Whatever Love Means

One of the great things about our new study is that there are now a reasonable number of books out on display and easily accessible (even if there are still twenty boxes or so up in the loft awaiting the fulfillment of the really big study dream!) and as a result of this, I was able to wander into the study on Saturday morning, and select a book from the shelf - one that I'd had for quite some time (having paid 95p for it in a second hand shop if the pencil mark on the inside front cover is anything to go by) and get stuck in.

I'd finished it by Sunday evening!

The book is called "Whatever Love Means" and is a novel by David Baddiel. It is set in the late nineties, and starts at the end of August 1997 on the day that Diana died. The title of the novel is a reference to that awful comment made by Prince Charles in an interview before he got married (for the first time) in answer to the question of whether he was in love.

The story revolves around the lives of two couples living in London, and to nick the cover blurb starts with a national tragedy but soon moves on to how they deal with a far more personal one, especially given the tangled webs that they have been weaving.

It was a jolly good read, but almost as good was the simple fact of losing myself in a book (just one more chapter, just one more chapter ...) for the first time in ages.

The mystery of Bonnet Creek

No, this isn't a Scooby Doo mystery, but rather it's a Disney one. We've often driven past the end of the road to the Bonnet Creek resort and wondered why there is a non Disney resort in WDW and why it doesn't feature on any of the signs. I even googled it when we were there last time to see if I could figure it out, but all I found were lots of sites that would let you book a stay there, but no explanation.

DVC News has come through with a link to a website called Yesterland, which I hadn't heard of before, and definitely looks worthy of a further look at some point. But anyway, the link is to an article all about Bonnet Creek. It turns out that a parcel of land, just under 500 acres in size, was never purchased by the Disney company when they embarked on their land grab in the early sixties. It had already been acquired by someone else, and Disney either couldn't track them down or they didn't want to sell. Either way around they have clearly done spectacularly well by holding on to this land, as it has no doubt skyrocketed in value over the years.

(Now that I look again at the map of WDW in our latest Unofficial Guide, you can clearly see a cut out of land, just to the west of I4 and to the south of Epcot Centre Drive which is not shaded in as Disney territory.)

Currently it is home to the Bonnet Creek timeshare resort, and there are a couple more hotels being developed on the site, including a Waldorf Astoria, which is due to open this October. I think we may well have to pay it a visit for a look around and perhaps a meal when we are there at the end of the year.

Study 2.0

The new and improved study is nearly completed. We have shelves and desk made, pictures up, blind up, and there's even some space left on the shelves. I might even be able to get some books back out of the loft!






By the way, if you're reading this Bec, thanks very much for a lovely lunch today and for your hospitality, and I really do think that a trip to Wimbledon together in June would be a great idea!!

A small IQ?

Here we are at the end of another busy week and I'm watching Jake doing his swimming while Nicky is off to the shops. We were at Bluewater yesterday to see Marley and Me. Lovely film and I think that Barley has already had a few extra hugs from all of us this morning! We were hoping to get the last few bits for the study project yesterday, but Bluey let us down so we might have to pop to Staples and B&Q later on the hunt for a blind and lots of magazine boxes. The study is looking great - new light, newly painted walls and lots of Billy all made and fixed in place. All that's left is to make the desk (oh yes, and sort out all of the stuff we removed from the old and cluttered version of the room!).

In other news I had my first ever trip to Wimbledon this week (for a work meeting) and was able to have a look around and take a few sneaky photos on my phone. I would definitely like to go back for a day during the Championship - looks like fun.






Nicky had her car fixed this week, and was really pleased to get it back after they'd given her such a crappy courtesy car. And, shock horror, I have finally ordered my new car this week. I'm having a Toyota IQ, which I can only describe as Toyota's answer to the Smart car, but considerably nicer!!

The Last Post?

