Category: Weather

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.

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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IMG_3823

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!