I’ve been back in the UK for two weeks now and already Singapore seems a distant memory. The last week was a blur of activity, closing things down and packing up. This was complicated by having to decide what to leave in the store-room of my Apartment block as I will be coming back in May. It was also complicated – in a nice way- by being invited out for meals a lot. They really have looked after me very well. Unexpectedly a student of the course I taught at Newport is now the German naval attache here in Singapore and he invited me to tea at the Fullerton.
Now a hotel, this used to house the Post-office HQ in old Singapore and is redolent with history, especially of the fall of the city in February 1942. We used to like going there, but I haven’t been back for ages -it’s not so much fun on your own. Accordingly, I really enjoyed the occasion.
The other invitations were to various hawker places in
Singapore and also with a UK colleague and long term Japanese place where the
owner (who my friend knew well) was
famous for being unbelievably rude to his customers. He wasn’t there that
evening so I didn’t get to experience it. It was all very jolly. We dined well
and got through a bottle and a half of sake very, very easily. The next morning
I saw that I had put on 3.5 lbs ! I wouldn’t
have thought that physically possible. Too many trips there in the
future would likely turn me into a Sumo wrestler.
Other than that it was a fairly
quiet time when I beavered away on the book. There was a trip to the National
Library to see their special book collection – all 19th Century of
course. Missionary accounts and things like that. Interesting though. I
realised I had a cold coming – in fact it was the worst day of it- so I stayed
in the background as much as possible. I think I got it from one of the little
secretaries who came in to check on my departure arrangements a few days
earlier. She admitted she didn’t feel well and went off on sick leave straight
afterwards and was away a long time. My cold was virtually over by the time of
my flight home two days later. Whatever I had it didn’t affect my appetite. We
all lunched at a Malay place, here I went for ‘carrot cake’ which wasn’t at all
like it sounded. Very much recommended. Very difficult to starve to death in
Singapore.
I managed to squeeze in a few trips to familiar and undemanding places, not least the Botanic gardens which are right next door to my apartment. It’s a big place with a huge amount of stuff to see, but I’m beginning to know my way around and after a walk recover at the Bee’s Knees with a Tiger (beer) under the palms.
This tree always amuses me. It translates as ‘Big Lemon Tree’ and I imagine a slice of this cannon-ball shaped thing would certainly make one's G&T slop over. One of the real sights though was the usual Sunday gathering of hundreds of Filippino, Malay and Indonesian maids who meet for a picnic in the City centre every Sunday – their day off. When it rains, they gather along the covered pavements with their chairs, picnic things, loads of food and radios and chatter away like an enormous flock of starlings. One picks one’s way around them. Quite a sight and sound. A less happy occasion one morning was finding I had left my wallet in a taxi. Stress. Fortunately I remembered the taxi number. Singapore being Singapore it was delivered back to me by arrangement three hours later.
The flight back was fine, except
that the entertainment system failed. On a 14+ hour flight they were very
apologetic, but it didn’t bother me much, as I was able to beaver away on my
little laptop and, unusually, actually get some sleep.
All was well back at the house,
with papers and milk waiting as arranged, but it was a busy time. I had taken
the car off the road so I had to get it MoT’d and taxed, get in some food and
deal with a boiler which had unaccountably failed for the coldest weekend I’ve
had for a long time. Thanks heavens for the woodturner.
Then I had to rush up to London to participate in workshop at King’s which we had organised. Interesting times, of course, with much to discuss. Stayed at the grand Strand Place Hotel on the Strand. It’s certainly been couthed up since my last visit, when I slept in what I swear was once a broom cupboard. Nice breakfasts. In the evening up to Walthamstowe to see Christopher, Beth and Elowen The following day I led the team around 4 think tanks in Central London and arranged a walking tour of some of the main sights while doing it. The think tanks were all interesting; basically no one knows what’s happening about anything at the moment. Momentous days. Probably the highlight was having coffee from the roof top gathering place on top of the International Maritime Organisation. Nice view. Finally, to a superlative fish restaurant in Soho. Only once back in my room did I realise I was tired and discovered that I had done more than 23,000 steps. The following morning they all left, and so did I after a morning at the National Gallery.
The following day I was working
away on the wretched book in front of the woodburner when there was what I thought
was a tapping on my French windows. I looked up and there were four turkeys looking
in at me through the lower panes. I thought I was hallucinating, but no, I wasn’t.
They weren’t at all scared of me and I got some good pictures of them, but unfortunately
I seem to have left both card readers in Singapore, so this picture will have
to do. They were actually Great Bustards, of course, down from the plain. A hundred breeding pairs have
now been established up there and they’re obviously spreading their wings in
every sense. They are really big birds, making my pheasant look small. They
looked faintly ridiculous pecking away under the bird table. They visited my
neighbours too. And this afternoon a sparrowhawk came to see what was
available. It’s all happening, here !
Since then academic work,
shopping, catching up on the admin and sawing up wood for the woodburner – though the central
heating is now fine if slightly dodgy. Glad to be back, but looking forwards to Marrakesh.
