Now you see them, now you don't.

Well the easter bunny made his appearance yet again this year!! You'd think my girls would be fed up of cute chocolate bunnies, sweet easter chicks and yummy eggs. But no.
As soon as the easter chocolates hit the shelves, my little chocolate munchers make their way slowly but surely through the easter range!!

I think that mabe they've had enough but as soon as the easter bunny leaves their goodies, they are equally psyched, to find yet more choco!!

I eventually succumbed to the enormous box of chocolate that had been calling me since one week, and this is how it looks today!!

Damn that easter bunny!!!

Exotic fruits

Living in Hong Kong we get to sample all of these delicious and bizarre looking fruits.  Markets are filled with local and international produce. Here is a run down of some of our favourites.

Olivia loves these. The longan or 'dragons eye' as we call them, resemble an eye ball once opened. Crack open the brown brittle shell ( a bit like you would a litchi) to reveal the whitish translucent pulp enclosing a glistening black seed.  The flesh is juicy and sweet. We chill them and pop them into the mouth for a sweet, refreshing treat!

Dragon fruit, Pitaya fruit.

Olivia loves these too. For myself and hubby, they don't have much taste. It is a fruit filled with water and I guess when temperatures are above 30° C with a humidity of 98% a fruit like this that quenches the thirst is more than welcome.
Its slightly sweet and filled with black poppy like seeds.
On the outside they are equally beautiful. Bright pink with flipper like growths. These flippers/spikes are  I guess what gives it the name dragon fruit.The thick rubber like skin peels off easily revealing a stunning white fruit speckled with black dots. 

Waiting list .... for preschool!!!

Last Wednesday I decided to contact the French  School here in HK as Mathilde is supposed to start in September. After looking on their web site and seeing that they should have contacted us in February to let us know if she is accepted or not. I started to get a little worried. Of all the things I've worried about while bringing up our girls, I never once thought that getting one into a preschool would be at the top of the list.

With Olivia, we applied while we were still in South Africa about 3 months before our arrival in Hong Kong and she was accepted. So with Mathilde I didn't really give it much thought.
Even though I applied and sent off the application form when she was about 15months, I didn't think for 1 second that she wouldn't be accepted.
So after speaking to the ever so polite french lady, I was told that she is now number 26 on the waiting list and that chances of her getting into 'petite section' were next to nil. I know this is completely stupid and nothing to do with this situation but I always feel that when I speak to french people and I don't get my way, its because I'm english. The french have a thing with the english and visa versa.

She tells me that she'll stay on the waiting list for next year where she'll proberly get into 'moyen section'. I tell her to do that but I'll be sending her to an english school ( that is if I can find one!!).

In Hong Kong most of the international schools ask that a debenture be paid. For the french school a sum of 110 000 hkd is paid to the school along with the 3 800 hkd registration fee and 500 hkd application fee. All of this is kept by the school and only once your child leaves the school, will they reimbourse the debenture amount. And on top of that the annual school fees close to 80 000 hkd.

I thought that with her being french ( well, she has a french passport ) , having a sister in the same school and paying the debenture , she would have her place, but no!

So off to find a school. I'm looking at Woodlands and I think if she likes it, I'll leave her there!!  So now its time to cough up another debenture, application fee, registration fee etc and hope for the best!!

Hong Kong Markets

Fabric, fabric everywhere.

The past week I decided to get my butt into gear and go to the famous fabric market. Its situated in Sham Shui Po. So I take the bus, pick up my mom and off we head with Mathilde.

We take the MTR Tsuen Wan line from central and get off at SSP. Its starting to get quite warm here now, but its still enjoyable so perfect for walking outdoors. First shop I see is one filled with dentelle so I run inside. I don't know where to look, I'm getting dizzy. Rows and rows from floor to ceiling of every pattern imaginable. Just before I walked in they were burning incense, not a stick, I think a pack the size of a log, flames and everything. I think the mixture of excitement and smoke fumes left me a little short of breath. Decided to carry on , surely there more shops like this to come.

The next street was on filled with buttons and ribbons. The stalls looked beautiful. All different colours and patterns. We carried on past  more buttons, beads, thread, craft supplies.

Finally the fabric.  Oh the fabric, its everywhere. I just wanted to see what they have and yes, they have everything. So when we go back to France, measurements will be taken, fabric purchased and curtains, blinds, duvet covers, pillow cases and cushion covers will all be made at a fraction of the cost!!!

On our way back to Hong Kong Island we quickly stopped at the station just after SSP, which is Prince Edward. This is where you  find the flower and bird market. I wanted to look at the bamboo bird cages. Mathilde was sleeping, so off we plodded. Before we even left the station, she jumped up, I then realised she didn't have her blanky. OMG panic mode set in! I rush back through and speak to one of the MTR employees. I explain that I've dropped a pink blanket with white hearts on it. He quickly phones someone and asks them if anyone has seen it or brought it in? No, no blanky, he hands me a telephone number of lost and found and takes my details.
I think...but only 10 minutes have past since we left SSP station, so it could still be there. I run back up to the platform where Mathilde is waiting with my mom. I tell her that I'm going back to look for it. I can see she thinks I'm crazy but she doesn't say anything, she just follows. So all the way back down to hopefully find my little girls blanky. I'm scanning the floor, people as much as I can. We walk up the stairs to exit the MTR and at this point I'm ready to walk all the way back to try to find this bloody thing and my mom knows it but remains quiet.
 I whizz around the corner where the ramp is for the pushchair, scanning everything and low and behold , there is her pink blanky on top of a pile of black dustbin bags. HALLELUYAH!!!  I grabbed it off the pile shook it and stuffed it under the pushchair before little M asked for it!! Gave Mathilde a big hug, I was so happy for her.  I took her head in my hands and said  ' If people knew how much Mama would have paid for that blanky, they wouldn't have chucked it away like that!!' I then turned to my mom and gave her a big hug, I was so happy to see this blanket.

So after all the commotion we head home, still a little shaken but oh so relieved. Now I can thank my lucky stars!!

And the famous blanket had its wash at 60° and is now safe and sound where it belongs!!!

You can say that again ....and again.

Olivia and Mathilde were playing earlier . They we laughing and larking about when Mathilde said 'that was fun!' Olivia answered by saying 'you can say that again!'

And thats exactly what she did, again and again and again!!! Ah , that just put a smile on my face!   

School Bus

Last week I read about a 3 year old little french boy who was left, for the whole day, on the school bus. Apparently his mom strapped him into his seat and then got out of the bus, the bus driver then drove to the school. The little boy had fallen asleep and when the bus driver dropped off the kids, the little boy was fast asleep and strapped in. The driver didn't check and drove the bus to the depot where he parked it and left. When he returned at 4.30 pm to take the bus to go and collect the kids, he heard sobbing and found the little boy, strapped in and crying.

Here in Hong Kong, most of the kids go to school by school bus. When we first arrived here, I wasn't so thrilled about the idea of our eldest taking the bus to school but they are really well organised.

Each bus has a 'bus mother' who helps the child onto the bus, helps fasten the younger ones seatbelts and makes sure the older ones don't get up to mischief.
At 4 pm when she gets dropped off, the bus mother will only let her off if I'm there and if not then she'll phone and I'll let her know what to do.
I think its a great system they have here and if its only to make sure the younger ones get to school and back safely, its worth every penny!!!