I normally refer to our weekends here, as the weeks seem to become consumed with work, exercise, humdrum errands and jobs, a bit of study and some relaxing. This week however, I have to report a rather significant, if very small triumph that happened after school early in the week. Our air conditioner in the bedroom was finally called into service, even though we do tend to wait as long as possible. (This seems a little strange to me: lying in a pool of sweat to save a couple of global warming gasses but flying all over the world at the drop of a hat using about a billion litres of jet fuel…anyway, I digress!). It kind of worked but decided to drip water all over the floor. I worked out what I needed to say at the air-conditioning shop, tried it out and refined it a touch with one of the secretaries at school, then bravely entered the shop after school! It all worked and I was able to say the A/C was broken, it was dripping water, could a repairman come to my house, arrange a time and date, supply my address and phone number, all in Chinese. When the guys actually turned up ready to fix it (which they subsequently did) rather than with a brand new one or something, I knew it had actually worked. Dave is stoked!

We also went and did our bi-annual haul of kitty litter through the week. We take the car down to Carrefour, clean them out of every bag of kitty litter they have then haul it back to our place and up the three flights while leaving the car straddled across the driveway opposite. Then back to the school’s underground car park with car until we take it out again on the weekend.

I went to camp with my little kiddies on Thursday and Friday and it was OK. It’s certainly not my favourite time of year, but the kids were really good and I had the boys control pretty much to myself, which I like, as I set the ground rules strong but fair and everyone ends up getting a good night’s sleep. It was unbelievably hot though and air conditioners are certainly not part of the camp experience!

Cassy has been a social butterfly this week as the end-of-year farewells/parties start to build up. On Tuesday she farewelled a colleague with a few glasses of champagne, as is tradition after the humanities meeting at school (that was your replacement KP) then was off again to a special BBQ night at Wendel’s on Wednesday to catch up with the great Cathy F. who had flown in specially to attend TAS legend Ira’s retirement party on Saturday. Cass really enjoyed the time she got to speak with Cathy: she has always liked her and found her to be exactly the same, but even more fun and relaxed and loving retirement in Portland. She’s invited us to visit, so you never know! Cass then went out with her steering committee buddies on Thursday night and reported that the food at the Far Eastern was even better than usual and she quite enjoyed the experience as she was down the “boys’ end of the table where the conversation was a little more boisterous. She was ready for a quiet night Friday when I got back from the wilds so I had a few cleansing ales with my mates, Wal and Gurecki down at Uli’s on Friday night. It was stifling heat and we had a few more than usual, so before we knew it, all sorts of hours had flown by!

Our weekend was a little bit freaky actually, as everything we did tended to have a touch of Italy about it, a bit hard to do living in Taipei. Saturday, we made it across to the Miramar cinema and saw the quite silly “Angels and Demons”. I know now why I couldn’t bear to read more than a few pages of these books: the words “glaringly obvious” and “oh, der!” spring to mind! Apart from the terribly stilted script, we did manage to enjoy the wonderful shots of Rome and spotting all the places we’d been just a few months ago. Lunch at “Auburgine” was tasty and I bought a pair of Nikes to replace my joggers which are getting a little step weary.

Sunday, I went to the doctor (eye infection) on the way to the new SOGO, which has just opened. Of course hordes of people were there, all of them just like us, rubber necking and gawking at all the “stuff”. There were all sorts of goodies in the specialty markets including Italian Chianti of all descriptions. We got pastrami sandwiches for lunch and had biscotti as a bonus. We discovered a great looking Italian restaurant on the 8th floor and a genuine gelato stand! All very Italian and it looks like the SOGO will be a great hit. There is also a small branch of the very famous Taipei institution Din Tai Fung, so tasty dumplings and noodles might also be on the menu soon. We’ve been busy: lots of partying, lots of reports and other end of year stuff and this week looks pretty hectic too. Photos: Cass in front of the amazing range of Australian beef and lamb at Sogo, crowd shots inside (crazy!), an outside shot, Virgil relaxing and V&M stretching in the heat.

Drugged out cats, crying for no reason most of the night, hissing at each other quite viciously as they lost their “sense” of one another because of the anaesthetic, a sudden and energy sapping spike in both temperature and humidity and an air-conditioner that decided to drip water all the over the floor necessitating its turning off and a fan to try to do the muscle work of fanning us down on a steamy sweaty night.

Virg’n Mary needed their annual shots this week. We dread it at the best of times as they go totally feral and bite and hiss and claw their way from house to carrier to car to vet and all the way back again. The trauma was amplified this year as they needed a teeth clean for some signs of gingivitis, so anaesthetic and an overnight stay was necessary.
We got them there somehow in a suitably military style ambush operation on Friday morning, taking the car from work during our lunch break. They were predictably horrified at the whole adventure and the vets seemed equally bemused at the ferocity of their reactions: they probably think, “What do these foreigners do to these cats to make them so terrified?!”

