Michelle

Popped in to see Karen's friend Kelly to drop off all the clothes we brought back from Australia.Although she loved looking at all the goodies in the bags she was a bit reserved and hardly managed a smile until we left - she's still very cute though!


Her big brother Christopher is very grown up now and they get on really well.

Funny old week

Not much to report since we returned home (it feels less like home than it has on previous trips - we definately feel part Aussie now)

The decluttering has begun again and I've scanned 9 photo albums and ripped 40 CDs. The 'to-do' list seems endless but hopefully we have a few months to get things tidied up before we start the final Visa preparations.

The house will need a good sping clean soon but I'm not in the mood yet. Its in fairly good nick so very little decorating to do (just the downstairs cloakroom) and the garage roof has been replaced - a good selling point!

Still finding I wake earlier and am ready for bed by 9.30 but I can live with that. Off to Lakeside today for a good browse while Clive goes to football.

Home again

We've been back in the UK for almost a week and are still trying to get used to the low temperatures - about 25 degrees below what we've been used to for the last couple of months. At least the sun has appeared a few times but its bitterly cold out there.

Been playing in the craft room starting to get samples ready for future classes and I made it to Charlewood yesterday for a lovely make-and-take. It was good to be back with friends again and catch up with all their news.

We were looking forward to our final European holiday at Easter to Rome, a place we both wanted to visit, but sadly the tour was cancelled. Still, the money saved will pay for several weekends away in the UK before we finally make our home 'Down Under' next year.

Singapore Orchids

There's not a lot to say really except to say this is an amazing collection of hundreds of different species of orchid. People like to jog here in the early morning or practice Tai Chi but by 11.00 it was steaming hot at 35 and very hard to keep dry.

The individual pictures of orchids speak for themselves - I took over 200 pictures in 36 hours so can only share a fraction of them!

Singapore Stopover

We spend two fantastic days in Singapore making the homeward journey more bearable The Pan Pacific hotel in Marina Bay was fantastic - surrounded by shopping malls, a SIA bus-stop right outside but within walking distance of several attractions

We arrived at dusk having lost a few hours along the way. Quick supper in the Marina square complex - Japanese style set meal (not Sushi though)

Our room was on the 32nd floor with fabulous views over the city.
The sun set over the Mandarin Orient hotel opposite us on the other side of Raffles Boulevard

This is the view from the window. The sunblind and roman blinds were opperated by a remote control as were the aircon and lighting system

The strange roof of the conference centre is lit up at night an changes colour constantly The amazing Helix bridge is for pedestrians only and leads to the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel

The roof of the hotel has a huge infinity pool, casino, tree lined walkways and fantastic 360 degree views. As my legs were turning to jelly in our hotel glass lift I gave it a miss and treated myself to a fishy foot spa instead!

The high humidy produces storms from time to time - we got back to the hotel just before this one

Those people were braver than me!
The Singapore Flyer is like the London Eye but bigger

Not many shopping centres have a Salvdor Dali original sculpture but this one has several!

Clive on Marina Bay

The fish nibbling my toes - once you get over the tickling sensation its quite nice and leaves your skin soft and smooth

CBD - storm approaching

Afternoon tea on a Venetian canal in the Marina sands shopping Mall - surrounded by designer shops - Channel, Gucci......... the list is endless.

The theatre there is about to premier the first Asian production of the Lion King show and several of the cast were staying in our hotel. Hotel and show packages begin at around £600

The skating rink is a good place to chill out

The lotus shaped building is a fabulous museum and art gallery

Suntec City is a good place to eat out - the clientel varies - like my Lamborgini?

Night view from the lift - thank goodness it didn't have a glass floor too. Don't think I could have managed 32 flights of stairs

The 'lucky' fountain is stunning at night and is in the Guiness Book of records - sadly we missed the laser and water show as we were on our way back to the airport!

St Andrews Cathedral

View from the poolside - the round building on the top is a fabulous restaurant and if you look closely you may even see the window cleaners doing our room

The famous Raffles Hotel - they do a great Singapore Sling which leaves you legless - much safer to stick with afternoon tea or morning coffee.