Detained...with children

Saturday night was the innaugural Avondale Grammar Dads and Kids camp (plus a couple of mums).  A 20 minute ferry trip got us to St Johns island. Originally a quarantine and hospital island for immigrants, its more recent history as a detention center explains the barbed-wire topped fences and guard towers. 

Afternoon games by the beach were fun and it was kind of weird having downtown Singapore as the backdrop.  In spite of our best efforts to wear out the children with activities including a nature hunt, tug of war and a bonfire, they managed to run riot until at least 11pm, before then all waking up at approximately 6:45am.  Sleeping in dormitory 16A was hot and uncomfortable, especially when the girl on the bunk above mine woke at 3:30am and started chatting to her neighbour.  Every little movement she made was transmitted throught the whole bunk bed. 

Sunday morning we enjoyed an early walk along the water's edge before returning to the camp for pancakes and fruit.  More beach games and swimming then followed, with the girls building a great sand castle.  After the ferry trip back to Singapore, I was well and truly ready for a long nap!  Alice and Felicity both enjoyed themselves and were a pleasure to be with.  It was a fun weekend.

Snow fights and Christmas lights and high tea delights

Singapore loves a festival. Christmas here is over the top. Orchard Road is decked out with lights and all the shopping malls have very elaborate decorations and celebrations going on. Many of the decorations this year have a winter wonderland theme which just seems wrong here. (The shops also have all their winter stock on display which I find confusing because the only place you need to wear a jacket is at the movies - I refuse to believe that so many people can be heading to the ski slopes of Japan or Europe.) Andy dropped in to see us for Friday night and we all went to experience the snow, Singapore-style, at Tanglin Mall. Machines pumped out layers of foam and the kids and Uncle Andy played happily in the mess although snowballs were not very effective. It was great seeing Andy and having a little part of home here and catching up on some news. We wish all you guys did blogs! Earlier on in the day I went to my first "High Tea" at Goodwood Park Hotel with Marion and Ruth from our condo and a friend of Marion's, Cathy, who we all knew from Ashburton Baptist. It may have been my first but it won't be my last!!

A Good Sport

Last weekend was a very sporty one - well for Alice at least. Alice was a part of the Avondale Swim team that went to the International Schools Swim meet. The whole family got up at a ridiculous hour like 6am on Saturday morning so we could cheer her on. Alice competed in the 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle. As other schools have very serious-looking squads and Alice hasn't had weekly swim lessons for two years I feared she may lag along way behind but she actually held her own very well. She came third in her heat in the freestyle and fourth in the breaststroke although her breaststroke style was somewhat unconventional. Even though there was lots of waiting around, Alice enjoyed herself and cheered on the other kids. It's part of the advantage being at a small school being included in events like this.

I was a volunteer timekeeper at the swim meet. There were three of us for each lane and we were told we were not allowed to cheer. All very serious. Apparently there have been many parent protest over the years. The timekeeping may all seem very simple - just clicking a button - but then that makes it worse if you muck up. Fortunately I managed to get the hang of it and only let out a spontaneous cheer for an Avondale swimmer on a few occasions.

Then on Sunday Alice took part in a four hour high jump workshop with a former Olympian. Lots of jumping and running around and throwing yourself backward over a bar - just the thing for her.

Ho Hum...

It has been drawn to my attention that our blogs are full of events and parties. The mundane of course happens - it’s just not worth writing about. Washing still needs to done, dishes need to be put away and dinner has to be made. But to appease those of you who think our life is just partying and outings and long lunches by the pool here are few ordinary things that happened to us this week.
On Sunday Matt discovers on the AMP life predictor that he’s only going to live to 71. Apparently if he earned less he’d have a better chance of living longer. One tap dance class and one 10km walk each week do not qualify as enough exercise. Get’s a bit depressed.

On Monday Alice’s scooter requires a new wheel. Costs $30 which is about half as much as the scooter cost. The scooter is only four weeks old.
On Tuesday Buckley has a vaccination for some disease that rats in Singapore might give him if they poo in water that he happens to drink.
On Wednesday we run out of Milo and earl grey tea.
On Thursday Matt and I have a coffee at Starbucks with Buckley.
On Friday I get caught in a downpour, without my umbrella, in the 10 metres from the building where yoga class is to the bus stop. Little Athletics is cancelled due to rain.

Party! Party!

This weekend was one long party beginning on Friday night with a 40th birthday for Scott from our condo. We all had to dress up as something beginning with "S". Matt and I went all out and donned soccer t-shirts. It was a fun night where we got to mingle with she-devils, superman, saints, sheiks, strawberry shortcake and a sleepwalker. Matt and I stayed late - not because we are die-hard party animals but because our bedroom is close to the function room at the condo and we wouldn't have been able to get to sleep anyway.

The next day Alice and I went to a party for a boy in her class which included about 20 eight years olds running around in a form of organised chaos. In between ice-cube fights, water fights and all-out brawls there were only a handful of tears. Someone made the comment that a sign of a good party is when nobody goes to hospital - so I guess that made it a good party...

Then on Sunday Felicity celebrated her 7th birthday. Her friend Eleanor slept over on Saturday night and then we went to a musical called "Duck'n'Dive" in the morning which was lots of fun. In the evening we invited a few neighbours over for cake. Thanks to all those who emailed or skyped on the day and to all those wonderful, organised people who sent presents ahead of time. She was thrilled to see the big pile, loved everything she received and kept saying how lucky she was. She will email you soon to say thanks personally.

Melbourne Cup

Well we didn't get a holiday but I took the day off anyway. The Australian New Zealand Association (ANZA) held a big Melbourne Cup luncheon at the Singapore Turf Club where the races were televised, live betting, fashion of the fields etc. I went with a bunch of Avondale mums and we felt like we were almost at the real thing. I even won a lucky door prize of a lunch at a cafe.

All spooked out!

Singapore seems to adopt any festival they can - halloween is quite big here. Our halloween festivities included two halloween/birthday parties, trick or treat night and a condo party night. Management did the Condo function room up as a haunted house which inlcuded a mummy lying on the floor that grabbed your foot as you walked through and vampire that jumped out at you. They also had a lot of activities and games for the kids. Trick or treat was done the next night. Matt took the kids around the condo knocking on the doors that displayed the trick or treat sign. Of course we have way too much "candy" now. I stayed back at the apartment to hand out treats to the other condo kids who dared to knock on our door. I dressed up as a witch which really just required me wearing a black dress and brushing my hair so it went frizzy! I looked quite authentic - had I lived in the middle ages I would definitely have been thrown in a well. I cooked up a big pot of spaghetti noodles, let them cool and the kids had to find their treat by fishing through the "worms". I had fun and probably only turned up in a few kids nightmares. Photos below include one of our front door which we decorated with cobwebs, warning signs and fake rats, mice, cockroaches and snakes.

Christmas decorations are going up all along Orchard Road and in the malls so I think we now move onto the next festival.