Life’s a beach

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MY beach

From my previous post, you will know that beaches have featured large in my life. I was very disappointed when we went to Pangkor Island and first went to Penang to see that the beaches on the Strait of Malacca are polluted and not very inviting. It seemed that, to enjoy being on a beach here, one needed to go to a resort where the staff clean the beach in front of the hotel every morning. We are not really resort people, however, and besides we live in Malaysia now and can’t always behave like tourists. It was with great excitement then that we found this beach (see pic). It is on the Strait but, as you can see, the sand is clean and white. There is some rubbish in the parking area adjacent to the beach but none on the sand and very little in the sea. What a pleasure to lie on our towels under our newly acquired umbrella (huge plastic thing usually seen outside street restaurants in the city!) and not to see another soul. The water was too warm to be refreshing but coming out wet into the slight breeze was as cool as one is going to get here. We had our picnic lunch and read our books and dozed away last Sunday afternoon. We came home with sand on our feet and hung our beach towels and togs out to dry just as if we’d been to Raglan!

In sight of the sea

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We spent last weekend in Penang and this was the view from our hotel room window. While the Strait of Malacca is not the most beautiful body of water (those photos that show it looking a clear turquoise blue must be photoshopped!) it was so good to be within sight and sound of the sea for a couple of days. Waking up during the night and hearing the slap of small waves against the sand was comforting. I grew up on the south east coast of Africa and spent many hours swimming in the warm waves of the Indian Ocean. I loved lying in bed at night listening to the boom of the surf at high tide. Living on the North Island of New Zealand means that you are close to the sea even when you live inland. And it will be obvious from posts on this blog that Raglan, with its beautiful views of the Tasman Sea, is one of our favourite places in the world. I love sitting at Manu Bay with the waves breaking off the point and crashing onto the grey boulders at the shoreline while the setting sun turns the hills into a Colin McCahon painting.

Wellington WOW

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Last week I went to the Wearable Arts show in Wellington for the first time. It is a visual feast – models display the amazing costumes accompanied by dancers, acrobats, lights, props and music. There is so much going on on the stage that one sometimes wishes for an “action replay” button. The appropriate response really is “Wow!” Thanks so much to my friend for organising the trip to Wellington and her friends for hosting us in their lovely home. They also ensured we had such fine weather that Wellington was at its best! We wandered along the waterfront and sat for a time watching the lunchtime crowd go by. We enjoyed the art and china collections at Te Papa and relaxed in the cafe. I had time to meander up and down Cuba Street, popping into my favourite stores along the way. Flying back to Auckland I had a window seat. It was clear enough to view the Marlborough Sounds and glimpse the snowy peaks of the Southern Alps. Wonderful New Zealand memories now that I am back in the heat and haze of tropical Ipoh.

Cornwall Park

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daffodils

On New Year’s Day this year my daughters and I walked through Cornwall Park to the top of One Tree Hill. Today I walked through the park again. It was the kind of spring day that makes you feel that winter is back. There were southerly gales and the rain fell in heavy showers. The signs of spring were all around, however, daffodils, bright green leaves on the trees, lambs and calves. At one stage I took shelter beside a stone pillar and watched the stoic sheep turning their backs to the wind and rain. I enjoyed my walk very much, the weather notwithstanding, and was grateful for the very sturdy umbrella lent to me by my good friends and current hosts. I have so enjoyed staying in their home and being back in Auckland, where right now the sun is shining. Four seasons in one day!

Grey skies

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grey skies

We’ve had many grey skies days on this trip home. I’ve been asked on several occasions whether I’m enjoying the weather and I think the enquirers are being ironic. I know that New Zealanders get sick of the winter and remember longing for spring and some sunshine at this time of the year. However, I am loving the grey skies! It is so different from the heat and hazy skies in Ipoh. It is invigorating to take a walk on a cold and blustery day – you have to walk fast to build up some warmth. I walked along the footpath beside the Waikato river the other day – the wind was sharp and the river and skies were almost the same shade of grey – and it was wonderful.

