Time to smell the roses, or in my case waterlily

A longtime ago, a person I knew quite well, told me to take time to smell the roses.

I didn't have the time to do that, sounds pasay, but true in my case. Life was there to be organised, goals had to be set and achieved, that was very important to me. A certain order had to be instilled into my life or I thought that I would drown into nothingness.....oh....sounds a bit like I'm using this blog as a therapy tool, maybe I am. But the great news for me is that at last, I am taking the time to smell the roses and there are some orchids and even waterlilies that are getting into the act and you know what, they all have a lovely perfume. Some not so much as others, but it is there. Like my life, it is there, it is mine and it is something that I am taking the time to enjoy. Still have some goals, just not hammering them into everyone else that's close to me, going about things in a gentler way.

Gee, I hope my friends & family will still be able to recognise me!! My artist husband recognises that I'm changing and it's lovely that he tells me so. Take yesterday, when I came back from downtown Hua Hin, and I was very late to have been out by myself (so he said) with my fingernails and toenails painted a nice shade of pink but with little white roses painted on to the tips. Well, not his usual Beres, not the usual sensible nude colour, but not over the top either....he doesn't know yet, but that could be next week's effort..... at the Pink Nail Bar that I have found in downtown Hua Hin.

It's a that's a funny story.

I went out in search of a pedicure, meet a young girl selling them for THB 150 (that's about AU$5). I liked the price, didn't like that her stall was in a market-alley and there was no nail bar or beauty shop anywhere to be seen. I was warming to the idea and when she said THB 300 (AU$10) for nails, toes and nail art....I said, ka (which is polite for females to say in Thai).....dtok long ow (OK I'll take it).

She leads me off down the alley then up the next, by now we were 2 streets away from her stall and in the middle of 'eatallyoucan & let'sgetpissed' area favoured by mostly the heavy drinking European expats. This didn't look like a place that would have a good nail bar. But was I so wrong. She coxes me into a mall, well like a mall but with lots of Indian tailors, Internet cafes and vacant shops that seem to fit in somehow, you know what I mean, and there at the end of the mall was a pretty little shop, painted all in pink paint, looked clean. I should have twigged.

But hey, I'm trying to fit in and not rock the boat, you know what I mean. Not look so much like I've still got 'gum-nuts in my hair' and not so old!

I was meet with a lot of giggles, much pointing at where they would accommodate 'aunty' as they insisted on called me as they cleared off all sorts of clothing and mobile phones from the hot-pink lounge for me so that I could sit. They quickly made me comfortable, didn't want me sprinting for the door I suppose. The 'manager' gave me an iced ginger tea to drink and a colour card that would have put Dulux to shame. But, I was impressed. All good so far.

After a few minutes, I happened to glance up from my tea to see an extremely tall, slim Thai girl approaching me as she totter on incredibly high wedges armed with a large pink bucket of water which was slopping all over the floor. I quickly realised the reason she was giggling was that she thought I was a pretty odd sight, why, because by now I was cottoning on that, as they say in Thai 'Nun mai chai poo-ying, kow pben ga-tery'......'not a girl but a lady boy' was going to be doing my treatment. Well that's cool. Funny but cool!

There was much laughter amongst the staff and their customers, which on closer inspection seemed to be mostly lady-boy, there was a lot of big eyed looks all round but we all had a lot of fun and I laughed at a lot of their jokes, mostly aimed at me I am sure, but you know what, I'm going back there again. Not just because it is cheap and not just because my lady-boy is an excellent nail-artist but because I had a great time and yes, it was just that little bit exciting. I think I may have even smelt the roses, although I think it was more like the cheap moisteriser that they had used on my feet or maybe it could have been that water she had in that bucket!

Circa 1922 our luxurious romp into another time!

Gardens, now I have seen a few in our travels around the world!

My favourite is The Butchart Gardens which offers 22ha (55 acres) of wonderful floral display located in Greater Victoria on Vancouver. www.butchartgardens.com It's got my #1 vote.

But yesterday Chris and I took a THB150 taxi ride to this heaven. To be more exact, topiary heaven at Sofitel Centara Grand Resort on Damnoenkasem Rd, Hua Hin. May not have even found it! We had asked our driver if he had any special sights to see in Hau Hin and he said no, not really, night markets....dtok-long = OK, but thankfully we said no, just drop us outside that lovely old building.

