Zoo

An exciting and very active day. First we took the underground train from Orchard Road to Ang Mo Kio and a local bus (138) to the Zoo. The cost was minimal as you get a deposit ($1) back on your rail card when you return it. (Total cost each was $2.80). The bus took us through the high rise housing (mostly everything is now high rise), past the reservoirs (beautiful jungle areas), past Nee Soon Barracks (where Walter was stationed) and until we finally arrived at the Zoo. When we lived here we went to the Zoo when it first opened. The jungle had to be cleared to make way for the zoo and we were impressed with the amount of room all the animals had. Now the jungle has grown back and this just adds to the accommodationn for the animals. Aaron, Donna and Darren will not remember this trip as they were all under the age of 6. We took a motor train around to get our bearings and then walked so we could get a better look at the animals. The zoo specialises in primates but there were also lots of other animals too. It was an impressive zoo, setting, space and facilities for people. Walter made a nasty comment about the photo of the bamboons and me. Lunch was delicious - Vegetable Briyani. We came back to the city on a tourist bus as we were a little tired by this stage. The bus took us on Bukit Timah Road, Orchard Road, and Scott Road. We recognised the street signs! Orchard Road has changed so much in the past four years and is very touristy, and expensive.

This evening we went next door to the food stalls - very convenient. Walter had Tandoori Chicken Murtabak and I had Roti Prati with curry juice. Walter said that the Murtabak was not as good as Zam Zams but it was still pretty delicious and the total cost was only $9.In order to walk all the food off, we decided to walk out to the Padang area, which has the Cricket Club and the Singapore Recreation Club, plus the Sate Club. Well, we received quite a surprise because it was all surrounded by even more land. The old bridge was still there but there was a road and new bridge in front. Of course the Singapore Grand Prix was held last week so the barriers were still up which also made it a little confusing too. We walked over the new bridge and could see how they have reclaimed land and it is mostly built on - the Singapore Flyer (wheel) is there plus this amazing building which looks like a ship on top. We aim to go up to the top of it when we return. Then we walked back via Raffles which of course has acres of tall buildings in front of it - when we lived here they were reclaiming this land and it was just sand. (We are not old enough to remember when the sea lapped the road in front of Raffles!). So now it is off to bed - tomorrow it will be Jurong Bird Park and a trip out on a Bumboat in order to work out what is what on the Singapore River and at the entrance. We are still a bit confused.

Sentosa Island

Today we went to Sentosa Island. Last time we were there was in 1973, just after the cable car from Mt Faber was opened. I was terrified then, as the cable car was very high. Walter's comment of 'at least we will all go together if the cable breaks' only made me more anxious. The island had only just been handed over to the Singapore Government and our tour around the island consisted of listening to future plans and looking at derelic army buildings. Well, today we saw how those plans in place and were very impressed. We travelled over by bus on a road and came back via a sky train. The cable car is still there but did not attempt that one again. The island has a casino, a theme park and the most beautiful beach resorts.



We did go and have a look at Fort Siloso which is where the British army tried to protect Singapore against the Japanese but unfortunately the guns were pointing the wrong way - out to sea. The Japanese attacked Singapore from Malaya.

The island used to be called Palau Blakang Matu (Island of those who die behind). There was a small settlement there but due to disease people left and settled in Singapore. Those that were left died. During the 1880's the island was set up as a military post (Port Siloso) to guard Keppel Harbour and the coal stocks on the island. During the second World War it was used by the Japanese to house prisoners of war. In 1972 it was named Sentosa Island.

Eating out - Zam Zams

Last night we found that our favourite eating place Zam Zams was still there. Zam Zams is opposite the Mosque and we always had to hurry to get in before prayers finished at the Mosque. Aaron and Donna, then aged 5 and 3, loved the food too. The area has not been modernised either so is a little bit of old Singapore. We went there tonight and ate murtabak (a cross between a chappati and naan bread). It is made into a very thin pancake and filled with meat, egg and onions. You eat it with a bowl of curry juice. Delicious. See the photos of how it is made and Walter looking very happy.

Bugis Street

Well Bugis Street is certainly not the same as it was in 1974. Some of the streets around have modern shopping centres (not doing a lot of trade) and the change was dramatic, especially Malay Street which has a covered airconditioned walkway. Bugis Street is now a bustling covered local market area - this is where all the local people shopped and very busy it was too.

For the fainthearted or delicately minded do not read on - Bugis Street used to be very colourful at night. During the day it was a local market but at night it changed character. A fantastic place to go late in the evening - to sit and drink beer and watch the sights and there were many.

