When you live on an island, you are never far from a beach. I took a walk along Bucklands beach (south eastern Auckland) the other day. It was overcast, calm and warm. It reminded me of all the reasons I love the beach – waves (very small ones created by the passing ferries and boats), sand, sounds and sky. I walked to the end and gazed for a while at Rangitoto (the volcano in the pic above). It was a serene interlude in an otherwise busy, somewhat stressful day and I felt the better for it.
The clouds are low and the rain is dripping down in Auckland today. The weather matches our mood perfectly as we mourn the loss of our beloved uncle. He passed away peacefully yesterday and we are all very sad. However, he had a long, productive and happy life and we will be celebrating that this coming week. So grateful that we are in Auckland with our family and friends.
Last Wednesday was a public holiday in Malaysia (it was Merdeka (independence) day and we’ve now been here for three of these holidays!) so we decided to spend the day in Penang. We left Ipoh early and got to the China House cafe in George Town in time for morning tea. We wandered around the Armenian Street part of the old town before lunch at the quiet Cafe 55 in Lorong Stewart, where we enjoyed an interesting conversation with our Filipina waitress. By then the sun was high and we retreated to the cool of our lovely room at 23 Love Lane, a beautifully restored boutique hotel (http://www.23lovelane.com/). After a rest under the whirring ceiling fan, we walked along the waterfront and ended up at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel where we indulged in an early cocktail. A walk back to the hotel in the rain, detouring to explore some of the lanes in the area, gave us an appetite for some dinner, which we had at our favourite Italian restaurant Via Pre. After a good sleep and a quick breakfast, we were on the road south and back Ipoh in time for the day’s work.
Travels from New Zealand 