Anyway, Cass gave me a call at the driving range on Friday arvo to report that they were very spaced out but had survived. I had a great time with Wal, who was very tired after just getting back from third grade camp, and Gurecki, along with a relatively brief visitor in the shape of Kenny F. We were all a little off our game (well Wal and Gurecki were: for me I think the idea that I was off my game is highly misleading as it seems to be a perennial state). Ken was getting the feel for the game after a bit of a lay off as he intends to stay in Taiwan this long break and plans to do a bit of golfing.

We picked up the spaced out kitties at 9 am Saturday and walked home cradling them in their baskets. Virg has not stopped meowing at super volume since and after both of them stumbling and hissing through the day, we thought they’d sleep OK. Unfortunately the wailing continued, especially at 3.19, 4.50, 5.25 and again at 6.15 when I gave up and got up to try to placate her. They’ve got a little better since, I’m happy to report! I know what the majority of readers are thinking and yes, we know that we’re lucky we haven’t got any kids if this is how we react!

After my enforced early rising, I thought I’d make the most of it and get up the 1000 stairs. This is a strangely inaccurate name for the steps actually as I believe there are about 1400 stairs, but I suppose after travelling up 1000 going straight up for 1.5 km it doesn’t really matter! The trail was chock full of well intentioned parties of folk, all kitted up with their backpacks, their specialized hiking sticks and various other paraphernalia. I had to dodge and weave all the way up and my speedy ascent was quite the opposite of the norm today. People were stopped on the path taking photos, having a rest, staring at insects on leaves, looking wistfully into the trees trying to spot a monkey or doing various other trail-blocking stunts. I’ll remember not to go super early on a Sunday morning again, I think!

Cass and I went downtown this afternoon to the Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT station area. This part of the city is abuzz with action on the weekend and has an exciting cluster of restaurants that take our fancy. In just one tiny laneway are Toasteria café, next to Alleycats pizza (a different branch from our usual of course), Mary’s hamburgers and our destination, Yuma’s. It is a Tex-Mex affair a little like Chili's, but maybe a little better. It certainly has a range of exciting taste sensations and the lemon fired prawns and chicken fajitas and enchiladas were great. Cass had tasty vegetarian nachos and a glass of “white wine” which tasted like an old style cheap moselle that had been fragranced by a berry farm…much like the paint thinner at Royal Host I reckon. Anyway we had a really fun time and enjoyed the usual madding crowd at the stations along the way. Photos: Bush and Obama advertise a vitamin drink on the MRT, a shot of Taipei Main Station chaos, two shots in Yuma, and two shots of the guys at golf. Job for the week: get the air-conditioner fixed! Reading: same.

Whew! We’re both feeling a bit exhausted after riding the Knights home against the Titans this afternoon: what a great win it was, very exciting! It’s a lottery what game we get on a Sunday now as they are sourcing games from both channel nine and Fox these days, but I have a sneaking suspicion that someone in charge of programming really likes the Bulldogs, because I’m we’re getting sick of seeing them.

It was another absolutely glorious Friday, Saturday and Sunday here in Taipei, full sun but not at it’s laser cutting worst just yet, with a beautifully cooling breeze to fan you down when you need it. It’s showing all the signs of a burning hot summer however, and although it has come late this year, it’s coming on with a vengeance!

I spent some enjoyable time with Wal down at a beer garden near Shipai, which we had to abandon after one beer because their fridge had blown up: room temp beer with glasses and a bucket of ice was not really what we were after. We zipped across to Orange café and sat on their roof terrace to have a few ales and spend some time before we met Shawn and Lewy at Lewy’s place to watch the Essendon/Hawks AFL match. We had good fun, especially when Lewy started making us have every bet possible under the sun!

Cass and I wandered down to Alleycats mid afternoon on Saturday and we ate at their new upstairs extension. It’s pretty cool and has some light and bright ambiance with a new outdoor deck and its signature red walls inside. As we were the only ones there at that odd hour, we got lots of service and even a few freebies as they were just starting off a new line of Panini and we were the guinea pigs. We wandered back through the soon to be opened massive new Sogo shopping complex to take a shortcut to Carrefour. There we bought a cheap blender that Cass wanted. The reason it is so cheap I think is the colour of it (lime green) and also the fact that it looks like it might come from the Dharma initiative on Lost! It’s a real skill getting an appliance to look like it’s come from the 1950s when it is 2009, I reckon.

For once, I can neatly segue into my next topic. The late 1950s and 1960s are all the rage with us at the moment as we’ve just finished watching the first series of “Mad Men” which we’ve downloaded. We’ve got the second series too, so will have to show a little restraint and try to eke that out a little bit. For Aussie readers, it is on SBS, just a couple of weeks in if you’re interested…it’s brilliant!

On Saturday afternoon when we got home, I went and hit about a million little white balls down at the golf driving range with Wal and alternated between thrilling highs when I managed to smack a few right down the middle and very disappointing lows when I nearly sliced up the people in the spot beside me as one sizzled off all the wrong angles! Cass went round and got Bessie to cut her hair and found out all the latest neighbourhood gossip as well as having Bessie’s adult kids come in at various stages to practice their English.

