Alfresco on the Jumbo

I have been out again, galavanting around Hong Kong but still on the water.
It is true but embarrassing to say that after 27yrs here I have never been to the famous Floating Jumbo restaurant.
We had reservations for the Top Deck, which is located on the top floor of the Jumbo with great views and alfresco dining.

You take a free sampan from the colourful pier to the Jumbo, the ferry ride is a lot of fun

There sr

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There are many “Plastic fantastics” berthed in the marina.

We had lots of fresh seafood and many glasses of champagne, good chats with the girls.

A beautiful day and a great evening picture of the Jumbo, I definitely recommend the weekend buffet from 11am – 3pm Tel 2552 3331

Since writing this quite a few years ago many things have happened in our beautiful Hong Kong.

Firstly, 5yrs ago I decided to sell my home in Hong Kong & move permanently back to UK, the Isle of Wight to be more precise where some of my family live. It’s been a struggle to settle in but I’m getting there slowly but  those of you who LOVE Hong Kong will understand no longer living there leaves a huge gaping hole in our hearts, for the people, food, shopping & friendships.

I don’t need to mention the dreaded virus that has caused worldwide disasters & upset so many lives and the reason the write this now is the fate of the iconic floating JUMBO restaurant. It closed it’s doors in early 2020 due to Covid -19 pandemic with it’s owners reporting losses of totalling more than 100 million HK$.On June 25th 2022 the Jumbo was being towed from its long held position in Aberdeen typhoon shelter  to a shipyard in Cambodia when it encountered adverse conditions when it capsized & eventually sank! So very sad to see such an icon of Hong Kong disappear, she will be sorely missed.

ESTEPONA, SPAIN

At long last I decided to take a holiday, here I am in Spain on the Costa del Sol.

Apart from my frequent visits to Italy I hardly know the rest of Europe, I visited Spain about 30yrs ago with a few friends for fun in the sun and lots of sangria.
This time rounds things are much more sedate, lots of time spent walking along the beach or sitting on the subbed reading quite aptly a Sue Townsend book titled “The woman who went to bed for a year”  I am here for two weeks but really one week would be enough. 
The hotel location is in a very quiet place with no shops or restaurants to walk to so I am spending a lot of time at the Gran Elba hotel & Spa.

   

As it’s pretty overcast and windy we have decided to drive down to Gibralter to have a look around.

Encaustic art

I signed up for 3 lessons of encaustic art, not having any idea what it was but as I love to learn any art techniques I put my money down.
Encaustic art is “painting” with hot was using a small iron and a stylus with different size and shape heads. It’s instant art with a real capacity to create your own abstract style.
Here are my recent efforts.

I hope you like my pictures and give this art form a go its great fun

Hotel star ratings

Hotel star ratings.

Local open garden day

Yesterday was the start of the national garden day on the West Wight. Local communities have come together to very graciously open up to the public their beautiful and well loved and tended gardens.
We visited five yesterday, all within walking distance of each other and spent time photographing the splash of colours and chatting about gardening tips. The English are obsessed with gardening and would be happy to garden all day everyday if they could.
Delicious tea and cake was on offer, so we plonked ourselves down in comfy garden chairs to drink tea and enjoy the beauty of nature. I hope you like my virtual garden tour on the Isle of Wight.

The old Gaffers festival

Last weekend was full of music, song and dance to the back drop of the most colourful and dressed up boats on the Isle of Wight. The old Gaffers festival had its 50th celebrations. A Gaff rigged boat has a main sail with four sides unlike the sloop which has the more common triangle sail.
I spent the afternoon soaking up the atmosphere and taking pictures. Enjoy the tour of Yarmouth on such a great day.

It was a wonderful day and as you can see from the photos I stayed to the very end.

Scarecrows

Yesterday was gloriously sunny so off we went for a drive through the countryside.
We passed through the very Picturesque village of Chillerton on the Isle of Wight.
The locals had come together to decorate the village with humorous scarecrows placed in the gardens or on the village lawns, take a look at the great creations.

First class with Cathay Pacific airways

I decided to use all my Asia miles on a one way first class ticket from Hong Kong to London.
What a terrific experience I had. First was the newly refurbished first class lounge with soft leather chesterfield sofas and the very best champagne bar. The lighting and decoration had a private club feel.

After sipping several glasses of Krug champagne I was third in line to board the plane. I was ushered into the first lass cabin. I didn’t count the amount of suites but I think there were 10, large single suites. Number 3 had my name on it ;). A large seat with another seat facing for my travel companion to sit and share the dining table for supper. Unfortunately I was travelling alone but I tried to keep cheerful inspite of travelling solo.
I had a wardrobe to stow my coat, bag and clothes, yes clothes! I was given a little blue bundle, a lovely pouch containing a set of Shanghai Tang pyjamas and slippers.

There was more, a beautiful red Trussardi first class travel kit containing lots of goodies from Aesop.

After visiting the bathroom which was big and had two windows and lots of lovely Aesop products I was already to settle down for dinner. The menu and wine list was extensive and the food was freshly prepared on board.

After the dinner service a crew member very kindly made up my bed with a fitted bottom sheet a lovely cosy duvet and a fluffy pillow. A bottle of Evian water by my side and my ear plugs in, I went off to sleep on a cloud for 8 hrs. On waking I used the contents of my toilet bag to wash up and get ready. I returned to my seat which had been turned back to a seat and the table laid for breakfast. I had tea, orange juice and fresh fruit followed by freshly poached haddock with mushrooms and tomatoes. Everything was perfect, I felt totally spoilt and cared for by the highly trained professional crew of Cathay Pacific.

St. Agnes thatched church, Freshwater Bay

Our local church is St Agnes, just a short walk from our home. St Agnes is the only thatched roofed church on the aisle of Wight and one of only a handful in the entire UK.
The view from the window onto Tennyson down is peaceful and perfect for reflective thought.
The local ladies have hand stitched the prayer cushions, arts and crafts are very much alive on the island. I have only been home a week but have managed to attend a craft class and today I made a cushion for my parents home.

And here is my master piece, I am very proud of this little craft project.

Charming Winkle St. Calbourne, Isle of Wight

Yesterday we had an outing to one of the most charming areas on the aisle of Wight. Calbourne has a lovely church and a beautiful rectory. Winkle street has the most charming teeny tiny cottages I have ever seen. What do you think?

Outside the church on the village green we saw the resident peacock, such a beautiful blur color.

We visited All Saints church with its beautiful stained glass and hand made prayer cushions.

The rectory is a stunning home, beautiful sweeping lawn and a perfect mature garden. It became cold and blowy as the weathervane swung around wildly.

The beautiful Isle of Wight.

The beautiful Isle of Wight is so inspiring today as it has been for hundreds of years. Yesterday I went for a walk in the beautiful village of Bonchurch and stumbled upon an ancient church 1070 AD
A former residence that Charles Dickens stayed at. I admired the scenery and the wonderful homes. The church was most captivating and I sat on an old bench in the sunshine looking out onto a bed of bluebells and ancient graves. Enjoy my pics of my day at St. Boniface church.

A winter scene of the church