A lunch with a view

Our last day in Singapore and what a great time we have had, it is a wonderful city! I am blogging up at the infinity pool where we are spending the last couple of hours before we head to the airport. This morning we went on a trip in the tour bus to Fort Canning Park which is on a wee hill. It is green and attractive with winding paths and lots of foliage. We saw a Malay tomb from the 14th century and the underground bunkers used by the Allied forces during World War II. Back to the hotel and checked out, how nice to be offered a glass of fresh mango juice as we waited! And here we are relaxing back at the infinity pool, we have just ordered lunch and we have been swimming, looking at the great city views, with the pool appearing to be lapping over to the streets below! It's absolutely stunning. Tonight we have an overnight flight to Sydney, which is only two hours time difference from here so we shouldn't be too jet-lagged. But in the mean time I am just relaxing and enjoying out time here - I love Singapore! 

To the Infinity Pool and beyond!

We all got a good night's sleep in our hotel, in fact so good that none of us woke up until after 10.30 a.m. - and our guests were going to arrive at 11! Luckily all we had to do was get ready for the swimming pool, and at 11 a.m. on the dot I met Ally, Colin, Finlay, Flora, Struan in the foyer, and also Ally's sister and brother-in-law Carolyn and Hugh with their son Lawrence. Up we all went to the infinity pool on the 57th floor and we had a great couple of hours swimming and chatting. It was fantastic to see all the views in the daylight and we also went into the jacuzzi which overlooked the sea where hundreds of ships were anchored. Everyone got on really well, how exciting to meet up so far from home! We all had lunch down at the food court and again it was very interesting to experiment with new foods; this time I tried a Chinese dish - glutinous rice with chicken. The chicken was inside a ball of sticky rice which in turn was wrapped by a big leaf of some kind. Carolyn explained to me that you don't eat the leaf, luckily, because I would probably have tried it! I ordered two fresh juices from the drinks area; kiwi fruit juice and starfruit juice. Both were gorgeous, my favorite was the starfruit juice, it was an unusual but attractive taste. After more chatting we said our farewells and headed for Chinatown. It was well worth seeing, very picturesque and a huge contrast with the high towers that surround it. The narrow streets were lined with little shops which were open at the front selling clothes, medicines and souvenirs, and along the streets were hung coloured paper globes. There were statues of cows and a temple. The clothes were very cheap, and with James' encouragement I bought two dresses, a kimono, and a blouse all for under £30! I'm not a great shopper, especially on holiday, so it was quite unexpected and exciting. The boys had gone on ahead and we met up with them in a little cafe where they were drinking coconut milk out of whole coconuts with the tops lopped off! I ordered one for myself and it was delicious, James had a Tiger Beer. the waiter and waitress were staring at Jamie's t-shirt which had some Chinese lettering on it, they came over to have a closer look and then burst out laughing! We asked them to tell us what it meant but they couldn't explain, so either it means something rude or (more likely) nothing at all, just pretend Chinese characters! Then it was time for our night-time safari to Singapore Zoo. This was recommended in the guide book and sounded a bit different, and a good idea because so many animals are nocturnal. So we took a bus to the zoo and went to a show and on the tram ride. It was all very well organised and the animals seemed well-cared for, however it was a bit too crowded and organised for me - and also I just don't like zoos, never have. I don't mind wildlife parks but I don't like to see animals cooped up. We certainly saw plenty of wide awake animals from the tram but I wasn't sorry to leave and we headed back into the centre of Singapore and went for drinks to Clarke Quay. It was much more lively than it was yesterday lunch-time, there were lots of people, music and it had a great atmosphere. We sat beside the Singapore River chatting and laughing, the five of us together. I felt so very happy!

