July 4th 2009

Leaving Singapore, for our new adventure in Bali.

As dusk settles on Boat Quay.........

I am standing on the balcony at the top of the Fullerton Hotel, which is a beautiful Victorian building, formerly the Singapore General Post Office. It is from here that I can see the Bum Boats plough up and down. It is early evening, and a great time on which to reflect on our wonderful roller coaster adventure over the past 3 plus years in Singapore.

From my vantage point I can see the Asian Civilization Museum where we were lucky enough to be guests at Ricky Purnomo's wedding earlier this year, the Victoria Theatre, the Cricket field and club, where we meet the infamous Alan Muir. The Ice Cake church where we celebrated Karl and Cass's wedding last March.  Raffles Hotel where we hosted our many friend and family visitors alike; Wendy, John, Millie, Connie, Izzy, Anne, Rhonda & Mike, Sam, Sue & Roy, Martin Cotton and many more. This is where we downed many a "Singapore sling", and threw Monkey nuts on the floor of the Long Bar; the only place in the whole of Singapore where you can do this and not get fined or asked to wear a yellow jacket and participate in local community work.

I can see the Esplanade where we enjoyed the Phantom of the Opera, the restaurant 7ate9, where my fabulous team gave us a stupendous farewell Sunday luncheon. I can see Suntec City where we held our first huge event for the IMF Banking community, employing staff aged for 17 to seventy seven. Where we enjoyed the White Collar Boxing courtesy of IFS and the rest of that evening is a blur! Ask Chris and Alan. The Government offices at Tower 44, where we negotiated the biggest deal ever for Fuji Xerox APAC, working with EDS for 1.4 Billion $ Dollars.

I can seem them busily preparing the track for the next F1 night race, which we were lucky enough to attend last September with the RBS crew, Kiko and Alan who looked after us like Royalty.

I can see Madam's Chinese Emporium who does a wicked Lemon Chicken; and the Forbidden City where we had many a good supper with our friends Peter and Janette and I'll get back to them later.

We had the opportunity to explore every inch of this exotic island from coast to coast seeing the real Singapore by car; the Changgi board walks, the goat farm, the Zoo, the Botanic gardens, the Chinese gardens, Pulau Ubin, St John's Island, the Bird Park, the Air farm and too many others to mention.

I remember the fabulous Caribbean, our first home by the sea with its 5 swimming pools and resort like feel; it really did not feel like being at work, despite the long unsociable hours. Watching the Keppel Bay Marina Island develop, and wondering if it would sink under the tons and tons of cement they poured onto it. The events of the Marina and the fun time spent on Henry's Boat giving Molly the perfect excuse to get onto tow path, even it if he was not there! My big birthday celebration at Prive on Keppel Marina, being serenaded Happy Birthday in the many different languages by our friends.

I remember the fabulous BBQ's care of the great chef Chris and Josie, our very own Singapore princess, and the glittering Britcham Balls she organized for us all. The many friends we have met through them that have come and gone. The dancing Italians now back in Italy, Roger and Luciana now in Hong Kong, Linda, Eric and little Tom (Molly and Tom, better known as Ebony and Ivory) who are now back in Norway. Mike and Janice who went down under but they say boomerangs come back, and lucky for us they did to Singapore. There was Dave the dog and his owners that went to the US of A. The lovely Marius Camilla and their son Edwin and the wonderful christening of their beautiful daughter Lia at the little Norwegian church in the hills overlooking Sentosa. Jenny and Steve and their two girls born here but now residing in Dubai. Anita and the boys and the many others that I am sure I have forgotten to mention by name, its late so please forgive me if you are not mentioned you personally.

Now for those we leave behind; the comeback kids; Jan and Maurice Murphy who have spent more on hospital bills than they would care to mention.  To the weird and wonderful eateries that Maurice found for us to frequent whilst cycling around the island, such as the French stall, Little Bali, and the Chinese Inn interestingly located at an HDB block. Last year they enjoyed a fantastic 6 month break to Ireland and went to Lithuania for their son Trent's' wedding. Their lovely daughter Carmel, her husband Robert, a DJ on NZ radio, and their children Sam and Molly who we have come to know from their visits from New Zealand.

Then there is the lovely Janette and Peter, Molly's surrogate Grand Parents, who I have laughed and cried with and their lovely family who we have had the good fortune to meet. The many different restaurants we tried with Peter while Janette nursed Katie their eldest through her various births. Restaurants such as Lau Pasat, where you can get the best Satay in town (do make sure you sit at stall 8) and Molly's favourite crab rice house which has sadly just closed.

The wonderful teachers at Dover Court School, Mrs. Collier from Molly's old school Abbott's Hill back in England; and Mr. Allen, who left a bucket by Molly's head in case it rolled off one day! The fantastic plays Molly was in such as The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, the UN day Parades, and the enormous clock tower Chris  built for them in our apartment!!, and the many assemblies in Mandarin.

The unforgettable and haunting experience of the children's Christmas carol concert and service held at the local church in early December.  It was a balmy wet evening and service was conducted by candlelight.  Through the open windows the breeze blew gently on our faces as the rain fell softly making all the foliage glisten.  Ava Maria was sung by the sweetest soloist as the children stood illuminated simply by the candles they held.  I looked out of the window, closed my eyes and captured the moment to carry around with me always.  I do hope that Molly will remember it for always too.

My forays at work to foreign lands to Japan, Shanghai, Australia, Malaysia and China. The weird and wonderful culinary delights savoured from Crocodile to who knows what, and I am glad I often didn't. Team building yacht races on the Swan River in Perth, and our boat won!! To my roomy Sharon Kong; who I always teamed up with, and who always got up at the crack of dawn to play golf.

To my wonderful team of staff who worked with me to create the enormous success that was to be Fuji Xerox Global services. With special thanks to my right hand woman "April" who helped me navigate my through the FX corporation; and the rest of the first line team; Henry, Operations Manager, Teresa and subsequently Vincent the Sale Managers. When Henry and I first arrived in 2006 we had 47 staff, an attrition rate of 57% and very low morale. When I handed over the baton to Paul in April of this year, the said team had helped grow the department size to over 236 staff, reduce the attrition rate to single figures and raise the employee satisfaction rate to an all time high.

To the team in FXGS who helped on so many of the Singapore projects and tenders. Too many to mention here, but namely Andrew, Bob, Craig, Thevan, Christiane, Serge, Amerigo, Brajesh, Tee Hsien, Paul, Graham and Sebastianus.

 And to those further afield such as Paul Dara, David Cameron, John Cupit, Dutch Wostl, and Lesley and her EDS team in Plano.

And last but not least the SOEasy team of Ricky and Kok Hoe etc

To the wonderful family holidays to Vietnam, Bali, Thailand, Bintan, Bantam, Phuket, Racha Island, Cameron Highlands, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Bali, Bali and Bali.

The opening of the new Vivo city, the widening of Orchard Rd and their wonderful Christmas lights, the building of the Ion and the Integrated Resort, that we have watched being built brick by brick from our eagles nest apartment at the Sail from the 51st floor.

What a journey, what an adventure, it all started the evening that Chris flew in with Molly and her brother Matthew; when I welcomed them onto the balcony of the Pan Pacific Hotel with their eyes tightly closed, then having them open them to the Marina Bay view below and the unforgettable skyline that is Singapore; to here and now on the balcony of the Fullerton, where we say farewell to Singapore.

With final and special thanks to koh Ching Hong, Bert Wong, Ram, Mark Eldred, my wonderful husband Chris, and my beautiful daughter Molly who allowed all this to happen.

What a privilege to have met and to have known you all. You all make up the wonderful and very special experience which we will never forget.  Thank you to you all from the bottom of my sole.

Vanessa

August 10th 2009

Today was Molly's first day at the Canggu Community School (CCS), Bali...... 

It started like any other day but with great excitement and anticipation, She was up and dressed in her new turquoise and blue uniform at 7 am and could hardly consume her breakfast fast enough; Kadek our driver was on time as usual. We left at 8.15am and we were there by 20 past! Even with the security check at the gate, such a short drive in the rush hour. Molly gave me quick kiss and rushed off to her new classroom. I stayed in line to pay for her month of lunches which by the way sounded very appetizing.

By 8.30 we were enjoying a latte at the loop restaurant across the road. It is on the corner of the road and gives you a bird's eye view of the passing traffic, mostly scooters laden with all sorts of paraphernalia, hardware's and groceries for market. There are scooters laden with entire families often up to 5 passengers donned in all sorts of apparel.

And above all you can see the extensive rice paddy fields green and lush. The is one lone farmer ploughing his plot by hand it is such a contrast to the bight and breezy modern restaurant, it is a step back in time as he quietly furrows up and down tilling his soil totally unaware if the road chaos created by the parents in the their 4x 4 s as he belongs to a different era when things moved much slower. An old man bent double by his trade saunters slowly up the dusty road with his sharp sickle behind his back, his skin dark and furrowed by the sun.

I then went of to the Cosy spa while Chris went off to negotiate his new Ford truck.

Cosy is a small shop front on Sunset Road, but "Tardis" like on the interior. It is well known on the island and used by Balinese and Westerners alike such is its reputation.  I can only describe it as 3 floors of hospital type beds with all the curtains drawn around them, with no gaps between. I was ushered into this quite sanctuary all except for the quite moans of the patients (oh I mean clients). I've never been into a knocking shop but with the lighting so poor I could only make out the silhouette of my masseur. It was only once I had my head jammed into the wire dough nut, meagrely covered by a towel that I could make out the size of the feet of said person in white flip-flops; and that she was indeed a he.  Anyway this was not my first time; having endured the fate of the senior masseuse at Champney's Spa in England, who left me breathless. After the warming back stroking old "Ahamhead", (I have to spell it phonetically here as it is not a name I have heard before) quickly jumped astride me and was pummelling my back, good it was too! No more on the subject as I promptly fell into a deep and well earned sleep until he tapped me on the shoulder to say he had finished, Cathy kindly paid I think the equivalent of 8 pounds for each of us to have one and a half hours of sheer and utter bliss.

Chris and I met briefly before collecting Molly. It was so busy that I had to walk from the over flow car park going down to the school and back, which was OK ,but my breathe was laboured on the way up the hill on account of the heat of the afternoon and my distinct lack of exercise. Chris had other meetings with the contractors so we would not see him until much later

Molly came skipping out of school with her new best friend Soaire, who has started that same day and in unison pleaded for a sleep over, not bad for a first day!

Molly and I waived farewell to look for Kadek who was waiting patiently, as we waited to manoeuvre out we watched in horror as one of the mother with a kid in first grade reverse hard into a taxi behind her, sacra bleu! We turned right for home and to avoid the obvious mayhem which was bound to kick off to collect our bathers and return once the zoo had sorted itself out.

5.00pm and Aqua aerobics for those of you that know me well will know will know of my morbid fear of water. I persevered in spite of my fear of the deep end and my bad arm, still sore from my fall 2 weeks ago at Euston station. I faired quite well except for the continuous cramp in my feet, which I am sure was a combination of dehydration and the distinct lack of any exercise since I can remember. The kids had a whale of a time swimming and playing the entire time.

When we finished we gathered in the bar. It was only when we got up to leave that we then realised that we had no means of getting home.  Fortunately for us our great friends Fab and Cathy had both gone to the club with their 2 drivers so we managed to get a lift home. Home was very dark place, quite uninviting and extremely warm, on account of a power outage. Luckily Chris had remembered seeing a candle the day before under the bar area, after routing around in the dark he found it so at least we had one candle and the flashlight in my cheap phone to illuminate our world.

We played silly shadow puppets on the wall until Molly needed her bed, so here lay by the light of my PC screen, the keys barely visible. It is hot and uncomfortable but the noises of the night are quite fascinating, chickadees, the knocking of coconut shells, dogs howling at the moon, it makes it seem quite primitive and I guess in a way it is. All in all Molly has had a most remarkable day as indeed we all have.  Chris has now gone to collect Matt from the airport, he is due in at 9.00 pm.  Molly cannot wait to see him tomorrow and her exclaimed delight at having her brother come to stay with us , and is looking forward to playing dollies with him tomorrow after he collects her from school!

Wednesday -

To my surprise Matt was awake and kicking first thing in the morning after enjoying a few beers and a catch up with his dad before retiring in the early hours of the morning.

Molly complained of a headache first thing this morning, but went off to school anyway. When I collected her she was as white as a sheet and complaining of a fever. Sure enough she was running temperature of 39 degrees so Kadek was despatched to collect some Tempera medicine form the Apoc. This she promptly threw up.  Now anxious, I took her off to the local Doctor at the local hospital.

The drive was uneventful, except I will say that taking carry bags did prove to be a good idea. We followed a man for many miles with a scooter with an extra wide load of eggs. We could hardly see his head but it really should have been a beige dome shaped helmet on which he could have had his slogan Eggs R us, finally as he veered urgently across the road I thought they were all about to get scrambled.

The hospital was a large marble Mausoleum of a place but scrupulously clean. The nurses all looked like extras off a 1950 soap opera, and I expected Doctor Kildare to walk round the corner any minute. The front desk was very efficient and we saw Dr Kilamati on the dot of 6.30 pm as promised. He was a very friendly man and Molly was very good with him having made an excellent recovery from the last round of sickness. He said she had a viral infection and was to rest. Molly kept interrupting him anxious to know where the 24 hr shop was located in the building. He assured her he would tell her where it was after the consultation. We paid 120,000 Rp. and were directed to the Apoc directly opposite the little shop. Molly bought a melon the size of her head and we headed for home clutching the various potions' from the Apoc dispensary.

Today I saw a sight you do not see every day. We were passing the local prison and in front car park there were three unsavoury types were breaking into a car!!

Thursday Day off school

Molly not much better so a day of rest today as it would be games out in the blistering sun. Oh my god I just nearly chat my pants as a deafening Gecko bellowed loudly immediately above me in the dark and alone at the bar!!

Classic question of the day as we were discussing the various merits of mothballs and how my grandmother had used them to great effect but no one wanted to sit next to her in case it transferred itself to your clothing. In any case it was just as well that I had not actually closed the door on Chris clothing as he was adamant that he preferred the holes in his clothing to the smell so many Singaporean. How do moths make balls!!

Friday Molly has her little friend Nicola for Supper and a sleep over, while we went to off and celebrate with Angus and Jolena his 33^rd birthday. 

Molly laid the table beautifully complete with napkins flowers and candle light I was very impressed.

We enjoyed a lovely evening at "Socrates restaurant" on the coast, although it is not quite the same without Paul the previous owner we did enjoy being serenaded by the band who sang happy birthday to a much embarrassed Angus who had the most delicious chocolate birthday cake complete with the restaurants candles, improvised with a single tea light!!

Saturday morning; and Molly and Nicola are off for a dress fitting as they are to be flower girls on September 12^th when Jolena and Angus renew their wedding vows in Ubud and we are all invited. Molly is dropped off with Matt in town who are to catch a taxi home, so that Molly can have a short rest before going to Soaries house for another sleep over, her social calendar is busier than ours.

After several attempts at finding our villa, Molly has to swap seats with Matt and hops in the front seat to navigate them home; luckily one of them was paying attention.

On Sunday she is off on Sunday to Ku Da Ta evidently they are having a family afternoon, face painting etc etc and Molly is invited.

It turns out that the family party is in fact a Bikini party, and children are included?  The music is too loud and I get a call from Greta, Soarie's mum that Molly wants to come home as the noise is hurting hers ears. I can hardly hear as it is quite deafening even over the phone.

