Pull up a Seat – Travels with Ali

~ Hong Kong – Day Trip to Cheung Chau Island ~

Finally we have reached our day of freedom so that means we can eat out in restaurants and cafes. Today I decided we should leave the urban jungle behind us and head to one of the outlying islands. I last visited Cheung Chau in 1989 and unbelievably Anthony had never been in his 45 years of living in Hong Kong.

We caught the 11.15 ferry and grabbed a seat on the outside top deck to enjoy the sea air and sunshine. The slow ferry takes around an hour and no need to buy tickets as we could use our Octopus Card which is used for all transport in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a country of contrasts; steel, glass and concrete skyscrapers dominate the skyline with dense green hills and mountains behind. Many visitors are surprised by the abundance of greenery and countryside that Hong Kong has to offer. It is a great place to hike in the cooler months.

There are no cars allowed on Cheung Chau, the narrow alleyways are not big enough for vehicles to pass through. There are mini fire engines, ambulances and police cars for emergencies. I did see an ambulance and it was very tiny, if you were a tall person I think your feet would be hanging out of the doors! Everyone rides bikes here and bells are ringing from every direction and you have to be on your lookout as they speed through the alleyways and around corners.

After disembarking we walked along the harbour front looking for a place for lunch.

Anthony was very surprised to find an Austrian cafe serving pork knuckle, one of his favourite dishes.

I had looked on the map before getting here and thought it might be nice to walk to the Mini Great Wall. A leisurely stroll is what I had in mind! Almost an hour and a half later, up many stairs and steep hills we ventured back into the village. It was one of those walks where I thought we can’t walk much higher and with Anthony up ahead saying we have to keep going.

Cheung Chau has many sandy coves and beaches, even though it is December we saw a few people swimming. It is home to around 20,000 people and has apartment style buildings designed for school camps. I remember both my children went to Cheung Chau for their year 4 camp when they were 8 years old for four nights.

Above are images of the different rock formations dotted around the island. Also part of the “mini Great Wall”.

There are many houses up in these hills and we were wondering how difficult it would be for the occupants to bring shopping up. Not just that but how furniture is delivered and how on earth they were built in the first place. There were also many abandoned buildings.

Finally making it down again we walked back to the ferry through the labyrinth of streets and alleys.

Below are some more photos I have taken of various murals, small shops and stalls.

It was a fabulous day exploring Cheung Chau and a great place to visit if you have an extra day or two in Hong Kong. There is a completely different way of life here, where a more leisurely pace is encouraged.

Cheers and thanks for reading – have a great Sunday everyone!

A Beach Walk with Birds

After spending the last ten days practically housebound with the flu and asthma, I finally took myself off the couch and out for a walk. Time to get some fresh air into my lungs and stretch my legs and also gather some new material for this dormant blog.

I drove to the carpark along the river and decided to take a left turn so I could walk closer to the beach. After coming to the end of the trail I wandered off through some woods which took me back to the beach and I followed the beach around to the birdlife conservation area. I’m not sure why I’ve never done this before, but I’ll definitely be doing this again.

Trees for Cee’s Black and White Challenge, if you look closely there’s also a bronze sculpture for Marsha’s PPAC and a bench for Xing-Fu

**The Perth Skyline across the wetlands**

It looks like Spring is truly here and it was wonderful to get out in the sun once again.

A Night at the Hilton Garden Inn, Albany, WA

Continuing our three day break in the South West, we drove down to Albany with a stop in Coalmine Bay and Broke for lunch. I should point out that this isn’t a grammatical error, there is a place called Broke!

This beach looks perfect for a summer swim.

The drive from Pemberton to Albany is almost three hours, by the time we had stopped a couple of times, we finally arrived in Albany at 4.30 pm.

We normally stay in an apartment in Albany, but I noticed when I looked on Booking.Com that there was a new Hilton, so thought we would check this out. It’s in a great location, overlooking the harbour. I didn’t book a sea view but guess what we ended up with a fantastic view over the harbour. We had a beautiful luxurious room with lovely toiletries from Crabtree and Evelyn, no expense spared there.
The reception, bar and restaurant are all located in the same space downstairs, making it all very intimate.

After checking in and unloading our bags it was still light out so we went to have a look at the latest silo mural, which we could actually see from our room.

The above mural was painted by New York artists Yok and Sheryo. It features the Ruby Red Seadragon, and is only the third species of its kind ever recorded. It was discovered on the Albany shores 150 years ago. I’ve been fortunate to see quite a few of these silo art murals around Australia, but hope to see them all one day.

We had a quick drink at the Royal George Hotel before heading back for dinner at The Garrison.

