Orange You Glad It's Friday and Mooncake time 中秋節?

Hooray! It’s the Aussie school holidays…

The weather is warming up. I’ve unearthed my summer clothes, replenished the sunscreen, found the sun hats and sunnies, got my water bottle permanently to hand, and have started to get that frisson of excitement when you get the last car parking space in the shade…

Orange flowers looking blooming good in the park this week

Spring is in the air, and yellow wattle trees have burst into life. All around is a familiar sound, the drone of lawn mowers and the sneeze of summer.

The Wattle’s out – Bless you!

If we were back in China or Hong Kong we’d be on holiday too. It’s Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節, known as the Mooncake Festival. Families gather to eat mooncakes and watch the moon. There are lots of brightly coloured lanterns everywhere.

Happy holidays to all my Chinese friends and to those living in Hong Kong and China. I hope you are enjoying the full moon festivities and your mooncakes!

Photograph from Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong’s website

We too have been preparing for the full moon here, in slight trepidation for the predicted rather hairy week. My yoga teachers have mumbled all week about the Full Moon and everyone being out of sorts…

‘We are not even going to try the tree pose on Thursday night. Everyone’s balance will be out’

Someone breaks the ensuing silence to mutter …

‘Wise move’

They’re given the ‘get back in the zone’ stare from Ms Yogamudra. It’s hard to focus and stand on one leg when giggling…

Melbourne full moon tonight

So tonight with the full moon clearly visible through the trees I remembered I had a couple of the photos from our trip to China last year to show you. We went to Xiamen just off the coast of Taiwan. Xiamen is a popular Chinese tourist destination but it is the sort of place that if you see another Westerner you look, smile and probably do something radical, like invite them for a beer. I know and I don’t drink beer.

We were really happy to be told at the hotel check-in that we’d be given an upgrade to a room with a pool view…

Room with a pool view (remember to pack binoculars next time)

In the hotel handbook we find the following safety warnings:

Close the door when you leave – fair enough.

Store your valuables in safe box – sensible advice.

Be careful about your check-in luggage. Leave nothing behind – Oops mine’s downstairs in the lobby waiting for the very nice porter to bring it to me… Maybe. Maybe not, I guess…

No gambling – I don’t. Well maybe. Just occasionally when our horse runs…. Here I won’t. Promise

Use Internet properly – SOMEONE’S blocking access to my BLOG. Big Brother is that you?

Follow no strangers to the fun places – Whaaaaat? Come on, this is supposed to be a holiday!!!

The next day we go out and about to see the sights – here are some of my favourite signs:

Safety first! Please do not run
Shame I was planning to start my marathon training. Ok I’ll leave it to tomorrow (again)

No Thoroughfare… it’s ok the cactus wins.

It’s been China week on my blog, so I hope you have enjoyed the trip to mainland China. If you look out of your window and see a full moon, spare a thought to those celebrating this weekend. Or indeed for those of us with the wobbles-on in vrksasanas (tree pose)

Here’s proof that we’re all a little bit out of sorts this weekend. I’m off to see the One Direction movie with my girls. It’s a secret because my youngest at nineteen has proclaimed she is way too old for One Direction… So what does that make’s me…????

I hope you are doing something out of sorts this weekend?! Have fun.

This blog has been posted as part of Orange You Glad It’s Friday.

Do pop over and see Maria and the other blogs if you have a mo!

Thank you for joining me today.