The future?

I feel much more relaxed in myself after this trip. Yes, the future is uncertain - I WILL need to find myself a survival-income job before the end of the summer - but I am not unduly worried about it. We spend far too much time on the money mill chasing more and more of the ruddy stuff! Yes, of course it's lovely to have, and I enjoy spending it as much as the next person, but it can take over...

Whether book-making will come back into my life much I don't know: there has been the odd enquiry. My main push at the moment is to get shirt-making: people have always admired my loose, floppy shirt design, so I'm busy making up samples and such. In an ideal world they'll be made to measure, but I will have to have some 'off the peg ones too. Natural fabrics of course - linen, cotton etc.

One of the 'fun' things about starting a new venture is deciding what to call it! 'Made by Me' seemed a good one, but a) all the web domains are already taken and b) what happens when things take off and I have to get in outside help?(!) I'm working with 'Mainly for Men' now. Very apt actually as the shirts ARE primarily aimed at men, but will also suit women as well. Hey! they'd even make good maternity blouses! And of course most men are dressed by their women... I am also in the process of making an extended one as a dress for a friend.

So, watch this space... well, perhaps not this actual space... more like www.mainlyformen.com - once it's up and running!


All the best everybody - and keep in touch.

ADAM
ecologicaladam@gmail.com

Winding-up thoughts...

I just can't believe I've been back three whole weeks - where HAS the time gone??!! And what IS going on with the british weather? I know we often have wet summers, but really!!

Talking to people about my trip has made me concentrate on what I feel I got out of the holiday: I certainly think I know a bit more about myself!

In no particular order...
I feel a strong need to do the things I want to do: I am already playing the harp (more of that in a moment). And since being back I have bought myself a smart, sporty little Nissan. Ok it's not the Bristol 410 I've always fantasised about, but I did test drive one a couple of weeks ago and, yes, it's a fabulous car, yes I still think it's one of the most graceful car designs ever, but... just not for me. I realised that what I am really looking for is STYLE (something a Citroen Picasso simply does not have!). A visit to a classic car auction also removed a whole drove of other older cars that I've always hankered after. And now I have this cheerful, bright red 20yo Nissan 300ZX. Not at all what you'd expect BUT I think most of my friends have realised by now that I am not a predictable person!!

What else? Well I have made an effort to do things I've not done before, even follow leads I might have been unsure about (mostly catalogued in the blog). The majority of these have been great, with only a few disasters (Great Barrier Reef forninstance).

I have learnt the need to be less judgemental, especially about people: Our society places huge importance on how we look, what we do and even what names we have. I now realise that this is all twaddle: It's not your clothes or your name that is important, it's WHO YOU ARE that matters. I have met many new friends in some somewhat unlikely places.

I am definitely going to try and get more colour into my life - especially on the clothing front: mens' clothes are SO incredibly dull. Yesterday I dyed a selection of shirts purple, today I'll do some bright yellow. And anay further shirts I make for myself will be good strong colours!

Final day pics...

After the temple I followed a peaceful woodland path through rain-foresty woodland and past derelict houses to find something called the Wisdom Walk. This turned out to be engraved Chinese calligraphy on 38 incredibly tall wooden stele; text from the Heart Sutra apparently. They were very magnificent and austere - in very much the same way as a good set of standing stones in a remote place would be. Sadly, as I was sitting quietly admiring them, a Chinese family rolled up, radios blaring and all talking at the tops of their voices. Chinese seems to be a shouted language...

It broke the spell somewhat (my private journal is a little more succint about it!!!) but I'd had some truly beautiful moments earlier, sitting quietly looking at the view and just 'being'.

I admit to feeling just a little sad that my adventure is coming to an end: it's not all been a bed of roses, but I've had some truly wonderful times - in many different ways. And somehow the mundanity of coming back 'home' is a little hard to get used to.

Well, tomorrow I shall be up at 04:15 to catch my 07:35 flight and will spend most of the day travelling one way and another... what a lovely thought. I do not expect to be compus mentus for a day or two!

Further final day pics

Final day

My final day... (sigh) Took the local bus up to Po Lim Monastery, with its famous 'Big Buddha'. The largest outdoors bronze Buddha... and no, I didn't walk up the steps to see it!! Instead I spent some very peaceful time just wandering about the temple buildings. The most wonderful scent of incense on the air everywhere. The temples themselves generally had a selection of very brightly gilded statues under glass cases. The nice touch was the pots of flowering orchids everywhere...

Still more HK

This is the IFC tower - certainly the most elegant skyscraper I've ever seen and one of the tallest.

The other picture is of a typical HK street. As with so many places in the world, you get whole areas of one type of shop: a whole alley of cobblers; a clutch of mobile phone shops; a street of antique shops; a whole quarter of shops selling traditional chinese foods and medicines. The latter have baskets full of nameless bits and pieces spilling out onto the pavement and jars and jars of things on shelves in the shop. Perhaps it's better that one doesn't know too much of what's what, altho one can't escape the obvious things like sharks fins...




It's hard to judge prices of a lot of things as I can't remember how much they are 'back home', but I bought myself a set of Mahjong pieces in a lovely lacquered wooden box for a little under £20. Cups of coffee, on the other hand, are very much at Western prices!


It was an absolutely knackering day, but a wonderful experience. In terms of seeing the sights I've probably not done terribly well, but in terms of sheer atmosphere it couldn't be bettered!

Today (Tuesday)? Well, Po Lim monastery is somewhere on Lantau Island - I just have to work out how to get there...!