to put together a lego Christmas present that young sebastian had received; a star wars thingie that luke sits in. it can fire rockets and drops green bomb like things. anyway, it has several million tiny pieces and there was no way that sebastian and his two minute attention span was getting near this lego. charles promised to put it together for him, and after two weeks, sebastian was getting anxious for the promise to come to fruition.

charles started off doing the construction all by himself. he opened the manual and read the first of the 68 pages, nodded and carefully ripped open the seven crammed full packets. i watched out of the corner of my eye and said nothing.

after 10 minutes i began grabbing the pieces that magnificent was going to need ONE STEP before he was going to need them, and handing them to him.

five minutes later i said, "i am sorry charles, but i need to tell you that you could be a lot more organised. i know this is your deal but watch." i rushed into the kitchen and returned with eight plastic bowls. carefully i emptied the contents of the packets into the bowls, and that left one empty bowl.

had i made a mistake? I THINK NOT.

that empty bowl was for putting the next step pieces in, so charles could have easy access to them.

we worked, for the most part silently. (but much more efficiently. not having to riffle through the plastic bags and painfully usher each little piece to the top saved us valuable minutes). but five minutes into the "new bowl scheme" which does sound quite appropriate for china, my friend and husband charles started asking me occasionally, "what do i do with these pieces?" or "where do these pieces go?"

to this, i answered quite patiently, "i don't know. you have the diagrams." occasionally i even said "love" "honey" or some other endearment at the fore or aft of the sentence.  but i mean, i had no idea! i wasn't looking at the overall picture, i was looking at the pieces that were needed and speedily scanning through seven bowls trying to find and collect those pieces (sometimes multiple numbers of those same pieces not to mention differing colours of those same pieces) before my husband could say, "got the next ones ready?" i wasn't looking at the diagram!

after the, (i kid you not, no exaggeration ) 20th time he asked me this, i turned to him and said, "honey, do you want me to do it all myself? you are putting the model together, remember? i am just gathering the pieces for you! it is my job to get the right pieces, it is your job to put them in the right places." (very micro/macro economics). and then i believe i made the charmaine comment. it was an appropriate time for it.

he looked at me and his face crinkled up and he started laughing.

"i just thought you knew where it all went!"

he haw-haw-hawed over that for a while (we lost precious time) but in the end the spaceship was built (and admittedly i didn't always give him the right pieces), and it looked good. but it looked better the next morning when it was in sebastian's hands and sebastian of the shining eyes was thanking us.

back for term two

it all started again today. the routine.

schools, lunches, out the door with sebastian to drop him off at andrea's at 7.30am. jasper, sela and carys leaving at 8.10am. me sitting down with a cup of tea, planning the day.

this first day back was a bit different than normal days.

i went to Bible study and it ended at its usual time – 11.15am. we had a good time, recounting Christmas and family times.

as i walked home, it registered that i was feeling something. i pushed it aside.

i got home and started doing some work, sorting through cupboards. in case we need to move i don't want to have to de-clutter and pack at the same time. but it was sort of half hearted work. i found that i was anxious for human contact.

i went back to where the "feeling" was, (right around my ponytail if you are keeping track) and examined it.

folks, family and friends, i was feeling lonely for my kids. my house was too quiet, my life just a little too streamlined and dare i say it, boring. these past two weeks have been very fun with the kids, and today i miss them.

i had expected to feel nothing but relief that the kids were back in school (and lets be honest, i am pretty happy about it), but the shock that i missed their questions, pulling on my sweater, demands that i watch them tie their shoes in agonisingly slow motion, redo their bunches, wipe their bottoms, observe their masterpieces, etc etc etc, was a bit overwhelming.

it took a good brisk walk and a step up of the cleaning to perish the thought. and then it was time to pick up sebastian, and he ran to me and gave me a cuddle. he had gotten a star for excellent behaviour at school.

