The last post

Together again - at last

Well, dear readers, the time has come.  After almost 7 years of posting, some years more active than others it must be said (and if I don't say it I'm sure that my good friend, the lovely Steve, will mention it), the time has come to say au revoir to Singapore and bonjour to Henley on Thames.  

We decamped from tropical climes a couple of weeks ago and the lovely C, the even more lovely Lola and I are currently living the minimalist life in HOT.  I say "minimalist", not because that was a choice, but because our furniture is still on the high seas on its way to a reunion with us.  When it gets here, we will be breaking out the champagne, largely because we will then have some glasses to put it in!

I am planning a new blog, of course, since for some bizarre reason I seem to believe that someone out there is interested in the doings at Schloss Kiddy.  The current working title is HOT Stuff, so keep an eye out.........

But before embarking on the new, let's say a proper farewell to the old with some final reflections on the last seven years in Singapore. 


Things I will not miss
1)  The bloomin' awful TV.  I wish I had known about VPNs earlier and I would not have had to suffer through years of endless repeats of whatever old programmes someone who clearly hates expats chooses to put on the channel laughingly called BBC Entertainment.  Perhaps if you had lived alone in a cave for the last 25 years you might find what they show entertaining, otherwise, it's slim pickings for lovers of Nordic noir, the current season of Strictly or food programmes other than the first series of the Naked Chef.  Seriously.

2)  The price of wine.  

3)  Feeling like a giant when I try to buy shoes.  I take a size 7, for goodness sake, but Singapore shoe shops don't really cater for Ang Mo feet. 

4)  The taste of the strawberries sold in Singapore supermarkets.  Ah, the joys of the Thursday market in Henley, where locally grown asparagus and raspberries have just made an appearance!

5)  The lovely C complaining about the heat and humidity.  Mind you, he was complaining about the cold as soon as we got here.......

6)  The crowds.  Greta Garbo would have had a hard time on Orchard Road on a Sunday.

Things I will miss

1)  The weather.  Living in permanent summer has a lot of advantages, including never needing a winter wardrobe or having to wear tights.  

2)  Our live-in housekeeper. What can I say?  Never having to cook or clean unless you really want to has an awful lot going for it.  

3)  The food.  From hawker centres to fancy restaurants, Singapore has it all, especially for lovers of spicy food.  I miss you, black pepper crab!

4)  The travel opportunities on our doorstep.  I wish we had done more, but we have exceptionally fond memories of Laos, Rajasthan and Myanmar to name but a few.

5)  The movies, especially the Gold Class experience.

6)  The Botanic Gardens and the Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay in general.  What an amazing development Marina Bay is.  If you have not spent time there, go now, right away,  no dilly dallying.

7)  Changi airport, surely the best, most efficient airport in the world.

8)  The trees.  

9)  The parking, which is cheap and plentiful.

10)  The taxis, which are cheap and plentiful, except when you really need one - on a Friday evening after work, or when it is raining, or on a Saturday evening, or on New Year's Eve, or when it is raining.  I know I said the bit about raining twice, but it rains a lot in Singapore........

11)  The Tanglin Club, especially the swimming pool.  How gorgeous was it to go there on a weekday morning, take some rays, swim a bit, take some more rays, order lunch by the pool and then fall asleep reading a book from their library.  Bliss!

12)  Our friends.  I have saved the best till last.  We have been lucky enough to make some really good friends during our time in Singapore and had some fun times together.  I hope that we can make new memories with them in the future.  On our last weekend in Singapore the lovely Ann Marie and the almost as lovely Nigel took us on a "magical mystery tour" .  It was certainly magical and it was mysterious in as much as we had no idea what they had planned when a driver and car turned up to collect us.  We headed off to pick up our hosts, then went on a tour of all our favourite and memorable haunts over the last seven years.  This being Singapore, there was, of course, food.  Firstly, an in-car picnic of Veuve Cliquot and smoked salmon canapés, then dinner on the terrace at the Lido on Sentosa, where we watched the sun go down over the tankers for the last time  - until the next visit :-).  So, Singapore, it is only au revoir, not goodbye.