For dinner that night I had booked The Garrison, which as you might guess is situated on top of the hill where the old garrison used to be. It’s a wonderful restaurant with great service and food. I find many places we go now are short staffed due to Covid, some places manage superbly with only two or three serving but others don’t seem to have coped as well. The wait staff seemed to move swiftly between table to table and we had no waiting time at all between courses. A definite 10/10 from me, I must remember to write a review.

After a great night’s sleep and an invigorating shower using the deluxe toiletries we headed down for a buffet breakfast.
The rain had set in by now so we chose to head off to our final stop, Margaret River. I realised after I looked at the map that I had planned our trip backwards, which meant much more driving! From here to Margaret River it was a four hour drive.

I spotted this cute elephant down an alley as we were walking around yesterday.

**On the side of a vets as we drove out of Albany**

The endless drive through rain and sun

A cheeky add for PPAC

Changing Seasons – Joyful June

Each Month Brian from Bushboy’s World and Ju-Lyn over at Touring my Backyard host a challenge where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone.

Many of you will have already have seen some of my posts about the first half of June which was spent in Malaysia and the drama that unfolded there! I’m glad to say my dear husband is well enough now to take up his household chores once again, phew!

Although it is officially winter in Perth we continue to have the most glorious sunny dry days. Good for the laundry but not so great for the garden. There aren’t that many flowers in bloom at the moment, although the Aloe Vera is looking stunning.

**This monster has been living in the corner for many months now and is definitely getting larger**

I have continued to play Bridge twice a week, I don’t seem to be improving in the slightest though, but practice makes perfect so they say! I have also gone back to playing Mahjong with some good friends and we catch up once a week for breakfast first and then a few games.

**Pull up a Seat**
**City Beach, Perth – our view from the cafe where we play Mahjong**

Our book club this month was held at a friend’s house who had chosen the book, where we were served the most delicious carrot cake and champagne. The book this month was “Naked” by Eliza Redgold about the story of Lady Godiva. We have been theming our bookclub meetings for a while, I’m not so sure I would feel comfortable rocking up naked on a horse to this one. We had a wonderful afternoon discussing the book amongst other things.

I had a night at the cinema with a couple of girlfriends where we saw “How to Please a Woman”, it was hilarious and but I think I laughed more at my friend who was actually snorting with laughter.

My cheeky cherub of a grandson turned four at the end of June and we visited him for cake and presents.

These two beautiful little people bring the most joy to my life and I love my day of looking after them both. Although I have to say it’s hard work taking them to the park, it’s like having two run away puppies, I have to have my wits about me.

A gallery of June

I hope everyone had a good June also. Now onto July and looking forward to more sunny days in Perth.

Some photos here for

Pull up a Seat
Weekend Sky
PPAC
Thursday Doors

🌼 Enjoying Essex – Hyde Hall Gardens, Chelmsford 🌼

I had been meaning to visit Hyde Hall Gardens for some time but the weather was always against us or we had other plans. So on the first fine day we decided to drive over and have a look. My dear husband seemed aghast when we arrived and found out it wasn’t an old building we were visiting but a vast garden!

Hyde Hall Gardens is owned and managed by The Royal Horticultural Society and covers more than 365 acres of land. It is divided up into different types of gardens ranging from Mediterranean, Australian/New Zealand, Winter, Vegetable and Dry gardens. There is a large nursery from which to buy plants from. There are panoramic views of the rolling hills and the Essex countryside. We had an amazing morning here walking around and marvelling at all kinds of plants, trees and flowers.

Sculptures by David Watkinson

Coppiced Willows
“Allow yourself to bend like a willow in the wind, so that you will not break”

“Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty“
~ William Shakespeare ~

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope”
~ Lady Bird Johnson ~

As you can see it was a glorious day, bitterly cold but the sun was shining making the water glisten and the flowers look brighter.

Blooming magnolia tree

**Gabion Wall**
A gabion is a cage, cylinder or box filled with rocks, concrete, or sometimes sand and soil for use in civil engineering, road building, military applications and landscaping. – Source: Wikipedia

Finally time for a rest!

We enjoyed our time at Hyde Hall Gardens, it’s a great place to visit to stretch your legs and get your daily exercise. A place of peace and tranquility with many places to sit and rest and enjoy the magnificent views.

This is the last post for the “Enjoying Essex” series as we are now back in our homeland of Perth, WA. I hope you have enjoyed travelling along with us in Essex.

I’ve linked this post with a few challenges that I’ve enjoyed over the years.

Flower of the Day – FOTD
Pull up a Seat
Photographing Public Art Challenge – PPAC
Restless Jo’s Monday Walks

Pull up a Seat and Enjoy the View

A challenge I haven’t taken part in for a while. As the weather is so good in Perth at the moment I thought I would post some wonderful views from the past.