Raglan

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My first post on this blog in December 2013 was about Raglan and we are back here, staying in our friends’ lovely bach on the Raglan harbour. This is the view from the front deck. I can’t really express how wonderful it is to be here. The harbour with its ever-changing hues and water levels as the tide ebbs and flows, the sea birds flying past the windows of our upstairs bedroom, the clouds casting their shadows over the green hills and contrasting with patches of bright sunshine that glisten on the water – one never tires of it. We’ve been over to the beaches every day in rain and/or sunshine – Jim goes into the surf and I take long walks along the coast, stopping to watch a tui using his clicks, squawks and trills to call his mate or a pair of wood pigeons foraging along a high bough. We’ve had the best of coffees at the Shack (a cafe in town) and sipped New Zealand sauvignon blanc while waiting for our lamb chops to barbecue. We’ve joined friends for dinner in their bach and gone over to the wharf to buy fish and chips. It will be hard to leave but so good to have spent some time in this magical place.

We’re home!

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auckland

We’re back in beautiful Auckland. Yesterday the rain was teeming down and the wind blew right through you – but I loved it. Today the sun shone and the sky was a bright New Zealand blue. I bought a couple of bunches of daffodils and they bring the spirit of spring into our bach. We took a walk through the local reserve and stopped at the top of the hill to marvel at the view of the Tamaki estuary. We went into a supermarket and bought fruit, vegetables, meat and wine for dinner – what a treat! But best of all we’ve seen and spent time with both our girls. We feel on top of the world today!

Swimming

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Pool

My usual form of exercise when living in Ohaupo was to head out for a walk, often with a bucket of food scraps for the grateful pigs who lived two country blocks away. This was a beautiful scenic walk, just the right distance, with an end point and a purpose. Since living in Ipoh my walking has been severely curtailed by the climate – if you don’t get out before 7am, it is too hot. So I decided to try and find somewhere to swim – getting exercise while keeping cool at any time of the day. Neighbours pointed me in the direction of a new housing complex on the edge of Ipoh that has a recreation club with a lovely pool. I can go as often as I like as a casual visitor for a small fee. I have been going once or twice a week and benefiting from the exercise, which doesn’t make me feel like I’m going to expire from heat exhaustion. We’ve been in KL this week because Jim has meetings down here. We’re staying in the lovely Gardens Hotel and I’ve been swimming in the pool (see pic) every morning. I usually have it to myself and afterwards can lie on one of the loungers, reading till I’ve dried off and am in need of a coffee. How lucky am I?

Rain

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As I look out of the window from my desk, I see rain falling, making the river ripple. It is overcast, almost dark, and cool, or cooler than it usually is. I love the rain here! It intensifies the greens of the tropical vegetation and gives us welcome relief from the heat. Loving rain is a strange phenomenon for a New Zealander – we usually long for sunshine, especially at this time of the year when winter seems endless. I have a growing collection of colourful umbrellas at the front door. These are usually used to ward off the sun, as in the photograph above, when we were visiting Penang Hill. I find an umbrella is more practical than a hat – it gives one more shade than a hat would without cutting off the air supply to one’s head. It is advisable to keep your head open to whatever breeze there may in the Malaysian heat. Don’t worry though about bringing your umbrella with you when you visit, I’ve got plenty to go round!

Wine with lunch

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On the days I spend in KL, I usually treat myself to lunch, ordering something like smoked salmon salad or vegetable quiche – things that are not on the menu in any restaurant in Ipoh. But almost more important than the food, is the place itself. I choose a restaurant that has white tablecloths and serves the food on china plates. Most Ipoh eateries eschew tablecloths and you often get your (very tasty) food on a plastic plate. Yesterday I was at one of KL’s stupendous shopping centres where I found a restaurant that ticked all the boxes, plus there was wine on the menu! It is rare for me to be able to order a glass of wine so I thought why not? There I was at my beautiful table with my delicious meal on a white china plate, my glass of wine and my book. In came a woman and her daughter, both with their hair veiled and dressed in voluminous garments. The mother gave me a very disapproving look, the corners of her mouth turned down. They sat at a table a good distance away from me. The photograph above was taken at Wither Hills in Marlborough on a splendid summer’s day. Now that was a glass of wine to remember!