Summing up Swine Flu Perfectly

A quote from SideSwipe in the NZ Herald

Andrew is going out on a limb to say this new swine flu will kill exactly the same number of people in this country that terrorism, Sars, bird flu and the millennium bug have killed in the past 10 years. None. "Meanwhile, 14 died on our roads this weekend, and 5000 a year die from smoking. What is it with the media and scaremongering?"

Is it Ci?

There has been a fantastic response to Ci being lost. We are really getting help and sightings from many corners of Hong Kong. The below is the first in a while though and it is one we just about have to follow up. I know one Golden retriever looks a lot like another but there are just a lot of similarities.

The frustrating thing is I have been told today that the dog that has been found has run off again. We have the general area so that is at least something. I wish people would take the initiative and either tie the dog up or call one of the departments that would pick the dog up!

Still looks like it will be some searching again tonight. This place is WAY out there in the scheme of Hong Kong. Much further and we would be in China...it all makes sense, but then every lead so far has!

Opinions Welcome....Is this the Same Dog in both pics? (remembering she has been missing for 3 weeks tomorrow)

The Latest Flu Scare

Swine Flu is turning into the topic of the week. BBC reports this morning that there are now 149 dead in Mexico from the disease but only 20 of those are confirmed cases. The WHO have raised the global pandemic alert as they say the disease is n longer containable.

There is a great map here on the BBC showing the spread. (seems to load slowly!)

I am not a big fan of the media in all honesty and I take more or less everything they say with a pinch of salt but this could actually be one to watch. I refuse to be irrationally worried about catching a 'flu' but having children definitely makes you think a little longer. Also living in Hong Kong where SARS was at it's worst a few years ago you begin to see the panic and the precaution shine through. It's great that these procedures are in place and I am sure that should the worst happen and this disease really does just explode on the world stage we are actually in a good place.

I've put a poll up on the right hand side. I am interested to know how many people see this as a threat and will change plans and the way they do things to avoid this disease and how many, like me think that changing too much won't ultimately help you. I myself refuse to live in a bubble and although I have to keep in mind I have 3 small children so will not put them at risk 149 cases ina places like Mexico in the scheme of things has to be put in perspective.

My thoughts go out to all those who have lost loved ones or are suffering at the hands of Swine Flu.

Breaking News

UPDATE: A very kind person on one of the local websites seems to be in the process of locating several Golden Retrievers who have been found wandering. We have a picture of one of them so far and although at first glance we thought it was not her comparing her to other photos there are several similarities. The dog was found in the North West New Territories. This is an awfully long way away from us but as she was taken in a vehicle there is no reason we should write this lead off.

Some of you will know that our dog went missing on the 8th April. She made an escape when a gate was left open by accident and never returned. We have established she was seen tied up only abut 50m from our house barking and then she was seen being put in a truck by some builders. These builders now deny any knowledge of a dog and the police have said they cannot launch an investigation as they do not have enough information. This sounds harsh but I understand their position.

Anyway the latest is that someone has seen or picked up a female Golden Retriever in Fo Tan, Hong Kong. Again my hopes are raised although I am very much keeping it in check this time. The details are currently sketchy but I should find out more during the day.

Weekend Completed

Here we are at the start of a new week. The Weekend sadly involved an awful lot of rain. Rainy weekends mean relatively uneventful weekends however there were a few things happening and we did manage to escape the house.

Saturday afternoon we were at the Clearwater Bay Country Club for a reception. The kids had great fun doing crafts, going to the play room and just running around. It was great to be able to let them do this and my the sounds of it the Football Club was so crowded it would not have been anywhere near as relaxing as our afternoon.

Sunday morning saw me out at the driving range in Ma On Shan. It was a test for my shoulder and although I managed to swing the club and enjoyed myself it did start to cause some discomfort faster than I had thought. Guess I need to be more patient!

We were in Sai Kung at Cru for lunch with some friends, that was a really good way to spend the early afternoon. (Does drinking Margarita's for Sunday lunch really put one's sexuality into question?) The girls played in the rain after their lunch. We gave them an hour and a bit before they looked well soaked and we took them home for a bath and pyjamas before all shlomping on the sofa for some TV.

Although our plans were spoiled by the rain it was actually quite nice to have a weekend that was truly relaxing. We managed to re-arrange some furniture to give the illusion of more space down stairs and get a few other things done around the house.

Catherine is off to Manila this Friday for a conference and I am home Fri thru Tue. With a 4 day week followed by a 3 day week I am pretty happy right now although I do have an awful lot that needs to be squeezed into those days actually.

I will post some pics from the weekend at some stage....I think!

Back on the Blog - yes, that is BLOG

Well, after years of trying to be regular and trying many different ways of blogging I am coming back to blogger, it is just easier, even easier than my beloved .mac from the Macbook I believe.

I am in the process of several changes to my web presence, and have been for some time but things are actually moving now. I have a hosting package sorted and I am now cracking on with building a website using the new found knowledge I have. This likely means that it will take an age to get up and running.

For now, i will make an honest attempt at keeping this blog up to date again. Life in Hong Kong is good and busy so there is not really any reason I could not update this at least once a week if not more, but again time will tell!

Oh, I can update via email now which makes things even more possible, although it might result in some pretty short and garbled posts to start with.

To start with we have planned a trip to Tap Mun (Grass Island) for tomorrow (Saturday) and although the weather could foil that plan I am really looking forward to the morning out. Tap Mun is a small island of the coast of the Sai Kung Country Mark in the North East New Territories. It has a population of just under 100 and it seems very much a case of a place where life is like it used to be. It should be interesting and relaxing and the kids will get a good chance for a run out.

Hopefully we can post a story and some pictures in the next couple of days.