There was a small toilet block, where Bugis Street crossed Malay Street. Australian soldiers loved to climb up on to the roof and perform (without clothes of course) the Dance of the Flaming A... A burning rolled up newspaper completed the dance. Of course they were always arrested. The street was also full of men dressed as ladies - they were always very flamboyant. Now that Singapore is a sophisticated and modern city the place has been reformed of course! And no wonder.

Singapore

Well, we have arrived in Singapore, feeling a little jet lagged, mainly due to the fact that we left Heathrow on Monday morning and arrived here on Tuesday morning. What happened to the day in between. We travelled home from Norwich on Sunday, and cleaned the motorhome out and managed to do most of the washing. We took a taxi to Heathrow (took 1 hr 40 minutes) and we found out that the very pleasant taxi driver lived in Sheldon Road. He wants to send his newborn daughter to St Thomas More School because it is such a lovely school! We stayed overnight in the Ibis Hotel which took the pressure off us in the morning. We also decided to pay the extra money for the last two exit seats so did not have to fight for decent seats in the morning. The airbus was very good and our exit seats gave us so much leg room - a very civilised trip. So here we are in Singapore which of course has changed since we saw it last, two years ago! We are now off to do some sightseeing before we collapse into bed - after we take our melatonin of course!

Double Celebration

The birthday girl - Kylie taking a last look at preparations.

Cooking a barbeque in the rain - typical.

This about the best photo I have of Emma and Donna - my apologies.

The lineup - Terry, Brian, Garry, Walter, Nola, Margaret.

Brian and Morag looking very happy.

We had a double celebration during the last weekend - Kylie's 40th and Raphy's Welcome to the World party. It was a great occasion, made all the more special because Kylie had the Cook side of the family visiting from Australia. (Brian, Terry, Morag, Margaret and Garry). We started with dinner (a delicious pork dish) on Thursday evening, Indian on Friday evening and the party on the Saturday. Celebrations continued on the Sunday but unfortunately Walter and I had to leave because we needed to get home early in order to travel to Heathrow. It rained most of the weekend but spirits were not dampened at all. Kylie cooked all of the food for the party, lots of delicious tarts and soups plus sausages for the children. There were lots of children, mostly girls from Mia and Abi's school plus a few token boys. The marque looked fantastic - sparkly lights, lots of sunflowers and bunting. I have included some photos - the best ones were taken by Scott, which I did not have time to download before I left.

We collected Brian and Terry from Gatwick and they travelled to Norwich in the motorhome.

Bits and pieces

After hours of discussion, and no divorce in sight, we now have a budget which is impressive. The challenge of course is to stick to the budget. I have also organised spreadsheets which show income and expenditure - also very impressive!

We then proceded to pack for our trip which turned out to be a major exercise. Normally I throw clothes into a suitcase and off I go. Not this time, every item of clothing has been carefully selected and matched! Mind you, the weather in NZ is so dodgy at the moment you have to be prepared for all seasons. I decided that I would continue with the sock knitting and will knit them as I travel around NZ. I wonder who the lucky recipient will be (this Christmas or next Christmas) of a pair of oversized brightly coloured socks. As you can see from the picture the top of the sock is a little large!

We have also had Karen and Reece visit for a few days - great to catch up on all their recent adventures. Now they are off to Munich for the Beer Festival (will join all the other Australians) and then they intend to tour around Bavaria, Austria and Germany. They live and travel in a little Renault 5 camper van and are doing a fantastic job of touring.

Budgets

After a few days of seriously working on our finances, we have finally calculated how much money we really have, in terms of what it is worth in the UK, which is not a lot really when you convert Australian dollars to English pounds. A very difficult exercise, even when using a calculator! Walter has also completed a tax return so we are all clear with the taxation office. As pensioners we do not want to end up in prison, for tax evasion. However, it has not all finished yet as we now have to work out a budget that will allow us to spend lots of time travelling. So there are things that will have to go - expensive wine, a second car, all those magazines and private banking. I loved the look on the private banking advisor's face when we told her that we were now pensioners and asked her if we were still eligible to use the service! In order to make us feel better about budgetting we went shopping and bought some new clothes. Just in case we run out of money.

School visit

I went into school today to say hello to eveyone. It was so lovely to catch up on all the news and to see the very tidy (and reorgansed) meeting room. A joy to behold! Great to hear about the work being done by one class on writing blogs. I am very impressed so keep up the good work! I loved going outside to meet all the children and really miss their friendliness and bright smiling faces. It was also great to sit in the staff room and feel relaxed - no work worries! I do miss all the banter and laughter. A retired person has a more solitary lifestyle although I think I will cope, especially as it comes with less responsibility and more freedom. One child asked me when I was going to stop being 'retired' and come back to school. I think the child's perception of retirement is having a holiday, which it is of course!
Or is retirement about holding onto trees, trying to look cool and sophisticated (whilst wearing trainers)!

