Post #91 26 March 2016

Gentlefolk,

It is almost the end of March 2016 and time I "put pen to paper" and did some posts on my blog.

This post will focus on our time in Hong Kong and Australia.

Hong Kong

With Andrew, Caroline and Little Eddie living in HK, we route our travel through that amazing city.

We were there 15 - 23 January, and then again on the return 21 - 26 February 2016.

It's often wet at this time of the year, and this was no exception.  But HK is such a vibrant and exciting city that our spirits were not dampened by the rain.

The highlight, of course, was spending time with Little Eddie. He was almost 2 years old - what a time of incredible development in both body and mind - we were enchanted by him.

Caught up with Stuart Valentine; we served in the Aussie Embassy in Beijing together in the mid-80s after which Stuart switched to a career in Law in HK. Also saw Don Hess, ex-Austrade, who likewise ended up practising law in HK.

 The big news is that Caroline has just launched her online furniture business, Reddie.com.au, in Australia - to see the website click HERE.  A fabulous achievement - she is amazing!

 Australia

We had 4 weeks in Australia, 24 January to 20 February 2016.

What a country, what a life-style.  Every time we go back we marvel at the wide, open spaces, the beautiful beaches, the big, clear, blue sky.

The emptiness of the countryside always comes as a shock after China, where every square inch is cultivated.  It's strange to drive for an hour or two and never see a person, just some farm houses and a few sheep or cattle.

Living and working in China has been a wonderful experience - we wouldn't trade it for the world - but it does put into sharper focus the great country "Down Under".  Sometimes being away from a place gives you a better appreciation of it.  We really are a Lucky Country.

 We started off in Noosa (caught up with old mate Will Costin, from Jakarta days 40+ years ago); then to Brisbane where we helped Jennifer celebrate her 40th birthday.  We always enjoy the drive down to Canberra via friends at Ocean Shores (Mills), Nambucca (Morrisons), and Sydney (Miltons).

Eight hectic days in good old Canberra, before we did it all again in reverse.

We got back to the campus in Qingdao on 26 February, just in time for the start of the new semester.

Here are some photos of Hong Kong and Australia.

Meeting Tarik, Michelle and David's new son. From left: David's mother, Vera, Little Eddie, Caroline, Marguerite Hess and Tarik, Andrew.

Always construction going on in Hong Kong. The city works very well.

Queen Victoria at entrance to the park named in her honour.

The impressive Hong Kong Central Library.

A church in a corner of Causeway Bay.

The pool on the roof of the Hong Kong Football Club, with the Leighton Hill Residences in the background (aka The Great Wall of HK).

Andrew changing Little Eddie.

Vera feeding Little Eddie.

Lunch at The Spirit House Thai Restaurant, Yandina, with the Roberts family. 

Noosa Beach. From left: Vera, Nate, Tom, Sid, and Jen.

Noosa Beach. The boys love the ocean, body-boarding and surfing for hours.

6am Kurt and others at swimming training in The Gap. Kurt made the District Swimming Comp this summer.

Jen's 40th birthday family celebration at lunch.  

Big party for Jen's 40th birthday. 

Everyone got into the spirit of the "80s" theme.

Jen got a stand-up paddle board for her birthday ... the boys couldn't wait ...

Jen doesn't look too bad for 40, does she? She is the complete package: daughter, wife, mother! Great cook, manager of  boy's  rugby, and can score cricket - what more would you want?

Father and daughter 39 years ago in Vancouver.  Jen has grown into a fine young woman.

With the "Three Terrors" Sid (6), Nate (8), and Kurt (10).  Good kids.

The boys all love playing cricket on weekends. Quintessentially Australian. 

Weekly assembly in the Hilder Road Primary School hall.  We were proud that Kurt received an award.

With Irene and Dennis in Tweed Heads.

With Shana and Greg at Ocean Shores.

With Bob and Siri in Nambucca Heads.

One of the beautiful beaches at Nambucca Heads.

Vera and my sister Aniko in Canberra.

Aniko & Peter, with their son Richard and his fiance Liz.

We love the "Two bridges lake walk" in Canberra. Dramatic sky.

Dinner with friends Sharon & Ian, and Christine & Logan.

Lunch with friends Paul, Christine, David, Noel, Neale, and Alex.

While working in China for the past few years we have been fortunate to go back to Australia every 6 months, during the long Winter and Summer holidays.  Always enjoyable to catch up with family and friends.

A interesting little incident occurred during our fleeting visit to Canberra.  My 5-year ACT driver's licence will expire in August 2016.  I wanted to have a current licence when we arrive back in Australia in mid-September, so decided to try to renew my licence early.

I went to the Motor Registry office in Dickson. The lady explained that, as I will be 70 next birthday, I had to do an eye test.  She asked me to read the middle line of the chart - I failed! She said that I had to get an expert opinion from an optomotrist before I could renew my licence.

But we were only in Canberra for two more days, so not enough time.  Not looking good.

That afternoon we happened to be in another suburb called Woden.  On the off-chance, I popped into the  Motor Registry office there.  Same procedure, but this time the lady asked me to read the top line. No problem - passed with flying colours!  Ten minutes later I walked out of there with a new 5-year licence. My lucky day!

Now we are back on campus in Qingdao, for our last semester teaching here.

I'll do another post tomorrow about teaching.

Keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Saturday 26 March 2016