The skies were leaden and the wind whipped and worried, howling at times as the next typhoon bore down on the southern half of the island. Rain dumped at spasmodic intervals followed by whistling squalls with narry a drop: this was typhoon annoyance time rather than batten down the hatches time.
Barely days after the last one passed, another storm headed straight towards Taiwan but as we hoped for a bonus "Typhoon Day", where the city shuts down all official businesses and schools, we realized it was going to hit exclusively over the weekend to upset any leisure plans we had rather than give us some bonus time off work!
I went round to celebrate Wal's and Eli's birthday on Friday evening round at Wal and Annie's place. The grandparents are a touch out of favour with the two boys at the moment, a situation that W&A are hoping changes soon, as it is their only respite from very full days and nights with two rambunctious little boys. The big hit of the night was a set of radio controlled racing cars, and when the batteries were fitted and power was activated, the whirring of engines and crashing of cars into furniture filled the loungeroom for a good stretch of time!
Cass and I scurried over to the Carrefour Market across the river to do the regular grocery shopping on Saturday, dodging the stinging winds and spitting skies. My umbrella exploded against the wind on the way back, spines cracked in two and piercing the fabric....totally ruined! The day was very uninviting, so we organized some Uber Eats for delivery, trying out another Indian restaurant over near Shinkong Mitsukoshi. It was sweat inducingly spicy, yet tasty!
Naden had invited a crew of AFL tragics to his new place for viewing of three critical games in the last round of regular games for the year. Cass had been there before as Kristin had invited her over for other activities. I was super impressed with his "man cave"! Great stereo sound and giant screen projected on one wall by a ceiling mounted data projector, along with comfortable lounges and beanbags: I don't know how he ever tears himself away from the place! Not only did we experience excellent viewing conditions but Naden had ordered a tray or two of different flavoured "Leo's Pies" to add to the Aussie theme. A couple of pies with a couple of beers, entertaining games of football with informed fellow viewers; it was a great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.
Cass meantime was negotiating the horrors of the big supermarket on a Sunday afternoon! She's bitten the bullet and elected to host the very first "Bookies" get-together of the year. This, of course, involves getting goods in to adequately supply food and drink to the group on the night. It was blistering heat and she got a little flustered, missing a few supplies on the list, so I scootered back down to get the extras. It, indeed, was a hell-hole! It seemed like half the population of Tienmu was in there all bustling and pushing and shouting and queuing (after a fashion!), so I made a beeline for what I needed and skirted round the edges as much as possible.
We're exhausted at work today as we stayed up extremely late to watch the final throes of the Ashes test match. Despite the fact the Aussies ultimately capitulated, the vagaries and intrigue of the very best test cricket were on display. Perhaps in the afterglow of such a game, one becomes prone to emotional exaggeration but I firmly believe this is the best day of cricket I have ever seen. I'm still stunned when I think back on all the twists and turns, the roller-coaster of emotions, and the almost unbelievable series of triumphs and failures, every ball so intense, over after over, hour after hour...unforgettable!
Photos: mirrors shattered by typhoon winds at the local temple, birthday celebrations.
Cass is reading a well written book by Anna Burns, the Booker Prize winning Milkman and I'm reading a poorly written effort, in fact, it's almost comical: Adrian McKinty's The Chain.