Family Stuff

Marlow is a beautiful town. It is particularly beautiful early in the morning when the air is calm and clear. Whenever I'm back I take a cup of coffee down to the lock and watch the river folk wake up.

The obligatory shot

My wonderful parents have been married for fifty years; that deserves a party. So they had one. It was a good excuse for a big family gathering, with all of us arriving from around the globe to help celebrate.

Us lot

Mum and Dad with the grandkids

Cake-cutting duties



Another favourite spot to visit is Marlow Common. I took photos of the light filtering through the trees in this gorgeous green-lit world, while the children (and their parents) played hide and seek among the trenches.

These earthworks are training trenches, dug during the First World War, which now provide an entertaining play area. We used to play here when we were children - it's nice to see the next generation doing the same.

Branchosaurus

The Seeker

Hiding, or an excuse for a nap?

And then it was time for hurtling through the woods on the rope swing.

 

Nephew Adam

Nephew Olaf

Nephew Aidan

Niece Rachel

Niece Niamh

The super-in-law

Tonton Tweet and Dad play Pete and Dud

40: Sarawak

A holiday visiting family in Borneo was a wonderful experience. This is their house, complete with orchids and palm tress in the garden and various other flora, of whose names I am ignorant.

By the way, my brother works for Shell - even the numbers on the street make this point obvious.

There are beasties - snails and centipedes I can deal with, even if the latter are probably poisonous.

The mix of religions in Sarawak means there are Chinese temples, Muslim mosques and Roman Catholic churches all in close proximity to each other.

Some muppets on the steps...

The panels depict lucky animals such as these ducks

These ones were't quite so lucky.

More temples where people come to worship and waft incense and pray for wealth, health and happiness - in that order.

It's all go at the fish market where some of the fish are still alive and the eels are flapping away. If you look closely you can see a hammerhead shark, so we didn't.

These are midden ferns and supposedly they are a delicacy.



Coffee at the Marriott Hotel where many of the ex-pats take their children for pool parties.

Words to live by

And so to the other extreme - these are shrimping huts on the beach

And this is the Piasau Boat Club.

With a mixture of ethnicities, food is a highlight, from mango slushies to asam laksa and spring rolls.

Unfortunately, homework is homework, wherever you are in the world.

Too hot for running, morning beach walks are the thing, with 'picturesque' shrimping huts to photograph.

Some are better at fishing than others.



And some aren't after fish at all.

In the fruit market, my super-in-law makes her purchases from 'the grumpy pineapple man' - the amah chops these up later.

These are ikan bilis (or dried anchovies - ikan is the Malay word for fish). Him Outdoors ordered them from the menu to see what they were; not a great idea for him, but quite a treat for me!

These are dragon fruit, another delicacy we are told. We didn;t eat any, but they do look pretty.



And these are cabbage hearts, as used in Malaysian cooking - very tasty, if you like Brussels sprouts.

Photographic evidence of Him Outdoors eating raw fish (at the Japanese restaurant we went to) - apparently it's the seaweed he doesn't like!



Storytime is always a treat - especially it gets you out of doing homework.

A walk in the Lambir Hills begins with a scenically lit swing bridge.

Him Outdoors does a mosquito impression - scary isn't it?

The rainforest is deafening with a cacophany of birds, cicadas and monkeys. We only saw a couple of beasties, however, and I felt I was being watched - I nearly walked into this spider's web, strung across the pathway before I saw it, and I ran away from a bright orange leech which was stalking bloodthirstily towards me!

Back at the Boat Club, what better way to relax than with a book and a gin and tonic, watching the sun sink into the South China Sea?