We were pretty glad we were here in "safe Taipei" this week and not inundated with floodwater and battening down every hatch in sight like they were back home in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley this week. Despite the fact that we get quite unnerved on a regular basis with jolts and shakes, I think I'd prefer that than the out-of-control weather which produced water ingress, homes to be damaged and power unavailable for extended periods.

On the back of our reasonable earthquake, as is often the case, the "Ring of Fire" has lit up and lots of trembles have been experienced at various intensities from New Zealand to Nepal and even Mount Everest. We've been reading about the many thousands of victims in Nepal and are thankful once again that we live in a country not only used to them, but with building codes that support the safety of the citizens within, rather than developers' bottom lines.

We had a very pleasant weekend, and although we'd threatened to visit so many times, we eventually relented and appraised ourselves of the "Californian" cuisine at the Skylark restaurant just on the other side of the Fulin Bridge. It's been there as long as we can remember, but being Taipei, there are just so many other options that we've never felt the need to partake of their wares before. It's actually a Japanese chain restaurant and is in the same style as another old favourite of ours, Royal Host. The set menu, the most popular choice, is sensational value and as they produce dishes on some scale and limited variety, they can keep the costs low which appeals to the rather price conscious local contingent. (They are so brutal, that we often lament the passing of great restaurants: if they charge what is considered just a dollar or two too much, the locals will vote with their feet and never pay another visit, despite the quality! It keeps the consumer's costs low, but pares the restaurateur's profits to the bone!)

Anyway we were really surprised at the variety of dishes and the great taste so we'll pay another visit for sure. Fish with wasabi dipping sauce, another fish with capers and truffle sauce, vegetable and mushroom gratin were just some of our choices. The desserts were tasty and the coffee hot and strong....what more could you ask for? We scootered through the end section of the glittering local night market on the way home and noticed that it hasn't got any less busy: it's amazing what a few million people packed onto a tiny plot of land can do for business!

On Sunday, we made our way down in the blinding spring sunshine to the SOGO complex to source a few items for the week at the specialty supermarket. It's always a relaxing adventure, families soaking up the sunshine in the park at the rear of the building, kiddies riding bikes and scooters in the courtyard and generally enjoying life. A great coterie of folk hang out in a shaded area sipping all sorts of fruit teas that are available from a coffee/tea cart parked near the back entrance, while others lick gelatos or sorbets while reading books and tablets. We availed ourselves of some yet to be tasted, but amazing looking caramel eclairs from "Paul", who have a new outlet in the basement level. Cass and Valerie discovered this boulangerie/patisserie on their last jaunt to France and became big fans. Who'd have thought it would be here in Taipei just a stroll from our unit? Happy days!

School is revving up for a huge finish to the year, so we're going to strap ourselves in and steer our respective sections towards the finish line with a minimum of fuss we hope. The kids are in the throes of testing in various areas and of course, for us, on top of that they'll be meetings, grading and report writing as well as the usual teaching!

Photos: a cool spectacles sign, Chee Chee broke his arm, Wal had a baby shower put on by the teachers at his grade level, Virg relaxing, Skylark food and Chinglish signs and Paul products.

The photo just above this paragraph is a visual reminder of the precarious nature of life on this quirky little island at times. There's a little feeling in the back of one's mind at all times that something might happen to affect the daily routine. I was just about to start writing this blog entry when there was a familiar jolt and an unsettling shudder and sway in the building. This huge monolith then set up a short swaying movement with a few plaster cracking retorts and groans from deep within the walls. Its onset is so sudden that you just offer up a little hope that it will stop, race to the doorway in a futile attempt at warding off building collapse and ride out the bucking bronco. Gradually, after what seems an interminable period which is only about 20 seconds, the swaying slows and you let out that breath you realize you've been holding. Will there be an aftershock? Will the earthquake alarm sound the "all-clear" soon? Is the rest of the city still standing? In the end, it's just another six point something earthquake deep in the ocean off the east coast, just a bigger version of the ten we've had in the past week alone! (Here's a poem about this, too...I was really quite taken aback!)

I had my birthday on Tuesday and we went down to Din Tai Feng for our evening meal. It was as delightful as usual and we marvelled again at the efficiency of the service, the quality of the food and the bargain price for such fare. On Wednesday, we both went down to the bag shop downtown where Cassy's leather artisan weaves his magic, only to find that the bag he was repairing was not ready yet! I decided to ditch the contents of my tatty, old canvas bag that I'd bought at the nightmarket eons ago, and ask them if they could replicate the shape and style in a durable, leather version. After a little finessing and selection of clasps and buckles, I ordered one to be picked up at the end of the month, leaving the old bag behind as a floppy template.

