Haves and Have Nots

I have been working on my "green thumb" today. Tom had started looking for tomato seeds shortly after we arrived. It's true that homegrown (or Davis grown) are the best. A co-worker hooked us up and the sprouting started in 15 yogurt cups in mid-July. Now that the Typhoon season is about to the end, and our plants are really starting to take shape, it was time to take the next step.

Monday I ordered big pots and lots of soil; and it all was delivered straight to the flat on Friday. Today I got to assemble! I even used Tom's little saw to cut the bamboo sections for my trellises. Madison had to help me with a bit - apparently packing peanuts go in the have not category in Discovery Bay so we cut up sheet foam to add a little more volume to the soil. The good news- We have one lowly flower bud found!

Full moon and festivals (part 1)

This week is the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It is also one of the top four holidays celebrated by the locals. So, I have been trying to do some research on the customs surrounding this heavily merchandised season.

What's on the street:

Posters advertising moon cakes abound. You will find them on the walls up and down the escalators of the subway stations; on the backs of the seats in subways; and giant billboards around the city. Most are quite elegant an the images are fairly traditional.


Street vendors are selling "lanterns" for the home and for kids. Of course some of these lanterns look like light up toys kids get at the laser light shows and the night parade at Disney. You will also find tons of glow sticks and the like.


The stores are all decorated with elaborate lanterns as well. Some of these can measure three feet in diameter and are quite spectacular.

It's been quite fascinating learning about this holiday and I will share more in the next post.

Sarah's first Master's Class

Sarah is in her first Master's class today at the Flute Centre. She is performing as a demonstrator with Susan Milan, Professor of flute from The Royal College of Music in London. There are about thirty kids here and Sarah is the only non-Asian. Fortunately, she gets to second so she's getting the advantage of listening to tips on the piece from the first victim!

The class is working on a piece that they will compete against each other and other schools with in March at the Hong Kong Music Festival. While she desperately misses American competition and the youth orchestra, I know that this is a totally unique opportunity.