Singapore Slings

I'm writing this blog in our room at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, it's a great hotel of which more later. But I'm writing in a hurry because it's costing 8 Singapore dollars an hour and I've got lots to relate. First of all was our 13 hour flight from London to Singapore, the longest flight that any of us has been on. I was very sensible and watched one film (Unknown - a pleasant but rather predictable thriller) then tried to sleep. I think I managed about 5 hours in total and I have felt fine today, unlike the other members of the family who watched two films and in David's case lots of episodes of the Simpsons as well. Today Davie could hardly stay awake and everyone was more tired than me which made me feel very smug. The seat back screens had a screen where you could follow the flight path, it was amazing to think that we were crossing countries like the Ukraine, Nepal, and past Thailand. There was also a camera on the tail of the plane that was very interesting especially as we came into land. We were seven hours forward in time when we landed and we were too early to check into the hotel so we put our bags in left luggage and set off to see Singapore. We jumped on a bus tour to Clarke Quay but when we all got off David didn't see us go and stayed on the bus! Alasdair started running after the bus and I hailed a taxi and said "Follow that tour bus!" The taxi driver thought it was hilarious and was saying "Which son? How many sons do you have?" as we sped along. We picked Ally up on the way but when we caught up with the tour bus the driver told us that Davie had got off and was heading back. So back we went in the taxi and finally we all met up safe and sound. After all this excitement we decided that we deserved some lunch so we went to a wee grill restaurant on Clarke Quay overlooking the water. I was surprised at how quiet it was, maybe the waterside areas are quiet on a Monday lunch time. The waiter was very friendly and was telling us that the Malaysians kicked Singapore out of their alliance but now they are jealous of the Singaporeans because they are so prosperous. He also told us that the laws are very strict in Singapore; last month he was fined 300 dollars for flicking a cigarette butt into the river. Then we went on a boat trip up the Singapore river and into the harbour area. The weather was beautiful and we had great views, it's really interesting how Singapore is such a mix of old and new. Two hundred years ago it was just a swampy island before Raffles spotted its potential as a trading post, and now you have beautiful old colonial houses right beside towering skyscrapers, with a huge mix of nationalities. We then decided that we would go to Raffles Hotel for the touristy reason of drinking Singapore Slings! It was wonderful! We went upstairs to the Long Bar and James and Jamie got their Singapore Slings, while I was delighted that they have a non-alcoholic version so I didn't feel left out! We all enjoyed our drinks and the experience was enhanced by the great decor of the bar. It looks old-fashioned with dark wood (although I know it has been refurbished 10 years ago), and there are mechanical straw fans on the ceiling moving back and forth on a metal rod, it looks so good. Every table has a large box of monkey nuts in their shells which the waiters refill from big sacks, and which the customers then eat and throw the nut shells on the floor, which made it rather crunchy to walk on! When I asked the waiter why, he explained that it is a Malaysian custom. The boys pointed out that this still doesn't really explain why! Back on one of the tour buses for our short journey to the Singapore Flyer - it's a whole 5 metres taller than the London Eye (competitive?) and we were very lucky that it was quiet and we got a whole gondola to ourselves which was lovely. The weather was lovely too and we could see miles to Malaysia in the north. From the top of the flyer you can also see a huge number of ships lying off shore. Oh dear I fell asleep just now, I must finish this blog quickly and then get some rest. We walked back to our hotel across the double helix pedestrian bridge, more great views. After we checked in and went to see our rooms (very nice, great views, 15th floor), we went for a swim in the hotel's roof top infinity swimming pool, it was amazing. This is all thanks to Ally who suggested going to this hotel in the first place because he saw it on television. We swam about as the sun set and the lights came on in all the buildings across the harbour. Finally we had a fabulous dinner at the Food Court across from the hotel. There was a huge choice of foods from all around the East - Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, China etc. And it was hard to choose! Finally we all chose something and ate it up - Jamie and Ally found their Char Sui to be rather strange tasting, it was served on a banana leaf. Well I must go, I keep nodding off! 

Fun in Paris

We have just had the most amazing two days in Paris! On Friday we all walked down the Champs Elysees and the teachers all had a wonderful lunch at the George V restaurant. I had a delicious strawberry, pineapple and banana juice and a croque madame. The sun was shining and we were all chatting and it was a very happy time. We met up with the pupils to visit the Arc de Triomphe, then it was off to Trocadero to get a great view of the Eiffel Tower. Then Montmartre where we strolled the narrow streets and me and my pupil with autism had drinks in a cafe in the Place du Tertre. It was great watching the artists and soaking up the atmosphere. Going by coach from place to place was ideal because tramping around Paris can be very tiring, so being picked up at pre-arranged meeting places was a life saver. Our bus driver is extremely knowledgable about Paris and gave us a fantastic commentary about all the places we passed. He was training up the other bus driver and when he drove round the Arc de Triomphe for his first time we all cheered! Then Saturday morning we went back into Paris to go on a river cruise then up the Eiffel Tower. The sun came out just as we got to the top! Davie hasn't been in Paris since he was two so he was having a ball. Them we began the long journey home. At Dover I moved to Bus 2, after saying farewell to pupils and colleagues in Bus 1, and when I arrived on my new coach the staff had set aside seats for me and David with signs that said "First Class" and chocolates & drinks on the seats! We all had a good laugh and chat for the hour and a half journey to Heathrow. The drivers very kindly dropped us right at the Sheraton which I had reserved. More farewells than David and I checked in. I have such mixed feelings about the trip being over! It was thoroughly exhausting & hard work but also tremendous fun and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! 

