Thunder Storms, Rain, More Rain and the Wet Season!

We had a horrendous thunder storm on Saturday night which went on for about 4 hours, the house shook with one of the thunder claps, and the lightning illuminated Archie's bedroom.

The swimming pool can fill up by 5 tiles easily (about 10cms).

We have another deluge this morning, after I had walked Jet - it got very muggy and heavy, with rumbles in the sky - its now been raining for 2 hours and the pool is ready to overflow.

Luckily all the drainage in Singapore is very good - the houses and gardens have lots of storm drainage, the country has HUGE storm canals everywhere and all the water gets drained into these, which is very impressive. There are about 13 reservoirs across the island.

The grassy areas are damp underfoot if it rains everyday, hence the boys getting SO muddy at Rugby - the ground is quite soft too when they fall!

Storm Drains

Normally they have about 4 inches of water in the bottom, but once it rains they fill very quickly and become raging rivers

Food Trail - Laksa to Duriain

Geylang Serai Market, Singapore was a scene of colourful, tasty food, spices and flowers!

Joanna and I trying various different fruits from mangoosteen, dragon fruit, jack fruit and Durian - hence the latex gloves!

Durian, it looks harmless enough on the inside - very hard and spiky on the outside

Durian, wrapped up ready to buy

Joanna and I enjoying a bowl of Laksa - coconut milk, prawns etc

A lovely temple hiding around the corner

Otah - barbecued fish wrapped in banana leaves with omlette and rice and chilli sauce

Otah paste - fish paste barbecued

Popiah - pancakes that are very thin, filled with spring onions and bean sprouts and a chilli sauce

Coconut stall -

Pot pourri parcels made with a banana leaf, flower heads and fragrant oil

Banana leaves - sold for plates of wrapping

lemongrass and ginger roots

Spices sold loosley

A basket of very large bananas waiting to go into the market

Aliens and Nerds in Singapore - Science Day!

too early to have a photo taken - Science Day at school = 1 Alien, 1 'up' element and one normal kid!!

Snake's Breakfast & Corinna's Bike Ride

Corinna and 6 others went to Borneo for Travel and Adventure and had to raise some money to help at the Home they were visiting - they did a sponsored bike ride up some of the East Coast

A snake enjoyed a delicious breakfast of a frog, who almost got away

the snake slithered off into the undergrowth to swallow him

Our 20th Wedding Anniversary

Singapore F1 - Grand prix

Shanghai