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 Davie 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 then Davie and I checked in to the hotel. 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 Davie is being a great help and also having a brilliant time. Davie 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!