We arrive at the Ku Da Ta, and the place is jumping!!  I line up to be searched with the rest of the crowd, who seem to be mesmerized by the music, and drawn to the place like the Sand people into den of Logan's run; if any of you are old enough to remember the series. There I am looking decidedly over dressed in just linen trousers and skimpy T shirt. The clientele around me hardly have anything to hide at all, the woman in front has a gorgeous beach blonde daughter of about 8 years old in tow dressed in leopard skin bikini.  She herself is not unattractive to the male populous, and I have to confess that she did have a terrific body. She sported a ten gallon hat to match her ample 10 gallon bosoms which spilled out front and sides and the teeniest bottoms and a belt? Not sure what the belt was for other than ornament? I felt as out of place there as a pimple on that woman's but!!

Friday night and we head for the sunset at the famous Echo Beach. We have another great evening at last witness the sun slipping from the red sky, how blessed are we!

Nicola stays over again but this time wakes Molly up no sooner than she falls off to sleep, evidently they play for hours until they decide that it would a good wheeze to make breakfast for Mum and Dad, it is 4.30am in the morning. Chris whips them off to bed and I lay awake for hours.  At 5.00 am I can hear beautiful voices and think that I might have died and gone to heaven. Apparently we live close to the temple and they start morning prayers at that time.  I fall into a fit fall sleep only to be awakened not much later by an irate farmer berating his cattle. I watch the cheeky Gecko above and hope that he does not pooh on me it would be a great ending to my night's sleep.

Chris was off early the next morning for a meeting at the site which I was supposed to attend but they left me in my pit as I was still snoring away when he peeked in before setting off with Kadek our driver; leaving Matt in charge.

No sooner had he gone I awoke stumbling into the daylight and shielding my eyes against the glare of a new day, to see Matt staring down the rice field, muttering something about Molly threatening to bring a cow home? As I stared in the direction Matt was facing I rubbed my eyes as I saw Molly dressed in a orange and white T shirt just out of Where's  Wally coming down the field towing a cow behind her.  She had decided that it would be much kinder to set them. Luckily enough none of them moved fast as the surprised face of Matt shot down the field to re tether the baffled beasts. If this were not enough I learnt later that Molly and Nicola had allegedly set free some other unfortunate ducks from their prison in another rice field. I half expected some to come called singing "Who let the ducks out? Who's, who?

The final chapter in this farce was when the farmer came back and we witnessed him scratching is head in amazement as the cows were now all in different positions and tied up with Girl Guide knots. I am sure that the talk of the village is now of the sacred magic cows. May be this will have saved them a fate worse than death.

Molly seems to be enjoying some Gerald Durrell fantasy, which I read loved as a teenager but which to my knowledge Molly has never read.

Last night Molly confessed to Matt that she liked all the alcohol that she had ever tasted to date, that she obviously had not tasted all of them but that she would get round to it in time! 

Is this a taste of what is to come I wonder..................

I have just collected Molly from school all red faced from playing football under the sun. She changed and disappeared off to Wayans's, the maid's house up the road. She came home clutching a baby chick, so I dowsed her in disinfectant, can't be too careful!

Today is the 4th September..............

We have been on this wonderful Island for exactly 4 weeks, and it really seems as though we have never really have lived anywhere else. Everything is starting to become more familiar, although I would not say we are experts at finding our way round yet, by any stretch of the imagination as the sign posts are few and far between.

Each of us is settling into our own daily routines, the daily school run for me followed by Aqua Aerobics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning straight after the school run.  I do feel fitter; however, there is no noticeable difference in my body shape yet.  I am still eating the buns to see whether I do really need to combine it with healthy eating or not! I will keep you posted on that one.

Molly is really enjoying school, she received an Excellence Award at the end of week two for her Positive Attitude and using her Best Efforts, what a trouper. She is off to camp at the end of September in Ubud with all of year 5, so there is great excitement about this adventure.

Molly continues to make new friends around us.  We are often out and people say hello to Molly, people we have never before seen in our lives, but this is nothing new.

We live in the valley overlooking the rice paddy fields, at the bottom of a gang (a narrow ally way wide enough for one car, and defiantly no room for sticking your head or your hand out of the window).  Either side of the gang are a few rental villas and the farm owed by the owner of our villa.

There is her friend Chloe an ex school teacher in the first Villa, who owns a Golden Retriever called Elli, who is the first dog I have come across that has its own swimming pool? There is Loghan a boy in her class; and Alison and her twin boys of 8 who moved in last Saturday.  Molly has already taken all on extensive walks and eel fishing in the rice field irrigation gullies.

Our rented Villa has three large bedrooms, which we have now completely filled up with guests; as our son Matthew turned up on day 2 of our arrival, having jacked his job in London to come and live with us. There is our beautiful niece Connie who arrived on Tuesday, and is to stay with us for 3 months.  Chris is out with Matt trying to find a larger 4 bedroom villa to accommodate our dear friend Sam who is due in October, and the lovely Ella a friend of  Connie's who arrives as Sam leaves.

The villa is a great holiday home, just like all ones you will have seen in all the glossy holiday brochures, however, after 4 weeks without a sitting room, the outdoor living around a dining room table and 4 sun lounges does get hard on your arse. Although it is not the rainy season yet we have had a couple of inclement days probably due to the terrible cyclone off the Philippines. So we all really would like a comfy lounge in which to retreat of an evening, otherwise we will continue to retire to bed very early; which then shifts your day to rising at 6.30 am, which is actually a beautiful time of the day, with dew all over the rice fields.

The rented Villa is centred around a very nice, but small pool, easily no more a width in length but nonetheless still great to lower the blood temperature.

The kitchen is outside too and also very small and woefully under equipped for any serious preparation and or cooking. There is no sharp knife, peeler, sieve can opener etc. etc.  When I asked the maid, Wayan by miming out the process of opening a can, she brandished a large carving knife in the air!! I phoned a friend quickly and Chris drove to borrow an old fashion can opener. We are making do though, the other night I made mashed potatoes with a wooden spoon, and the meals we turn out on the camping stove are pretty good, even if I do say so myself.  All this sacrifice will ensure that we fully appreciate the super new kitchen Chris in Planning in our new home.

Each of the three bedrooms is complete with on suite bathrooms, but because the owner has incorporated every combination of building material known to man his hotchpotch of great looking architecture, it can be painful to use. For example, the outside shower is covered in volcanic pebbles. Have you ever tried to balance on volcanic pebbles while cleaning your bits and pieces? Forget it; every morning we sweep them aside only to have Wayan carefully rearranges them for us ready for the next shower. We also have the most enormous, Rebar baths which would take a month off Sundays to fill; they do not look at all inviting but again atheistically pleasing to the eye but totally impractical.

Chris has bought a new Ford Everest truck. It is the only grey and black one on the island, he has to be different, and this we took delivery of it last Friday. Kadek is very much chuffed with his new toy, and gingerly drives through well trodden short cuts and through tiny gaps with large concrete posts either side, designed to stop such large vehicles charging through the small villages.

Daniel, the Sales Manager at the Ford showroom could not have been more professional, not at all like a car salesman! He is always Professional, polite and very worthy of our comments on the feedback form.

When he turned up at the allotted time, with his lovely assistant who we will call "Pinkie", on account of her love of everything pink, she is dressed head to foot in Ford logos, but pink shoes , and had bought Molly some Pink headphones for her DVD player in the back  of our head rests.

As Pinkie explained the ins and outs of Chris new beasty Daniel and I engaged as usual in general chit chat.  He asked me why we had chosen Bali. I explained that of all the places we had visited we felt that the deep rooted culture of the Balinese people had been one of the biggest deciding factors.

He said that this had been his too, as that he originally hailed from Jakarta. He so loved his new job at Ford and Bali that he wanted them to experience it with him first hand and had persuaded his wife and two children to join him sooner, than wait the two years they had originally agreed to. He then went onto explain that tragedy had struck them after only 12months and proceeded to turn out his palm to show me a large scar on his wrist and one to his neck. Daniel had been in a restaurant in Jimberan four years ago with his family.

That particular evening, his little boy was quite boisterous as boys can be.  Just as he moved away from the table there was a huge explosion.  The bomb was laden with bullets, one went straight through the back of his head and one through his heart, killing him instantly but leaving his body still perfect.  His first born son was only six years old without an enemy in the world.

Daniel's wife blamed him for the incident and for bringing them here and she immediately wanted to leave.  Again he persuaded her to stay, and face this together. I am pleased to say that they are both still here today, and his wife is teaching small children in the local school.

All the while that Daniel is telling me this he still wearing his same warm expression, and I detect no haltered for the perpetrators of this heinous crime. What a brave man he is to face this every day.   I only hope that I never have to endure his pain. Never once did he seek out our pity, or use this in any way to persuade us to buy a car from him; we just instinctively liked him, and now I know why.

Today is Saturday and we have been out with our Italian friend Fabrizio, to kick tyres. Fab as he is better known has lived here for more than 10 years and really knows his way around. We went to off the beaten track to a work shop look at 60 year old Willy's, but they were just too difficult to handle...now now girls, what do you expect from a Jeep that dated back to the 2nd world war.

Fab then took us to see another Italian friend of his that made the most beautiful guns.  It is difficult to describe a weapon of destruction as both deadly and beautiful in the same sentence, but the craftsmanship and carvings were exquisite, even if not to my taste.

We then went off to see a Land Cruiser he had noticed for sale earlier in the week. The guy Jules wanted 60 Million Rp, but we were able to negotiate it down to 53 Million Rp as it has some issues with regards to the way the steering pulled to the left and the brakes were in need of attention. We left him a deposit of a 10 Million and at his suggestion drove it away for the weekend, leaving us to settle the balance on Monday.  Can you imagine doing that anywhere else in the world? I drove it home with Fab, we have the boom box at full tilt, and he is intermittently scaring all the locals with the Police siren it has fitted.

We have christened our 30 year old run around "Daffy Truck". Chris refuses to call her this as he was outvoted by the women here, with his suggestion of "Bruiser the Cruiser".

Evidently in spite of her considerably age she has only had three owners in all of that time. Originally she was bought by the Indonesian Government in 1978, then by a whole village community and then by Juel back in 2000.

Late in the afternoon I realised that the Dafffy's tank was on empty, so Chris followed me in case I ran out.  Molly and I drove in the general direction of where I thought I had seen a petrol station earlier in the week. When you do not drive it is amazing how little attention or note you take of where even the most important places are.

My fist attempt was met with Chris's gritted teeth, as I turn into a car wash to be greeting by 15 very bemused car washing folks, none of which spoke any English. There are several cars up on hydraulic ramps being stream cleaned underneath, and my every attempt to put Daffy into reverse draws me ever closer to the terrified, and slightly built Balinese car washer. I am so close to him now that I can see the whites of his eyes.  To my relief I managed to shake up the gears and reverse. The power steering is creaming now, to Chris's embarrassment we have everyone attention. There is even a little Warong (a local cafe) where the diners are looking over the tops of their weekend newspapers to what all the commotion is about while still  nonchalantly turning their pages.

I am smiling and waving good bye as I turn into the heavy traffic and follow obediently to the petrol station only a few hundred yards on the left. We then follow Chris for another hour in terrifyingly heavy traffic as all the workers head home to their villages. Matt is with me and we know very well that we are all lost and heading into Kuta?

We had bikes and scooters swarming around us like bees round a honey pot, they were coming from this way and that, we could not have attracted more of them had we smeared the roof with treacle, we just could not shake them of.

Eventually we see a Circle K mini mart that we had used earlier in the day and were able to turn round and head off to the building site to see the sun go down.

2^nd September and we celebrate the setting up a New Business Venture. The four Business partners are Chris, Matt, Fab and Enzo. They have acquired the land and have already embarked on the construction of the first house very near to the CCS school.

Sunday 7^th September we travelled up country to Candidasa meaning, 10 Temples, to meet up with Craig an ex colleague of mine from FXGS, and his lovely wife Wendy who are holiday here for a week from Singapore. The weather is glorious and because we are in a resort we all really do feel that we are on vacation.

Connie, Matthew and Molly make the most of the pool, while the four of us seek shelter in the open air library.

Molly, being Molly disappears only to be found hiding in the large Ali Babar linen basket by the pool reception reserved for the guest towels. She will only come out if I pretend to play the flute like a snake charmer. Eventually, she dances and wiggles her way up like a snake much to the delight of the other guests. I will be vetting and censoring Craig's pictures on Face Book to ensure that the one he took of my large posterior, which was evidently sticking up in the air is not posted for any of you to tag and make comment. The things we do to plicate our children!

Candidasa is a small little village that clings to the edge of the ocean, and has the most enormous Lilly pond/lagoon that I have ever seen.   It has a lovely carefree seaside feel but would offer little nightlife for the younger members of our party. Not far from the village heading back you will pass the famous Amamkila hotel, reputed to be one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels on the island. Time did not permit me to view this establishment so you will have to wait until another day as it sounds very much more my style.

The East side of the island is in compete contrast to the other side of the island, the vegetation is extremely lush; the soil is very rich in minerals on account of the volcanoes.  There is also heavy mining in the area for cement which used for local use. You can see them washing all the trucks and Lorries in the stream from the highway.  All of them are so heavily laden they look impossible to control. In fact we did see one casualty of a truck laden with rocks that had simply veered off into a ditch, completely buckling the whole thing. A complete right off in any other country other than Indonesia, and I am certain by Tuesday that this one will be back on the road again. 

Since rice is not so abundant here they grow a variety of other crops including tobacco which you can see spread out to dry in the sun shine and Durian fruit. This fruit has one of the most disgusting nauseous provoking smells you will ever inhale. My friends in Singapore would kill for the stuff, It simply makes me just want to gag.

The journey back is extremely busy as all the workers are heading back from their brief Sunday visit to their families who have their homes in the North of the island. The curb side is littered with ladies plying their produce.  Every other road side stall and I mean road side as you nearly roll over their toes are selling freshly caught fish.

I am not sure whether I have mentioned before that Chris procured for me a little preschool, "SPICE Seminyak Early Learning centre".  Just in case I were to get bored in my retirement!!! Fat chance.

Monday 8th and Miss Connie starts work experience at our little school. For an eighteen year old, she has a very pressing schedule bed until late morning, and then school from12 noon until 2.30 pm. However, we do drag her up with us to run all our morning errands before dropping her off and she never complains. This week she has had them colouring apples to hang on the tree, made rice crispy chocolate cakes and sang and played nursery rhymes on the guitar to them. Today is Friday and this week's theme was "SPICE Circus" all the children had to come dressed up and have their little angel faces painted. Connie was fair game she wore a tutu and an orange wig while other teachers were magicians, tight rope walkers and lion tamers.

Matthew returned today from this visa run to Singapore. He made the mistake of admitting that he would not have much to do while he was there, so the all the women had gave him a lengthy shopping list.  Cathy and I had requested Aqua Aerobic floatation belts, boots and gloves and Jolena had wanted a specific hair accessory from Accessorise for her fourth coming wedding. We got an email back from him on Wednesday protesting "I hate Shopping". I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall, because he did actually come back with Jolene's flower.

The flower is for her hair and is beautiful and is the only purchase he made.

It is Sunday 13^th, and the day of their Nuptials has arrived. We head to Ubud, famous for its Artisans over the years.  We wait for their driver at the Monkey Forest as evidently the route to the villa where the ceremony is to be held is convoluted. 

You can say that again.  I could no more find it in the hills again than fly to the moon. We passed through small villages with wares piled high in row upon row by the side of the road, their kilns for firing items such as tiles set just back from the road side.  Up through verdant valleys and along the ridge of gorges; the scenery spectacular. Eventually we are waived to park in a narrow lane and are directed to a path across a rice field that leads to a cow shed. The path winds past fields then drops away to a very impressive doorway which swings open onto a terrace clinging to the side of cliff. The view from here is breath taking, what a stunning venue. I apologise in advance for not being able to think of more appropriate superlatives to describe the scene before me to you.

