So I managed to get all smashed up on the weekend! It's been raining on and off for at least a couple of weeks, and our rather dangerous driveway is pretty steep and notoriously slippery. I managed to do some clever acrobatics on Saturday morning with my feet whooshing out from beneath me and hitting the stone wall on the way down with the side of my face and the top of my head! I was glad I didn't face plant on the ground as I imagine that there is a festering pool of disease down there compared to the wall. Nonetheless, I've been applying lots of antibiotic ointment to the grazes and so far, touch wood, there doesn't appear any sign of infection.

Suffice to say, this little inconvenience put an even further dampen on any great plans for the weekend. Cass went round to Bessy's to grab a haircut on Saturday, and was regaled by tales of granddaughters, daughters, fish and friends. The fish story really is quite funny and she had invited me in to look at the fish "wonders" one day after school as well. She was talked into getting just 5 or 6 exotic fish at a petshop a while back and didn't really think much of it. As it turns out, she is now almost in the fish breeding business, as hundreds of tiny baby fish continue to be born! She's separating them into various other aquariums, but they just keep on coming! I'm not sure what she'll do next...

On Friday, I joined Shaun at Patio 84 and we had a great chat about all sorts of things as Wal had to have a spell, so it was just the two of us for ages before Lonnie and Dave joined us. It was good to catch up on his plans for the future as well as hear more about his latest holiday to America where, amongst many other things, he braved driving a motorhome in and out of LA on their notorious freeways: not for the faint hearted! He was also very taken with Yosemite and their visit to Hawaii on the way back to Taipei.

Cass went downtown to the Hsin Yi district with her "Bookies" mates on Friday evening for a meal at a great restaurant (unfortunately closing down!), and a chat about the first instalment in their reading list for the year. It was absolutely tipping down when they tried to get a cab in Tienmu, so they resorted to a combination of the bus and the MRT to get close. They were a bit late, and Cass described the comical sight of two of the friends being guided by Google maps in the rain and crowds of the eastern end of town on a Friday night. At least, I think it was funny when they looked back on it later! She had a wonderful meal, and they all regretted the fact that the restaurant is closing: apparently they're moving into the home catering sphere as a concentration.

We went and bought all sorts of food and supplies at the Mingde Wellcome supermarket and the local Carrefour store on Sunday. The food shopping was a mega one, you know when the "every-once-in-a-while" items all seem to come at once and we bought all sorts of interesting things at the Carrefour, including a battery for Cassy's 17 year old alarm clock that we bought at La Villette in Paris, a pair of thongs to replace hers that broke most inconveniently miles from home on Saturday afternoon, as well as "special" food items like mince, salmon and cheese (!) and various lotions and potions to put on my face! We did not, however, see any of this crazy stuff: maybe it's an indoor craze!

We're just slowly settling in to Taipei Life again and we'll hopefully get to venture out more boldly next weekend! Photos: Cats, bashed head, another cactus flower ready to open (...they're fascinating!) and my new coterie of support class kids...a few crazies!

Despite being well armed with a note of the name of a major city hospital in Chinese, the taxi driver proved to be one of those rare beasts in Taiwan: a man prepared not to make an effort to understand or at least find out from someone else. I was able to negotiate our destination by saying the name and address of the place as well as a nearby landmark as an alternative and he reluctantly drove us downtown. Even when we got to the street he needed further direction....I think he was just in a grumpy mood or didn't like foreigners sullying his happy Saturday morning (or both)!

We'd discovered that the latest BBL laser light machines were indeed in existence in Taiwan, despite the local clinic declaring they were not. Not only were they available, but they were housed in a delightful private enclave perched on the 12th floor of the Taipei Medical University Hospital, staffed by obliging friendly nurses and knowledgeable, English-speaking doctors...Taipei just continues to impress....and, as a bonus, about a third of the cost of treatments back home.

Cassy will be mortified that I'm relating this publicly, so I'll suffice to say that she had some BBL treatment for a facial skin condition back home, and needed to seek ongoing treatment here. She was most pleased with the level of service and has already booked in her next visit.

Being in the downtown, trendy area, we decided to catch a bus a few stops to disembark in front of the pseudo Aussie industrial chic of Wooloomooloo. Serving all day breakfasts along with pasta and pizza, they also have an impressive and exclusive array of Aussie beers. It's a shame that every time we grace its doors, I've managed to imbibe one or two the night before! We sat at one of the long shared trestle tables and even though the guy next to us was guffawing at an ear splitting decibel level, it was a very pleasant experience as we had a bowl of pasta each and a big bottle of San Pelligrino.

