The Guiding Hand.

Today is our penultimate day in Kuala Lumpur. It is a another public holiday due to the Chinese New Year celebrations. This means no one has to rush off to work and we can have family fun!

Snacks, water, hats, more water, bicycle, balls... All packed and we are ready to head off to the park. It is my first visit to this particular park and it turns out to be a "Work in Progress" with lots of renovations taking place. In between the building rubble, the park is beautiful with lots of water features, great exercise equipment, jogging and cycle pathways. The streams are loaded with fish which the kiddies love to try and catch. The bigger areas of water have hundreds of terrapins slipping in and out and having a wonderful time.

The atmosphere is lovely with K.L. enjoying cooler weather and even a breezes blowing through the beautiful trees. The birds are singing and filling the air with melodious sounds which is such a pleasure especially for us who live in "condo land". Joggers are working up a sweat, Mums and Dads are out pushing the pram and I even saw old folk being pushed along in their wheel chairs.

Joshua has reached the age when he needs to discard his "fairy" wheels and ride independently. Do you recall your first bike? Although it is all of sixty+ years ago if I close my eyes and cast my mind back I can feel my father's steadying hand on my back encouraging me and telling me that I can do it! That is what parents do....forever. We put out that steadying hand and say "you can do it"! Joshua is making great progress and needs a few more mornings like this, encouraging and urging him on. Then one day he will be off and the feeling of achievement will be so sweet! He won't look back and he will enjoy hours and hours of fun cycling with his Mum and his Dad. The only thing that will change will be the size of his bicycle. Maybe one day he will say "look folks,no hands,"

 



I hope Joshua treasures this experience and the memory of his Mom and Dad holding and guiding and helping him to balance and gain confidence as he learns yet another skill.

 

Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

~ Charles M. Schulz




 

The year of the Horse!

It is wonderful being in Malaysia for the Chinese New Year Celebrations which is also known as the Spring Festival. The shops are adorned in red and gold and everything that shines! At night, the sky is lit up with amazing fireworks. I realise that many people are inconvenienced by the noise and the big bangs that happen when crackers and fireworks are used but maybe we all need to be a little more tolerant of each others cultures and beliefs at these special times of the year. What I object to is when someone chooses to let crackers for no real rhyme or reason late at night in built up areas. I think of the Moms who may have just got the little ones off to sleep and then these loud bangs take place and they have to start all over again! Of course animals are a huge consideration too. Many Chinese folk keep dogs and treat them like royalty and I am sure they would take this into consideration during the festive season and protect their animals somehow. I know friends who give their pets tranquilizers and hide them in cupboards during these noisy times.

I confess that I love watching firework displays and this week in K.L. From our apartment on the 22nd floor we have watched the most amazing displays taking place. I also think of the MONEY that is being burnt, but then it's not mine!

Do we know why Chinese people let off fireworks? If we did, perhaps we would be a little more tolerant. According to ancient Chinese belief a beast called "year" arrived after the family dinner on the last night of the old year. Fire and noise were needed to chase it off. Nowadays families must stay awake until midnight when crackers are let off as this beast is afraid of loud noise and the colour red represents fire. Houses are adorned with red lanterns and red decorations.

Mandarins or naartjies as we call them, are presented as gifts because the word for mandarin is every similar to that of good luck or fortune. These beliefs have continued through the ages and are celebrated where there is a settlement of Chinese folk.It is all about Good luck. Fortunately for us K.L. Is mostly emptied out as people go to their family homes. The traffic is easy and there are no queues in the Malls.

The year of the Snake has had to give way to the Year of the Horse which is the seventh sign of the Lunar Cycle.

I am the Kaleidoscope of the mind.

I impart light, colour and perpetual motion.

I think, I see, I am moved by electric fluidity.

Constant only in my inconstancy,

I am unshackled by mundane holds,

Unchecked by sturdy, binding goals.

I run unimpeded through virgin paths.

My spirit unconquered-

My soul forever free.

I AM THE HORSE.