There are wedding flowers everywhere, rose petals and frangipani sprinkled on the deck that juts out into thin air, edged only in glass. These crush under your feet releasing the delicate perfume which is to set the tone for the rest of the day.

Molly fulf, asills her lifelong dream and is to be a flower girl, Molly and Nicola are so angelic; angels floating on clouds as they descend the stairs, I just want to cry, I am so proud of the way Molly takes it all in her stride. The other three toddlers dressed in similar crushed crimson and have little golden fairy wings.

Molly and Nicola scatter rose petals at Jolena's Feet and the procession makes it way to the furthest point of the balcony in the sky and the ceremony begins. They exchange their own vows in front of her father; a minister who has only just given her away. There is a ballad sung by her father and a little impromptu poem from their daughter Nicola, there is not a dry eye in the house, luckily I had my sun glasses and the Kleenex at the ready!

Much pink champagne is quaffed. The catering is done by "Naughty Norrie", her ribs and chops are to die for trust me.

What a lovely day it has been, a wonderful occasion and a privilege to have been there to witness this event.

We welcome in the dusk and bid farewell to the bride and groom.

Thursday 24th and today is my first chance for some "Me Time". The weather lately has been really quite inclement, apparently this is really very unusual for this time of year. The rainy season is still a month or two away, so it should blue skies every day. Well today it is beautiful, and I have been toying whether to work on my tan or catch up on with my journal.  Since it is so hot the journal wins.

The day after the wedding ceremony in Ubud Connie stepped in to replace Jolena who had taken an extra day off to enjoy the beautiful villa. However, their quality time was rudely interrupted by a call to from their driver to say that he had run into the back of two cars on the journey home with the children and their Nanny, fortunately everyone one was ok, but the car repairs needed to be negotiated and settled so Monday afternoon was spent sorting all that out, poor things. That's how it all works, money definitely talks here!

Tuesday and their luck does not improve any for them as their 20 month old daughter has contracted measles from her little cousin, the little ring bearer at the wedding. So Connie is full time this week at the school and the excitement mounts as she is organising this week's Friday dress up theme "Aladdin".

When we pick Connie up we pop over to the pet shop in Kuta to check on the progress of the mother incubating the Labrador Puppies. She is a lovely animal and doing well, however, a very cute Beagle pup in the window catches everyone eye. Molly had always really wanted a Beagle puppy but we had convinced her to look at another breed of dog as they are quite rare on the island.

We all fell for her, especially Chris who whispered in her ear "we will be back later with Molly". We set off to collect Molly from school, and returned to the pet shop keeping stum about where we were going. Connie told her that it was a dress shop when we finally arrived so she initially refused to get out of the air conditioned car. When I mention the words "Pet and shop" her eyes widened like saucers and she immediately leapt out.

As predicted Molly made a beeline for the little Beagle. Of all the puppies, she was the only one still sitting and looking for us out of the window, the others dozed in the full afternoon sun; what a knowing little dog. Molly immediately christened her Ellie, and could not believe the answer she received when she asked if she could take her home an emphatic yes; and so the newest and very expensive addition to our family was adopted. Chris is still interested in the Labrador puppy, but it is still some months before this one will be born and weaned for us to take home, so we will see how we get on with this one first.

I am pleased to report that Ellie is settling in very well, as is a very happy, adorable cute puppy, and currently the talk of the school; and we cause mayhem most days when all the children flock to coach her at the school gate.

After Aqua Aerobics on Friday my friend Cathy enquires after my arm, which, has to be said is no better than it was after my fall in London back in July. Cathy suggests we visit the local healer, who is located only a few houses down from us.  The narrow drive way opens out into a surprisingly large courtyard, with individual, small but highly decorated pavilions built around to house all their extended family. 

We are in luck today as there are only two people in front of us. A young woman, who I guess is, may be a European tourist here on holiday and an elderly lady accompanied by a young man. We are told by a young woman who passes us by carrying a large basket of laundry on her head that although the doctor is here, that he is currently tending to one of the many daily ceremonies, and gesticulates somewhere off in the distance behind her large basket. We all sit in silence around a central bale which is open to the elements on two of its sides and await the Healer's arrival. Half an hour latter a very cheerful, but frail man arrives dressed in traditional attire; a batik printed sarong, t-shirt and white head dress, and I guess that this is the Man. I whisper to Cathy, "What is the protocol when meeting him?" since he one down from the Head of the village, and we both concur that curtseying is not necessary. 

His first patient or should I say victim, was the young woman, who had been nervously nursing her pink crash helmet the entire time that we had been waiting.  Although not a small person by any stretch of the imagination she is dressed in stretchy cycling shorts and a very skimpy top! The Healer gestures her to lie down before him on a sarong his assistant has carefully laid on the ground of the Sala.

He sets to work massaging the young women quite briskly from head to toe in full view of the assembled crowd? Which by now had grown in number; and I could immediately see why she had worn such an outfit.  Her arms and legs were pulled this way and that like the rag doll of a contortionist! I was most alarmed at the lack of privacy as I witnessed us all gaur ping on with mouths open wide as the entire treatment was played out before us, for all to see. What was more unnerving to me was how the hell was he was going to do anything to me dressed as I was in baggy trousers and shirt top, without me having to strip off entirely! So now my insides did not feel so great about this prospect either. This woman's treatment went on for over half an hour and at the end he gave her some kind if instructions about what and when to eat but I still could not make out what he initial complaint had been? The assistant then directed to her to a curtain off to the side where she entered to make her donation for the consultation to the Gods.

While she was doing this, one of our audience, a young girl was beckoned forward, She had been sitting patiently for sometime holding a bag of fresh fish, evidently an offering for the Healer and his family; he graciously accepted the fish and rewarded her with a small token of money which she was more than happy to receive judging by the wide smile which spread across her pretty face as she left.

The next case was the elderly lady that had sat motionless next to young man presumably a grandson. She had her hand wrapped in an old tea towel and wore a very pained expression firmly etched into the golden creases of her face; most likely the reward of years of toiling underneath the unforgiving Bali sun.

As she sat before him the towel was gently unwrapped to reveal a very swollen sprained hand. As he set about manipulating her forearm she let out silent mouthed cries of discomfort. Fortunately, for her, and for us onlookers who all just grimaced through crewed up eyes at the very thought of it, this did not go on for very long. He then dowsed her hand in some ointment or other and bandaged it. Her grandson stepped forward with a humble offering of some sort of produce from their land which I could not make out, which again was graciously accepted.

No sooner had the old dear got to her feet then I was ushered forward. He immediately produced a tomb sized edition of Greys anatomy and opened at the page where the muscles under the skin are illustrated, he jabbed his finger at the shoulder area in the book then at my own arm. The book was slammed shut and he set about my treatment.  I need not have worried about protecting my modesty; once my shirt was removed I was with the sleight of his hand covered by yet another Sarong which was tied around my middle. It was at this point that I noted that he had only one good eye. He kept laughing and chuckling to himself. He commented that I must have had a large salad the previous evening as he grabbed at my stomach (curious, I think it had been a curry!). He constantly reminded me to relax, which was rather difficult as I was now facing the audience and the source of their continued voyeurism and fascination. I was determined to have the courage of the old dear and not to cry out. I do not think I managed to do this very well as he twisted my arms and legs around in similar fashion to the first victim.

As he was massaging my neck a worried face appeared at the side of the pavilion. Words were exchanged before the young man disappeared. The Healer continued to hover on the edge of the Sala waiting for the man to return. He came back some minutes later carrying a young woman. The Healer had her laid before me; the audience looked on astonished and mouthed to me "Is she dead"? I looked anxiously for some form of Life. The Healer struck her feet with a pen shaped instrument but no reflex was obvious. I could just make out some shallow breathing, but other than that I am sorry to day looked quite dead. The Healer spoke to the young man about an injection, so he struggled to pick up the dead weight and set off with her to the hospital, it was all very surreal.

With all the various problems circulating around the world I have to admit that I did ask if she was contagious, as I noted that there had been no hand washing between any of the various bodies upon whom he had laid his hands. He assured me that the woman was anaemic with low blood pressure and continued with me as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  Finally I was asked to stand before him; cleverly, he turned his head and his gaze to lead my eyes away into the furthest most corner of the room, whereupon he cracked both my knee joints while my attention was diverted. He wickedly laughs out loud and prounces my treatment complete.

I cupped my hands Thai style in appreciation and made my offering behind the curtain. As Cathy and I left everyone in the audience without exception reassured me that, although I may have some initially discomfort, that tomorrow I would feel like a new person, I just hoped that new person would be me.

The whole experience leaves me somewhat dazed, it had been truly bizarre; but the overwhelming feeling of trust that everyone had in the Healer was quite amazing, but I am left with nagging question as to the welfare of the poor young women taken to hospital, and that my arm still hurts as much as it did before.

Amed:

Over lunch Cathy and I recount our experiences, and decide that we all need more TLC. So it is decided there and then that we will all go away to Amed on the North West Coast of Bali for the long weekend which is a day two festival of Idul Fitri. This is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fir means "to break the fast" (and can also mean "nature", from the word "fitrah") and so symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. It also means that many of the construction workers here go home for a two week holiday, which, in turn adds yet another month before we can occupy our new home.

The next morning we are shaken out of our beds by 6.2 earth quake. It went on for a couple minutes and was very unsettling. Initially I thought that Molly had let Ellie into my bedroom and she was shaking the glass doors and blinds. As I staggered out of bed I met Chris coming to get me and noticed that the swimming pool was crashing over sides as if tidal. Connie stayed in bed immobilised with fear and Matt sleep through the whole drama. It obviously would take some kind of special women to make the earth move for him!!

We rendezvous at the local Loop restaurant with the Fab Family the following morning and set off just after 10.00 am. On route we stop and buy a large Genset for our new house. The electricity had been off twice during the week for repair and made sleeping without air con uncomfortable and cooking by gas in the dark quite dangerous. So our new house will have light and power even if they do decide to pull out the plug without warning, which is one thing you can actually count on.

The route to Amed takes you again through Candesara, but the scenery changes dramatically once you leave town and start to climb the steep mountain ridges. You are rewarded with tremendous views of the wide open valley below, with its vibrant green parcels of rice fields as you descend. It is a truly beautiful drive; but not for the faint hearted as the road clings to the side of the mountains much as they do in Switzerland or on the Amalfi drive in Italy. The guard rail might stop a small scooter, but would be helpless against the forces of a large four wheel truck. I would have enjoyed the whole experience had we not been following Fabs as he raced ahead at break neck speed weaving in and out of farm trucks and the like on hair pin bends. My nerves were quite jangled by the time we turned onto the coast road and the pace slowed I am pleased to say, we were on vacation at last.

Once you make this turn the scenery changes dramatically again. It is dry and arid and reminiscent of places like Spain and Greece where I have holidayed in height of their summer. It looks as though it may not have rained here for 400 hundred years. Amed I am told is reminiscent of Kuta in the 1960's, a quiet sleepy village sort out by only intrepid travellers and Hippies; although there has been a more development of late with the emergence of small holiday bungalows and small hotels built primarily for the diving fraternity, who now flock to see the reefs and the Japanese ship sunk in 1995.  Other employment prospects in this region are pretty grim, and most of the locals eke out a meagre existence farming the land as best they can.

Since we had gone on spec we spent the next hour finding suitable accommodation. I pleased to report that we ended up with a whole villa complex owned by a young American, complete with four Suite Pavilions, gymnasium (which I did not even look at), large TV room, Kitchen, huge pool and garden area and Snooker table.

The rooms were a luxurious, with sumptuous large four poster beds, mattresses and pillows imported from America. It was a wonderful diversion from our camping experience in our rented Villa in Canggu. As luck would have it the next morning we awoke to a torrential down poor which was set in for the day. Not that it mattered at all as we drifted in and out of a well earned sleep on the huge comfortable day beds on the wide airy verandas and watched the rain while the children played in the swimming pool.

As I have mentioned, the area is quite rural and is not the culinary paradise of the south, although there are a couple of reasonable restaurants. Unfortunately, we found only found one where we had a full banquet. The experience on our second evening was interesting to say the least.  There were many obvious signs, which we unwittingly chose to ignore. Alarm bells should have been rung when the children complained about the bad smell, which was not immediately apparent from where we were sitting; the menu advertised a variety of Pizza, one containing "Fork" and the waiter apologised for not having any "Bums" for the Cheese Burgers? And no it is not a spelling mistake on this occasion.  The meals were truly dreadful, and Fab admitted that it was the worst meal he had not eaten in 20 years. Chris only ate his vegetables as the bone he held up from his plate of Sweat and sour chicken looked as though it had been recently wrestled from one of the local dogs. The icing on the cake came when Chris noticed that the idling kitchen staff had their feet up on the preparation area. Needless to say we paid and left in search of a good Espresso and chocolate cake for our hungry children. Would you believe that this was to be found only two doors down the street!! However as we entered every face turned to our party, it was if we had entered Doctors surgery. Slowly but surer the sullen guest who uttered not one word to each other gradually paid and left. We on the other hand rounded our evening off happily with the children and adults replete, and the children telling children's jokes and stories. Not to be left out of such a sublime evening I managed to fall backwards in the car park, this time injuring my other arm. I spent the night in bed with a flannel packed with ice cubes to take down the bruising and swelling, at least this point alone should now have my mother in law rolling in the isle as she only finds my personal injuries and mishaps amusing!

The next morning we were rewarded with blue blue skies and spent the morning enjoying the pool and gardens before setting off home at noon. Fab promises that the return journey home will only take 2 hours. However, we stop for lunch in Candesara for a couple of hours only to emerge from the restaurant to find Fab's battery completely flat, evidently, someone who will remain nameless have left their headlights on. We all try to jump start his truck by pushing down the road, but to no avail. Unfortunately, Chris had taken his jump leads and other paraphernalia out of the truck to accommodate the new dog kennel. The restaurant comes out rather unhelpfully with some lighting wire! Eventually, and at some cost a new battery is procured by a local guy with initiative who appears with it on the back of his bike from somewhere we know not where.  We eventually get home after dusk; the journey has taken 6 and half hours!!

Wednesday morning and there is great excitement as Molly gets ready to go on her trio to Ubud.

When we arrive at the school gate we are met by a Bridget a parent of one of Molly's class mates, who enquires after where Molly might be going as she is in her casuals. She tells us that a note was evidently sent out moving the trip to the following week! I really felt the disappointment in Molly's eyes, fortunately for us no one else sees us as scurrying away home. Bridget lends me her car and I hurtle home to get her changed into her school uniform and organise her morning snack.

After all this Molly is only 6 minutes late and but I feel like I have lost a few minutes of my life. I cannot possibly describe how Molly could have felt and when I tucked her in bed that evening I found this written in her note Book. She does not know that I have borrowed it, so in her own words:

Dear diary. Today was a day I will never forget. I woke up and thought that I was going on a school trip. I got all ready extra early.   I was at school when my next door neighbour came as me "where I was going?" I said "on my school trip", she replied "but it is next week'. It was then that I realised that I had to go home and change. At least I had my mum with me. We had to borrow my neighbour's car. I did not want to go to school, but I did anyway. Dad wrote a note to explain to Mr Sails and Mummy took me back so that I was not too late, and at least I get to go next week.

