How exciting it is! Holidays are on again, and this Spring Break couldn’t have come at a better time. We both endured some rather mind numbing “professional development” last 3 days of this week so were looking forward to relaxing this weekend and also through this week which we have off. We feel a touch isolated, as heaps of people we associate with here are jetting off island. Both Gurecki and Wal are heading independently to Japan, Gurecki on a school trip with Himiko and Wal on a fact finding mission in Fukuoka before his summer school stint in Tokyo in June. My surfing partner Dan has taken his family for a bit of an east coast camping adventure and promises to ring if the surf is “cranking” so I can make a mad dash down there: so far, no!Anyway, we’ll find lots of amusing activities to do, and we’ve already braved the holiday Jade market yesterday. This labyrinth of jewelry, jade and other precious stones is located under a major expressway drop off ramp. I’ve written about it before, but it never ceases to amaze and surprise. There are many hundreds of tiny individual stalls (or tables really) set up in endless lines stretching all the way to another, as huge, flower market on the other side under the up ramp! We were after a half carat sapphire to be set in Cassy’s engagement ring setting to give to my niece who is turning 13 soon. We had given her older sister Cassy's 9 carat gold necklace and bracelet for her 13th, so Cass was keen to continue the “tradition”. Cass had the diamond from her engagement remodeled last year, but the ring and setting are just too good to be sitting around, hence the idea.
It was the first time I’d been to the market since my Chinese had reached a rudimentary level of understanding and it was great to use it and have it understood. “We want to buy a half carat mid blue sapphire”, and “Do you have any smaller ones?’, “a slightly larger one?” and all the associated cost asking and understanding Chinese went very well, even though I’m sure we could have got our message across with no language help! It’s a comfortable feeling not getting frustrated by basic language problems anymore. (Let me stress: BASIC!!) We ended up finding a really beautiful mid blue sapphire just the right size, so after Joe the jeweler sets and cleans it, it should be fantastic.
On the way home, we passed by one of the ubiquitous local eateries, but not only do they use the bones and all the animal products in their broth, but they display the bones as well! A bit further on, we stopped in and bought a new “stimulating” game for Virg n Mary, which of course, they have studiously ignored since we set it up when we got home! However, when in the pet shop, we spied a very curious thing out the back. Dogs were getting manicured and shampooed while others were being blow dried in giant pet dryers. They looked like they loved every minute of it actually….
Today, we ate breakfast and read our clippings courtesy of Mum, and enjoyed the piquant flavours of Cassy’s real home made lemon butter. She made up a big batch last night so we’ll be having lots of that through the break. Cass was on a bit of a cooking frenzy yesterday actually, as she also made a very tasty fruit cake: looks like I’ll have to do double time on those stairs! After our brunch, I wandered down to meet Wal at one of our local coffee shops and spent a couple of hours teaching him “Everything you really need to know as well as all the essential phrases of Japanese in just two hours”! He was a good student, but it was classic to translate some of the stuff into Chinese first before the English as it gave him a better idea of the structure and why the word order is set up that way. His knowledge of Chinese really made him a quick study.
Back in time to watch most of the Knights v Bunnies with smoked salmon takeaway sangas in hand. Cassy is grading some perspective poems while I’m doing this, I think in sympathy: we reckon it’s cruel and unusual punishment to be using the keyboard for any kind of typing/work in the holidays. We’re both reading offerings from that genius wordsmith Lionel Shriver at the moment, me with “Birthday” and Cass with “Kevin”. Photos: Cass with dem old bones, dogs in dryers, Virg with tongue out, Dave with new Sansa (which arrived on Wednesday) and our sapphire salesman at the jade market.