Theodora Lau. The handbook of Chinese Horoscopes.

To my Chinese friends I wish them Gang Xi Fa Cai!!

 

 

Pressure

NaBloPoMo Or National Blog Posting Month.

 

I guess a little pressure is a good thing. I have taken on a challenge, NaBloPoMo, to blog every day for the month of February and I am not sure I can do it. TWENTY EIGHT DAYS ON THE RUN!

The older I get the less I like being under any pressure but sometimes it can be a very good thing! I am going to give this a bash. The only time I may battle to get something published on my blog will be when I am traveling and have no access to the Internet but that does not mean I am not writing. I am always creating and writing in my head and only sometimes on paper/ I pad! I also have this thing about preferring to write in the morning when I am all fresh and inspired. I am going to keep a notebook handy and will endeavour to jot down ideas and stories. I am also concerned as to whether anyone is interested in reading my ramblings. To those of you who are my regular readers, thank you, I hope you don't find this tedious but bare with me, things can only get better.

I like posting pictures with my writing and now I am not sure if this will happen with my daily musings. It is a bit like a New Years Resolution but instead of it happening on the first of January it is happening on the first of February.

On Facebook, my daughter posed the question "How do you rate the month of January on a scale of 1 to 10. On reflection I will have to give it a resounding 10 for the following reasons:

We/ I started the year off in Australia with the Australian family with whom we had loads of fun. This includes our son and daughter in law and their three children plus a visit to my brother, SIL and their families.

Next on the Agenda was Malaysia where we spent much time with our Malaysian family, having loads of fun.

I have got back to my exercise routine with swimming lengths and I am beginning to feel fit.

Getting my mind around losing weight and eating healthily.

Connecting with lots of good friends.

Having the confidence to take on this challenge and to spend the month of love writing regularly and publishing it on my Blog.

So here goes folks, this is my recap of January and I am wondering what February has in store for us.

If I enjoy writing every day then the pressure is a good thing, if not, then it proves I am no good working under PRESSURE.

Taken at the National gardens in Kuala Lumpur.

 

 

Doing the tourist thing!

We have been visiting Kuala Lumpur for many years and I have only just discovered the there is a Textile Museum in the city! How did I miss that? It's time to do my tourist thing and to go and explore! Fortunately it is relatively close to the Masjid Jamek LRT station.....just a few blocks away.

En route, I stopped to ask a uniformed guard as to where exactly the Textile Musem was. He shook his head...oh no, this place I am looking for, is FAR away,he says,and his hands point up over the hill and into the faraway distance . I would need to call a "teksi"! Not on your life, I know it's nearer than what he is describing! The guard shrugged his shoulders, gave me a look of "another know all tourist" and returned to his post. Beginning to doubt myself I was relieved to find that just around the very next corner, is the building I am looking for. Hooray! Why did the guy not know this?

At the Textile Museum, I describe what had just happened to the desk attendant and he ponders for a few moments and smiles and says....the guard thought you wanted the 'National Museum' and for that you need a taxi! Ahhh, that explains it all and clears up some nasty judgmental thoughts running through my head and getting close to my lips!

The Museum is housed in a beautiful Moorish building built in 1896. Entrance is free and there are four different galleries. All the different Asian influences are explained and the beautiful batik and Songket fabrics are displayed. It is difficult to take good photos as the interior of the galleries is dimly lit due to the preservation of the beautiful fabrics.

A bonus was an additional exhibition by Zandra Rhodes, "A lIfelong love affair with Textiles". Born in 1940, she is an exciting "before her time" type of textile and fashion designer. She modeled her own clothes and is known for her green,now pink hair and dramatic make up. Zandra has dressed many of the top names in society plus designed costumes for shows. Where was I during these times? I don't recall ever hearing about her. Mary Quant, Twiggy, Oscar de La Renta etc. but not Zandra Rhodes.

 

It was great fun seeing something so refreshing and delightful. You just never know what is around the next corner.

 

Toys of yesteryear.