We did some more post typhoon specialty food shopping on the way home in the bowels of the SOGO department store complex as well as purchasing some delicious "Paul" patisserie treats for later. Believe it or not, the city was holding its collective breath as yet another wild typhoon blustered out off the east coast and subsequently sucked all the smog before it, leaving deceptive tranquil and searing blue skies.

Sunday spat with intermittent showers and despite this, I braved the Tienmu Gudao steps to test my fitness levels after a long break from their punishing ascent. I got up in pretty good time and fine fettle, but was totally drenched for my effort! Over the weekend we gorged on the latest Game of Thrones series which we'd been saving up and both blamed it on some fitful nights' sleeps: it's really pushing the boundaries these days!

We're both slowly settling into our routines again and I've already dazzled (!?) the parents at Open House night, met lots of new ones and reacquainted myself with the returning ones. It all went swimmingly well and I hope this mood continues for the remainder of the year. We celebrated Wal's birthday with a few beers on Friday night before watching both codes of football battle it out in some entertaining games.

Photos have a touch of intrigue. My new team this year, some interesting displays and games at the cinema, a friend, Greg, wearing the ukulele sunglasses I bought for him in Australia, my legend 20 year old boots finally crack up and you can have your kitchen and bathroom clad in Hello Kitty tiles! A final oddity....Cassy has used a tiny portion of this pad over the years to write her shopping lists: I think she can get 8 on one sheet. They are from a pad that Dad gave to her over 20 years ago, from a drug company. Thing is, there is only one sheet left, and she was certain that they'd "see her out" of Taiwan! hmmmm
Books: Cassy reading Lila by Marilynne Robinson, David reading Gary Paulsen's motorcycle memoir.

Phew! Psychotic super storm cells, the strongest storm in the world this year, etc. etc. are mercifully behind us now, and although we're firmly ensconced back in Taipei and with a week of work under our belt, we feel the long holiday drifting into the ether of another mind. I will, however, endeavour to dredge up a few memories from what was a very relaxing, and slightly different break.

We quickly regained our Newcastle composure after a hectic exit from Taiwan with house pack-ups, jobs to be done and other sundry issues. The apartment was a shining gem to enter, as Chris and Val had done a beautiful job cleaning and preparing the unit before they embarked on their amazing round-the-world cruise.

Easily falling into the pattern of decadent sleep-ins, lazy breakfasts and occasional surfs before our daily 6 km walk on the Bather's Way and new (magnificent!) Memorial Walkway, it was slipping on a comfortable pair of slippers.

Memorable family get-togethers, like the gathering of the clan for Mum's 80th birthday were highlights. It was a sparkling affair held over the water at Scratchleys restaurant on one of Newcastle's impressive "winter" days. The bustle of the harbour added to the delight of catching up with the extended family, some of whom we hadn't seen for about ten years! Mum really enjoyed the show, so it was definitely worth the planning by all the siblings.

We had various other catch-ups with both family and friends alike and managed to get together with Ross and Ains in FNQ during their winter semester break. We hadn't been to Cairns before and, apart from catching up with our lovely friends, we were able to join them on trips to Port Douglas and then an all day excursion out to the incomparable Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, Cass succumbed to seasickness on the way out which ruined her day somewhat, but as the intrepid pair scuba dived, Cass rallied herself to go snorkelling on one of the stops to get the whole experience. Despite this minor setback, we managed to eat, drink and chat away a good few days in the tropical north!

Jen and Vince are going off on a fabulous sounding jaunt to Europe later in the year so Cass was able to help them with their plans for the French leg over lunch one Sunday. We visited Mum a fair bit and took her on a couple of mini excursions to the Memorial Walk and to the Art Gallery and had a couple of lunches out and about. Various couples invited us over for lunch, which we appreciated and enjoyed immensely yet we were unable to take up Neil's offer of attending "shed night" due to time constraints near the end of our trip. It was a shame as it has been a real highlight of previous trips!

