SUSIE MALLETT

My visitors today

Monday 17 January 2011

Michael J.Fox and the Botanical Gardens


"Waiting for the tram"


"Tea-time"




"Parrots"


" Green idyll"

"Museum of Tea"









Botanical Gardens, Hong Kong, 16th December 2010

16th December 2010
On the plane home

I wrote the following posting on the plane home from Hong Kong. It is one of many that I am slowly unearthing.

On leaving Hong Kong I was not as tired as I had been on leaving Germany two weeks previously, when I had fallen asleep as soon as I got into the plane, to awake refreshed just a couple of hours before landing.

My final day in Hong Kong I had spent visiting the Botanical Gardens. I had discovered this very small idyll in the middle of the business centre of the island.

While there I heard bird song for the first time since I had been in Hong Kong, I saw white and green parrots flying in front of the mirrored glass of skyscrapers, I watched a heron sleeping high in a tree, and I was mesmerized by huge fish swimming in the ornamental ponds full of beautiful flower arrangements and reflexions of the skyline.

I had walked up white marbled steps where cascading water was framed by beautiful red and white poinsettias, I wandered into the Tea Museum where I bought a few last-minute Christmas presents, and I rested my feet in a beautiful rosewood tea room where a beautifully dressed young girl with immaculately manicured nails poured my jasmine tea for me, and at the same time showed me how to perform the ceremony myself.

I finished off a perfect day with a final ride on the hundred-year-old tram, Back at the hotel to collect my suitcase and jump on the bus to the airport, I was completely relaxed and the exhaustion from the previous weeks of book-writing and work and the hectic days of the congress had left me.

Talking book

On this the return trip on the plane I was still wide awake when the food and drinks came round and after the meal I decided to take a look at what the entertainment system had to offer.

I am not much of a film-buff and certainly not at such close range. All those flashing images play havoc with my eyes, so I decided to take a look at what the talking books had on offer.

I found the latest by Michael J Fox which was a nice surprise and even nicer was that it was also read by Michael J fox. That was a treat as it sounded as though he was there beside me, telling me his story just as I tell stories in my blog.

I listened for several hours to the second installment of his account of life with Parkinson’s disease, dozing off and waking several times.

This was just the right thing for a flight home after such an interesting time at the Congress in Hong Kong.

I was not in the mood to listen to a thriller or watch a comedy film or a love story. I had read through the Congress’s abstract book while I waited for the plane, and for the food on the plane, and I did not want to write postings all night long. I thought that it would be quite nice to shut my eyes and listen to a story, so a talking book with the lovely voice of Michael J Fox was just perfect, especially as I learnt so much through his story that will help me when I work with my clients.

Notes

Michael J Fox -

Lucky Man: A Memoir

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned

1 comment:

Anne said...

Sounds all very lovely indeed. My favorite part in big cities is always their parks and gardens, when city craziness just suddenly stops and there is calmness and beauty. Thats why Cannon Hill Park next to the institute is one of my favorite places in Birmingham.

Sorry to do a small correction but the latest book by Michael.J. Fox is Always looking up. Published in 2009. Also a fantastic book even through im not that into American Politics.