Legally Loud!

Joe had his 18th birthday yesterday, which means he's legally a grown-up now! (Yes, it's 18 now, and no longer 21!) At 18 he is ready to conquer the world. I must admit, the young man in this slideshow is a different person to the 15 year old that I went to meet at the airport just over 2 years ago, when he first came to New Zealand. He admits that he has a much wider view of the world now, is more tolerant of diversity, and knows that kids from all over the world are fundamentally similar in their thinking. Also, he has become a hard-working and confident young man, who has a clear vision for his future.

The kids that came to the party were such a nice bunch of young people, and although several of them are old enough to drink, they were well behaved - even when tipsy - polite and full of energy. We had a good mix as there were kids from New Zealand, South Africa and a number of Brits, including some exchange students. The party ended with the Bokke playing their fabulous match,and giving the All Blacks a hiding - much to Joe's delight! (This was by 4:30am in the morning - so we old folk didn't get much sleep!) I went to bed long before the match, but heard it all happen - from the rather off-key Nkosi S'kelele at the start of the match to the 'Yes, Bokke' and 'Go Bokke go!' at the end! Yes, and they did slip in 'De La Rey' too!

For the family and friends that couldn't be here with Joe, enjoy the slideshow!

Sensational Singapore!

We were able to spend four days in Singapore. What a fantastic, efficient, vibrant and exciting city to visit! We loved browsing through the many ethnic markets, and were astounded at the cleanliness and size of the cool malls. The food was so cheap, and we were able to buy fantastic, clean and tasty meals at the street vendors, which gave me more money to spend on shopping! (Of course we kept to the meat-free dishes, as some of the dishes were rather suspect. Dishes such as pig kidneys, strange looking sea-animals and funny jellyish deserts were proudly advertised outside each stall.

And of course I have to mention the fruit - freshly squeezed, deliciously sweet, icy cold tropical fruit juice for to quench your thirst in the .

The famous Raffles hotel is famous for it's Long Bar, and the Singapore Sling. We went to have a look, and it felt so colonial and stylish- like stepping into a previous era!




The markets are a mix of colour, noise, smells, and happy, relaxed people milling around. It is so hot, you can only stand 15 minutes or so browsing amongst the bargains, before nipping back into the next cool mall.

We explored the Arab quarters and the Chinese quarters, and next time I will definitely be looking at the famous Orchard Road and get to the Indian quarters. Our hote, The Golden Landmark, was so central, we could get to everything by foot. We ate every night at the street vendors in Bugis Street, for about $2 per meal, accompanied by the most delicious freshly pressed exotic fruit juices, for about $1 each.


I love Singapore - I love the food, the shopping and the retail therapy. Can't wait to go again!

Beautiful Bali

We have just returned from a marverlous, sun-soaked week at the Club Med in Nusa Dua, Bali. The long awaited holiday was a gift from my Mother-in-law, who want all her sons, with their wives and children together in one place for a change.
Planning the holiday was quite a feat, but at last, on a sunny July day in Bali, we all met - some for the first time.

Our holiday was absolute bliss!
The resort is so well run, clean, and
the GO's are friendly and efficient.


We had lots to do - I tried windsurfing, para-gliding and loved kayaking and snorkelling in the crystal clear waters.


The warm evenings were spent lazily sipping cocktails at the bar, before strolling into the buffet restaurant with the family to partake of the evening feast. I have never seen such a variety of food together in one place, and it was different every night. The buffet is arranged according to countries, and one could choose from every manner of Asian dishes - Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and more! For my vegetarian tastes there was always more than enough choices.


The beaches are pristine. The palm trees laden with real coconuts. And the margueritas were plentiful, and kept reappearing in front of me, as if by magic! A holiday to remember, for sure!