I haven't achieved much in the creative line recently. No quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting etc. however I was inspired to make Jake the Pirate, this week.

Jake's hands look a little large!

Joshie attends The British International School and his teacher invited Warren and I to talk to the class about the toys we played with when we were little! Now that's a BIG ask. Do you recall the toys you played with? In my case it is sixty+ years ago!

I do know that when I was little, just ready to start school, we moved to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). My Dad, being a building contractor, enjoyed the challenge of moving to under developed places and to be part of the start up! Wankie (Hwange) was a coal mining centre and needed schools, hospitals a shopping centre and petrol stations and the company he worked for, James Thompson, won several of those contracts! My Dad went ahead into Darkest Africato to get our home ready and we followed months later, on a very long train trip!

Our home in Wankie, Rhodesia.

How wonderful to be out of the city and to be free to play and play and play. I do recall having a bicycle and my Mom being a good seamstress, made our clothes and also ragdolls. I really don't think we had lots of toys or the need for them. When we got home after school, we would be sent outside, into the garden and be told to play! I am sure we used our imaginations a whole lot more than today's children.

I believed in fairies at the bottom of the garden. These notions being fueled by the reading of Enid Blyton stories! Oh how I loved to read and to get lost in the adventures of the Secret Seven and Famous Five! I so wished to be part of their gangs!

Occasionally, for a treat, the family would go up to the Recreational Club for a swim and then we watched the bioscope. A sheet was hung outside as a screen, chairs pulled up and the movie started. It was usually a cowboy and Indian movie and would break down a few times. We didn't mind!

At Joshua's school he is able to visit a library containing 20,000 books! Imagine that. A dream for any child who loves books!

Granny telling the class a story about Jake the Pirate.

I think that some of the toys we played with were spinning tops, skipping ropes, yo yo's, marbles and our home made rag dolls.

It is difficult for the modern children to imagine a world with no cell phones, no T.V., no computers, no I pads but just loads of time and space to have fun!

Life was simple but wonderful.

 

Finding the inner child..

We all have an inner child just waiting to pop out and have some fun. A while back we were in Chamonix, France and while watching the "sky divers" take off from the top of the hill and float down into the valley I knew I had some unfinished business in my life! I really wanted to do that too. My nephew Stu offered to accompany me but my hubby rolled his eyes and showed total disapproval. I just needed a consenting, encouraging voice and I would have been off.

Riding on the back of a camel in Mongolia was one of those amazing moments in my life too.

On reflection, I realise that I have tended to play it safe but with a bit of encouragement, I could have and should have been a bit more daring!

This past weekend I needed little encouragement to have Fun and do some heart stopping, hair raising things. Nick treated us and Joshua to a trip to Johor Bahru where a whole new theme world has been built. I can't say it's just for children as adults have just as much fun! Our afternoon was spent at the venue next door to our hotel, Traders, where "various theme lands" have been built. One could choose between Hullo Kitty or Thomas the Tank Engine. Of course Thomas won the vote. There are all sorts of experiences, games and rides available. Being a Thomas devotee, Joshua had the time of his life. He even got to meet the Fat Controller and Barney.

The following day we were off to Legoland! How clever are the people who came up with this idea! It was simply amazing! Most of the rides were loads of fun and often quite scary. To think that so many wonderful things can be made from Lego!

Thailand.

 

I loved every minute especially the visit to Miniland. It was brilliant. It helped that we have visited many of the sights depicted, from all over Asia. I was speechless at the genius behind these creations.

 

Angkor wat.

After lunch it was time to hit Waterworld. I had left my swimming costume at home so Thought I would just be the camera man. Nick was having nothing of it and made me buy long shorts and top which although not very glamorous was perfect for a big older lady doing crazy things. Thanks Nick. I had the time of my life. We went on every scary ride possible. Joshie suffers every time he gets into the car for a long journey was totally unphased and wanted more and more and more. The only slight negative was the queuing for the various rides. It was Fun! I really felt like a kid again.

