Tuesday 20th January

Tom and I were left to our own devices today. Our plan was to be home late afternoon so rest up before going out to Agnes' parents' home for our goodbye meal, however, Tom had the bright idea to call in Singapore airline office to reserve seats on our homeward bound journey.

Toilet attendant took his dad along for the ride!!

Amanda!! Come on open a shop!

The woman in the pink shirt ad tailed us all day

Honestly, she started off with us, alighted with us at Bugis, 

was in the market when we were, and travelled back with us!

Creepy!!

Lunch in Chinatown, our second and ultimate visit

And yes, I shared a beer yum yum

Goodbye Singapore!! A Kopi (iced coffee) 

at the facilities in housing block where Joe and Agnes live

Wednesday 21st January

How can this be January, I hear you ask! Summery looking pictures and no coats. Temperatures of 26c - 30c in Singapore. Travelling to Darwin today into 34c probably and wet! Wet I can do, heat takes a little concentration on to cope with

A taxi picked us up from Joe and Agnes' home, arrived at Changi airport with two hours to spare!

All duly checked in online, seats also reserved, so just drop the bags off and go in search of breakfast 

Kaya toast and boiled egg. Tea with no milk is my usual beverage, however, I let Tom order, he forgot my preferred cuppa! I can do this, one mouthfull proved the task impossible as it was made with condensed milk! You know, the thick sweetened variety! 

Kaya, pronounced KY YA, is basically coconut jam. When in Rome ........ It wasn't too bad an experience. 

Our little plane, a Boeing 737, and not small at all, was half an hour late leaving Changi, quite a few fussy and slow passengers!!

When we were about to descend an announcement was made with these particular people in mind. Like, 'this would be a good time to visit the toile and stow your hand luggage in thre overhead lockers' three quarters of an hour before! 

We arrived in Darwin hlf an hour late as a result of all the messing about at Changi.

Tim and Dale watched our approach into Darwin on an app

Flight radar 24

These next pictures were what they saw

Tim arrived at the airport to pick us up saying that we'd flown in over their property in Goy Road

Technology is amazing!!

So, we've arrived safely, now I begin my four weeks here.

Tom will stay for one week, then he's off to Adelaide to begin his whistle stop tour of Australia with a three day ride on the Ghan, the railway from here to Adelaide.

Thank you for being part of my trip so far, hopefully there's more to come.

Love, as Austin calls me,  Grandma Rosie xxx

Chinatown
Joe and Agnes went to work as is normal on a Monday morning. Tom and I were left to breakfast and start the day on our own today

The train is about ten minutes walk from the apartment which in the morning is cool, 24c. We appreciate the covered walkway, many women use umbrellas for shade. These are cleverly constucted for sunshade being lined with sun repelling material.

Chinatown is mostly a busy market area. Many tailoring stalls are to be seen, Tom was accosted more than once regarding his lack of a suit! Unknown to the market traders this is not Tom's preferred atire at the best of times!

This is the run up to Chinese New Year, there are beautiful decorations on display.

The colour orange was almost too strong to look at

Sweets, wrapper, decorations, toys, furnishings all tempting to buy.

 My first sightings of street pigeons were outside the oldest Hindu temple 

We duly took off our shoes to walk around the public area

I was aware that this wasn't the cleanest of places which we had visited. 

The public conveniences were to be avoided! 

Thinking of Holy Trinity Hadley, a village Christian church, I was reminded of it's beauty in its  simplicity, of it's facilities which are to be updated and the need to offer as high a standard as is possible.

It seems to me that we human beings easily forget how important it is to respect each other in what we offer. Public areas take time and effort to keep to a decent standard. We are encouraged in some places to 'leave this place as we'd like to find it' But many of us are guilty of not doing so.

Little India was our next stop and the place to have lunch. I was reminded of Spark Brook with it's shops of fantastic materials and clothing

A central seating area with multi food outlets, oh dear, what to choose? 

Sweet and sour pork for me, chicken and rice for Tom

Many collectors of used utensils and food waste were to be seen with trolleys piled high.

Items of glass and china were marked with paint as to its ownership, a successful system I guess.

Observation of people is fascinating. They're food choices, their animated conversation and their attire being of the most interesting. 

Many office workers ate here, smartly suited gentlemen who may well have visited the Chinatown market to purchase?

Signage

Back on the train to meet Joe who was taking time off to be with us for the afternoon

There are strict guidelines as to how to board and alight very heavily used modes of transport.

The Martin Shuffle being quite endearing!

Wouldn't he just have loved the fact that this little guy with his name was featured on the screen window to be adhered to when waiting to board.

I bet there's no such arrangement for Tom when he boards the Ghan railway in Darwin next week!! 

Paige would be needing the travel pass, she'd feel very grown up!

Joe took us to see the murals just off Arab St

quite impressive

Caroline, when you do your next Revive day, how about this for advertising upstairs workshops?

As is my custom, a picture of the local letter box is a must

A smoke with the lads!

A few of yesterday's photos

Steps up to viewing point

 Covered walkways just about everywhere

And dogs? They are cared for properly!!