Friday again, and this week's SPICE theme is a Pyjama Party. The children come dressed in PJ's clutching cuddle toys and blankets. They have warm coco, and are read bedtime stories before their daily nap. Jolena and retire for lunch to go over the documentation I am preparing for the new Parents hand book and the teachers contracts. While we wait for our Driver and deliberate where we might go she recounts her neighbours Pig slaughtering episode, which happened during the long weekend break. The details of which, I will spare you in case you are reading this over breakfast. Needless to say discount bacon sandwiches and opt for vegetarian on this occasion.

Cathy calls before I go out to say that her little boy Stephen has been diagnosed with Mumps poor sole. As yet no other child has caught it, but we are at loss as to know who and where he may have got it.  You forget how cosseted we are in England, where such child hood diseases are a thing of the past.

In closing I must comment on our new family member "Ellie" who is growing by the day, she is an incredibly good natured playful little dog; but like all puppies she has taken a liking to chewing shoes, chasing trouser bottoms and more strangely gecko poo. Matt and Chris now own a pair of something Connie has coined "flop flops" on account of their flip flop Crocs now having been completely destroyed.

Reflections of Bali: November 2009

Many apologies for the lapse in my journal, but in spite of being retired I have never been so busy; and we have also had a run of visitors; so I am determined to pen a little tonight and catch up.

Everyone else has retired for the evening; even our snoozing hound is snoring softly and twitching at some dream or other. So here I am propped up on the sun lounger in the dark save for the glow of the pool lights and my PC, and watching the night sky. 

The air tonight is almost perfectly still and unusually quite except for the ever constant chatter of the bull frogs and chicarders. There is simply no breeze this evening, no clatter of the wooden spoons against the humbly made bird deterrents hung periodically from palm trees; these are simply made with a wooden spoon tied to hit  the insides of a tin can as the breeze gently kisses their little propellers.

The full moon hangs phosphorescent in the night sky, making the sky as clear as day. Mist wafts like a veil of organizer, rising from the rice field to traverse it spidery tendrils across the face of the moon.  A lonely dog howler then slumbers, and all is at it was. Sorry to have waxed on so lyrically!!

Last Thursday we spent a lovely evening with Amerigo and his lovely wife Maeriel (who incidentally is a great chef) at the For Seasons) at the Di Mare, quite close to "Dreamland" set on a spectacular stretch of beach of the same name. The sea around there is quite rough and Connie can attest to this have lost one part of her bikini in the surf!

They are in the region on a short break from Singapore before returning to live in Sydney, so we hope to catch up with them later in the year. They were here in Bali just overnight after a whistle stop tour of Lombok; before heading back to Singapore at 4.00am the next morning to attend the Formula One night race. I cannot believe it is a full year since we attended the first ever night race in Singapore. The time has just flown by.

Earlier this week on the school run I met the men of our village wielding heavy meet cleavers, evidently having pre prepared the sacrifices for the entire village for the up and coming Galung festival this Saturday; an important event in their calendar where they have a week off and deck their driveways and homes quite elaborately with bamboo poles and flyers' for offerings to the Gods, very much as we would for Christmas. On Tuesday morning Chris had to wait while they pulled two of the pigs they were just quartering out of the gang so he could drive out to visit out site.

Today is Thursday, and Sam has arrived this evening from England for a holiday to escape the grey skies before starting her new job closer to home.

On Friday we had a blessing for the renaming of  "SPICE Early Learning Centre".

It was a fascinating ceremony and the little children sat patiently throughout in spite of the hot sun, enthralled by the high priest, and the ritual of blessing each of us with, dowsed with holy water and the pressing of rice for good fortune into our foreheads and chests.

Once the service was completed I noticed his men digging the soil at the base of our little temple in the garden; when I enquired as to what they were doing, I was informed that it was to bury the dead chicken, an offering to the Gods.  As we were a school with so many small children we had been spared the normal ritual slaying of the bird on the alter: I was thankful for this small mercy, for my own sake at least!

Before the ceremony Chris and I had no time to buy any suitable garments to attend the ceremony, which is quite precise in what one should be attired in; so had to borrow and improvise.

Chris had to wear two sarongs, the brown under one was ok, but the one on the top made him look as if he was wearing a floral ida down. Mine was much worse, it was as heavy as an old fashioned table cloth, smelt fusty and was decorated in large red elephants, I have not felt so ghastly since my walk on part in the film "The Battle for Calunden", when I was dress in sack cloth as a poor whench, but that's another story. So I am not sure what the parents made of the new owners of the school when they arrived after the ceremony had finished for the final school assembly of the term; they probably thought that we had become sadly ethnic with our recent move to Bali, like some hippy folks do.

When we arrived home Sam had had a good lie in following her gruelling journey, and was sitting by the pool.  Earlier she had been distracted by a phone call from a friend in England who had not realised that she was away and being a bit jet lagged had then omitted to rub any sun cream into her face and top half of her body; needless to say she was the same colour as her red swim suit! Chris subtlety asked why she was not wearing any clothes at all .ha.ha.

On Saturday afternoon and eager to demonstrate how keen she is to learn English, Our Maid Wayan showed Sam and I a copy of the book she is learning English from; It is called "903 Basic Conversations", the following Balinese English phrases are to be read in a Celia Johnson/ Trevor Howard kind of accents.  Here are just two examples, which had Sam and I rolling round the sun deck doubled up with laughter; it kept us amused for over an hour (how sad): PS all he spelling below is a exact extract from the book and not my spelling this time, I promise!!

1.  "Would you mind helping me for a minutes, Matt." "Are you busy? " I'd be glad to Sam what do you want to do?" "Help me hung up this picture". "Okay." "" Hand me the hummer and give me one of those nails too will you attend to my words? " Yes I will. "

2.   "Hallo, your're Ahmad ren't you? " "Yes I'm and you're  Didik? " "I haven't seen you for age you look different now so fat and prosperous".

Earlier in the day Sam had let Molly paint her finger nails with felt tip pen, silly girl, she thought that because she had purchased them in Debenhams that they would be water based; wrong! Now they are quite stained with primary colours, needless to say we dined out somewhere quite a bit darker that evening.

Sam's 10 day went very quickly, and we said our tearful farewells at the airport, as Molly has had a really lovely time with her. However, we are not alone for long as Ella; Connie's friend arrives on Saturday for a month.

When Saturday arrives Matt is ousted from the villa, although he said he did not mind sharing with the two girls!  Funny they did not share enthusiasm.  He has gone to live with our friend and Partner Enzo for a few weeks. We are not sure how they will fair as he does not speak Italian and Enzo has no English.

I heard some really sad news today; Greta the mother of Molly's little friend Soiree who started school the same day as Molly, and whom I wrote about in my earlier journal has lost her Partner Ian, quite suddenly. He was only in his early fifties and suffered a heart attack in his sleep. I met her today at school and she is devastated, and on her way this evening to the Gold coast for his funeral.

Tonight it is the "The sunset concert" where the talented children of CCS school entertain us as the sun sets behind their class rooms.  Soiree has to sing a duo with Asia; and sings "Rain Drops keep falling on my head".  What a trooper, the show must go on, and she gives a flawless performance her mum would have been terribly proud of.

Friday, and there is the Halloween school party. Molly dresses as a cute witch and goes to school made up to the nines. She has wicked time there holding a Python, and letting a tarantula crawl up her arm, something I could never do.

After the party she goes to Asia 11^th birthday Party, which has a Holly Wood theme and entails a sleep over. We collect her Saturday afternoon, after we have jugged the talent competition with the other parents. Her social whirl is not over yet however, as we have trick or treating to do that very evening.

Molly is very tired; I do not think she had much sleep at all last night. The trick and Treating takes me 3 hours of driving from house to house of eleven addresses in and around the Canggu area and involves 34 kids! We manage to block the small roads and cause major traffic jams as wild painted women, dripping in tomato ketchup and red paint career around in the dark ferrying gaols' and monsters on the back seats. 

The last house we visit was difficult to find, as the area was in complete darkness on account of the power out for the upgrades, which is not unusual here. We trooped down a long and very dark gang; the children that had run a head said no one was at home? I looked, and could see a pumpkin glowing so got the braver ones to open the gate. Funnily enough it was the older ones who were backing away. As they approached, the large front door suddenly swung open with an enormous creak, and eerie organ music could be heard emanating from within, the children crept ever closer to the dark house. The older ones were terrified running for their lives and spilling sweets as a masked man suddenly switched on the lights to reveal the anonymous organ player. Great fun and toffee apples all round.  Ten out of ten for the imagination of such a spooky house, I would have loved that when I was a kid. 

All in all I am not sure what the locals made of it all, as Halloween is not something they have ever heard of, let alone celebrate. Molly counts out 168 sweets in total; I am exhausted and manage only to force down a light supper before falling into bed, and I was only the chauffeur.

Tuesday, and this morning I was left alone waiting in for the vet to arrive to give Ellie her  final booster, Molly and Connie, and Ella are at school and  Chris is visited the building site.  As Kadek our Driver arrived Ellie went rushing into the garage barking like mad.  He went to investigate and found her warning off a snake about 18 inches long, brave girl!!! He reacted quickly, I really didn't want it killed, but I think it did have a big headache before being unceremoniously flung into the rice fields a joining our garden, poor thing.

This weekend Clare and Steve visit from the South of France and are staying at the Oberoi Hotel; and here is some advertising for just for them. They run a fantastic establishment called "La Surprise" near Cannes; you can find it on Trip advisor if you ever need accommodation in the locality. The write ups they get describe it as the best B & B in Europe!

We spent a great day out with them in Ubud, Tanah lot and the "Beach House" at Echo beach, and have many many happy hours catching up; as we worked out that we had not seen each other in fifteen years, yet it was like no time had passed at all. They both deicide that they have enjoyed Bali so much that they will be back next year, and we look forward to that very much.

We caught up with Matt later that week and learn that having no language can cause problems.  The night we had no electricity and Matt decided to come over to ours to eat, leaving a note for Enzo; our Italian non English speaking friend saying " Gone to eat at Dads" which Enzo translated in his head as "the electricity is doggy and he might die during the night?" He anxiously rang another Italian friend of ours who does speak English, who managed to convince him that the electrics would not kill him when the power came on later!!

This Saturday Molly is going to the Elephant Park with and Greta and soiree, and then having a sleep over with us. As our Villa is quite difficult to find, I offer to wait at the top of the Gang with Molly.

Once I have waived them goodbye, I set off back down the Gang only to see a very large pink pig come running out of Made's farmyard. I swear It actually kicked its back heals with joy to have escaped, and I was immediately reminded of the "Tamworth two". The two pigs that the escaped from certain death and the bacon slicer in Tamworth, England; and whom the Great British Public took to their hearts as only they could, managing to prevent them being slaughtered.

So my initial thought was good on yah pig, I fully expected him to keep on running past me, but he didn't, instead he turned and followed me.  So I quickened my pace, and he matched it, it was then that I remembered that Chris once told me that if you ever wanted to get rid of a body completely you would put into a pigs trough, as pigs can eat bone and can be very dangerous. Now I panicked, and started to run, but he was much faster than me and gave chase. I ran to the nearest house but it was all shut up, so it was a dead end for me as I pummelled my fists on the door, no one came; except someone up stairs was obviously was looking after me, as a knight in shining armour on the back of a passing motor bike caught the pigs attention; enough to chase him instead, which then startled him and made him run frightened back into the farmyard. By the time I got to the farm gate my heart was truly pounding, and the pig was nowhere to be seen as he had gone back into his sty, and my bacon was saved.

On Sunday we took the girls to Ubud. The conversation in the car turned to Molly at school. Molly told us that a boy in her class was bothering her at school with questions such as "why is the sky falling in" just like Chicken Little, I told her that it is because he obviously likes her! Oh she said.

When we asked Soiree what Molly was like at school, she said that Molly was an imp, and had once tried to hack into the school computer so that she could change the lunch menu and they could have Sushi every day.

 Our new maid had a day off today so Made gave us one of her friends instead who was very smiley and quite good, except that she managed to make all the beds back to front with the sheets on the outside and the rough blankets next to our skin, lovely!

Friday, and all our worldly goods have turned up from England; unfortunately our house is not ready so it is all stored in my  play room all 70 acubic meters of it unpacked until the beginning of December, when hopefully it will all be ready just in time for Christmas.

As everything is delayed one month, we have had to move villa's this Monday as Villa Wana Killing has been rented by another family for one year. This one is not much further out, and is very nice, rustic, with an oldie worldly charm, with great views of the rice fields form the lounge and pool area.

At night we sit in a very romantic sitting room open to the elements watching the bats fly in and out.

The other night the girls got a cookery lesson from the 2 guys running the house so they can make Nasi Gorang their staple diet when they go to Uni next year. Tonight they are going solo, but I have heard already heard a rumour that "Goodman" the House man has already done the preparation for them.

Connie and Ella are off on Saturday and we will all miss them very much, especially Molly as has had a ball having two big sisters living with her. But home they have to go, as Connie's little sister Izzy has had an advent calendar modified as a countdown calendar for her return; as she is only five and has missed her very much.

Time here certainly has wings, and it has already been 3 months since we first arrived.  They have four rice crops a year here, and the man I first wrote about tending his plot in Canggu on Molly's first day of school has harvested his crops; and is now busily preparing the soil for the next one.

The inventive simple life of the Balaneise is quite charming. I find the drive to our new home across the fields quite uplifting, like a song you might hear that revitalises you on a rainy day. Mothers certainly know how to entertain their children by getting them to play simple improvised instruments in the fields to scare off the ravenous birds. Today I saw a small boy happily banging a wooden spoon on a saucepan lid while his mother tender her plot with a baby strapped to her back. These people are lovely and hard working and turn their hands to anything to put food on the table for their families.

Well we all survived the girls Nasi Gorang. It was really good and this is from two girls whose total repertoire between them to date is toast, omelette and baked potatoes; oh and pancakes which I showed them at the weekend and they have had every morning since. We have picture to prove it and I am sure they have already found their way onto face book, with "Goodman" living up to his name and supervising the whole proceedings.

Tuesday 17^th November, and this morning started as any other morning ,early, with plenty of time on our hands, I am sure you know the ones which you idle away; then suddenly it all hands to the pump as you are under pressure to get them out of the door! It's time to go and Molly cannot find her school shorts anywhere, everyone turns out their closets in case they have gotten jumbled up with the girls stuff.  I hastily look in ours only to discover that every item of our clothing is soaked through, I mean absolutely dripping as I carry it all into the kitchen. Luckily I manage to salvage one t- shirt and a pair of shorts for Chris as he is off to a meeting at 8.30 and is on the school run with Molly. You can now picture the scene, heated to say the least.   The maid arrives late, but thankfully has enough English to understand that Molly is standing half dressed, minus the blue short which she has in her airing cupboard thank goodness.

Now we are missing the dog, so we cannot open the wide doors to leave.  I hunt everywhere only to find her gnawing my best black shoes which had been taken out of the sodden wardrobe in my bedroom, arrhh bad dog!

They have all gone.  As I return to the kitchen with dog tucked tightly under my arm to stop her escaping I notice that Molly's project, a musical instrument to be made out of a shaved coconut (thanks again to the ever helpful Goodman,) toilet roll innards', wrapping paper and rice, at school today is still on the kitchen table. I phone Chris and organise him to send Kadek back home to collect everything and drop it off at school.

Meanwhile, I am having a go about the leaking air conditioning unit with the staff only to have the wind taken out of my sails as the dog disgraces herself badly in front of us all; what can I say. I settle on the sofa to drink my cold coffee only to discover that while I had been away the dog had drunk this too. I rummage around for one of Chris's cigarettes, I need one now! I make another coffee and head back into the lounge only to discover that the dog had thrown up the first coffee up on the floor, thank goodness for marble flooring, and it is only 9.00am! 