We would still be there if my artist friend didn't have to work! The hotel was built in 1922, reminded us of the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego circa 1888 in the USA, but here it was standing amongst all of the newer resorts hanging along Hau Hin's coastline, with pride and grandeur. But the real magic of the place is their immaculate gardens with topiary which create a calm, green on green, colonial air but not just a few topiary hedges. But unbelievably huge elephants, several flights of geese, small groups of the sweetest little deer (no not pigs), a maze, did you see me in it? To top it all off, an enormous butterfly and all this leading off into the hotel's romantic shaded verandas and it's many bars all filled with wicker armchairs and tall glasses of Long Island Iced Tea, we sat we enjoyed the ambience and thought about the many exciting times people have had and, as my artist husband would say ' and are still having' at this wonderful hotel.

Then we wondered into an adjoining village which looked like it was attached to the Sofitel, turned out it was the Centara Hua Hin Village, it was magnificent....we could live there. It's a group of smallish white on white luxurious private bungalows by the seaside. Afternoon tea being served by the pool, white wicker furniture and rocking chairs.....a little bit colonial America or the would not be out of place in the Seychelles. We stayed for happy hour in the Elephant Bar where they serve Wine Flights....I hadn't seen them before, what a wonderful way to enjoy wine in a country where wine is expensive and not always of the best selection, had two servings, sang along with the excellent Philippino band who played ABBA and Elvis and nothing else.
How long has this been going on, as my dad used to say!!!

It's been a few days...but I'm back on the horse

Another day in paradise......oh, I am looking forward to writing this entry this afternoon.

Nearly ended it all.

I found that I couldn't take criticism.

But now I am back on the horse, so to speak and feeling a bit more confident that I will be able to write about my days as wife in residence with fullness and frankness, well mostly anyway!
I was spurred on by a wonderful dear friend of mine who said just keep going with that blog now Beres. I would like to tell her that I really appreciate that slap on the back, I know it would have been a glass of wine if we had been a little closer in latitudes, that's to drink not to throw about.
Now back to my carefree days here, I thought that I would share some of the great photo opportunities that are all around me here in Hua Hin.

Take these four little pigs, I know that there should be three, but it is Thailand and they are such wonderfully plump little pigs, so that makes up for it, but hey, just looking at them now, I think I may have mistook my little piggies. I think I can clearly see horns, or have they just grown them to match my mood over the past couple of days? No, I can also see a couple of head horns as well as nosehorns, shitabrick, as they say in the comicbooks, now I have a closer look I think they are cows and ah....rhinos??? I need a drink, this was going to be a National Geographic type issue, lots and lots of pics, little dialogue, that type of blog.

Well, on with it, as a wife in residence, everyone here thinks that I should have lots of knowledge about all things art and well, I will have to tidy up my act and get with the program. I will have to pay closer attention instead of walking around in a dream so that in the future I am not found out, like now, ouch rhino, cows no pigs, I feel quite silly. I'll have to check what the spa girls have been putting in my Thai Herbal Steam baths or maybe I've had one too many, Ayurvedic head massages.

I thought that I was seeing things in a new, fresh way but actually if these pigs are any indication, I'm actually not seeing anything. Note to myself, need to improve visual communications with ones self.

Art for artsake

Yesterday the resort had a beach bbq for the kids staying with them and we had a lot of fun watching Christopher paint an quick Nemo to the delight of all.

Another day in paradise

Just come back from a wonderful morning at the Anantara Spa. Been longing to go in and have a treatment, just the smell of the spa when I walk past is enough some days. But I was rewarded this morning with an hour facial, on the house and all, made it even better.
My nails, both finger and toe, are back to their usual pink tone after getting the once over on them as well....I had fallen for that old-one 'you'll love the red' when I last had a mani & pedi last week. The colour was sickeningly dark (old) hard pink/red hues and it just never seemed to dry, by yesterday there was only small traces of polish stuck on my big toes...great look, not.
Been trying to have only salads and grilled seafood, but too hard with all these lovely Thai snacks...but I will have to try again, maybe tomorrow...oh, hell, tomorrow's Sunday and that's got to be seafood on the pier day! Best start next week with my new eating plan. heehee
My pic today is of the wine cellar mitt my favourite and Christopher's too, parma ham and real Italian cheese, and their is one of Christopher's sketches in the background, looking good.

