Easter

Today's Easter Saturday, and we're enjoying a 4-day weekend. The weather has been getting warmer and more humid, but this afternoon it's raining quite heavily - there's a thunderstorm warning in force, but nothing too exciting. HK is quite good at giving weather warnings - the children are looking forward to their first "black rainstorm signal" - more than 70mm rain per hour, and children are told not to go to school.

Although I suspect that even a black rain warning won't stop home-schooling in the Cattermole household (flat-hold?). It carried on last week too, when all HK primary schools were shut for a week after a flu scare (3 children had died with flu-like illness, although it didn't turn out to be Avian flu after all).

The flu season has hit the hospitals pretty hard too. Wards are running at well over capacity - even the mortuaries were up to 150% full. Wards squeeze extra beds in between other beds... not sure what they do in the morgue. Not sure I want to know. In the Emergency Department, we've had huge delays getting patients up to the wards, but it's beginning to get back to normal now.

I'm still cycling to work (about 4 miles each way), though the other day I did run in. It's not a huge distance, but when it's 30C and 95% humidity, I suspect it'll be pretty grim. We managed to get a second hand car from someone in church - £700 for a 10-year old Ford Galaxy. Bargain! Tax and insurance and driving licences are expensive though. HK has brilliant public transport, but it's tricky getting push-chairs on and off buses and trains, and our flat is a mile from the nearest station.

And having a car lets us get to the mountains and parks more easily. The national parks are superb - great walks, amazing views. It's more tricky trying to get to a beach, as some of the best are quite a hike from the road. But I'm sure we'll find some as we carry on exploring.

We've stopped exploring churches, and have settled in the Alliance International Church, which meets in a school building in Kowloon. At 930am, then coffee and cake, then "Sunday school" (which means all ages!) at 1115 for group studies. Good restaurant or two just across the road for lunch too.

And on the subject of food, I've now discovered pig's ears. They taste a bit like chicken (feet). I'm not sure they'll be staple dish on the family menu, to be honest.

Anyway, that's probably enough for now. Sevens next week!