Well this will probably be my last post done from the trusty old Viao desktop (RX406), which is about to be pensioned off. We are part way through redecorating the study, and as part of the redesign, there's no place for the old computer desk, or the slow and noisy machine that sits on it. So, I am currently doing one last backup to the external hard drive, and then the plug will be pulled.

We will be a one computer family for a little while, managing with the little laptop, but I will probably get a new machine fairly soon. I am looking at one of the basic Sony laptops (not a mini one like our current laptop) and will most likely end up getting one from Amazon. As always with computers, it is much cheaper than this machine, but considerably better spec. Still, I shouldn't be surprised given that I bought this computer at the start of 2003, so it has put in over six years of good service - not a bad effort at all!

On my way home

Back at Changi now, and have been thrown into a state of confusion by being at a different terminal from the one expected. Previously I've flown in and out of T2, but this time I'm at the new T3. Still it looks like it has all of the necessary last minute souvenir shops! And, I've found the KrisFlyer lounge and am typing up this blog entry on a very nice new Mac!

Yesterday was certainly a full day. First up, of course, was the famous Fullerton breakfast, where I acquitted myself fairly well, luxuriating over coffee, cereal, full English, toast, and the International Herald Tribune, whilst I watched the world go by from the terrace next to the river.

After breakfast I set off for the grand tour, and started by walking along the esplanade to the new Singapore Flyer that was being built last time we were here. It is the same idea as the London Eye, but larger - it boast of being 165m high. The views were spectacular, and yes, I did take rather a lot of photographs! The Flyer turns out to be next to the start / finish straight of the Singapore Grand Prix circuit, and so I continued my tradition (started in 2006 in Monaco) of taking photos of tarmac!

Off the flyer and next stop was the Citylink Mall, where a certain jewellery shop is located. Having completed my instructions (!) I wandered through to the City Hall MRT stop and took the train to Orchard Road, and walked back along, perusing a few shops along the way. Just before I got back as far as Chijmes, I stopped in at the Singapore Art Museum (cultured soul that I am)! It was supposed to be no photography inside, but I simply couldn't resist taking a sneaky picture when I noticed that one of the pieces of modern art included a spinning Mickey Mouse light, just like the one we once bought for Jake when we were waiting to watch the Fantasmic show in Orlando!

Chijmes was a bit of a disappointment compared to what I remembered - I think that some of the little ships have closed down since last time. So I stopped for a quick drink at Harry's Bar (and chatted to Nicky at home!) before heading up towards Arab Street. I didn't want to buy carpets or tailored clothes, so Arab St was a bit of a loss, but the next road up (next to the mosque) was the one that we'd remembered from last time, and I managed to get a few pieces of lacquer-ware.

By now my feet were starting to tell me that I'd been walking around for rather a long time and a long way in the heat. I went back to the Suntec City Mall, and whilst I was in there, the heavens well and truly opened. Still, I was especially impressed with my ability to get back to the hotel whilst being in the rain for less than about 20 yards or so. It involved lots of walking through underground malls back to the City Hall MRT, getting the train down to Raffles Place, and then walking under cover of buildings back to the Fullerton.

I sat out the rain back at the hotel, and ordered some room service (I had thought about going back to the floating restaurant that Nicky and I had been to last time, but "table for one" is such a depressing phrase). Once the rain had abated it was dark, and I took my weary feet out for another stroll, along the quays this time, stopping to watch people getting terrified on the bungee rides. I stopped in at the Funan Mall (I really want the dinky new Sony - for reference it is the VGN P13G (or poss H) and it costs S$1299 here) and went to the coffee shop that Nicky and I had been to before - and had cheesecake and milkshake!

As I walked back to the hotel, the heavens opened again, but as I knew that I was just going to go back to the hotel and go to bed, it was actually quite refreshing getting soaked!

This morning I've been for a swim, been out for a little wander and here I am at the airport.

It's been a great little trip to Singapore. It would have been perfect, but for the lack of the company of the people I love.

Next stop home.