Toot toot, the Bali Zoo transport has arrived to take the girls on a half day tour. I am having this coffee if it kills me. The dog settles next to me and thinks its play time; and spends the next half an hour chewing my hand, I am helpless to defend myself; I think I will now get back into bed and start my morning again, as one of my heads is coming on!

Reflections of Bali: December in the Tropics 2009

It's late November and is purported to be the rainy season in Bali? But so far we have not seen a single drop, however, the news on Sky reports that it had been the wettest November since records began in Tewkesbury, England, and you can bet there is still an issue with the lack of water supply.

Our dear friends Jeanette and Peter are visiting us for a few days from Singapore to charge their batteries before heading back to Australia for the holidays. They arrive late at night; Gooseman and Wayan have lit the place entirely with candles so the place looks very romantic.

The next morning after breakfast they are greeted by two masseuses who pummel away the frustrations of their daily grind and ease them nicely onto Bali time. Needless to say no much is done this day!

On Thursday I arranged for an army of girls who arrive on motorbikes to continue the relaxation theme with facials, pedicures and more massaging; Peter thinks he has died and gone to heaven. I on the other hand am prepping my body for exposure in Australia sun and had arranged to have my legs waxed.  Judging from the amount of whispering I do not think that this is a something either of the two women had even done before. They managed to stick my legs and part of my torso entirely to the bedclothes. Goodness knows what the staff imagined I might have been dong with all that honey! The experience was eye watering, and when I opened them to see why and what they were using so painfully to scrap my legs, I was horrified to each of them brandishing large wooden spoons. Needless to say it was an ok job and my legs have healed from the bruising and bleeding and I won't be inviting them back in a hurry!

Friday and an early morning drive to Visit to UBUD for breakfast at one of our favourite hotels the Royal Pita Maha overhanging  the gorge; affords us a glimpse into the Balinese way of life. Providing you respect their privacy by not digitally capturing any of it with anything other than your own eyes; you can still witness entire families bathing together and going about their morning rituals and ablutions in the many brooks and streams that edge the paddy fields as they have always done. Children jumping in and out of the water alongside women pummelling their daily wash, all a far cry from Jacuzzi air conditioned bathrooms and designated laundry rooms. But the smiles and waves really tell you that they do not think they are missing out on anything, after all they do live in Paradise.

The Royal Pita Maha is a must to visit if you ever come to Bali; as it has quite the most magnificent panorama on which to feast your eyes as you cross the veranda, yes, it definitely has the wow factor taking your breath away. The steep decent down however, to the Holy Pool and the river is not the faint hearted, but it was simply lovely to be back there just to absorb the tranquillity and ambiance of the whole place. The last time we had stayed there had been with my sister Wendy, her husband John and the three girls, Millie Connie and Izzy. Watching the white water rafters pass by today squealing and laughing today reminded me of that time back then when they had all gone white water rafting; all that is except Wendy and I.

It had been a steep and precarious climb down a well trodden path for them to the rafts, but it was early morning and the path down which they snaked was quite slippery, still wet with the morning dew. At step 543 Chris missed his footing and reached out for the railing; a flimsy bamboo pole that simply gave way to his touch. He crashed through this and plummeted over the 50 foot ravine.  Thankfully his fall was broken by the richness of the under growth and the guides were able to haul him up by his ankles, which by were now very bloody and cut. It was still safer for him to continue down rather than climb back up so it was not until they reached the hotel that anyone other than the guides who had retrieved him that anyone had known about his fall.

That evening we attend a fabulous party at Rustica's in celebration of Fab's birthday. It is a typical Italian bash; adults one end of a very long table and kids the other. Fine food and wine is enjoyed by all; Jeanette is in her element as she has Italian roots and is able to converse with the entire party.

On their last night with us we celebrate Jeanette's own birthday at the Sarong restaurant; we have only been there once before and really enjoyed it, and again we are not disappointed; they could not have been more attentive; this is another of my recommendation for your little black book.

Pinch punch first of the month, where on earth did November go? In time honoured tradition Molly has opened number one on her countdown to Christmas advent calendar. It is a lovely Santa one from Good old Marks and Spencer's with a chocolate behind each door, lucky girl.  Our dear friends Peter and Jeanette brought it for her from Singapore when they visited us last week. Thank goodness for them, as I have not seen any here in any of the shops. In fact you would not really know Christmas was coming at all unless you frequent places like the Bali Deli and other expat haunts; which at least have made a bit of an effort by erecting a tinsel Christmas tree. Yesterday, Chris and I were only saying that it is really a refreshing change not to hear the monotonous carols that you hear played in every Shopping Mall in the rest of the western world from September onwards and the ruthless onslaught of manipulative adverting aimed entirely at children. No sooner had we had this conversation we step into the Galleria Hypermarket only to hear "Deck the Halls with boughs of.............we could not believe it, especially as the only Xmas things they actually sell are artificial trees and ornaments, there's not a plum pudding or a fig in sight.  We do however relent and buy the Andres Botticelli Christmas album; it is rather surreal driving around in 39 degrees listening to his wonderful voice cover many well known Christmas Carols.

So here I am sitting in the lounge of our rustic villa we currently call home overlooking the verdant rice paddy fields. I am able to observe the old man in his Udung (Vietnamese conical shaped hat), and blue football jersey going about his daily tasks; today he is thrashing his weeds. Molly has gone off to school and Chris has gone to meet a representative of the Manufactures of the Hafale products.  Evidently, they are intrigued to know how we are using them in our kitchen, and have sent someone from Germany to see it.

Today I am filled with a mixture of relief and disappointment. In spite of the hard work and promises I will not be cooking the family turkey as planned in my new oven this Christmas as our new home will now not be ready until the New Year. I have a list of people to contact in front of me who I have to ring and stand down and reorganise them to be available all for the 4^{th January}. They had all been geared up for this Thursday, the 3^rd December. It does however take the pressure off us both as we are flying out to the Hayman Island, a small private Island on the great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia next Tuesday 8^th, a holiday we had booked a year ago when we were in Singapore, and our last bit of extravagance while I was working.

Speaking of working, I have an enormous amount of respect for the woman of Bali; they all certainly work exceptionally hard. Before they sent off to work in the fields they have their morning ritual to attend to before they do anything else. They prepare all the family offerings for the coming day before they are allowed to bath dress or eat breakfast. Their day begins at 6 am as dawn breaks come, rain or shine, boiling rice having woven the Alang Alang leaves into a pretty packet in which to hold it, all by hand. Every morning at day break I lay in bed listening to the cocks crowing; and by the way they seem to croak here rather than cock a doodle doing; and the birds chattering as if giggling in the trees, it is sometime before Molly will disturb me for breakfast as I snuggle back under the duvet; but not for these women.  I take cold comfort from the fact that I too used to rise early each morning, and like an army of sheep follow all the outer town dwellers into the City of London, or round the M25, at 6.30am simply to avoid the ridiculous and monotonous daily traffic jams.

30 years ago had you been fortunate to have journeyed to this enchanted isle you would have been greeted entirely with half glad maidens adored simply by a smile and a sarong. Today, the western influence is very much in vogue, however, they are still very strict with the traditions of attire for the ceremonies that the women carry out 3 times a day and when they all visit their temples. Happily something's never change, meaning that there are exceptions to this conformance to a western way of dressing. Generally this rule is not adopted by the older female generation, for example there is a lady who lives in our village who certainly has not.  She looks as old as the hills, well certainly into her nineties with a back as straight as a die; and every day I see her carrying something different on her head.  Yesterday it was a large sack of weeds she has cut out of her rice field by hand and stuffed into a one ton rice bag, today it was a large bundle of kindling for her fire. She is always dressed only in a sarong and on chillier days when the temperature is lurking about the 39 degree mark she can be seen sporting a cardigan, again all undone at the front just the way as she has always done since she was a girl.

The women of the villages still use the streams to wash their cloths, although there is an abundance of little laundry businesses that have sprung up out of necessity for those modern working gals with no time for such daily drudge.  When we moved to this villa a month ago nearly I was thrilled to see a modern washing machine, something our maid Wayan fondly calls an "Engine". Sadly the young girl at this villa" Kadek" here has not yet grasped the concept or been taught the art of sorting the washing. No it has all gone in together so all our vibrant whites have turned a dull silvery grey. I have bought one of those corrective off the shelf products, so hopefully I can go on holiday holding my head high as the Persil mum and not he mother who had washed her child undies in some inferior cheaper brand, here's hoping.

It is time for me to pack up all our belongings, suitcases for our trip to Australia and yet another move of villa upon our return.  Living out of a suitcase for 6 month is a challenge, and Molly bless her has coped extremely well given that she has to go to school every day when it seems as though we are on one long vacation.  The holiday has come round really quickly given we booked it almost a year ago to the day.

The trip does not disappoint, as we love Sydney, having visited it just two years ago and this time around had the opportunity to attend the Carol Concert at the Sydney Opera House, which was such an amazing experience and really put us in the mood for Christmas. 

Hayman Island was just what the doctor ordered, complete relaxation; we had the white sandy beach to ourselves and had some really good family together time, something we had not realised we were in need of with a  good respite from the ongoing home project.

I would love write more about his adventure but on the BA flight back from Sydney to Singapore I was struck down in the early hours of Sunday morning with a terrible bout of food poisoning and on Monday, after 24 hours and not feeling any better, Chris called the doctor who immediately whisked me off by ambulance to the emergency room of Raffles hospital. I had hoped to surprise my old colleagues at Fuji Xerox and do some serious damage to Chris plastic cards, but no such luck. The staffs at the hospital are great, so my advice to any of you out there; if I you are going to be sick any where make sure it is Singapore.

They send me back to our hotel, but I cannot move out of bed, the whole world is still spinning round. Chris has to cancel and reschedule our flights home to Bali, there are only 3 seats left on the Wednesday afternoon flight; after that the next available flights are on the 5th January. Wednesday morning arrives and I am no better. The doctors are called again and really do not want me to be moved and rather reluctantly inject something into my bad arm that felt like it should have been reserved only to knock out livestock.

Time to leave and I am embarrassingly transported from hotel to airport to plane and home by wheel chair. Molly is in her element pushing her mother around; the drugs help, but my world is till spinning, it is like driving in the fast lane under the influence of alcohol wearing a new prescription pair of vary focal glasses, now I am very glad that no one knew that I was in town!

Homes at last to the new villa, how Chris managed it all I will never know. Matt has his friends James and Lindsay visiting for 3 weeks from England for Christmas, so Christmas day will be full on for Chris cooking the Christmas dinner.

Thankfully we had ordered the Turkey before we had left for Australia, but Christmas Eve sees Chris rushing about like a blue arced fly buying all the vegetables' etc. No mid night mass for us this year just an early night; which is just as well as Molly has us up Christmas morning at 6.30 am, in spite of all the many moves Santa still managed to find her.  Sadly, we have no decorations this year but the table is decked with tinsel which was wrapped around the fabulous Christmas Hamper from Peter and Jeanette.  We have Nicola, Molly's friend round for lunch, and Lindsay and James have bought them Santa hats and provided the cranberry and port sauce from M& S and a champagne toast. The Turkey dinner is a huge success, the best we have ever had (imported from USA no less.) and lovely day was enjoyed by all.

It's New Years Eve on the cusp of a new decade 2010; do you remember where you were 10 years ago today? Chris and I were with our family, Wendy and John, and his Mum and Dad in Switzerland staying at the Grand Hotel on Lake Luzern. There was so much anticipation of great things to come back then as we stood on the balcony; hugging ourselves warm against the cold biting breeze in the as the late afternoon sun set across the lake as we watching them skilfully manoeuvre the great barges into position for the magnificent fireworks that were to mark and usher in a new Millennium. I had phoned one of my customers at Barclays Capital earlier in the day to wish them a good evening as I knew that they were all working through the night on standby for the great pending IT disaster, the one that  all IT specialists had predicted would be  was imminent on the stroke of 12 midnight. When I think back to the copious clauses our clients had insisted Xerox include, and the many Billions those IT monkey had made out of corporations through fear is staggering. The Gala Ball we attended was fabulous, with a huge silver door for all to step though into the year 2000, the fireworks were spectacular, everyone was on a high and everything was well the world; little did we then know that our world was in the coming years to change forever.

Ten years on, this New Year Eve was a much quieter affair, as Molly, poor thing has been riddled with a terrible mouth infection and ulcers since Christmas day and unable to eat anything. Luckily she stocked up whilst we were in Singapore; it was as if her body knew it would need to draw upon these reserves later that week. We went to friends, Mike and Mimie who have been here in Bali about as long as we have. Mike had thoughtful reserved me his special reclining chair next to the fan.  Sadly, neither Molly nor I are feeling great so we reluctantly bid our Happy New Years greetings and retired to our beds.

Chris got up at midnight and watched the dance of the fireworks from our balcony, he could see them all going off all along the beach; a far cry from the extravaganza on the shores of Luzern but none less happy or lovely, in a  world away from the complicated lives lead before as we contemplate this New Year, a New Decade and the move to our new home, will be New Beginning for us all, so it is with special thanks to my lovely husband and nurse maid who has managed as always to pull it all together.

Santa had obviously known that I had been sleeping and if I had been naughty or nice!!  So all that remains is for me to say that I hope that you all had an especially nice Christmas and to wish each and everyone one of you a very peaceful and Happy New Year, wherever you are in this very small world we all call home.

Love, Vanessa, Chris, Molly and Ellie the dog xx.

PS: If anyone sent us an email before 21^st December these we all lost when Chris switched off his Blackberry connection for the holidays, so forgive us if you were expecting a reply and resend. Many thanks.

A New Year and a new decade 2010

It's January the 6^th and I really have to make an effort to get going today as Crown are due to start moving our 350 boxes of possessions and furniture.  It has been a date we have both long for, but now it is here I feel feeble and weak, and cross with my body for not being revitalised at the prospect of the day ahead.  However, there is something to cheer me upon our way to Reflections from our rented villa; a sight you do not see in your average high street in England, a lone man nonchalantly walking along the roadside completely naked in the rain obviously keeping his powder dry in his nape sack. 

I have set up my centre of operations in my new office in the basement, but since there is no light or air con on yet, I am sure to lose weight. It takes them 2 days to move their consignment and on the last afternoon they finally tackle moving my grand piano. Although only slightly built, the four man team are strong, but not strong enough to move this old Joanna. They enlist the help of the other construction workers still on site and the soil movers, and together 13 of them bring it up the stairs to the lounge. It was an amazing sight to see thirteen pairs of bulging eyes as they swung it this way and that to find the right position so that it may never again be moved from its resting place.

It is a Srard piano made in Paris we believe made in the eighteen hundreds. It has an address of W.H.Barnes Ltd, 502-504 Oxford St London W1, painted in gold on it; presumably where it was originally sold, but if someone out there knows of their existence then do please do let me know.  Where Chris's aunt purchased it from we do not know but they brought it back from Kenya where his uncle was the District Commissioner.  It then graced a large residence of theirs in Guilford, where I always admired it with a yearning to one day be able to play.  I marvel at those people who can just make a party by sitting down and playing tune after tune without a sheet of music in sight. When they downsized to the house on the hill we salvaged it from their garage for the princely sum of six hundred pounds, and that was 20 years ago. What was astonishing was it was still 98% in tune even after being in storage for five years then transported on the high seas from England to Bali. Now it may never move again given the difficulty in placing it; but it certainly has done some travelling around the world. It is a bit like our dining room table which is also 200 years old.  If it could only it could talk.  We would love to know who has sat around it over the years and worn it into the beautiful piece of furniture it is today; and to hear all the stories and conversations only it has been privy too.

