Tag: Gee

A Cuckoo Pecks the Tree Outside Our Bedroom Window!

Sutton: A Woodpecker Outside Our Bedroom Window! (6.11.2025)

Whilst getting ready for school – our youngest daughter (Kai-Lin) – heard a “knocking” outside our bedroom window in our first-floor flat (the window is more or less in-line with the treetops nearby). When Gee pulled-back the curtain (it was around 8 am) to everyone’s surprise – there was what looked like a juvenile Woodpecker attempting to develop a head of steam through its inexperienced pecking! Normally, we only ever hear these birds “out of sight” as it were, but even then, only at a considerable distance (usually in woodland or nears forests) – but I have never seen such a rural bird landing within a city context.

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Digging into the Trench!

Sutton: St Nicholas Church – Feeding Squrrels & Pigeons! (21.9.2025)

We visited the Church-yard of St Nicholas Church on the 14.9.2025 – a pleasant Saturday afternoon in South-West London (formerly East Surrey). At the moment we are experiencing what we use to call an “Indian Summer” – providing this is still an acceptable analogy (who knows – the ground upon which we stand keeps dissolving into loose sand). Either way, communing with wild animals teaches children empathy, sympathy, and kindness. This is inter-species communication – a very important aspect of a civilised upbringing and education. From a superstitious Buddhist view – all life is karmically inter-related following endless cycles of rebirth (bundles of life-habit living through all different life-forms until the realisation of enlightenment breaks the cycle). Is this real? I have no idea – but the Buddha seems to think rebirth is a Brahmanic myth – but it is a myth which he uses to convey his teaching and make his point, etc.

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Paignton: The Gurkha Curry! (27.8.2025)

This is a very sought after place with tables having to be booked weeks in advance. The cuisine is Nepalese (Gurkha) and is exceptionally good. The children enjoyed the rice and poppadoms – and it was a good experience for them. I was shocked to learn that the average price of a burger nowadays is around £8! Can you believe that! Even curries are not that cheap nowadays and so I am grateful we were guests and not hosts. As my mother is bed-bound abs could not attend in person – we ordered a curry to take home for her! We had a wonderful time surrounded by our family.

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Adrian - Scarecrow Graduation!

Northants: Adrian & Gee Graduate as Scarecrows! (28.7.2025)

Being fans of the books and various dramatizations of “Wurzel Gummidge” – we were thrilled to lean of a local (Northants) “Scarecrow Course” sponsored by the Labour government as a job creation scheme. As this is a wealthy area – the local landowners are always on the look-out for suitable candidates for this partly government funded training course. Initially, we had to watch all the Jeepers Creepers films and learn to run smoothly through the corn fields.

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Adrian & Gee Valentine Cards! (15.2.2025)

Until this year, I was completely unaware that February 7th is “Rose Day” in the UK! This falls just before St Valentine’s Day (Fedrusty 14th). I think many people conflate these two rituals as roses are often given on the 14th. I suspect there is an involved explanation for all this – perhaps pre-Christian (Pagan) verses Christian, etc. Whatever the case, Shakespeare seems to have known both these dates. Both dates are designed to renew assertions of love and affection between men and women.

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When Radios Were Real!

UK: “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now!” Especially For Gee (from the Kids) – Remembering Spectrum Radio! (1.2.2025)

In the old days there was a thing called “Spectrum Radio” (I think on AM) that used to separate the 24-hour cycle into 24 different hours broadcasting music in languages different to English. I believe “Cantonese” (kind of our local Hong Kong language – despite being Hakka with a distinct language of our own) – was broadcast in the evening between 6pm – 7pm. In the early 1990s, I used to teach ethnic Chinese children English in the Sutton area. In the evening, our local Chinese community was much larger then than now – and we used to visit one another for dinner and a cup of tea. On occasion, and long before we were married, me and Gee used to listen to Spectrum Radio together – listening to contemporary (English) tracks rendered into Cantonese. Gee remembers “My Heart Will Go On” (Celine Dion) – the theme from the hit Movie “Titanic” – sang in Cantonese! Our children – Mei-An and Kai-Lin – have designed a post on this blog around our memories!

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