Disney Days

Well here I am, three days into our school trip to Paris and I have decided to nip down to reception in the hotel to do a wee bit of blogging now that all the pupils are asleep (probably). This is taking longer than I thought because some of the keys seem to be in different places on this French keyboard, the "a" is in a very annoying place and so is the full stop. Anyway, we have spent the first three days at Disneyland and it has gone really well so far. Of course, like any school trip there have been a few minor injuries and behaviour issues, and it takes forever to get the pupils to settle down to sleep, but it is great fun and the pupils are loving it. I am very proud of my pupil from the base in particular who is coping very well, and David is being a great help and also having a brilliant time. David and I have been to Disneyland Paris twice before, so there is a pleasant familiarity about it, and I have revisited lots of favourite rides including of course my all time mad favourite; "It's a Small World"! Over the three days we have visited both parks. I have started each day accompanying a group and then later I meet up with my colleagues for lunch and the teachers all go around together in the afternoon. I really like the group of teachers that are on this trip; I knew some of them well already but not all of them, and it has been nice getting to know them better. We have a good laugh about all sorts of things. Although I have experienced Disney before there is still a bit of magic about it! The fairytale castle, the rides big and small, the parades, children hugging the characters; whatever it is, it is all done very well. As we were about to leave tonight I walked over to the end of the Main Street for a farewell look at the castle, bathed in a glow of rosy evening light. Tomorrow we are off to Paris! 

On the bus to Paris

We're on our way to Paris, on a school trip. David is also on the trip to help me to support a pupil with autism. It's 2 a.m. and we have just gone back on the motorway after stopping at Toddington Services which I am told is near Milton Keynes. We have been on the road since 6.30 p.m. but the pupils show no signs of flagging and are still laughing and talking! After watching a pleasant enough rom com "Just go with it" I managed to get a bit of sleep, maybe just over an hour. And now I'm wide awake so I thought I would blog. I can hardly believe that I will not be back home until 17th July - due to our family holiday being immediately after this Paris trip. David and I will make our own way from Dover to Heathrow on Sat 25th June. David is sitting happily chatting to the pupils across from me. It has taken a lot of preparation both at home and at work to be ready for this trip so I'm glad that we're on our way. After I said goodbye to Jamie and Ally today, Jack cat met me at the front door and rubbed against my legs as I patted him. I'm sure that he knew we were going away because he watched me packing and he knows what suitcases mean! He watched from the front steps as we headed up to school by taxi. At least he will still have the other three of us for company this week, then I have arranged for Hugh to feed him. I decided that despite being a bit lonely he will be happier in his own house at his age than in a cattery by himself without Jill. I would like to blog when I'm on holiday but I think it will be too expensive from my phone so I will see if I can get Internet access from hotels. I'm feeling sleepy again so will try to have a snooze. 

Dancing the night away

On Friday the staff from the base went for our summer term night out. I was very tired and didn't really feel like going, however I had offered Chris a lift so I went in. It was in O'Neill's in Merchant City. It turned out to be a great evening, everyone was in good form and having good chat. The highlight for me had to be the dancing; there was a band who were quite good and I went up to dance with Catherine, then everyone joined in. I had forgotten how much I love dancing, it makes me feel very free. When I was a teenager I used to go dancing a lot, and when I started going out with James we sometimes went to discos but James hated it so we stopped going. However when we were married and when the children were little I still used to put on music and dance around the house all the time, and I don't remember when or why that stopped. Anyway I loved last night, it was so fun and we had a really good laugh. Today I had lunch in Windows restaurant with Maggie, Helen, Libby and Wendy. As usual it was a pleasant and relaxing lunch with these lovely friends, we have all known each other for about forty years! We can talk about anything, we have all had our ups and downs and have been there for each other during them. Then I came home and started my packing for the holidays! 

David is home!