With all our worldly goods from the UK around us it has started to transform this house into our home.  I guess it is much like a child's security blanket. The same familiar furniture, mugs and plates are all very comforting, plus the house has a wonderful warmth about it, as so much of it is made of wood, which glows golden as the day ebbs away.

After along hot day without air con we plan to stay in our home at long last; we are truly over living out of suitcases, however, at the end of the day we still have no electricity, running water or toilet facilities; and remember we should have moved in last September!

Luckily enough for us Reg, a lovely Canadian guy who has been doing our lighting in our kitchen is still around and comes to our rescue.  He offers us his rental villa as his guests have just departed and we are eternally grateful.

Reg says he lives just around the corner! We follow him for what seem like miles in the dark trying to keep up with his motor bike. Once we are settled we walk in the pouring rain through his neighbour's garden, which fronts the road to a locally famous Warong; which a great buzz for a wet Monday evening?  It is all I can do to stop myself from falling asleep in my Nasi Gorang.  Once home again we all fall immediately into a deep sleep grateful for the air-conditioning knowing we are only to repeat it again tomorrow, and we have Allied Pickford in on Wednesday to distribute all our stuff from Singapore, even Ellie has a dog pen in the garden safe away from roaming predators albeit in the rain and sleeps well until the local rooster croaks at 6.30am.

At the end of day two we are definitely going to stay in our new home, after all we have running water, a toilet that flushes and enough power for Molly's air con unit! As night falls Chris pops to the local shop to buy and emergency light, just in case. While he is away the power fails. I quickly pack an overnight bag grabbing what I think are each of our clothes leaving Molly on the stairs by the window for light. To keep her spirits up we sing the Kermit song "half way up the stairs is a place where we sit". It is another night a Reg's Villa. A large gin and tonic awaits and all is well with the world.

Wednesday we are really determined to stay tonight; we are hardy Brits, nothing will deter us! We have whopping great generator, what could go wrong? It is checked during the day, all is ok, I have however, just packed the overnight bag just in case in the daylight this time, as wearing Chris's pants is something I would normally not admit too.

Night falls and we have a tremendous down pour, the rainy season is now at last truly upon us. The rain lashes down as the generator refuses to power up, this has Molly in tears. Made the architect arrives and helps to get it going, but it is short lived. The heavens open as we gather up Ellie and the rest of our belongings; we are wet through by the time we get into the car.  Chris can hardly see where we are going as the rain is driving so hard. Another night at Reg's villa

On Thursday we stand back to admire our handy work and see that all 350 boxes and packages have been completely swallowed up and it is apparent that we need much more furniture to finish, but this will be the fun part. Tonight we have to stay here otherwise this could go on forever.

We retire early, exhausted but happy.  Molly has air con, running water a flushing toilet and a shower but no curtains, heaven!  At last the generator is doing what is should do. However, at midnight it fails again, evidently it has burnt out and the starter switch is broken. Chris fiddles with the small wire that should power some electricity and manages to get enough power for Molly's air con. Chris and I sleep in our own lovely bed, bliss; with all the doors and windows open, very romantic looking up at Asian constellation. We can hear the roar of the surf crashing on the beach. I am assured that mosquitoes do not bite when it is windy, as there is a balmy breeze blowing though the bedroom as we drift off into a well deserved sleep. In the early hours of the next morning I am woken by the stillness of the day, there is now no breeze at all and I can feel myself being eaten alive, so I close all the windows and doors and it is stifling. The next morning my left hand is completely swollen due to an allergic reaction to the many mosquito bites. I cannot bend my fingers. Thankfully, a dose of Antihistamine cream reduces the swelling within 48 hours.

I marvel at my new fully computer driven house, my fantastic kitchen with its  3 ovens that know how to cook anything you put in them; larders that light up like fridges and a maid that has to washes my crocks under a tap in the garden!!

On Saturday our new patio furniture is delivered by Harry, a delightful German guy who has set up a company here selling exquisite outside furniture. At last somewhere to sit outside!  Before he leaves we turf the packaging over the wall to tidy it up later; but it is gone in seconds, the entire workforce descend to salvage it, cardboard is a currency here and a bed to sleep on.

That night we watch the sky full of Swallows, some of which dart in and out of the house performing sharp manoeuvres in and out. As we retire for the evening it is pure luxury, we all have air conditioning, even though I still have to shower in the dark as we have no modesty blinds, and still no curtains, but these are due on Monday; which is just as well as we have Jamie the son of one of Chris oldest and dearest friends visiting for a few days (sorry Tony I meant in how long you have know each other, not your age) and Molly goes back to school.

Sunday and Claudie, another Canadian responsible for the design of the kitchen is over, and I am bemoaning the fact that we cannot cook anything. She has employed a cook for a month while some evil American woman (on account of her meanness to her staff, is out of town). She offers to double the quantities; all we have to do is provide containers and collect it after the school run each day. We are now eating like kings, so very healthy, as she uses little or no fats on account of the 17 years at the mercy of the American lady who was always on some diet or other. So each day is a delight and a surprise.

Monday arrives and Molly returns to school after the long holidays.  Her friend Soiree however, has not returned from Dublin. Chris questioned her on the way to the airport this evening to pick up Jamie, about how this made her feel, but she said "you just have to move on Daddy", I guess being an expat kid you learn that lesson about attachments and detachments very quickly and learn to enjoy the moment; and she is still only nine.

Well Monday comes and goes so does Tuesday. Wednesday, at last and the curtains arrive for the bedrooms and we all enjoy the best night sleep since we can remember.

Thursday, on my morning walk this morning I noticed two new piles of rubble by the road side this is a fair indication that two new villas are imminent and ready for construction. The little village is a changing; it is like nothing is destined to stay the same for very long. In fact wherever you go in Bali they are building, since it appears not to have been touched by the recession on account that everything here is bought for cash as you cannot get credit.

Everyone heads back and forth to the beach by scooter or motor bike normally 3 or 4 up smiling and waving. It is lovely walk to the village, reminiscent of an English country lane, with cows in the meadows and bird song all around; it's just that some of the songs are different.  There is one which sounds just like a small boy trying to whistle, but just can't seem to get it, over and over again, trying and trying. The village dogs, of which there are many, owned by the locals but allowed to simply roam around always give Ellie a wide berth; however keen she is to get to know them. Even the builders are not keen, owing to the fact that Rabies reached epidemic proportions not so long ago, and many dogs had to be destroyed.

Its late morning and Molly's new wicker dog house for Ellie is delivered. It is big enough for both Ellie and Molly. Since Molly has already filled it with her paraphernalia I am not sure whether the dog will get a look in?

Tonight is another airport run as Jamie's girl friend Jo is arriving from Phuket. They are off to Amed on Friday to go diving, as they are both Diving instructors living in Egypt.

On Friday I wave them all off and am left to manage the workers, deep joy! It is like open house I have loads of people wondering about everywhere. People offering to sell me blinds, laundry services, fire extinguishers you name it. It is hard to keep track of who should really be here.

The ladies are still bringing in the soil in on their heads in small baskets all of which has been transported from the front to the back of the house,it is like filling the Sahara desert with sand using a teaspoon;  this is after they have hand shovelled it all off the lorry.  All in all we have had in excess of a 1000 lorry loads, 80 of these by hand.  This is really hard work and they hardly take a break as the temperatures soar well into the high nineties. The Heavenly Garden team are dong a grand job of transforming the hole in the ground into a beautiful garden. We agreed to the variety of plants which number 4,500 in all, but there appears to be no plan.  It is all just taking shape as they have no English.  The result however is a truly magnificent instant garden, which, with all the rain will have it blossoming in no time. The first Yuka clearly loves its new environment as it is already sprouting new shoots. Once the earth is levelled they will start planting the lawn, which is scheduled for this coming Monday.

On Saturday there was a big meeting with all the contractors as we have given them one month to finish as I have already said they are only 4 and half months behind schedule. By Thursday we appear to be going backwards, as the ladies responsible for the finishing have applied Peroxide to my beautiful onyx sugar cube tiles in our bath room which has turned them completely orange in colour, I could cry. It will all have to be hacked off and re done!  Seeing Molly however, running up and down our wild beach this evening puts it all into perspective and all the frustration of the day fade into obscurity.

Another big meeting with all the contractors is called and the builders are now to concentrate only on finishing the outside of the house. Chris's team from Edel Casa, their new company will finish the inside under the watchful eye of Diego, a lovely Italian who works for them. At last, a European influence. One room at a time completely fished before they move on; instead of the whole house upside down.

My horoscope today said that I should focus on the orchid growing in my garden of weeds and it is so spot on.  We do have a beautiful home, correction we will have a beautiful home. Now I feel that we are getting somewhere, and we have a goal to finish by the time Jeanette and Peter arrive on the 17th February with their son Ryan and his lovely girl friend Emma. The Heavenly garden team are hard at work sowing the garden, unlike England where you lay rolls of turf, here they break up little tufts of grass and it just knits together. Progress is swift and they squat down for hours on end come rain or shine. They are always smiling and don on their crash helmets when it starts to rain and carry on regardless.

It is the morning of January 26^th, after a very stormy night and I am walking Ellie on the beach. It is very difficult as she or someone cut her leach yesterday and I have her on a piece of string which is really difficult to handle. At the temple on the beach a very small sorry looking wild new born kitten appears out of nowhere. It is so very tiny and looks very poorly.  It makes a bee line for Ellie. Ellie goes mad pulling like crazy and burns my hands as the string cuts into them. The kitten just wants to get to Ellie and Ellie to the kitten; I struggle to keep them apart. As small as it is it follows us. Along the lane it falls into a drainage ditch and I have to pull it out, but it is relentless, just like a Tom and Jerry cartoon; where the egg hatches and immediately calls Jerry "Mama". My hands are nearly bleeding but still it pursues us. At home Chris takes one look at the sorry animal and says it will not live. I take Ellie inside but it finds its way into the house via the garage. Wayan take it away and feeds it a ball of rice? Later Matt sees it out the back and puts it in a box for me. When I arrive home from the super market she is part of the family, so I rummage through my old cutlery drawer and retrieve an old eye dropper Molly had as baby and wean her on Milk.

We hold out no hope and none of us expect her to survive the night. I am so surprised when I can hear squeaking the next morning. Now she might live Molly names her Pebbles on account she came from the beach.  More milk formula and she sleeps for the next few days getting stronger by the day. A week later I have her checked out at the vet. Apart from worms and her ears are still full of the beach she is given a full bill of health; she is now on Friskies kitten food and cannot get enough of it. Ellie is a wonderful surrogate mum licking and cleaning her as it her own and she is still only a babe herself.

Saturday again and they are painting upstairs so we are confined down in the lounge, Molly's play room in the basement has been completed and she is busily going through all her old toys she has not seen for nearly five years, and is determined not to part with any of them!!

Tonight Molly has been invited to Vicky's, a friend from school birthday party. It is held at her grandfather's hotel. Allegedly a great time is had by all, but very little sleep involved in the sleep over part. Molly and Chloe were amongst the last to retire and ended up 5 in a bed, which Molly said was very squeezey; this was not before the pair of them had made up Mica face with full make up while she slept like a baby; naughty girls! My little girl is really growing up fast she even went out wearing a pair of my shoes would you believe.

We, on the other hand head off to Sanur for Dinner and far too many lemonades for our own good with Jamie and Jo, recently back from their diving expedition to Amed and they have agreed to stay with us until Tuesday when they set of for KL then the Cameron Highlands and then who knows where till their money runs out.

Sunday is a day of rest for us all, no builders thank goodness. Wayan looks at my legs and offer reflexology which I do not refuse; it is amazing how stiff your joints get running up and down three flights of stairs when you have been living in an apartment for 5 years. Unfortunately for James and Jo we still have full electricity so although they have a comfortable bed, but  have to sleep with the doors open as we have no air con facility for them.

On Tuesday I wave everyone off to school, work and foreign parts leaving Ellie and I to go for our morning stroll. The farmer growing Alang alang stops to stretch his aching back from hours of bending, he is making steady progress as he careful cuts and places the sheaves to dry in sun. As usual I get a broad smile and a friendly wave.  At the top of the slope a rice farmer is turning his soil with an ancient contraption that looks as old as the hills ready for the new planting season. In the distance the field are covered in grey plastic protecting the baby water melons. We are in luck today as we have a clear view of the volcanoes where the Balinese Gods and their ancestors are reputed to live; but the dark clouds are gathering with the promise of rain so we head home for breakfast before we get a good old soaking.

February 2010 in Bali

Today is the 10^th February 2010 and it's my umptitumth birthday, I have decided that it is time to add the two numbers of my age together; so now I am younger than my daughter Molly; some would say that this is something they have known for some time!

Well since my last correspondence it's been full on here and I have been busy taking photos of all the good contract guys, and funny ones of the not so good ones who I caught wading up to their navels in pond water to move scaffolding; for my scrap book. I am sure we will look back one fine day and laugh, well I sincerely hope so!

"Gong Che Faix Cai", It is Chinese New Year this weekend and we finally get meet our neighbours Ryan and Teresa who are visiting from their home in Singapore for the long weekend. We were inviting to a lovely lunch with them on Sunday and Molly has a great time playing their oversized chess board in the garden with Julian their son, who is the same age. Amazingly enough we discover that we were also neighbours of theirs when we lived at the Caribbean, the world really is a small place indeed.

Monday, and although we really should keep death of the roads, someone has thought it a rather a good idea to rent out a Suzuki Jeep to Matt. This is someone who has no coordination on two wheels or any sense of direction as we discovered when he nearly drove Kadek's bike into the ditch after managing to bend all the toe nails back on his right foot. Anyway, since I am waiting for the glaziers he very kindly agreed to collect Molly from school, since I know he has Kadek as co pilot I agree. Half way home across the rice fields the incline proves too steep for the doggy old Jeep so Kadek leaps out to push it. Molly is in two minds whether to get out in walk as well, as she figures she can walk home twice as fast. When I asked Molly what was worse, the car or the driving experience she says both, out of the mouth of babes!

At last the mirrors arrive for all the bathrooms, hurrah we cry.  I even have a special magnifying one for that close up work! You know what I mean girls.  Since we have not seen our faces for weeks we are both there as soon as they are hung peering and preening.  Chris sets to work on his beard with shearers, as latterly his has born a stark resemblance to Captain Bird's eye, the result is a great improvement, and now the sun can get to him!  Late into the evening the new four poster bed and the rest of the furniture arrives for our guest room, so I am thankfully that our impending guests will all now have a bed to sleep in.

Tuesday 16^th February a monumental day for the family, PLN (the Indonesia electricity company) arrive to connect the electricity supply to our house Yahoo! I cannot resist lighting up the whole house like a Christmas tree and having the air con on in every room, just because I can. I get all the guys to line up for a team photo in front of the ugliest transformer you will ever see, which is uncharacteristically and romantically called "Star light", they are totally bemused at the excitement around them.

This also means that my kitchen is also operational, and Putu our cook is at last able to work her magic and delight us all with her creations. She is also a dab hand at operating all the sophisticated equipment; and this is a lady that normally cooks everything on a two ring gas burner, what a star.

Wednesday morning and Diego and I are explaining to Wayan the head of the Panjar Electric team that we are fully connected. Wayan however, is on another planet today; he is wielding a large pair of pliers and intent on continuing on a mission of which we know not what. He sticks his head into the electric box on the first floor. There is an almighty bang, and Diego and I look on dumfounded, to our horror he has short circuited the entire floor, oh my precious air conditioners'! I should have not worried though, after all he is the expert, and we know what they are (ex as in has been, and spurt, a drip under pressure), but all was well by the time Pak Chris arrived home from his meeting with Fab. Time check, it is 4.00pm here, so it time to wish our lovely daughter Danielle in England a very Happy birthday today, yet another lovely Aquarian, even if I do say so myself!

