Quilt

Gek has been busy too. A hand sewn quilt.....600 over pieces!!! Very pretty it is too.

Funny Fellow

Think I made it a bit big??? Fitting the roof has always been a challenge for me. No matter how carefully I work out the roof panel sizes and how much care I take in cutting them out, IT NEVER FITS PROPERLY!!!! So frustrating.


Anyway, after several hours of faffing about, got a result. Well a fit that can be patched.

I also put the missing pieces into the base and when brought together the two halves of the house line up to with in less than 1mm over 900mm. Impressive hey??? Well that is down to the very skillful gentleman at the wood yard who so carefully cut all the plywood pieces for me. He will definitely get contracted to do the cut outs for the next house.....a Black and White, still in the design stage.

SAM's Wu Guanzhong Collection

Wu Guanzhong

Born in 1919, this remarkable man lived through China's modern history as a artist. Check this link for a bit of his history.

Wilderness

He works in oils with his later paintings being a fusion of oils and ink.

Households in Hainan

Chinese, but somehow different.

Pomagranate,

and Cranes in Dance

are amongst my favorites but to be honest I liked all 130 paintings in the collection!!!! Follow this link to see more.

Leaving Penang

A new Five Star bus. Our transport back to Singapore.

Fully reclining seats with massage option, three modes, personal video and games and an in ride magazine. Comfy!!!

Approaching Penang Bridge. The carriageway is being widened to three lanes. Work is very nearly finished. Gets very busy.

And the view back looking to Relau where we stay. Ta ta till next month!!!!

Singapore new builds.

The new URA model for the near future developments in Singapore. I couldn't get further enough away to get in the whole island. Like an idiot I didn't think of going upstairs and taking a down shot!! Derrrr.

Anyway, things of interest. The new Lake Side Development around the Chinese Garden, purple in the model. We didn't realise that it takes in the new work at Jurong East MRT station as well, off the picture on the right.

Of course we had to look at the area around Regent Heights. No changes. Little Guilin is the blue bit under the Bukit Batok Town Park sign.

And finally the area around Marina bay. The new bits in pale blue. They are going to completely dominate the area. Not sure I like it.

Film - Last Chance Harvey.

Feel great movie for those of a certain age. Of course, never happens in real life....does it? Just a little too obvious and a tad woodenly scripted, so only star rated 3. Sorry Emma, like I know what I am talking about!!!!!!

Kusu Island

Another nostalgic trip for me. Brought the kids here when they were little. We had the place to ourselves this time, it being a week day.

Snapped by Ruth with the Turtle temple behind us. Legend has it that a turtle rescued ship wrecked sailors and landed them on the island.

Mount Faber

In the three year I spent here in the 1980's, I never visited Faber hill. It isn't even in the guide books we have. But it a great place to see the city scape.


Singapore pockets of green are being progressively joined together by walk ways.

This one is between Faber and Telok Blangah Hill. Just don't look down between the walk way boards. Turns your tummy.

River Cruise.

Up the Singapore River, a little way.

Coming across this sculpture after a couple of beers of an evening could be a bit alarming.

A basin view of the Esplanade Theatre complex.

Toby

Our young friend has recently moved to Singapore on a month or two's contract. Serviced apartments just off Orchard Road. Nice work my friend.

Raffles Hotel....again

The front door. It is just so classy

On the outside walls of the theatre are a series of lovely paintings. Humorous

and evocative of times past.

There will always be time for afternoon tea.

Jonker Nights - Melaka.

Very quiet but some bars and cafes open.

Mosque and temples - Melaka

In the Junker's area a Hindu Temple, a Mosque and a Buddhist Temple line up on one side of the street.

The Buddhist temple was the most welcoming to gawkers like us.

A'Famosa and St. Paul's Church - Melaka.

Apart from the hill at the centre, this gate is all that is left of Alfonso d'Albuquerque's 1511 fort. And this is only here because our friend Raffles intervened to halt the demolition.

St Paul's Church, 1521, is not in any better a state. But it is quite extraordinary to walk on European tomb slabs in the floor of the nave. The Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, English and Japanese have held this place. A light house in front of a church, neat.

Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock - Melaka

Chinese Clan house, some very ornate. This was the street of the rich Peranakan Chinese in Melaka.

Could explain why they got away with blocking the ends of their five foot ways.

The Peranakan museum. It is housed in the three houses that were jointly occupied by one extended family. Has the feel of house still lived in...as if the family has just popped out for dinner.

River Cruise - Melaka

A very relaxing cruise on the river. We turned up early for the 5 pm cruise to find it cancelled. Well, OK, lets uncancelled it and "shall we go now?" So we pushed off at 4.45 pm. Very Malay I have to say. Very refreshing.

A replica of the first type of Portuguese boat to get here in 1500 and something. Cheng Ho the eunuch Chinese Admiral got here some 300 year before that with junks more than twice the size of this bath tub toy but, hey........... who cares???? Extraordinarily, these junks may have used ply wood principles in the construction of thier hulls. That is truely amazing.

St. Francis Xavier's Church, 1849, and yes it has a lean to rival Pisa's tower but much scarier...the whole building is off plumb..

As part of the town's development the river banks now have a new walk way. How different it looks from 24 years ago. Muddy banks all gone. The river has also been dammed at its mouth and is no longer tidal. But it is less smelly.

To end with the start of the cruise in the newly formed basin.

Puri Hotel - Melaka (Malacca)

Lovely place. The front part of the hotel has been partly restored to a Paranakan style with the back extension very modern

Very cooling garden between the blocks,

and a fabulous place for breakfast. At 25++ quid including buffet breakfast we could be coming again.

Bagpipes in China Town

A remarkable sight and sound, come to that, for Singapore.

Straits house progress.

Slowly, slowly.

The upper floor is complete with about half the ground floor tiling laid.

Stored all the finds in one room more or less. Doesn't look very much but has taken a lot of energy to find even this small amount!!

The back yard is builders yard. Made 250 tiles so far.