Play time in Singapore and moving home

One of the best parts of becoming a parent is having the excuse to 'play' again!! That plus the eventual advantage of being able to live in foreign countries for months at a time while I visit them during the winter months now they are grown ups and pay their own bills (plus a few of mine!!)

During my children's childhood I had the joy of organising treasure hunts that took us all across country but usually finished in a pub play area …. for the children's entertainment of course.

I built carnival floats again purely for the children.

I organised picnics, dragging along my close friends, just so our children could play together.

I even borrowed other peoples children so I could build huge sand castles – this one was actually built when I persuaded the guy that was working with a JCB on the soon to be build Life Guard Station at Restbay to help!!

All this I did purely for the sake of my children – if you believe that you will believe anything!!

The joy I received during those years of 'Play' can never be explained on paper, it is something I hope all parents get to experience for at least a part of their children's lives.

When my children left home and I had no more excuses to 'play' I went out and found myself loads of young and crazy friends to 'play' with.

People love to play, they just need a valid-ish excuse!

Becoming a Grannie opened up a whole new field of excuses to have 'play time'. 

Stories were written and then practised at festivals ....... purely for the sake of my Grand daughter!

Ideas for games were developed, again so I could get some practice ready for when my Grand daughter was old enough to appreciate true Play Time!

When I returned from Tioman, Steve returned to work. Lisa now had a near full time job caring for her new arrival and so I became Emelia's chief Play companion!!

At the ripe old age of Two and Nine months Emelia's mind is open to all sorts of ideas. 

Some days she would role play Winnie the Poo with her in the position of Christopher Robin, Me as the voice for Pooh Bear,

Lisa was the voice of Kanga, who was actually played my Mommy Monkey (?) while Roo was played by Baby Monkey (?)

Other days we would get the bricks out to make homes for ducks (!)

Each time we built, the design had to be changed. Slides were introduced, balance bridges were created.

My aim each time was to use every single brick in the box and I am pleased to say I was usually successful.

As bricks went, these were amazing. 

Bit by bit other mediums were incorporated, felt mats were used for water ways and landscapes.

Entire worlds were designed for creatures to crawl over!

We even managed a scene from the Lion King!

Bubbles were blown from the balcony as we sat safe from the sun's rays under our make shift canopy. 

Bubbles that were meant to float gently over the swimming pool but in reality were caught in the strong up-draft of the condo and popped rapidly as the air inside them expanded in the intense sun.

Straws to be blown through were introduced until bubbles over flowed in a huge mass of popping suds.

Science was learnt when sucking led to an unexpected bout of coughing and a lot of tongue wiping!!!

Occasionally I got to play with Charlotte,

But she didn't do that much, she mainly slept, fed and pooped!!

With so many people now living in the apartment plus an ever growing supply of play things, it had been decided that when the contract for Lakeside finished in December, they would move to a bigger place!!

Viewings for a new home were done, choices were made and the packing began!

In Singapore when you move home the company you chose to move your stuff comes to your house to give you an estimate for costs. As they walk from room to room they calculate how many boxes you will need as well as how much bubble wrap, paper and tape. 

Some companies, for a price, will come and pack your entire house for you!!

Having been told by two companies that the move would be approx S$500, the company we eventually chose dutifully dropped off 60 boxes plus all the extra supplies for packing. Contracts were signed and the moving day was booked!

There was only one slight hitch to our move..... we were moving from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished one! No beds, no table or chairs, no sofas or coffee tables.... BUT.... they had a Skip Raiding Champion in the form of Grannie!!!

By the time we moved I had 'found' two sofa's plus, after a bit of a clean, a single bed and mattress, a double bed and mattress, two coffee tables, two folding mattresses and a play mat, 

an easel and a play mate for Emelia. (?)

Despite some miss givings on my part she absolutely loved Domo and he is still part of our family today even though at one point we realised how much we could sell him for!!

Apparently he is rather famous in Japan!!!!!

Lisa worked her way through Singapore's Carousel and found a HUGE sofa, another double bed, a table with six chairs and a large coffee table. The price for all these buys was amazing, the price to have them delivered however tripled their original price!!

'A man and a van' does exist but with road taxes for simply owning a vehicle not being cheap, to make money they have to charge accordingly!

But they were still good buys and they were needed.

A week before the Big move we arranged for the bought things to be delivered to the new address and we all went over to give the empty space a final clean, taking Domo with us!

Beds were rebuilt and the place was explored fully.

After the compactness of lakeside this place was huge!

Each one of the two small bed rooms was the size of our existing master bed room!

Emelia immediately chose the 'Pink' room as her bedroom. 

For a child who has been brought up with a range of colours and no Princess role whatsoever, her sudden fascination with Pink has confused us all!

With all the cleaning done, it was time to return to the packing boxes in Lakeholm! 

Bit by bit the house was packed away. 

Emelia was called on to do her bit too and each day she designated another ten toys to a box to be sealed ready for the great move!

The morning of November 28^th I went to the park for my final Tai Chi workout with all the wonderful ladies I had randomly met while walking through the park one morning when I first arrived.

For two months we had stretched and turned in unison at 7.30 sharp before I returned to our condo to do my own Tai Chi set to my Jason Mraz music.

I was now the fittest I had been in many years and I was going to miss their happy faces and support.

By 9am I was back at Lakeholm putting the final things into boxes. 

We were ready ...ish. 

It is amazing how many random things you fail to notice until you do a final walk through!!

At 10am precisely six men with small wheel based trolleys arrived to move our belongings! 

In less than half an hour they had packed everything onto said trolleys, wrapped them in cling film and pushed everything we owned out of the apartment.

An hour later they pushed the same cling film wrapped trolleys into the apartment at Braddell hill! 

The move was done!!

It took two days to unpack the boxes, which the delivery guys then picked up for recycling and another week to find homes for everything!

Being this high up the views are amazing and being situated on top of a hill also gives us wonderful breezes that race through all the open windows.

I now have ten flights of stairs to climb each morning and although on the first day I was ready to quit by floor eight by the end of the first week I had mastered the final two floors. 

In the three weeks we have now been here I have also 'found' two book cases, a set of shelves, two side cabinets plus a few other potentially useful things!!

My main gift to the family toward the costs of the move was my return to the old place to give it a final clean.

The land lord had insisted it was 'professionally cleaned' but having cleaned various places over the years I knew I could do just as good a job, if not better, for no cost whatsoever!

For three days I scrubbed away marks that had been there when Lisa and co had moved in.

I used shoe polish to polish away all the scratches

until side boards gleamed in the sun.

The dry cleaning guy came for the curtains and sofa covers, returning them 48 hours later all clean and pressed.....

.... and by the end of three days the place looked amazing!!

When the land lord arrived to meet Steve for the final handover at the end of the week and to assess how much of the deposit he would be able to keep to 'fix' things (they always keep something!!) he apparently gazed in amazement and handed the entire deposit over there and then!!

As we have settled into the new home I realise my work here, as a mother and a grand mother, is nearly done!!

Charlotte has settled into a routine, Emelia has coped with all the life changing events well and the move from one side of Singapore to the middle had been completed!

All that is left to do now, is to explore the new area and and make my plans to move on!

Although I am sure I can find a few things to do!!!