so long Christmas, and thank you

because our kids are in and out of each other's places pretty much on a daily basis, andrea and i made a pinky promise that we would take down our trees on the same day. this weekend. typically we would have wanted to wait until twelfth night, but that's on a tuesday and i have a pta meeting that night and that morning i am in the classroom…so….the weekend it would be. tenth night has a ring to it and really, gives budding playwrights out there many new opportunities.

but on 2 january i woke up and after plugging in the kettle, i walked over to the double doors i noticed that the tree was giving off an odor best described as pong.

time for the tree to go. yes, the charlie brown tree that sebastian had touched and stroked gently and called "our cutest tree ever" was on the way out.

last year i made the mistake of undressing and tossing the tree without informing the kids. sebastian in particular was quite sad that he didn't get to say goodbye. so this day, as i began removing ornaments and gathering up baby Jesus, the sheep and the rest of the characters from the nativity set, i told my little flock what i was doing.

"are you taking the ornaments off the tree?" asked sebastian

"yes i am kitten and i am putting them in one of these four boxes." i said, showing him my carefully labelled boxes. (tree #1, tree #2, tree lights, skirt #3 and Christmas #4 – house accessories.)

"you need to say goodbye to the tree now, sebastian" i reminded him before he went out to play, because i wanted to get the tree out of the house and into the service lift and from there into the recycling area before they saw the tree, which was losing needles faster than the men's team did at our NYE game of cranium, but that's another story…isn't it?)

i quickly packed up the tree and soon enough it was just down to putting a few tree baubles away in boxes.

while most ornaments go into a large box, there are a few baubles that are worthy of their own boxes. but those baubles in the boxes are not the glass blown, hand decorated, and silk stranded shanghai tang tree ornaments that once rested in the boxes.

no, today the baubles i take care to protect most are the ones the kids love most. the kids love the master yoda tree ornament. i also put in tissue wrapping and zip lock bags the baubles the kids have made me because they mean the most to me. i don't want anything happening to those Christmas ornaments. they are the ones the kids race to put on the tree, the ornaments they exclaim over, the ones that mean the most to our family, that show who our family is and what we are all about.

and the star. they love the Christmas star.

the kids were all quite subdued when they came upstairs and saw our house restored to its normal state.

"where is our Christmas?" "what happened to our Christmas things?" "what did you do mummy to the house?" was asked very briskly by my three younger kiddies.

"Christmas is over my lovelies. Jesus has been born, and we can celebrate that all year long. And the Christmas things are all packed TIDILY (emphasis incase they were going to poke around) in the boxes."

finally sebastian broke in, asking hopefully,  … "even our tree?"

and it was a great Christmas.

i did a bit of solo wandering today: i had a meeting in wanchai, one of my most beloved areas of hong kong and meandered around the wet markets beforehand and afterwards. i took the mini bus in and the mtr and 55 home.

i tried to buy gloves for the girls, but the only fashion i could find were fingers cut off style that were just so madonna circa get into the groove that i couldn't make the purchase. i also saw some slippers that might be the thing for the boys.

wanchai markets is where i first purchased crystal babies for the kids, eight months ago. surplus summer stock dug out from my suitcase crystal babies made it into their stockings and unlike humans, age doesn't affect their fertility. just add water and those CB's were dividing and growing hugely and dividing again, much to the kids delight. i tried to get some more crystal babies today, but they weren't around. my guess is that they aren't too healthy and are seriously forbidden in hong kong!

a theory no more!  http://www.customs.gov.hk/eng/new_release_20080909_unsafe_toy_e.html

better take a picture of them while we still have them. doesn't look like we will be getting any more very soon.

wanchai has gone a bit upmarket in the last dozen years since i first stepped off the tram and on to the streets, but it is still fascinating. great little bakeries, hopewell centre, which offers the best free view of hong kong, furniture shops, framers, knick knack shops, wet markets. it is a buzz. the night is another story, but i am not the best person to tell you about wanchai at night, at least not any more. i can tell you that the band at dusk till dawn is cracking, even (especially?) at dawn. as for dusk? well anyone who is anyone knows that it is far too early to go wanchai at DUSK. (i was reminded of this last december, thank goodness for sources.)