Davie arrived back from his school exchange to France this evening. It's great to have him back and it sounds like he had a great time. He visited Annecy and went on a boat round the lake. He also went to the cheese factory in Thones where they make different types of cheese including Reblochon. He says it stank but he likes Reblochon cheese. Antoine's family made him very welcome again and he spent time at the open air swimming pool in the the town, and came back sunburned. They went for a walk above the Grand-Bornand north east of Thones to a mountain hut where they had lunch. And he went to lessons at Antoine's school which he found interesting. I think the highlight for him was the wedding he went to; it was Aline's brother and there was lots of eating and dancing. The family sent back a lovely souvenir book of photos and there are lots of the wedding, David looked very smart in his new Hollister shirt with jeans. A successful trip. For the last few days Jamie has been helping me at school between 4.30 and 7.30 by sorting out all the Duke of Edinburgh equipment while I have worked on admin, he has been really helpful. He is keen to spend some more time travelling in Australia this summer so I have changed his flight home to the 21st August so that he can stay on. I'm a bit worried that he will be lonely but he is sure that he will meet people and he is really keen to make the most of his summer because from next year his holidays will be much shorter. Ally is enjoying his post-Higher programme at school, he has been to a presentation skills session and a "Navy Day" as well as working in the stage crew for the school show which is this week. Today he went to a Career Insight Day at a lawyers' firm in Edinburgh called Brodies where he did a mock case scenario and found out about routes to being a lawyer, if that is what he decides to apply for. He also likes politics and history. Tonight he's going to the after show party at school, I hope he's learned his lesson from the horrible experience he had two years ago when he got very drunk and was very sick afterwards. Grandma was round for tea tonight, she didn't seem very well and thinks she ate something bad when she was out with her friends on Monday, I hope she's ok. 

A Summer Wedding

On Saturday James and I went to Robin and Carole's wedding. We set off in plenty of time and stopped at Elie for lunch, but service was rather slow in the cafe and we ended up rushing to Crail where the wedding took place. Luckily the church was on the main road and easy to find, we hurried in and were by no means the last to arrive. There were plenty of familiar faces of friends and family around the church, which was a nice shape with three sections of seats sloping down to the pulpit. Carole was a beautiful bride, her dress was gorgeous with a strapless bodice and a long skirt with a train, and her hair was lovely. The service was very personal and friendly. Then we went to the Fairmont St Andrews and checked in before going to the reception at the Kinkell Byre a short distance away. What an amazing venue for a reception! It's a big old barn and has deliberately been left very natural with stone walls and a patched up roof; it was lit with lots of fairy lights which gave it a great atmosphere. The tables and chairs had a pale blue and white colour scheme with beautiful flowers. We met up with lots of people while the photos were being taken, then sat with Bill, Katy, David and Sue at dinner. The speeches were lovely, it was a typical Scottish wedding with dinner and dancing, a really happy occasion. We had a great chat with Chris and Jodie who were there with their three gorgeous little boys. There were a few other children too including Juliet and Chris' two little girls, and they all behaved really well; it helped that there was a separate area for them to run around and relax in, so they didn't have to sit at a table for hours. After a brilliant evening we got on one of the buses provided back to the Fairmont. Our room was on the third floor and it had a view over the golf course. We both slept very well and in the morning we went down to a sumptuous breakfast in the Atrium area, then said our goodbyes and went to the spa for a swim.
Meanwhile Jamie had been at Accident and Emergency in Dundee! On Friday night he fell while crossing the road and thought that he had twisted his ankle but by Saturday it was still very swollen so he had it x-rayed and he has broken two bones in his foot! He is to wear a sort of "moon boot" for the next four weeks and it is very sore, and of course he can't drive yet, so on Sunday afternoon James and I went from St Andrews to Dundee to collect him and bring him home. He was pleased that we had the bigger car because we were able to bring home his bikes too, although he won't be able to ride them for a while! On the way home I got a text from David who is on his exchange trip in France to say that he enjoyed attending a wedding in France and said that there will be photos of him dancing because he drank lots of champagne and whisky! He said that the wedding had four stages, lots of food and drink and the party lasted from one in the afternoon until four in the morning. Marjory and Forrest then came round for tea with the children, we had a pleasant time chatting, they will be going to Crail soon for a holiday. Jamie and Ally have been chatting non stop since Jamie got home, they do like each other's company! 