Pensions

We have now entered a new phase of our lives - pensions. I appreciate living in the UK - at least we don't have to think about 'rolling over' our money, financial advisors and the current unreliable economy which could shoot your expected pension down in flames. And of course in Australia you hope that you can still get some State Pension after paying all those taxes.
Here, you apply for your State Pension, it is calculated for you and then you receive it. And in our situation they have honoured the years we spent in NZ and Australia, which is most appreciated. Of course, in my case, there is also the fantastic Teachers' Pension which gives you a pension that is based on your final salary.
Still it is a complicated process as all the pensions come in at different times and at this moment I am feeling rather daunted by it all. The question still remains 'Will we have enough money?'

Chatham Dockyards and Hastings

The trip for Rudolf and Connie has nearly finished. They fly back to Australia tonight. It has been great having them here and we will miss them heaps. We have also visited all the places that we have forgotton - will certainly be returning to them now that we have time to spare.

The historical dockyards at Chatham were an unexpected find - a treasure that is hidden away from the average tourist. We arrived at 10.30 a.m. and left at 4.00 and only covered half of the area. We visited the 'wall' experience, which was a recreation of life at the dockyards as it would have been in the 1700's. The rope making demonstration and talk was also extremely interesting - they still make traditional ropes. We looked at the museum which protrayed life from Henry VIII when the dockyards first opened to their closure in 1984. We learned that there had been a war with the Dutch navy, who actually entered the bay and destroyed quite a few English ships! There were three ships in the docks which you could view - a destroyer, a submarine and a sailing ship. They were not designed for people my height! Of course there are other parts of the dockyard that we did not view so must return again soon.

Yesterday we travelled to Hastings and I have forgotten just what an interesting place it is, i.e. the old fishing area as well as the open land at the tope of the cliffs. The photos were taken in front of the fishing sheds (used for drying nets) in Hastings. Another place to return to - especially the walk on the top of the cliffs.

Greenwich

This afternoon we travelled into Greenwich, in order to stand on the meridian line and to look at the observatory of course. The museum is worth visiting. It is amazing to look at the development of clocks - some very clever people around. Sadly the day was cool and wet so we were not keen to walk around the park.

Today Emma, Steve and Donna took us to HowburyGrange (a posh hotel and spa) for afternoon tea to celebrate our combined retirement (Walter is no longer a supply teacher). There were lots of English type sandwiches (egg mayonaise, cucumber, smoked salmon, ham), scones with jam and cream, and an assortment of cakes. All very delicious and we managed to eat the lot (two stands - not just the one pictured). Thank you Emma, Steve and Donna - we loved the hotel, the special treatment and the posh hotel. We felt very spoilt. Now we seriously have to get on with our new life as retirees!

Official first date of retirement - 1st September, 2010

A picture to finish off our trip to the South of France. The beach is deserted because it is the end of the holidays. We are not in the photo because we are sitting on the wall eating ice creams.
Today is my official date of retirement. I woke up early this morning at 6.45 a.m., which is 7.45 a.m. in France, and the time I have been getting up in order to go for a run and then a swim. I also realised that I did not need to get up in order to appear at work, which is the usual activity on the first day after I return from holidays. A great feeling - so I sat in bed in the sunshine and ate my breakfast and thought about everyone at school heading off for a day of work. I then went for a run, followed by coffee with Emma, Steve and kids. Fantastic! During the day I have thought about people at school and wondered how it was all going but on the whole I have really enjoyed my day of freedom.

Last night when I got home I opened my payslip and my first state pension notification and my heart did a flip - there was an enormous difference in the number of figures on the pages. This is called a reality check!

Back to the South of France - Well the wind did blow again! And again it disappeared at about 1 a.m. so we left in brilliant sunshine, which made us all feel really depressed. Hans very kindly helped us with the luggage so that we could all go to the train station together. As he has a BMW convertible he could only take one passenger so Donna was the lucky person to have a ride in the gorgeous car. The rest of us piled into our tiny Toyota. Thank you Hans for helping us and continue to have a great time down in all that lovely sunshine - we feel envious.

Thank goodness my eye has nearly cleared up - all the cold packs and the Ibruprofen tablets helped. Scott came back with grazed knees due to unsuccessful wheelies on his bike and James came into contact with an electric fence and has a nasty burn mark on his leg. We all have a large number of mosquito bites on our arms and legs but we look fit, tanned and healthy. A great holiday!