When is a sunset not a sunset? When a weather front obscures sunlight overhead but allows it to paint the clouds on the horizon. This is MV Talassa on the Laccadive Sea en route from Port Klang in Malaysia to Colombo mid afternoon today.
Steve
Up at 4:55am, a short time later saw me leaving home, grabbing a conveniently passing tuk tuk, and then arriving at Independence Square by 5:30am for a photo shoot rendezvous in time for when the sun would rise a few minutes after six.
The purpose of the shoot was helping to promote a 590km (470 mile) cycle ride that starts on Tuesday, itself raising awareness of the Sri Lankan 1333 toll free crisis support line helping to prevent suicide and promoting the importance of mental health; a subject very close to home within our family in the UK.
Rain overnight had abated in the small hours and it was lovely to be out in fresh air devoid of its usual heat and humidity, watching the occasional tuk tuk breaking the darkness and silence to putter past and a few very keen cyclists already performing a five minute training route, their brightly flashing LED headlight lights informing of their metronomic arrival.
When dawn arrived the clouds played ball, offering a perfect filter for the photography task to hand and restricting the rate at which the temperature climbed. By the time I was done just before 07:30am though it was back to the normal heat and humidity, my glasses steamed up and my polo shirt clinging to my back. I’ve never before seen so many cyclists in Sri Lanka and it was lovely to enjoy conversation with some of them once the primary task was complete.
Petty officialdom came close to spoiling the occasion but thankfully there were ways to circumvent it. Smartphone users were happily snapping pics, but turn up with a serious bit of kit and suddenly security guards appear out of nowhere and start saying “No photo. No photo. Need permit.” – but there were no signs anywhere to this effect.
Thankfully this happened after completing the session on the steps with lions in the background and another with lions in the foreground that were the centrepiece of what I had planned, and most of the rest of the shoot didn’t involve pointing the camera other than at cyclists. The image with the Lotus Tower in the background was however grabbed with haste and as well as resolving unintended motion blur required editing out half a security guard who was equally determined to stop me as I was to succeed; although he wasn’t interested because that would mean going against a simple instruction, it was a charity that would benefit and nothing commercial was involved.
For the photographers: Canon R5 with EF-RF adapter and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS III. Ride-by shots with soft fill-flash. By coincidence I was piloting use of a WiFi connection to an FTP server on my smartphone that backed up each image in near real-time, so even if I had been asked to reformat the memory card nothing would have been lost; the setup worked a treat, even with the 40MB+ .cr3 files involved.
Steve
Up before dawn for a photo shoot in Colombo\’s Independence Square, a nice early Eighties Ford Capri mk iii was the last thing I expected to find after I had finished, never mind a daily driver with a bike rack on the back.
If I was going to have a collision I\’d rather be in the Merc and certainly panel gaps and build quality are in a different universe, but gosh doesn\’t it look ugly and ill-proportioned compared to the simple lines of the Capri. A real reminder of how big and heavy cars have come through crash legislation, noise, vibration and harshness refinement, and simply a desire for cars to be ever larger. The rolling circumference of the Capri\’s tyres isn\’t much different to just the alloy wheels on the E Class.
Steve
In my more than thirty business trips to Sri Lanka before moving to live here I was privileged to enjoy many weekends away with Sri Lankan friends and to see and experience things that I would never have done as a tourist or purely business visitor. The pressures associated with a rapidly growing business and relocating to new premises and then a long pandemic meant however that despite living in Sri Lanka for more than two years now, our last such trip was over four years ago in 2017.
In the past six months we had tried several times to arrange a weekend away but always had to curtail it. Finally though, it happened and five of us enjoyed a weekend based on the South coast at Mandalay Lake Villa, Ahangama, greeted by the view above when we arrived after dark and having rented the whole place to ourselves.
This would have been a fantastic experience in its own right, but a Saturday lunch at the favourite haunt of Wijeya Beach saw us joined by Czech friends-like-family Martin, Niki and son Adam as they are staying close by in Galle for their holiday.
For me, two worlds combined in an instant. A surreal but fantastic experience. Conversation was easy and genuine around the table overlooking the beach and all the time I was mindfully pinching myself that this was real. In the evening, Martin joined us at the Persian Kitchen outdoor restaurant just 500 metres further along the beach for authentic and delicious Persian food. We arrived nicely to watch a glorious sunset, place our orders, and then dine at leisure at this most hospitable of places run by an Iranian couple.
As if we hadn’t eaten well but knowing that nibbles with drinks are always nice, on the way back to the villa we stopped to buy seafood Kottu street food at a shack on the beach. With a pass out for as long as he liked, Martin joined us, eventually leaving late at night when our driver took him home.
One of our group sadly couldn’t join in person but this lively Saturday night was enriched by him joining via video call. One guitar and singer in person and another remotely. Beautiful Sinhalese music, the company of dear friends, plenty of laughter between songs, the warm tropical air and a lovely location.
