It feels like an apocalyptic scene from a movie. In an ancient forest as pterodactyls hone in on a target in a vicious laser -like dive and bombing, tearing the scalps from unsuspecting humans fleeing along the forest floor. In reality, it isn't that frightening, but these Taiwanese blue magpies certainly know how to ratchet up the terror dial!
The park adjacent to our place has been home to a pair of nesting Taiwanese blue magpies for a couple of years when the temperature warms and flighted creatures turn their minds to procreation. Unfortunately, despite being quite rare and beautiful, they're also fiercely territorial it seems, and they've taken a distinct dislike to my balding pate! Every time we walk through, they shrill and bark out their distaste to our invasion and, unerringly, they zero in on my head for a warning shot. I've taken to erecting a flimsy defense by walking along with my bag on my head! Apart from attacking passers-by, they've also drawn their own dedicated band of photographers keen to capture their exotic plumage in flight or perhaps even a glimpse of their fledglings. They're real celebrities there's no doubt about it, but I long for the day when they take off somewhere else again!
We've done our first major shop at the new(for us at least) PX Mart, fondly known as the "Blue Mart". Our reconnoiter the week before paid off as we were able to find our way down the extra block or two then negotiate a trail round the inside of the supermarket itself. The only major absentees were broccoli and tinned tomatoes. When I asked a worker, he replied in Chinese that they didn't have any, but he was unclear if that was just a momentary lack or a permanent one: I guess we'll find out. Pretty chuffed with our efforts, even thought it took a bit longer than usual, we made plans to go down to the SOGO and have Din Tai Feng for our afternoon/evening meal.
As usual, it was a veritable feast! Cassy had the vegetarian mushroom dumplings and I had the traditional chicken xiao long bao, accompanied by special fried rice with egg and prawns along with stir fried cabbage and pickled cucumber....ahhhh! A whiz around Uniqlo on the 4th floor yielded some "active wear" for Cass which she's pretty impressed with, and a T-shirt and socks and undies for me. Wendel's bread on the way home completed our shopping trip for the weekend.
We attended a memorial service at school for one of my ex-colleagues on Sunday. Joyce was a much loved member of various departments at school but more than a decade ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. Despite a long battle and various stints of treatment that initially went well, she finally passed away quite recently in the U.S. Her husband, Ralph, also a good friend and colleague, is back for a couple of weeks based round the service. I've written a story, as requested, of our memories of Joyce, and it was quite cathartic and also very well received by Ralph. They're going to compile the contributions into a book to give to her grand-kids when they get a little older: at this stage they are all very young. The service was quite delightful and a genuine celebration of life, just as Ralph wanted and requested. Of course, like anything like this so close to home, we were quite reflective and thoughtful afterwards: Joyce was just 67, the same age as dad when he died.
Photos: A shutter of photographers, the weapon herself (stock photo), Cass illegally perched on the building's chair lift, Cole's meat at the PX Mart (!), a giant hibiscus, the sedentary babies, and a very red tongue from eating a dark-fleshed dragon fruit!