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