Happy Birthday Prince Philip

This week I was on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition and today happens to be the Duke's 90th Birthday! The expedition went really well although we were not very lucky with the weather. It was quite rainy on and off especially in the evening, so after dinner with the rest of the staff we all went off to bed rather early because it was quite chilly as well as damp. I had hired a wee bothy for £5 and I planned to sleep there. The staff all had dinner on the covered area outside it. I thought it would be comfy (it has bunk beds) and would save me the trouble of pitching my tent. However it was really grotty and the rest of the staff wound me up about it, pointing out the holes in the floor which they said would let in rats or maybe even foxes! And that the mattresses looked as if they had mice nesting in them. One of my colleagues even made a pretend poo out of earth and put it in on a mattress! At least I hope it was pretend! So in the end I decided to sleep in the car. I reclined the front seat and got into my sleeping bag. At first I was quite cosy but during the night it got very cold so I kept waking up. Not the best sleep. The weather continued mixed the next day but the good news was that the pupils all did really well and passed the expedition section of their awards. Our assessor was a good laugh and told us all sorts of stories about his life, including meeting the Duke of Edinburgh on numerous occasions because of being involved with the award for many years. Shona was doing a supervised assessment with him and she passed it and is now fully qualified, so now we have our own assessor, hooray! By the afternoon the weather had brightened up and we all ended up sitting outside a pub in warm sunshine while the pupils got their feedback. I was so proud of the whole lot of them, they literally screamed with delight when they were told that they had passed! The girls that is, the boys were suitably cool about it, but were pleased too. Moments like that make it all worthwhile! 

The gang's all here!

"The gang's all here!" is something my Dad used to say when the four off us were all together. He said it on the day before he died when Jennifer arrived back from Africa to see him and the four of us were together in the hospital. It's a phrase that always reminds me of him, and I think of it in relation to my own children and James - I like nothing better than the five of us being together. This of course used to be all the time but since Jamie went to University in Dundee four years ago it has become rarer and thus more to be treasured. Of course I know how lucky I am that he is only an hour and a half's drive away, but I still miss him. And I will miss Ally and Davie just as much when they move out, although I know that it's a good thing for them to "fly the nest" - the alternative would be them all living at home when they were forty with me looking like Granny out of the Beverley Hillbillies! Anyway he arrived back this weekend to bid farewell to his friend Chris who is going to spend the summer in America teaching soccer, so we will all be having tea together shortly. However we have all spent a very diverse weekend; Ally and Davie at parties, Jamie out, James hill-walking, me at book club. So I am thinking about Australia and how nice it will be for us all to spend three weeks together on our big adventure!
Book club was great on Friday evening, it was a lovely warm day and we all sat in the beautiful garden at Doreen's house and had a great discussion about "The Man with the Wooden Hat". I also got lots of ideas for holiday reading and Lesley was telling us about a literary magazine that she subscribes to. It was a very pleasant and summery evening.
On Saturday James and I went over to Margie and David's for dinner in Howwood. We haven't seen them for ages and it was good to hear all their news, they have bought a house in Largs that they are going to retire to in a few years. They are both looking very well and happy. Dinner was absolutely delicious - gorgeous stew with dumplings (by coincidence we had been discussing earlier in the day how we both like dumplings!) and a magnificent summer pudding.
I hear James reversing up the drive after his hill walk up Beinn Maol Chalum so I'm off to finish making tea with Jamie, for the whole gang!

All the right words but not necessarily in the right order

It's a new month and very exciting because we will be going on holiday at the end of it! But also a lot to do before we go both at work and at home! On Monday (the last day of the holiday weekend) I worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on my final Diploma essay. It is weeks since I worked on it so it took me ages to get back up to speed on it, but after a couple of hours I was into my stride and I worked really really hard. At 6.30 Grandma came for tea and we had a pleasant meal and chat, at 9 o'clock I excused myself and went upstairs to continue working - and the great news is that by midnight I had finished the first draft of my essay. I am very happy with the content, and the quotes are all properly referenced. All it will need in a few days is a final going over to make sure it reads smoothly and to make any adjustments necessary. It reminds me a bit of the Morecambe and Wise sketch where Eric is playing Grieg's piano concerto really badly. Andre Previn gets annoyed with him and tells him that he is playing "all the wrong notes". Eric then grabs Andre Previn by the lapels and says "I'm playing all the right notes - but not necessarily in the right order." Well that's my essay! 

Finishing the first draft means that I will definitely be able to post it off before the holidays.