 

Now I have set my sites even higher....I definitely want to do the zip line in the Berg and if given the chance I too want to be pulled on the cookie at he back of Muz's boat and what about a bit of sky diving. Maybe the inner child is an adrenaline junky too!

Move over girls!

 

All good things....

Our three weeks in Australia are over and it has been a bumper time. The most important part of travel is not only ticking boxes of the great places we see and things we do but even MORE important are the family and friends we get to see.

Australia is an extremely expensive country for us to visit using our Rand and without the hospitality and kindness of family and friends it would be nigh impossible! We have to add a nought to every price tag we see! What looks reasonable at Ten dollars costs us in effect one hundred miserable SA rands. Just add a nought!

Fortunately our family and friends have been understanding and very generous so with our board and lodging covered we could chillax and just enjoy ourselves. We do always try to "pay" our way and contribute towards food and beverage! It is wonderful to see how friends and family are so health conscious and are looking great. Carbs, except those in a bottle, are a no no and eating greens is a priority!

While staying in Eumundi we got to meet the neighbours, Sepple and Jacquie Eggers and what delightful folk they are. Having lived in several interesting countries and now settled in Eumundi, they have interesting tales to share and we enjoyed many a wonderful hour with them. Jacquie works for Eumundi Community radio and gets to interview and train interesting local members of the community, while Sepple has created a health drink, using mangosteens, seaweed and other well researched fruits which he is busy marketing. www. Slimdiva.com.

Mangosteens are readily available here in Kuala Lumpur and after reading about all theirbenefits, we will be loading up on those!

Evidently Queen Victoria offered a knight ship for anyone being able to supply her with this delicious fruit!

Being on the tourist route and holiday time, there were a stream of visitors to Chris and Diana's home and each couple had such amazing stories to tell. Cathy Stewart, a well known Australian artist went to university with Diana and she and her family stayed for a few days. It was great meeting Cathy and chatting about her work.

This is an example of Catherine's work available at "Paper Pear" in Waga Waga, New South Wales. See more of her paintings and other beautiful things to buy on Paper Pear's Facebook page.

We also got to meet couples with very young children, having had them in their forties. The theory in our day was that one should have your babies by the time your are thirty but with the advancement in our medical world it is no longer a factor. While a couple of the Dads will be in their sixties and seventies when the children get to their teens, is of little consequence these days. As Chris says, the modern fifty is yesterday's forty and if we take care of our health and keep fit we should all live till a hundred! I am not sure I want to do that but for now I need to get onto a strict health regime and to get exercising! I need Sepple's magic health tonic!

It was fun meeting up with cousin Karen in Brisbane. Kay is my age and still very involved with her teaching. She also dabbles in Painting and gave me a lovely piece to bring home.

My darling brother Lester and his wife Mandy found themselves at cross roads in their careers and have made the huge decision to give up their lovely home in Brisbane, put their treasures in storage and head for the Middle East.

Mandy is a university lecturer and was able to find a position fairly easily in Ryhadh, whilst Lester too, seems to have been lucky in getting a job. He is waiting for confirmation and for his visa and will join Mandy as soon as possible. We hold thumbs for them. I am sure many stories will be forthcoming from this unique and exciting experience.

Lastly, and such fun it was to see friends from the past who have emigrated from South Africa and are making their lives in Australia.

Simon Royston brought his beautiful daughters Bella and Samantha to visit us. Warren taught Simon and his sister Tracy in Big Bend and I taught Jubs. A fun family. You are doing a wonderful job Simon!

Wendy and Theo de Beer have just opened a printing franchise in Brisbane. A big step which we are sure that with Wendy's experience and hard work and Thea's support, will be a huge success. Good luck guys.

Claire née Russell has made a new life in Australia with hubby Mike and cutey pie Samantha. It was great catching up with them. Claire's life thus far would make for a very interesting book, me thinks. Love you always Claire Bear!

 

To all you wonderful people, thank you for making the effort to see us. We wish you much happiness and success in your various ventures. South Africa's loss, Australia's gain.