I love old Teak buildings

Get a load of this building and there are still people living upstairs and conducting their business downstairs. The day I was there, granny had a baby in a playpen amongst all the clutter of a the old wares store, she was enjoying the attentions that I was giving the baby, so much so that she forgot to offer me any discount at her store.

Views and more views of my life now

I've got a favourite Roti-man, never had one up until now, didn't think I needed one, but got one now and he loves me! Insists on putting condensed milk on my roti! Now I have to tell you about condensed milk for those of you that missed out on this delicious treat as a child or are simply to young to know what condensed milk is, well it's sickly sweet, sticky and I would imagine no, actually I know, that it is very fattening to those of us that need to watch their weight, did I say that, well slap me now!! What my roti-man hasn't thought out is that if he didn't put so much of his condensed milk on my roti, I would have another and he misses out on my 10thb until next time.

More views

Fresh seafood at the night street markets in Hau Hin, they are actually for the local Thai's but also are becoming a tourist attraction, too, the locals eat out a lot, every market and restaurant have usually got many locals as well as farangs.
Lots of fresh seafood, I watch the small fishing boats go off to sea just near where we live, they pull the boats onto the beach and wait for the tide. They must transfer their catch from the small boats into the large trawlers that come into the wharf in town as I really haven't seen any of the small fishing guys off loading anywhere, so far, but it is early days in my never-ending search for new facts to impress Chris at our Happy Hour time.

More views from my room, can't get enough!

My life so far is wonderful and above all, peaceful but it is becoming a routine, funny how human-beings eventually get their life into routines. I'm in a new time-zone but still wake up at 6am, I think I'm going to go to the gym but somehow my time is taken up with walks on the beach or grabing a taxi to go into town or seeking out people that I don't know and that don't know me, so that I can try out my Thai phrases on them...somehow I don't mind that I get a funny face looking back at me or that they don't understand! 9/10 I get some work in the phrase right and within seconds I get the correct pronouncation and a wide smile from a perfect stranger....I love travel! I also love showing off in front of Chris by saying good-bye or asking what prices things are in shops in Thai and he gets such a surprise when they actually answer me. He on the other hand says that he must really learn too, but still has trouble understanding the Thai's when they talk in English, so he's got a long way to go.

Views from my room

What is it house-attendants just love to 'doodle' with my towel, leaving little fellows on my bed for me to come home too. First a crab, then the best elephant towel sculpture I've seen!!! Vote No 1

My mother told me there would be days like this

I'm a bit angry today, my old life is trying to follow me here. Neighbours across the street in the street where we live when we are in Australia, are driving us crazy. Gee that's one of the reasons we are trying to sell our house, they were fine until I retired or maybe I just had not noticed them until I did.
But here, in my wife in residence, I can go to the pool now and forget them. Sounds like a plan, a good plan. Hey retirement could be fun.

Lunch on the pier

Went to Chaolay on the Pier on Naresdamri Road.....spilt level dining was the description on their advertising.....more like a few bits of timber hammered together with a tin roof but it serves the purpose and was clean, so clean that you could wash your face and hands in a sink right in the restaurant. Chris was lucky enough to be seated right next to the basin so enjoyed the odd splash from a patron washing away the reminants of a stir-fry prawn lunch.

Cocktails & parties - this is pretty cool!

Meeting lots of people from around the world.....Chris in the limelight....art & wine markers' cocktail party last night. Me in my ladybug outfit. Partying with guests from the resort, Frank & Stephe from Nova Scotia, they have a park called Yogi Bear guest park, what a joyful couple they are!

My first entry as Wife in Residence

What an adventure, off into the big wide world on what I have affectionately named my 'gap-year'.

Leaving family and friends to travel with my artist husband, Christopher, while he works as an artist in residence. I didn't know what I would be on this new journey, after having had a full and mostly hectic business life working in my own engineering and project management business, University Project Management, which I established in 1990, so I decided to be a wife in residence. Following someone else's dream but also trying to keep true to myself, be by own person and take the opportunity to capture some of the time lost to me during those hard years of business in the big world.

But already, after not even a week, I am realizing that the world I am leaving is not the big world in fact it's quite small and living daily with people the smile and greet you warmly is really the big world - my new world - wife in residence. I'm enjoying this already!