We had a great day today as well. I went and did another steps run and loved the atmosphere up the mountain today, it was just perfect to be on the trail in dappled sun, shaded just enough from the sun but still well and truly out and escaped from the city on such a wonderful day. Cass wanted to go to Takashimaya and get some smoked salmon sandwiches for lunch as well as a few supplies from Jason’s supermarket. Takashimaya has been closed for a week after a pretty major fire in their basement, so the crowds were out in force making up for lost shopping time apparently. Cass enjoyed the walk, but not all the retail hustle and bustle. We’ve got into this decadent habit of buying these incredibly delicious custard puffs from a Japanese outlet down there: we just have one each, but we reckon we could both eat about 20 if we let ourselves!

Photos: me with Lewy and Cassy’s team colleague, Chris at Sababa. Cassy and me and Cassy at Alleycat’s, one of the lush growth that we can see from our balcony now: the trees have grown, yet there is also a building poking its head up where none existed 6 months ago! Cassy is reading "True History of the Kelly Gang" and David is reading, "Michaelangelo's David: a masterpiece restored."

We’re often reminded of the myriad advantages of living in an incredibly big, high paced, cosmopolitan city. Conveniences we now take for granted are almost unheard of back in our home town, and I’ve decided that, far from a hardship, we’re decidedly spoilt most of the time. One such time happened on Saturday when we decided on a whim to re-visit the Taipei Fine Arts Museum as we hadn’t been for a while.

On Friday afternoon, I was left all alone by my usual friends! Cass was working late at school, Wal had a date, SBF had to take care of some anti allergy medications and Lewey was struck down by a flu and was trying to rest up for his golf game the next day. I decided to head across to the big golf driving range to hit a few balls. I had a fantastic time after scootering over there nursing my two clubs, tied together with a metal bread tie, between my knees. Of course, I didn’t know when enough was enough, so managed to come home with blistered hands, partly from bad technique, partly gripping too hard, but mostly from hitting too many balls over the course of three hours!

The weekend’s glorious weather which began on Friday afternoon continued through to Saturday. After waking relatively early, we decided to go out for breakfast: it always feels so decedent for some reason. Wendel’s does a very tasty line in various breakfasts, so we wandered down the road. It was delicious and we marveled on the way at some early morning workers putting up some bamboo scaffolding…traditional is still the best! When we got back home, Cass had to do a little schoolwork, but we were determined to get out and about to enjoy the weather and couldn’t decide on Yangminshan hiking, scooter riding somewhere nice for some afternoon tea or a visit to the art museum.

We decided to hop on the train and travel the few short stops to the museum, taking the time to walk through the park on the way. The Taipei Floral festival is penciled in for 2010 and 2011 and it must be an incredibly huge event as work crews are busy dismantling the lovely parks and gardens and building huge pavilions and structuring garden plots already. We were not disappointed when we reached our destination, however, as the museum was showing an exhibition straight from the Pompidou Centre in Paris! We were very excited to stumble upon this exhibition and inside, we were surprised to find a stellar array of treasures. On our first visit to Paris, the Pompidou Centre was closed for renovation, so we’ve been determined to feast on its contents in subsequent visits. To see a beautiful selection in Taipei, just minutes from home, was a completely unexpected bonus. Exquisite Picassos of many eras took centre stage with alongside various signature works from Chagall, Kandinsky, Ernst, Dufy, Jacquet and Braque. The stunning piece de resistance was a room holding two outsized Matisse works known as “Océanie, le ciel” as well as Joan Miro’s classic 1961 stunner, “Bleu II”. We reveled in the clever selections of lesser known works as well. Taipei’s contemporary artists have always drawn heavily on French influences apparently, so the exhibition was highly appropriate. We spent a few hours of great pleasure there before sitting in the magnificent late afternoon sun in the forecourt doing some people watching: real art!

Today, we drove across to the coast to catch a few beams and enjoy the flourishing growth on the mountain. We weren’t disappointed as the greenery was lush and thick and the rice paddies were a stunning verdant shade looking so neat and clean and idyllic, ironically considering the insanely hard labour that goes into the cultivation of rice (according to my last book, “Outliers”!) The surf was pretty good too and Cass found her favourite perch high on the cliff top in the sun while I fluffed around in the water. A very successful weekend, but one of those where you’d kinda like another one tacked on, just to relax. Photos: a small wave at the cliff, shades of 9/11 at the art museum, various poses inside and out at the Pompidou exhibition, bamboo scaffolds, Cass and cats, and a curious Taiwan sight. On the winding mountain road, we often see kids allowed to stand up on the seat of moving vehicles and watch the world go by through the sunroof: only in Taiwan! Dave reading "Stealing Fire from the Gods" and Cass is reading "Sea Glass"