Why we'll be staying a bit longer

I try not to think too hard about lush green fields and rolling countryside, the slightly fresh and yet damp smell of dusk,large round hay bales, guy fawkes night, sausages, windswept walks on west country beaches, smokey london pubs, FA cup final barbeques, country pubs, herbs picked from the garden, the smell of freshly cut grass, spring when the magnolia and cherry blossom are out, oh and Sky Plus (TV is rubbish out here)

When I do, I get homesick but there are so many compensations for living out here.

1. People are really nice - I guess most people in the same boat, also it is such a small world, that no one dares be nasty.

2 We live by the beach in a place that feels like a holiday resort - actually we're moving in July. To Stanley, which is even more like a resort. Last Sunday 12 of us hopped onto a ferry to Po Toi. Had a great sea food lunch of flash fried squid, prawns, noodles etc, washed down with copious amounts of Cloudy Bay. The kids roamed around, in the sea, on the pier, in and out of boats and pausing only to grab mouthfuls of rice, noodles, back on the ferry and home in time for tea. Idyllic.

3 Time - work is very busy but we're lucky enough that we can go out for dinner or off to the cinema without a thought. Actually bizarrely given that we have babysitting on demand, apart from the weekends we don't go out that much. I play hockey once and occasionally twice in the week. M is travelling quite a lot, so I'll come back to see the boys and put them to bed and then catch up with FT guys in London, or catch up with news on line. Probably not much different from anyone else in that sense.

4 perspective - priceless; It has been fascinating for us working in Asia and I hope it is for Billy and Archie - not that they realise it now; we have met some amazing people with such interesting lives. We feel like novices. Living in HK is easy.

5 There isn't a daily grind. Transport is easy, and really cheap, Also I guess that's because although we both work, we don't have to: shop, clean, wash, cook, make the bed, do DIY,(beauty of renting). Any time not at work is for leisure. Makes a big difference. It's also incredibly safe here - no anti social behaviour, no nutters, pretty much no petty crime.

6. opportunity. there are so many opportunities here - to try something new, to learn a language, take up a new sport, start a new business, to see something different - it makes every day interesting as you never know what you will discover or learn.

7 Holidays - who needs a holiday when you get to go to bali for work, eh Mark! hk is just a hop away so we've made an effort to get away or make plans for each of the 14 public holidays we get a year. Philippines and Thailand soon and boys are such frequent fliers now, that they know where all the airport lounges are and recognise all the airlines.

Come pay us a visit and big hugs to everyone where ever you are reading this.