As we were out and about, quite decadently(!), on a school night, we decided to have another night out dining. The stop before our regular, Jishan, is a lively hub and hosts all sorts of interesting little spots in the surrounding lanes and alleys. One of our favourites, "Eat Burger", is one such spot, so we made our way there to enjoy a delicious burger and accompaniments, before strolling home in the fading light on a very pleasant evening.

Our weekend was quite unremarkable, and although we managed to do our usual weekly "life chores", there was nothing of any real note. It drummed a percussion concert of rain in the evenings and we took time to stop what we were doing or watching just to listen to the rain pelting down on the tin roofs sheltering the verandahs below our unit: it's such a hypnotic and comforting sound, especially when you're snug and dry upstairs!

Photos: Wal up at Yangminshan garden plot, Wal and a fairly heavily pregnant Annie, "Paul" at SOGO....what??!! My kids in class along with a sweet, acrostic poem that the two girls in the foreground of the photo wrote (I'll forgive some of the errors because of the sentiment!) Cassy is modelling her brand new pink snakeskin shoes (purchased just this month at the vineyards when she was back home), in her classroom, which was set up "stadium style" for her kids to do their Shakespeare recitations. Cass on Wednesday evening at Eat Burger, and I picked up my John Lennon signature and record....it turned out brilliantly!

Well, Cass spent a week back home for our Spring Break, as I've mentioned previously. The purpose of her visit was to catch up with her parents, as they won't be around in our regular stay back home in the winter as they are embarking on a cruise for the duration She had planned to visit with them, possibly her sister for a day, and that was about it: she did make it to Newcastle once, but just for a wet and miserable Knights' game!

She had an excellent stay and was able to catch up on all and sundry. She quite enjoys being "little Cassy" for a while and doesn't mind being doted upon for a stint: she certainly doesn't get that sort of treatment here! Valerie (and Chris, with his signature slab of BBQ salmon) cooked up a storm and they enjoyed many meals together in C&V's newish extended outdoor room, which has become quite the social hub nowadays with the Taiwanese jade table, "Rocky", still doing sterling service.

They were able to get over to Kristin's property near Stroud one day during the week, when great commotion was stirred up by the arrival of a giant brown snake. All sorts of snake charmers were pressed into service to try to get rid of it. Chris was deftly moving logs from the woodpile with the tractor attachment, the local snake whisperer was jazzing around with his magician's helpers and Cass tried to stay right out of the way! Apparently, it was quite the sight! She enjoyed catching up with her sister, and they had a pleasant picnic after all the country style shenanigans.

Cass and Val even managed to make it to the Knights' Saturday night game against the Dragons. Despite the inclement weather, and the Knights losing their first game of the season, they found it fun to make the visit to the hallowed turf, as well as catch up with Caes, who had braved the rain sans Miho.

Cass got back home at 2 a.m. Monday morning and we have to get up at 5.30 a.m., so she was in a bit of a fog for the first day or two! The week was the usual flurry of activity, including Cass having Book Club on Tuesday night and a visit downtown after work to her bag shop on Wednesday, so we didn't really have a chance to reflect on being tired. There just wasn't any other option than to go, go, go. She celebrated her birthday in-flight during the day and night of April 5th, so we resolved to celebrate in style this weekend, booking a table at her new favourite restaurant in town, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Cass tends to avoid eating a lot of meat and although not strictly a vegetarian, she's pretty close to it. She does, however, really appreciate a superbly selected and cooked steak on odd occasions, and this is exactly what Ruth's Chris is renowned for. The service is slick and deferential (which we both find slightly unsettling!), but the decor is luxurious, the lighting low, the tables festooned with silverware and draped in linen, and the food is absolutely sublime! Despite the waiter's protestations, we pressed ahead and each ordered a dessert, despite knowing they were of behemoth proportions. We'd already had the bread, entree and main meal of the most perfectly cooked prime fillet steak with baked potato and other sides so it wasn't as if we needed it. We'd been intoxicated by the bread and butter pudding from our first visit, which we shared, and Cassy was determined to "get her own" this time. Suffice to say, we got through it, but we were fuller than the last bus by the time we finished!

We had a pretty quiet weekend after that, just enjoying each other's company again after a week apart and a quite hectic week of work wedged straight onto the back of it. Things are starting to ramp up both in the professional and social spheres as tests, reports, programs are given and written and the usual round of farewell BBQs, parties and club meetings vie for a space in the ever dwindling academic year's calendar. We're getting set for a big seven weeks....!

Photos: Cass and her parents and sister in various poses and guises, Virg was pleased to have Cassy back home, the meal at Ruth's Chris, and times have certainly changed:our down and dirty local supermarket has just reopened after a re-vamp, and good old 555 was on the shelves!

Stop Press: Now Tuesday morning, and I managed to do my birthday pushups again. One more year, one more pushup!