Michael's visit

After a very hot, humid walk around Macritchie Reservoir I headed home to await Michael's arrival for a week-long visit.

He arrived in very good time and after a short catch up we headed over to District 10 where we caught up with Syd, Kim, Libby, Eric and Peter.  It is a very pleasant spot at Buona Vista which will be the venue for our mid-term drinks in a couple of weeks. When we return we will keep a closer eye on our spending as it turned out to be one of my most expensive outings in Singapore!

We had a slow lazy start to Tuesday before doing some shopping Michael had been tasked with from a friend back home. Who would have ever expected Michael to be shopping in a Pandora Store! We convened at Sque Bar for drinks and the opportunity to catch up with work colleagues that Michael knows. It was lovely sitting by the river and about half the cost of the previous evening! Kathy and Michael also got to indulge in their favourite after dinner snack...a papa beard...custard filled pastry puff!

After lunching with Robert and Maria in Kovan, before some us had to got to work, Michael and Robert met Peter at Lau Pa Sat for dinner.
We spent Thursday afternoon wandering around the newly opened National Gallery admiring the fabulous job they have done merging the old Supreme Court building and City Hall. We didn't have time to do any of the exhibitions before I left for work so Michael decided he wanted to revisit after dark to get some photos from the roof.

Daytime at the National Gallery

Nightime from the rooftop of the National Gallery

We decided that it was time to get some exercise so on Friday morning we rode the blue line out to Hillview. There was an ulterior motive as this is the stop closest to the Rail Mail, which just happens to have a health food shop/cafe that serves Thunder Tea Rice! But first we earned the food by following the Wallace Trail.  Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, is the other "father" behind the theory of evolution. In 1858, Wallace hit upon the idea of evolution by natural selection, and promptly sent his theory off to Darwin. It was the same theory Darwin had dabbled with for some time, but he had yet to publish it. Wallace’s letter spurred him into action and two months later, Darwin presented a paper on the subject, acknowledging Wallace’s contribution in it. Wallace is a renowned naturalist. During his journeys to the Malay Archipelago, he made several stopovers in Singapore in 1854 and collected about 700 species of beetles in the vicinity of the Dairy Farm site. The Wallace Trail, celebrates his contributions. 

The walk is pleasantly shady although the day was extremely humid. There is an informative display in the Wallace Education Centre housed in a restored cow shed. Wallace would be spinning in his grave if he could see Singapore today as even back in the 1850S he said:

" future ages will certainly look back upon us as a people so immersed in the pursuit of wealth as to be blind to higher considerations."!

We did see a few birds, including the Greater racket-tailed drongo and a pink necked green pigeon, and Michael got to enjoy his Thunder Tea Rice at the end!

Pasta night

This weeks walk was in familiar territory for me, starting at the new shopping centre at Punggol MRT and finishing at Punggol Park just around the corner from home. It is a very exposed walk for much of it, as it winds along beside the canals around Punggol where the trees have not yet grown enough to provide shade. We did see a few birds and the finish around Punggol Park is always refreshingly shady. There are always people participating in a variety of activities in the park and we saw the musicians from last week again but without their singers.

long tailed shrike

Activities in Punggol Park

After lunch at our recently opened hawkers around the corner, Helen and Kathy came back to Rio with me so we could discuss our team plans for the upcoming Great Race. We have chosen the name, The Cavies, as Duncan had christened our  home last year as The Lady Cave, so the name seemed appropriate. We selected a book and discussed costumes but they have to remain secret for the time being!
Helen and I managed a game of cards before we took the bus over to Tampines, where we had dinner at Harry's Bar. As they are not allowed to have visitors in their unit I got to relax in one of the meditation pods by the pool while I waited for Helen and Jo to get organised. After dinner we had a nightcap in the bbq area of the condo.

meditation pod, mural at Harry's Bar

Almost 12 months ago Robert and Maria spent a holiday in Italy where they purchased a pasta making machine. Maria has been itching to use it and with a Canadian/Italian colleague on hand to give her a few lessons an afternoon of pasta making was decided on. A couple of people went along to learn the art of pasta making...and the rest of us went along later to eat it! Of course there was heaps of food, not all pasta, and a pleasant evening was spent with colleagues from Punggol and Kovan.

Week 2

Our term began in the usual fashion with a Monday walk from Bishan to Ang Mo Kio through parkland and around a reservoir. We encountered some wildlife including a very relaxed couple of monkeys! We also walked passed an area where the locals take their pet birds so the birds get fresh air and sunlight and the owners get to sit around and socialise. Most of the birds in these cages were zebra doves but the cages are lovely.

Chinese Pond Heron top left

After a brief rest I met with Helen and Jo for dinner in Hougang before going to June's for an evening of cards. The world has been restored to rights as Helen won the evenings game after finishing in last spot at our previous night..an unprecedented result!
After a lazy Tuesday Pip and I met up with the Pinks and Smiths at SQUE bar on Clark Quay for a pleasant relaxed dinner and drinks. 

Before work on Wednesday I had lunch with Robert and Maria in Hougang to catch up with news on Mum. Good to hear that she is mending well and hopes to go home next week.
After my regular Doctors visit on Thursday I took a stroll through Punggol Park and despite not having my binoculars to hand I did manage to spot some birds including some olive backed sunbirds building a nest in the reeds. As soon as I entered the park I could hear music and singing and tracked it down to this group of musicians enjoying time together under one of the shelters. They were happy for me to take their photo and even gave me a wave as I did.

My photos piqued Libby's interest so on Friday morning I met with her to revisit the park. Before she arrived I received a text saying she had to cancel as she had tripped on the stairs and broken her finger. Of course I fell for it forgetting it was April 1!
Luckily the birds didn't play jokes on us and we saw a variety of species, although the nest from yesterday was empty. We did see a pair of sunbirds collecting fibres from the top of the reeds. The male has a brilliant blue throat when you get it in the sunlight.

Yellow bittern, olive-backed sunbird (male), Sunda pygmy woodpecker

After work on Saturday night June and I went in to Little India for dinner and a wander around. We passed the Indian Heritage Centre which opened in May 2015. The centre is the first museum in Southeast Asia to focus on the diverse heritage of the Indian community. Although it was closed it looks like it could be worth a visit at a later date.

detail of entry door, statue at the entrance