After a good sleep Sunday brought a gentle morning, surprisingly no hangover, and then tasty rice and curry before the journey back to Colombo. The villa dogs had kept us company all night and at Sunday lunchtime were stretched out sleeping in the baking heat of the day – or were they? Look carefully at the picture below of one of them!
The weekend was well worth that long wait.
Steve
Wednesday 17th November 2021
We had a very happy day we never thought we would have. My mummy has braved herself and ventured on her first ever journey outside Europe and travelled to Sri Lanka via Qatar. A pinch me moment for sure.
A long story short – she had 48 hours to make a decision to join our family friends coming to Sri Lanka for 2 months. She agreed. Everything was organised for her, and all she had to do was pack a 25 kg suitcase, buy some Czech goodies, get herself a medication supply for 2 months, undergo pre-departure PCR and enjoy the journey. She did.
I was super proud of her for her courage and determination. She was actually the most energetic from them all when they arrived; the hormone adrenaline does wonders to our bodies! We will give her time to relax and settle in, and even though we will be doing very little sightseeing, the fact she is with us and sitting on the balcony looking across the Laccadive Sea and it’s waves is wonderful.
We dreamed of this day everyday of our Sri Lankan stay. Some dreams come true. My dear friend Mala who is always kind and thoughtful surprised us once again, this time with a lovely bouquet of lillies for her.
Steve was so happy to take the picture of me and my mummy in the same kitchen, in Sri Lanka. Priceless.
Rennie
After watching No Time To Die we went up on to the roof of One Galle Face, and on opening the door went from cool air conditioning to a balmy tropical evening; a gentle sea breeze beautifully moderated what would otherwise have been hot and sticky air and the sun was setting with spectacular clouds and a coloured hue to the sea.
It was gorgeous, so we decided to sit for a drink and soak up the atmosphere of life returning to normal; only masks when not at a table and the presence of hand washing stations signified anything different to what we might otherwise have experienced. Time to be mindful and enjoy the moment, with talk already indicating an island-wide lockdown for Christmas and the New Year.
The photo was taken with my Samsung S10 smartphone, the app being on manual settings so that I could control the exposure rather than have highlights burned out. I couldn\’t lift the shadows like I would with one of my dedicated cameras but the result still embodies the occasion.
Steve
13th November, 2021
Ever since news of its impending release, Misa had excitedly awaited going to the cinema to see Bond 25, No Time To Die. Like all Bond fans, he had a long wait though.
Originally scheduled for release in November 2019, postponement was initially to February 2020 and then to April 2020 after Danny Boyle’s departure as director. Covid then came in to play, with release further postponed to November 2020 and then ultimately to September 2021 with the film’s world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 28th. Film is the right word to use, too because it was shot with 65mm IMAX cameras to enhance the look over what digital recording would have given.
With cinemas now open in Sri Lanka we went to the top notch PVR theatre in One Galle Face and much enjoyed every minute of No Time To Die’s two hours and forty three minutes duration. No spoilers in this blog post; just a recommendation that even if you are only half interested in James Bond to go along and enjoy whilst it is on the Big Screen. The last in the series with Daniel Craig, it is hugely entertaining and great escapism in the style of the best Bonds.
Percy Pig came along too, thank you very much Grandma Susan. Sadly he didn’t make it to the end!
Steve
9th November, 2021
After their 20 month hiatus, were Misa and Emi happy and proud to go back to the classroom with the teachers and their mates? I\’ll let you be the judge of that!
They came home in the same frame of mind too, Emi in particular bursting with euphoria; Misa more reserved but clearly having found the same enormous relief.
Day Two will be Thursday, so let\’s hope this cadence of two days a week continues without interruption.
Steve
The second inter-monsoon season typically runs during October and November and this year is no different; heavy thunderstorms, particularly during the afternoon or evening and long in to the night. The thunder a few nights ago shook the building to its core, just about everything buzzing and rattling from deafening rolls that went on and on.
The photo above was taken with care in the small hours of today, the wind and rain hammering me and the camera though thankfully with the deep hood keeping the front glass on the lens dry as the wind was coming from one side. Yes, the camera and lens are thankfully weather sealed!
The photos below were taken last week as the evening\’s rain approached the shore.
Steve
November 2021
Schools in Sri Lanka have started to prepare to open the doors to all students (junior school is in already). Our children will hopefully start back at physical school tomorrow, bringing to an end the run of 20 months of remote schooling from home apart from the very few days they had back in the classroom many months ago.
It will be hybrid school; a mix of some days online and some days at physical school, with all the rules and regulations to minimise spread of Covid. New shoes are a must – especially for Misa whose feet continue to assume the size of boat! – as are mug shots for their school intranet portal.
It will be a somewhat daunting experience for them. Surreal, actually.
Rennie