It is day 3 of the tanker deliveries for our swimming pool.  Tanker number 447 each carrying 12 hundred litres of water has just unloaded its supply of local drinking water, which at long last has the Swimming pool overflowing, we have infinity and beyond, all we need now is for Tropical pools to clean the bottom and we can christen it.

We even have lights in the garden but still waiting for the pool ones, nevertheless I am breathless at the hive of activity; it is so un Bali like! The contractors' month to complete everything is up, but they are far from finished, so it's a case of all hands to the pump to beautify what is left for Jeannette and Peter's arrival this evening. If I don't point out the short comings they may never notice!

Early evening, and we are sitting having a sun downer with Reg when there is what seems like an almighty explosion from inside the house. We rush in to find one of the large pictures we had hung up earlier in the day on the landing; had fallen off the wall bouncing on every step all the way down strewing glass ever where. Luckily, Reg is well trained and helps us clear up quicker than you can say "another Bing Tang Reg". Just before tea Molly uses her blackmail techniques on me rather successfully. If she finishes all her homework, can she go with Dad on the airport run? I agree, but on the proviso that she is up for school the next morning; she complies and is up earlier than ever the next morning. Myself, on the other hand struggles badly, as far too many Bing Tangs were gorged by all into the wee small hours, but we did had some catching up to do before we retired to bed.

We were recounting wonderful stores like the time we stayed with them on route to Bali from the UK last August. The time Chris had been sporting a new t-shirt around the shops all day with XL on his breast but none of us were about to tell him. That same evening I had gotten up in the night to put on some frightful but effect cream on my bites which were really giving me jip.  It is manufactured in Japan and left it on the bathroom shelf. The next morning Chris had mistaken it for our travelling tube of tooth paste which got him foaming at the mouth and gagging unmercifully. I cannot repeat the expletives!! He still retches now at the very mention of the incident.

Thinking about it now it reminds me of the time he fell down stairs with Molly.   We had been staying at a Lutchins house one weekend with friends when Molly was still only a baby. We had noted on arrival about how highly polished the staircase looked. Early the next morning he had gone to pick Molly up out of her cot and fallen down them; thankfully saving her but in doing so punched his elbow right through his skin. It was nothing he said, "no need to have it looked at".   I looked on doubtful and thought he should have stitches. Oh well men know what's best. Later that week he rolled up his sleeve and said ‘my arm smells funny' and stuck it right under my nostrils.   I breathed in hard; to this day I can summon up that same cheesy smell in an instant, which always helps if I need to reach at least!! I exclaimed upon examination, ‘'gangrene', and he was off so fast out the door and to the local hospital that he never even said good bye, Scare tactics, but I was right and now he is more amendable about me applying my lotions and potions so he never has to go through that again.

We have another wonderful weekend with Jeanette, Peter their son Ryan and his girlfriend Emma. On Friday we take a trip with them to Ubud. After we are replete from breakfasting on the terrace we spend an hour or so watching the white water rafters go by. It is hilarious. The water is flowing fast today on account of the heavy rains the night before and there are many rafts which cause a bottleneck; and this sees the less fortunate flung into the water. Thankfully, no one is injured and it gives Jeanette the opportunity to exchange emails so that she can send them the video footage she has captured of their escapades in full Technicolor. That evening we enjoy a wonderful evening all together at the Sarong to celebrate my birthday. Anyway, it all goes by far too quickly, and before we know it we are having a farewell meal at my favourite restaurant on Echo Beach before the dreaded airport run.

Echo Beach started out life as a surfers beach bar. As the song goes, it really used to be far out of the way and hard to find, but to Echo beach I'll return one day.  My friend Sam has this as her screen saver on her mobile phone, so whenever she is down at work she looks at it and it reminds her of happier times and that she will return one day too. Echo Beach is the only place to sit and watch the sun go down with an ice cold Bing Tang. They have a magnificent BBQ and an atmosphere most restaurants would give their right arm for.  Luckily enough for us it is only a 10 minutes stroll along the beach or a 10 minute journey by car. Sadly though, a large company called SS (Sea Sentosa) has displaced the cows and their off spring having bought all the land around this little enclave; and by 2012 will have built many million dollar dream homes with all the paraphernalia to support such a project and the nightlife too boot! So we continue to enjoy it while we can and ignore the ugly construction work behind us by simply facing the sea.

I simply adore our wild beach; it is a natural working beach for our village. It cannot have changed in years save for the shape of the mouth of the river which runs behind our house which is continuously altered by the shifting sand, tides and seasons. Mornings see it a hive of activity, and on Sundays it really is bustling, packed full of entire local families with their off spring, and youngsters that have gotten there on bikes galore; all this fascination for the ocean at all is quite surprising as the Balinese people have a morbid fear and a genuine dislike of water as this is where the demons are purported to lurk.

Shanty fisherman huts cling along the bluff; all in various decay, like a happy jumble of uneven dentures. The boats, however, are very well cared for, gaily painted in primary colours reminiscent of Thai boats or small Viking vessels with outriders. They head out to see at night, only to return in the morning. As night falls you can see their lights along the horizon which seems to stretch for miles more like another island in the distance.

Every morning Ellie and I wave goodbye to Molly then we set off on our morning constitutional, today we turn right and head down to the beach which is only 50 metres away. We love to watch the fisherman return, exhausted from their long night at sea, and peer into the nets at the awesome medley of fish and crustaceans, the like of which we have not seen before. Since this is the rainy season we have had some really squalled weather during the night, and I often think of these guys as I snuggle further and further under the duvet.  They head toward the beach at break neck speed as their families run to the water edge to help them in. The routine is brisk and well rehearsed over the years. The cash catch is quickly brought up to the hut for sorting and gutting while the men disengage the outboard motor. It then takes at least four of them to drag the boat to shore and back to its resting place in front their hut. I notice that the women folk are left to struggle with the 10 gallon drum of fuel, then it's up to them to sell the fish as the men untangle their nets ready for the evening, then presumably to retire to their beds for a truly well earned rest.  One lady calls round every so often selling Gadung, and I have bought some of these fabulous giant prawns from her. The going rate is 75 Rupee a kilo, ( four Pound sterling) not sure what you are paying for such a delicacies out there in the real world, but I think is quite a bargain compared to lobster at 400 Rupee per kilo; anyhow they are truly delicious cooked in garlic and lemon, yum!

Today I have done two stupid things of my own volition; it really was a blonde hair day. The first was to take Elie for another long walk on the beach straight after lunch. I should have known better as the beach was eerily deserted except for 5 small boys playing completely in the buff in the mouth of the stream that gushes out into the sea. Ellie had made for a bamboo pole that had been stacked in the sand sporting a strange array of colourful flags which had caught her attention;  t-shirts, shorts, pants and flip flops which they had carefully hung up to keep them clean and dry. As Ellie lurched towards them five smiley faces bob up above the sandbank. They were as carefree as the wind, uninhibited by conformity and as innocent as the day is lone throwing themselves in and out of the water.  Further up stream we found abandoned sandcastles' the language of children's play the world over.  So engrossed were we that Ellie and I strayed further and further inland away from the water's edge. Our only way back was across blisteringly hot sand. The sand here seems to capture and retain the warmth of the sun like no other until quite late in the evening.  I had always wondered why so many of the locals dug ditches only to cover themselves entirely in sand and snooze. I am not sure that it would entirely appeal to my sensitive skin, but they simply plunge themselves in the ocean to wash it of when they wake up. 

The sand on the coast here is much browner and coarser than the soft golden sands of Jimberan and   Dreamland in the south. Further up the coast and on the East side it becomes completely black as it mixes with volcanic ash and it glints in the sunlight like shards of diamonds, and gets even hotter under foot.

Anyhow, Ellie pulls me along by her leach at speed and hides in the shadow of one of the fishing boats, refusing to budge; no amount of coaxing will make her move. Meanwhile, I am dancing round as if on hot coals desperately looking for nearest ally way in which to head and exit to elevate the pain. We are much further away than I first imagine as my bearings are shot, presumably from the hot sun. Poor Ellie's paw pads are obviously hurting as much as mine; so I crawl under the boat and pick her up making a rush for the surf. Thankfully there are no watchful eyes as this is not an elegant performance. We paddle the rest of the way grateful for the incoming tide which makes our final exit all the more shorter but no less hot as again with dog in arm I hurl myself up the beach screaming in pain. We hobble home and I search out my most comfy shoes as I still have to collect Molly from school and that involves a walk up and down the long drive way on my very sore feet.

The second daft thing I did was to try and nudge a giant orange bug the size of a small aeroplane out of the window of Chris's office with a Kleenex tissue. I was trying to be a caring kind of individual who does not go around squashing everything thing insight; oh that is except ants, I really have a thing about them; even though I do marvel at their individual strength and determination. Every morning there is a dearth of dead flying debris all over the house upon which they pounce and carry away with them with military precision back to their nest.  Any back to this brute, looking for all, like one of the evil guys straight out of the movie "A Bugs Life" and complete with glowing suit of armour jabs its sting straight into my finger. The pain is excruciating, as if a small hot rod has been stuck into my finger. Jai the lighting specialist kindly enquired as to whether I might be allergic to such stings? I did not think so. Chris uttered something like "stupid broad" or words to that effect, and swiftly dispenses the Yellow Jacket down the waste disposal. He then immerses my finger in Apple vinegar, the only thing he could find in the store cupboard in which to reverse the effects of the sting. Later, I catch him looking at me strangely, so with my left hand I looked up on the internet "What to do if stung in Bali", as it had not immediately occurred to me that we are not on the door step of any emergency medical services. Some helpful sites immediately pop up, and I was reassured to read on one of the helpful hospital sites that if my mouth does not swell up immediately I am going to be reasonably safe. Thankfully, it only hurt for that one evening. That night at story time I told Molly what I had done, and that we were all to learn a salutary lesson from the experience for living in the tropics. Leave nature well alone or apply a good dose of "Hit" as soon as possible, which I have now have bought by the case load.

21^st February and it is snowing in England and has been since our Grandson Kier Birthday in December.  I cannot believe that today is the 10^th anniversary of the day my lovely Dad Geoffrey Bernard passed away peacefully in his sleep. Always cognisant of the feelings of others, he sought the permission of my stepmother to go, before he settled down to his long endless sleep. He had been battling colon cancer for nearly 8 years, and his quality of life had sadly deteriorated since the New Year. At least he was at home having been discharged from the hospice to die in his own home.  At home he continued to have the wonderful Palliative angels' visit every day to nurse and dress his wounds. There is not a day go by when I do not think about him, or hear a song on the radio that reminds me of him. Whenever I have something to decide, there is his tune Louis Armstrong singing "What a wonderful world", a sign from him to let me know that he is there supporting my decision.  Molly would have dearly loved him with his deep booming voice and he her. It was as if one love of my life departed through one door and another entered just a few months later.

Since I last wrote the 2 villas I mentioned are well underway, and have counted another four piles of rubble.  I do hope that Bali will not go the way of Singapore, under a ton of concrete. Sadly, one of these sites is in the field where the old man was growing and cutting his Alang alang last month. I see him some days chatting with the builders, presumably he now has little to do other than enjoy time and the riches from the sale of his land, which, alas will not last as long as the richness of his land that bore him an existence come rain or shine. I will miss his field of grass reaching for the sky and his ready smile. The old lady of the village is still about everyday collecting this and that. Kadek our driver says she likes collecting cardboard as it has an exchange value of 2,000 Rupee per kilo (and remember there are, give or take 15,000 of them to one pound sterling).  This morning when Chris and I waved Molly off to school she is in the field next door, so Chris hauls out the box his lawn mower came in and we ask if she would like it. Her eyes light up she shakes my hand profusely as if I given her a wad of cash and not an empty box. In the UK the dustman would have refused to take such garbage saying "luv you ave too take that down the dump ya self, we would really luv too, but we are not allowed to see! It's the wrong shape, the wrong kind of cardboard, or the wrong time of the month blah blah," What was I paying the Dacorum council three thousand pounds plus a year for? Good question.

Wednesday morning and Chris woke to ask me whether the earth had moved for me during the night. I had felt nothing at all and it was the second time this week he had felt the earth tremor albeit only slightly thank heavens. When Jolena popped round at lunchtime she confirmed his disturbing feelings and on Friday evening Matthew said he had felt it too and had awoken to the sensation that someone was shaking his bed, or was that just wishful thinking!

As I am normally the only mum in year five to ever collect my child, any new comers stick out like a sore thumb. Most of the children are collected on the back of a motor cycle by a maid or picked up by the family driver. I would love to be able to tell you that their precious off spring are sporting crash helmets, but sadly this is not always the case and this applies to all nationalities. Anyway I met Cushla a charming lady from New Zealand who has a daughter Georgia in the next class to Molly. The two girls acknowledged one another as they are in the same Bahasa class.  This morning over breakfast I gently suggested that Georgia having been here only 2 weeks might find it all a little strange like Molly had when she first arrived and that if she saw her alone at lunchtime perhaps she would spend some time with her. Molly looked at me and said "Mum you don't get it do you, we don't play with the other class it's like a different dimension". I am not sure I knew the word dimension when I was nine let alone knew what it meant!

Lately as you drive through each village you can see Oga oga's under construction. These are large papier-mâché effigies being made ready for burning during for Nipe celebrations and are made by e both adults and children alike. I am told that some villages engage specialists to make them on their behalf they range in price from 700 - 7 million Rupees for the more elaborate and supplicated ones with mechanical body part movements. For some of these artists it is the only thing they do once a year then live off the proceeds; but I can tell you more about the event after it happens on the 17th March.

Ellie and pebbles are getting on famously; they love teasing and playing with one another, check out the photo of devotion, sharing a special yoghurt moment. Pebble's is now three times her original size and is scheduled to get all her inoculations on the 3^rd March. She is such a funny little thing and just loves hanging out with us I guess we should not be surprised as she really does thinks that she is one of us.

Ellie is rather in the dog house at the moment as she has managed to eat her way through three pairs of shoes this month which meant that Reg had to go to the bank to go bare foot to see the Bank Manager, Diego's flip flops bit the dust and the other victims were my cherished leather thongs that I had purchased form Banana Republic on one of our trips to America and which I cannot replace easily, my fault, as I do know better than to leave them lying around!!

Saturday, and Molly is feeling all grown up today and has insisted on going to the school Bazaar this afternoon all by herself, my baby is sure growing up fast, she can even wear my shoes but at the rate she is going it will be a short lived experience, mores the pity. Kadek has dropped her off and will wait for her. I will fret all afternoon until she is back. It is blistering hot this afternoon and far too hot to use the pool even. Chris had a quick dip but on getting out managed to burn himself on the granite where the new BBQ is housed exclaiming that you could fry an egg on it, which begs the question why we need a BBQ at all.

Molly returns exited about her lone adventure, I should not have worried, as she caught up with lots of her friends and came back with most of her money, which is a novelty, as this is simply not case when it's my purse she dipping into!

