Blue Moon Week

It was Blue Moon Friday, a rare calendar phenomenon which occurred when a full moon appeared twice in a calendar month. And Friday was that day, when for the first time in two years the UK was treated to the 2nd full moon in August, thanks to the moon last reaching its peak on August 2. The moon was at it fullest at 2.59pm but unfortunately we can’t see it as it was below the horizon.  But I hoped you did looked up the sky that night  when our solar neighbour appeared, as you will have seen the first ‘blue moon’ since March 2010, and the last one until July 2015.

♫Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for♫

CC sang ‘Blue Moon’, one of the classic popular songs for the lovers out there, as a treat. From Elvis to Ella Fitzgerald, the 1934 song relates to the tale of a man who finally found the love of his life. I guess he didn’t expected it at all that it must happened under a blue moon. I had been humming that b----y song the whole week.

It was also PL’s last day at work. He was retiring after serving for 42 years, Wow…what an achievement and we wanted him to go with a bang, not pulling any stops.  Everyone brought something for the spread and what a spread it was. I brought spring rolls to the groaning table. Before the party started, I helped JG with her ecclairs in the kitchen. Actually, we’d a wonderful time polishing off any imperfect ecclairs. The kitchen and both of us were covered with cream. It was hilarious.

I continued the blue streak on Saturday by searching for the Kingfisher at our favourite playground. I’d not seen this gorgeous cobalt blue bird at all this year although Babe had seen and photographed them thousands of time. We headed straight towards Steely Hide where the bird was often seen fishing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my lucky day. The tiny hide was packed and no one seemed to be leaving. I guess better luck next time.

It was the Rainbow gave thee birth,
And left thee all her lovely hues;
And, as her mother’s name was Tears,
So runs it in my blood to choose
For haunts the lonely pools, and keep
In company with trees that weep.
Go you and, with such glorious hues,
Live with proud peacocks in green parks;
On lawns as smooth as shining glass,
Let every feather show its marks;
Get thee on boughs and clap thy wings
Before the windows of proud kings.
Nay, lovely Bird, thou art not vain;
Thou hast no proud, ambitious mind;
I also love a quiet place
That’s green, away from all mankind;
A lonely pool, and let a tree
Sigh with her bosom over me.

~The Kingfisher by William Henry Davies~

We walked back to the visitor centre where we saw a very strange phenomena. Swarms of dragonflies out and about, patrolling the path. Hundreds were darting and hovering in the warm sun. I think they’d emerged after the rain and then the warmth. We stood there watching at this amazing spectacle when actually, I wanted  to stand in the middle of the swarm, soaking up the sound of the dragonfly wings fluttering against one another. :-0

Apart from the dragonflies, the butterflies too were out in full force feeding on the Buddleia forest. We saw Red Admirals, Peacocks, Brimstone, Comma, Whites and Gatekeepers. Just look at these stunning colours of the Peacock butterfly.

”Fair child of sun and summer!we behold

With eager eyes thy wings bedropp’d with gold;

The purple spots that o’er thy mantle spread,

The sapphire’s lively blue, the ruby’s red,

Ten thousand various blended tints surprise,

Beyond the rainbow’s hues or peacock’s eyes

~Joseph Warton~

Sunday was spent chilling at home. I spent the day clearing the overgrown bushes at the end of the garden and pulling up the courgette and sweet pea bushes. It had been a bad year for courgettes. None of the 3 bushes had produced any fruits at all. The pumpkins weren’t looking too healthy either. The salads had bolted and they too were destined to the compost heap. The green curly kale were still going strong and the leeks were looking delicious. While I was busy in the garden, this gorgeous family of 8 house sparrows kept me company. They were very chirpy :-)

“Happy is the person who not only sings, but feels God’s eye is on the sparrow, and knows He watches over me. To be simply ensconced in God is true joy”

~Alfred A. Montapert~

I celebrated my 4 day week with a night out at the Noodle Bar with the girls. RC was celebrating on having a bun in the oven. SA was toasting her birthday which was the following day. I said thank you for the coming of Eid, while CC just wanted a good Chinese meal. Whatever the reasons, we’d a wonderful time polishing and slurping the lovely meal. I ordered my usual but instead of udon, I’d hor-fun for a change with the seafood special and Chinese vegetables and washed down with cups of steaming cha. Lots of laughter, good food and good company…just a fabulous way to start the week or in our case, end the day.

As usual, I’d a takeaway for Babe of egg fried rice and mixed vegetables. We left quite early because it was football night and we don’t want to get caught in any misbehaviours. There was quite a police presence around the city centre and thankfully everyone behaved themselves. And what a night it was for the Sky Blues. Carl Baker's extra-time winner for Coventry blew Birmingham City Blues out of the League Cup at the second-round stage. Their reward for the Capital One Cup victory was a third-round trip to the Emirates Stadium to meet their host, Arsenal. What a game that was going to be. Good luck boys…

I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to archer Hasihin Sanawi for winning the silver in the men's individual recurve W1/W2 at the Paralympic Games. It was the one and only medal that Malaysia had won in the games. But I turned blue with disbelief when I found out that he won’t get the same benefits received by Lee Chong Wei who won the silver in badminton and Pandelela Rinong Pamg who won a bronze for diving during the Olympics. The reason given by the Minister of Sports and Culture was that the  competitive level was different between the Olympics and Paralympics!!! What on earth was he talking about? He was the 2nd best in the world and he was a disabled man who’d achieved the impossible in a country where the disabled were hidden away. All I want is equal treatment, not more, as the ‘normal’ athletes. Breathe in…out..very s-l-o-w-l-y…

I do love my birth country and missed it like crazy but sometimes…it was always one step forward and two steps back. Anyway, best wishes to all Malaysians as we celebrated 55 years of independence from Old Blighty. I always like the idea that Great Britain colonised Malaya and here I am. And I’m not alone. Most of the immigrants here in the UK were from the former colonised countries.

Also best wishes to Kirsty who tied the knot on the weekend. Congratulations and hoping to meet the newly crowned Mrs at the CIG conference in Sheffield next week.

Something old, something new,
Something borrowed, something blue,
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.