Our bike trip route was dictated to us by the weather, which precluded a return to Victoria, which was our vague initial destination. Despite having journeyed north west on a number of occasions we managed to seek out various unseen (and fantastic!) attractions, interest points and blissful , country roads. We eventually meandered our way up to Queensland and the town of Warwick, and after riding on the hot heels of the bushranger, Thunderbolt, as well as visiting gigantic, rocky outcrops and spectacular waterfalls, we eventually crossed the high country's icy ranges to motor on home stopping on the way to visit Kristin, Cassy's sister. Cassy, subsequently, was able to visit and lunch with her on another couple of occasions and they had a grand old time of it.

The trip home this "summer" was idyllic and decadent and peaceful and just the fillip we needed to re-charge for another full-on year over here. We did miss Cassy's parents a lot, as they have always been such a large part of our trips back in June and July. Cass had pre-empted this absence by making trips to Singapore last year and Australia earlier this year to visit them, but it didn't quite work. Nonetheless, we still managed to have a pretty good time!

Our Taipei weekend was relaxing...eating out, continuing to stock up after the typhoon and catching a movie. I've actually just finished "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt...what a tour-de-force...I'm breathless just thinking about the plot!

Idyllic dreams of dolphins languidly banana bobbing, whales  misting welcomes from impossibly picture book glassy seas, long walks with ocean vistas, easy evenings of fine Hunter reds and "Aussie"food, and delightful catch ups with family and friends, dissolved pretty quickly a few days after our return. Although we'd tracked the fury of Typhoon Soudelor as it ransacked its way across Saipan and the Sea of Japan, we had no idea of the hell about to be unleashed upon Taiwan. Vaguely prepared with food and water we settled in to a Friday evening with no trepidation, rather a slightly unimpressed view of this so called "super-storm" as it only managed to trickle a few drops and blow a bored zephyr as we settled in for a night's sleep.

An unearthly roar and hideous cracks and shrieks first woke us in the late hours of Friday evening. The street was being whipped with a giant, flailing hand. Monster sheets of water were pelting down our alley at a near horizontal, as the cyclonic wind howled and moaned. Metal signs were flung about like tic-tacs and the majestic trees in the park opposite were quickly shredded of vegetation and limbs, the latter cracking off with gunshot intensity. It was altogether too horrific to watch, so we quickly checked all our window and curtain protection before retreating back to bed and hoping that the defences would not be breached.

The air conditioner rumbled and spat, and the power snapped off about 2 a.m., not to return for another 40 hours. We again huddled at our bedroom window as yet further atrocities were perpetrated on our neighbourhood. The wind and rain squalled with such intensity that it was unlike anything we'd previously experienced, and the entire building had begun to shake. The windows were bowing under the pressure and everything, including things that were "tied down", were jettisoned wherever the typhoon felt like taking them. Trees were being uprooted, cars were being crushed and garages flooded. Pot plants were tiny porcelain missiles and entire motor scooters were flung skyward before coming back to earth with metal screams. The sounds were worse that the vision, and unidentified splintering of wood and tearing of metal went on all night long. It was a relief when the sounds subsided to more familiar typhoon overtones of slashing rain and howling winds. At least the worst seemed over, and as dawn timidly started to light up the carnage we fell back into a fitful slumber.

Although the wind continued to speed through the streets and trees and the rain belted down, the worst was over as Saturday morning  matured into the afternoon. Against my better judgement, I got out and about to see what damage had been caused. Despite the fact we knew it was really bad judging from what we'd seen and heard in the night, nothing quite prepared me for the near apocalyptic scenes in the neighbourhood (some of which are shown above). Cass warned me not to get "sliced in half" on my wander, and I could see why as I dodged signs skidding along footpaths and huge tree branches hanging on by splinters overhead.

We endured a couple of days without power, yet the romance of candlelight wore off well and truly after the first night! Without cable modem internet connection, I was reliant on the 3G capabilities of my phone to find out what was going on in our little world. What we found out was that the school campus would be shut down for three days and our first day back would now be Tuesday. We felt sorrow for the six Taiwanese who lost their lives, but amazed and thankful that there weren't far more fatalities. We were mindful, too, that we were lucky enough to be in a solid house with good support networks to help us if needed, and our first world problems of a little inconvenience paled into insignificance compared to the plight of thousands of others.

So, welcome back to Taiwan! When we recover from all this shock, horror and excitement, I'll do a little back-track on the blog here to illuminate some of the teasers I wrote about in the first paragraph during our "summer" holiday back in Australia (perhaps next week): for the moment, at least, it all seems like another world entirely.

Our Typhoon Soudelor slideshow.