View of the busy bay

from this amazing walkway through the forest

A map of part of the walk on Saturday 17th January

Sunday 18th January

We woke to the fact that the dog had eaten the drinking chocolate!
Such a rush to the vet, chocolate is toxic for dogs! Quite confusion this morning. However, she is OK thus far but can be taken ill anytime up to 48 hours after ingesting - only time will tell.
Agnes stayed to dog sit while Joe took Tom and me to meet Agnes' parents and sister for brunch.
Agnes missed out on all the day's activities

Bus rides are good for sight seeing, we managed to get the two front seats on the top deck. So many pictures in my head, not a lot of camera work, I can't be tied to it I'm afraid.

Most  of you will know I would be unlikely to eat chicken feet!

Honestly, they waste nothing!!

'Trees on today's walk to the harbour'

There are strict rules everywhere we go

How we in the UK could learn from them.

No chewing gum stuck to the pavements either!

How lovely to come across beautiful flowers in January

Today's map

The bay reminded me of Cardiff

Such a lot of work for so many people upgrading this area

The bay is now a destination for the tourist as well as being a working harbour 

as seen in yesterday's post

Tom Pyne and I arrived in Singapore Changi airport at 07.25 local time. The twelve hour journey here was quite comfortable. A few pockets of turbulence but the crew weren't instructed to sit down at all which proves it wasn't too bad.

I met Tom at Heathrow, or rather he found me! We checked in then went to find porridge, tea and coffee.

We had about an hour to kill before gate B42 was open.

Just look at the price of our favourite chocolate at Heathrow airport!!

Mind you at 4.5 kilos it's not bad perhaps. Needless to say we didn't buy it

Yes, the wrong colour but they like the bull at Heathrow too

Not our mode of transport but attractive nevertheless

We travelled in an A380 airbus. The Singapore airlines crew looked after us well.
We had booked the seats by the emergency door, loads of leg room and no! Matthew, we weren't asked to control the crush if there was a reason to evacuate the plane!
Meals were very good, beef and roast potatoes, green veg! Tom had chicken.
Ice-cream supplied by Salcome dairies in South Devon, very near to where my sisters and I spent our early years. And a favourite haunt of ours on our Devon trips.

The A380 is the double deck plane, on my walk around during the flight I walked up and down the stairs, good for the old knees and hips!

The hours passed quickly. I picked up a Daily Telegraph, read it from cover to cover, Martin would have been proud. It's the first such newspaper I've read since Martin died, a nostalgic moment.

I preferred music to listen to rather than a film or two this flight. There was so much entertainment to choose from

A taxi from the airport ensured we found Joe and Agnes' home, they were waiting just outside to welcome us.

Home made bread, would you believe? Beautiful rosemary and garlic bread warm from the oven and lashings of tea, in, might I add, decent sized mugs!
Thank you Joe, it was delicious, sorry no picture, didn't give it a thought

A shower and short rest before heading out to take in some of the sights. Postcards for Callum, his grandma is encouraging him to see the world via them! What a good idea

 And a pair of reading specs for Tom, his were lost en route, we had the seats apart, crawled around the floor searching all to no avail!

That's Friday and Saturday

Thursday 15th January

Jill and Keith duly arrived at 9am, I'm on my way!
The road was pretty mucky, it was a job to keep the windscreen clear.
We had a good run to the hotel. I deposited my cases on the 6th floor and went into Hounslow
Lunch at The Bell, a little country pub which has rented out part as an eating place
A Chinese family run it, serving all sorts of exotic meals for a fiver!
Jill, Keith and I had, boringly, ham, eggs and chips.

I was delivered back at the hotel, I could see Keith's car waiting at the traffic lights out onto The Great West Road, hopefully they'll have arrived home in the daylight.

I'm at the top of the hotel with the planes flying into Heathrow, I don't hear them much.

Taxi booked for the morning, meeting Tom Pyne at 8.30am. Oh er, it's really close now.

Appointments with dentist, doctor and chiropractor, I am free to go!
Suitcase packed - 60 hours before I leave home, plenty of time to unpack to check???

Friday 9th January

Sorting the house jobs, visiting folk and deciding what to take are the tasks in this run up to Thursday being departure day.
I've taxed the car, feels funny not having a tax disc, gas boiler to be serviced on Tuesday, contents of the fridge is being consumed, need some gifts to take.
Now what ever have I done with my cropped trousers?
What temperature should I leave the thermostat on?
No milk man to cancel, Jan will watch the house, Julie knows I'm going away.
The biggest worry it seems to both Tom and me is what to do with warm clothes and shoes whilst in temperatures of between 25c and 35c?

2014

This is what I'll be doing on 21st January!!

The pool in the garden is covered with a sail to protect from the harmful sun's rays

Saturday 10th January

At last found the missing cropped trousers, esential for the warmer climate!

Clothes about my bedroom waiting to be packed into the suitcase.

Gifts for Singapore friends as well as family in Australia.

Tim and Dale live about 20 mins out of Darwin city near Humpty Doo. There, I knew you'd like that one. Not far from Noonamah. I'll be taking pictures as I travel around to download here 

I went to the cinema today to see the Theory of Everything, the story of Stephen Hawking. An interesting, I could say educational film,  left me reeling this evening, memories of Martin's illness ran into my mind. The fact that the professor is still alive, after being given two years to live and that many people with motor nurone disease often do live very short years after diagnosis, is amazing.

I have friends and family to visit this coming week, lunches and evening meals out even a breakfast with dear friend Gill. All very exciting and challenging! Vicar of Dibley comes to mind!