This is a guest post from Jeff West, who, just like my mother, used to be an expat in Singapore in the sixties.

In the late 1960’s my family and I lived in Singapore. My father was an army engineer and along with my mother and two brothers, and we stayed for 3 years. Expat life was fun and Singapore was a great place to live then, as I believe it is now too. My parents tried to make sure we did things as a family, however my father often worked long hours so it was sometimes hard.

In 2007 I took my mother back for trip down memory lane, although we had to look carefully at the photos as so much had changed. The Alexandra Hospital was still there – and my memories of being admitted with a broken arm at the age of 4 still vivid. [click to continue…]

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May #WorldColours – Blue

by admin on June 5, 2013

Here’s my May #WorldColours, a few days late…It’s blue! The shots are from all over the world. The #WorldColours project was set up by Naomi Hattaway

Parachutist, The French Alpes, Worldcolours

Parachutist, The French Alpes

The Colosseum, Rome, Worldcolours

The Colosseum, Rome

The beach at Mnemba Island, Zanzibar, worldcolours

Mnemba Island, Zanzibar

Bandos Island, The Maldives, sea view, worldcolours

Bandos Island, the Maldives

Child in blue, worldcolours

Child in blue

Aeroplane wing

Aeroplane wing

Rothman Manor, Swellendam, Worldcolours

Rothman Manor, Swellendam, South Africa

Temple in Phuket, Worldcolours

Temple in Phuket

Lady walking on water

Walking on water, Batu Batu, Malaysai

Beach ball in a pool
Parachutist, The French Alpes, WorldcoloursThe Colosseum, Rome, WorldcoloursThe beach at Mnemba Island, Zanzibar, worldcoloursBandos Island, The Maldives, sea view, worldcoloursChild in blue, worldcoloursAeroplane wingRothman Manor, Swellendam, WorldcoloursTemple in Phuket, WorldcoloursLady walking on waterBeach ball in a pool

Please do not use these photos without permission.

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I’ve got nothing

May 27, 2013

The words have stopped coming. I’ve got nothing. Zero. Really, nothing. I’ve been preoccupied recently, my mind elsewhere. Certainly not where it should be. I have tried and tried to bring it back, to regain my focus, but it’s stayed well out of reach, teasing me. It’s a terrifying concept as I’ve got deadlines to deal with [...]

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Sneak Peek: Art Garden 2013, Singapore Art Museum

May 16, 2013

Yesterday I attended the media preview of Art Garden at Singapore Art Museum. Of course, I took Baby C with me to get her take on it too. I went for the first time last year with both kids and was so impressed. I’m always on the look out for things to do with kids in [...]

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How NOT to travel with kids

May 3, 2013

  It’s surprisingly easy to get it wrong when travelling with kids, regardless of whether or not you think you are a seasoned or expert traveller, as my recent trip to Borneo highlighted. You’d think I’d have learnt by now as we do a lot of travelling, even more so now we’re expats in Singapore, [...]

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Gaya Island Resort, Kota Kinabalu: my review for The Honeycombers

April 28, 2013

  I recently reviewed the new Gaya Island Resort just off the coast of Kota Kinabalu in Borneo for The Honeycombers. Gaya Island Resort is a spanking new and rather glamorous island resort, 15 minutes speedboat ride off the coast of Kota Kinabalu. The resort has a fabulous jungle backdrop and a dreamy view of [...]

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Indigo Pearl, Phuket: My review over at The Honeycombers

April 28, 2013

I recently reviewed Indigo Pearl in Phuket for The Honeycombers. Calling the cool cats: if you’re looking for a quick and easy getaway (with or without kids), we’ve found just the place – boutique hotel Indigo Pearl on Nai Yang beach, Phuket. Having just spent the week there, here’s our verdict: it’s cool, it’s hip, and it’s [...]

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Buyagift Young Authors Competition

April 24, 2013

  My love of writing started when I was very young. I had a vivid imagination and was always writing stories. One was about the adventures of a little girl who had two magic, talking balloons. She and her friend used to float up into the sky holding the string attached to the balloons, each [...]

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April #WorldColours – Yellow

April 22, 2013

This month’s colours for the #WorldColours project are yellow. Here’s my entry. Head over to Naomi Hattaway‘s blog to see other entries and to find out how you can join in too.

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Beach Bliss at Batu Batu, Malaysia

April 19, 2013

Not so long ago I was lucky enough to get a free pass from Mr C for a girls’ weekend (or perhaps I should say ‘ladies weekend’, now I am 40) with five friends to Batu Batu, the new private-island resort on Pulau Tengah, located off the east coast of Mersing in Malaysia. It was [...]

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