Let’s go to Iceland

These photos aren't great, as they were actually taken through the window - but the size of those cockatoos was impressive! The cats certainly thought so; trying to hide behind the cushions as the cockatoos ate the birdseed from the hanging basket. 

It was wet and windy at the weekend, but the cycle race must go on apparently, so as we are all in lockdown, Him Outdoors raced against his fellow cyclists on the stationary trainer on the back verandah. Steam was coming off his back in the rain as he watched the avatars of the other competitors on his digital monitor. This is what cycle racing looks like in the midst of a pandemic.

And as we are still in lockdown, this is my latest book delivery to keep me amused when I have no alternative evening entertainment.

Our latest trip was to Iceland. I chose this destination because I wanted to watch Woman at War - great film - and then we worked back from there. We had a Midnight Sun cocktail, in which the main ingredients are Icelandic vodka and crème de violet. 

Our soundtrack featured The Sugarcubes quite prominently, which Him Outdoors enjoyed (also Monsters and Men, and Daði Freyr - as seen on The Eurovision Song Contest), and traditional starters, which he didn't.

There is a lot of fish on the menu and everything is either smoked or pickled, so while I tucked into smoked salmon, cod liver and pickled herring on dark rye bread, he opted for the smoked chicken and a port, brandy and liver paté.

The main meal was more fish - Plokkfiskur, which is Icelandic fish stew made primarily from white fish (we used blue-eye cod), potatoes, milk, flour and butter. Well, I thought it was delicious!

Plokkfiskur

The walk with the Walking Crew was around Cooleman Ridge Nature Reserve, where we found an expertly-built hide, and a seat by a pond.

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?