Molly had remarked earlier that her brother Matt looked like a caveman, and she was not far wrong; as he was going to take us out to dinner later this evening for my birthday he borrows Chris shaver to reduce his facial hair. Molly watches on intently in the bathroom and quickly returns to tell me that the bathroom is covered in blood and that we have hair everywhere, Yuk! The result however, is infinitely better, now he does not look as though he is off a wanted poster. Molly gets ready and appears in a very a vanguard outfit;  black velvet dress with gathered bottom Grandma bought her a couple of Christmas ago, cream tights which she has cut the feet off to make into leggings and my best satin shoes. She looks an absolute picture, truly. When we arrive at the table in the restaurant Molly is nowhere to be seen. Chris went back and found her locked in the car! Evidently she had been too self conscious to get out; she told him she looked weird, and he reassured her that she looked fabulous. She came in head held high tottering on my heels holding his hand.  We had a lovely meal at Biki's, and towards the end evening Ashtree the owner, and the staff present me with my favourite carrot cake, resplendent with candle to the chorus of Happy Birthday. This reduces me to tears, as it had been Molly who had bravely organised it with Ashtree, she really is growing up. As were leaving Molly said she was going to the ladies and would meet us in the car. She jumped in the backseat with me and presented me with a small beautifully wrapped parcel, it was a batik napkin, all she could afford with her pocket money; she would have preferred to have bought me the green crotchet frog tea cosy, but it was out of her budget; what a darling daughter we have what more could we ever ask for.

Sunday 28^th February, there are reports that there has been an earthquake of gigantic proportions in Chile, I believe measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale on the news, with tsunami alerts all across the Atlantic. This must be very scary, with mention of 40 foot waves. The Indonesia one of 2004 had waves that were 6 feet high, and look at the devastation this caused. As someone who lives only 50 metres from the sea it all very unnerving. Let us hope for everyone sake that it not on the same scale.

So as I bring this month's journal to a close I can hear the soporific music accompanying the Balinese dancing at the temple at the bottom of the garden; but before I do I must make mention of two significant birthdays.  Our Granddaughter Georgia in England turns 13 today, Many Happy returns of the day to you Georgia, yet another Aquarian, we are so blessed; and our dear friend Maurice Murphy in Singapore turns is 60 tomorrow the 1^st March. The good news is that we have just received an emailed from him and his lovely wife Jan to say that they will be here at the end of next month to celebrate it along with their 40^th Wedding Anniversary, fantastic! A swim by moon light, and so to bed.

Till next time

March 2010-03-10

It's the second week of March already; and we still have a steady stream of finishers in and around our home; I have to say that it is looking great now, and I am reliably informed that I should have some degree of privacy by the end of the month. I will try and include a picture or two at least this time around, as I have been rather remiss in sending you anything to date.

Despite being the rainy season and our winter, it has been blisteringly hot here, in the 30's everyday with humidity between 65 and 94. The rain comes mainly at night, which is great for the new garden; and has allowed us to witness the some of the most amazing storms and lightning shows. 

This morning Chris is away at a number of meetings, so I am home alone apart of the bevy of builders. It is almost impossible for me type out here on the terrace this morning with both Ellie and Pebbles, who is especially fascinated by the screen; playing and jumping all over the key board. They are the best of chums, and tease each other mercilessly. Pebbles is gradually growing into her enormous ears; she looks more like an Egyptian cat, than a wild Bali moggy and now that she has more fur she is morphing from ugly duckling into very pretty kitten. She is sitting next to me waiting to pounce on poor Ellie, leaping upon her when she least expects it.

I cannot believe that we have been here nearly eight month already, so I guess that it should be of no surprise that this month has been one of reflection for me; I think this was mainly triggered by four separate correspondences; three emails and a blog from good friends in faraway places. 

The first email was from a good friend of ours in England to say that her father had sadly passed away in late February, and that his funeral was to be on the 4th of March.  Since this is the day before my own dad's funeral 10 years ago it got me thinking about it; how long ago it seems now, but that he is never really out of my thoughts. Three things stick out in my mind that day one. The first was when we stopped at a service station just off the M1. As we drove into the car park a man was running around like a headless chicken. Evidently he was trying to find someone; anyone, with a fire extinguisher so that he could save his previous soft top Saarb. Being good Samaritans that we are we gave him ours.  It was pretty obvious, with us all clad in black where we were off too; he shook our hands profusely as we said goodbye with him being ever so grateful and all that, promising to send the money for a replacement; he was a lawyer, and we never heard from him again, fancy that!

The second poignant thing was that it also coincided with National chip week. With my dad's great love of them we had them in his honour at his wake held at his favourite pub. The third was that he and we got to ride in a brand new Mercedes hearse, he would have loved that, I can hear him now saying "it was the top of the range".

The second email was from a Dutch colleague of mine who has also left corporate life and wanted to know the ins and outs of living in Asia, and to note any particular sacrifices one has had to make; as he is thinking about retiring to this part of the world. 

While I was answering his mail I received a blog from my friend and colleague Helena in Singapore, talking about her alfresco life.  How she and her husband Pierre pack in so many engagements every weekend and have a ball; having to decline as many invitations as they accept. When you are posted to a country for an indefinable period of time you really do have to live for the moment, as you have no idea how long these attachments you have fostered will last; since life as an ex pat is so transient. You grab it all and enjoy it while you can, and never dare to look too far in the future; we fill in time, bonded with the same degrees of separation each has from family and loved ones. It is therefore no surprise that many of these friendships are often forged for life; long after everyone has moved on wherever you may be posted in the world.

The 3rd email was a response to one I had sent out.  I have been writing to the parents of my very first boyfriend (who funnily enough was conceived and born in Singapore while his father was serving out there with the Navy) every Christmas for nearly thirty years; but this year I did not receive my usual note, so sent him an email to enquire. He wrote back a lovely newsy letter telling me that happily his parents are both still with us, but tragically, Margaret has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and that she has good and bad days, hence no letter. I have not seen either of them for almost 10 years, but even back then she still looked as beautiful as I had remembered her; blonde shining hair, eager eyes, ready smile and wicked sense of humour. Until I received this email I had seriously considered calling a halt on my journal, but I understand that she loves to receive them and this has given me renewed the impetus to carry on regardless of how inane it may all seem from time to time.

All of which got me thinking.................................................................

Molly is so happy at school and seems really settled with our life here, she even said as much to Chris the other evening, which is so very important to us.  We have seen many positive changes in her now that she has her bedroom and play room complete and all her old toys etc; and we are starting to get routines which make it feel like real life, and not an extended vacation living out of suitcases. We might live on an exotic Island, but we still have the same chores as everyone else including completing our homework, which sometimes can be a bit of a struggle with so many exiting distractions as with any nine year old!  Although I do think that she may have seen "Mama Mia" one too many times; as she asked me why I was reading a cookery book, when I was actually reading an autobiography by Julie Walters! Which I guess shows that at least she is paying attention.

Out here on Bali Chris and me no longer have those same feelings as we had in Singapore.  Mainly because we made the move to sell up in England, so this really is now our home. We have made some good friends with likeminded people who have also made Bali their home. Whilst we have not actively avoided the ex pat community, which, I understand from one of the mums at school is terrific; it is not something we now hanker after.  We want our life to run at a different pace and to be as normal as possible. A settled period in our lives to savour and share with family and with friends we have made over the years. That does not mean that we do not have much on at weekends, far from it.

Last Sunday we had an impromptu BBQ with the builders and Chris's Partners it was held in the first house which is nearly finished.  So yes, to the reader that is buying it, we have christened it for you. The BBQ was made out of shovels and old wire. Diego was the butcher, having done the deed with a live lamb, (apologies to all you veggies out there!) cooking up some fine old fare. We sat on long planks of wood at trestle tables and got all dusty; but it was great fun for all, especially the builders, who had probably not seen that much food in the longest while. As it was such a roaring success it will now be a monthly event. Diego, however, reported the next morning that he had enjoyed so much alcohol that he had slept from 5.00pm until the next morning!

So, in answer to my friend's initial enquiry about the down side of it all and the sacrifices; yes, it goes without saying, we really do miss our family and friends but hope that in the fullness of time that we will all be able to share our piece of paradise with them.

We count our selves fortunate to live in a Martini kind of age where technology allows us to see and hear anyone at anytime in any place, (you have to be as old as Joan Collins to remember that one!) quite remarkable really. Anyway Skype makes the world a much smaller place, and we are able to see the grandchildren growing up, and talk to our daughter Danielle and my sister Wendy as if we were in the same room albeit with a 7/8 hour time difference; although it is not nearly the same as being able to pop round for an impromptu coffee or lunch at the weekend, it is infinitely better than expats years ago who could wait up to three months just to get a letter.  We speak to friends we have made in the USA, Australia, England and all places in between. 

Last Christmas we bought Chris's Mum and Dad a computer, so now at the ripe and spritely age of 85 and 87 respectively (yes June, so now they all know) they are on Skype, how fantastic are they?; I know how hard it was for me when I first joined Xerox and had to master this skill; after having a secretary all my working life up until that point, and that was 15 years ago, when I was a girl! So now my mother-in-law is quite of fey with ordering groceries on line from Waitrose, emailing and Skyping us too!

Just when I thought I had nothing to report, last Thursday I had a most terrifying experience at the supermarket in Discovery Mall which is just off Sunset Road, (the main artery to the north, well until you get to Seminyak).

The staff were busily packing my good into boxes and then back into my trolley.  I mentioned at the time, that I thought that this was all going to be too top heavy for one trolley, and a calamity would ensue, especially with an escalator down that has a 180 degree gradient.  Carelessly he packed the last box of 12 large Bin tangs bottles on top. He said it would be ok for sure. I said that I would hold him wholly responsible if it did indeed do what I hoped it would not.

Well in reality it was much worse. As I wheeled the trolley to the top of escalator it simply hurtled straight down without gripping as it should at all it; probably due to the weight or the fact that it was all put together in Indonesia. The people below me turned back to look at me in horror at the commotion, it all seemed as though this was in slow motion; screamed and ran off the escalator.  I ran after the trolley holding it and myself and it steadfast to the rail. What happened next was an almighty crash, as the twelve bottles of Bin Tangs hit the deck, exploding in a sea of foaming beer and green glass. It was amazing that no one was hurt. Luckily enough, I had left a bucket I had purchased at the cash desk; so who should be riding the escalator behind me but Mr MFI himself; he had seen it all, so all my beers were replaced by the profusely apologetic management team; evidently this is something of a revelation here in Indonesia. It really took me sometime calm my nerves; as it really did shake me to the core. I was in less shock than this when I wrapped my brand new Aston Martin Vanquish round the central reservation of the A41.

When I recounted my terrifying experience to Danielle on Sunday, she told me that our grand son had managed to get 5 injures in Tesco's when out shopping with his father on Saturday; one he proudly showed me on the screen was the clear indentation of the wire mesh from the bottom of the supermarket trolley where he had literally fallen in head first.

Oh, and today I saw a man who came into the Bali Deli with his Parrot on his shoulder, I did really, and no, I had not been drinking. Security did try to apprehend him, but he just barged straight on in.  I guessed he was either a pirate shopping for his "booty" or this was a new twist on taking your bird out!

So I have come to the conclusion that grocery shopping should carry a government health warning.

On Friday we were invited to a pupil lead conference at Molly's school. This involved us being timed on our times tables by Molly, having our blood pressures taken before and after some walking round the school, again instigated by Molly. We watched in oar while she moved the mouse around so effortlessly as she put together a short movie; and finally we were given a selection of her best work.etc to review. It was fun and different and she made us feel very proud of her.  Molly then had the rest of the day off as she was first in at 8.30 am.

Later that day we ran a number of errands but on arriving home we could not find Pebbles anywhere. The guys' from Heavenly Gardens reporting seeing her disappear under the bonnet of the car before we left. We did look, but Kadek had seen her run off startled before we had left, when he had turned the engine over.

Wayan and I searched high and low, I even walked back to the beach where I had found her; and then the heavens opened. Once it had stopped, Molly and I took Ellie for a long walk. We called out to Pebbles all the way as far as the village. On the way back Molly said I wouldn't bother mum, she must have gone on a long walk or some must have been picked up outside the house, what with all the comings and goings of the builders through the ever open gate I had to agree with her.

As if on cue, we could hear a familiar squeak about 200 metres behind us, and who should come running after us but a very bedraggled Pebbles limping and with a lump of fur missing from her lower jaw; her heart was racing as I swept her up, other than being frightened she seemed ok.  She must if followed the car until she ran out of steam.  Needless, to say she is now my constant shadow companion; but she still beats up on the dog!

On a lighter note, I can report that I am now off the wanted list and can return home to England knowing that I will not be arrested for none payment of taxes. It has taken me 15 months to convince the tax man that I did not live in England and owe him thousands of pounds. I was getter heavier and heavier correspondence of what they were going to do to me and charging me interest by the day, so at least I can rest easier at night having cleared my name. However, only yesterday I received a demand for late posting of my tax return! And this after they had written to me to not fill one in, I just cannot seem to win!

We have just celebrated Nypie on Tuesday17th just gone.  This is an annual event, and a moon festival to drive away all the ghosts and monsters' that have been hauled up in your house for the last 12 months, a bit like our own new year really. On the eve of Nypie the Balinese people make a tremendous amount of noise to drive them out of every nook and cranny. Then every Banjar parade their lavish Ogoh Ogha's around their villages. These are gigantic colourful models, made on a very grand scale, they really a work of art. This can be quite a raucous event, as the Ogoh Ogah bearers have to spin around and around at each corner because as we all know, ghosts cannot go round corners; which is a challenge as many of them are the worse for their home made brew.  Then on Nypie its self the whole of Bail is plunged into darkness, no one is to leave their home, put on any lights or make any noise. They have Nypie police patrol the streets to ensure that everyone abides by the rules and the curfew.  Even the airport closes and airliners are barred from flying across the Island. The result however, is quite wonderful. It is a day of total quietness, save for the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and bird song. As night draws in the stars really do come out. I do not ever remembering seeing the Milky Way in such detail before. You can now see why our ancestors and fore fathers held such store by the stars; they are so overwhelming when you can see so many of them; quite an amazing event and it only happens here in Bali. I ask you where else is the world could you make everything stand still for 24 hours? We struggled in England to get people to observe a minutes silence on Armistice Day.

Well Molly has gone back to school after her extended weekend, so home alone again. Well girls, you can imagine my horror when today whilst riffling through Chris's desk I noticed a quotation for something headed "Grand Willy Service". Luckily enough, even though Chris has shed three stone and is looking good, I have to say, had I been a more suspicious wife I might well have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Anyway girls, any ideas what it was for? Yes you have guessed it right, a contract service for maintaining his Garden would you believe, so obvious!!

This afternoon we were invited to Molly's school for their very own Ogoh Ogha Parade. Each class had made an enormous effigy, some of which were very elaborate. Molly was one of the bearers who helped parade theirs round, while the rest of her class mates, made an unholy din, very effective, the whole school was quite animated and had clearly enjoyed making them and displaying them.

It also gave me the opportunity to catch up with Alison our old neighbour; Alison was after giving Molly a mouse, but I declined; I have enough on my hands already, and I am sure it would last five minutes with our two. I enquired after her two rogue mongoose, but she said that since they had got the two stud earrings and the back packs both had gone all moody and slung their hook, she was not impressed, but has replaced them with a Civet cat. These cats produce highly sort after and expensive coffee beans; that is once the beans have passed through their digestive system, or is that just too much information?  Mike who was also standing with us, who incidentally was a noise to the perfume world, confirmed that they also used a similar substance obtained very near to this same glad in perfume; and this was what gave it its warm rich note and pungent aroma; so now you know, that some xxit can be good for you in small doses.

The conversation then turned to Easter, and the inevitable Easter eggs. In the UK you could buy them on New Year's Eve, or all year round in the case of Cadbury cream eggs; here you cannot get them for love nor money. Although I did managed to buy her a mini Kinder Egg I had seen on sale in the local supermarket. I was so chuffed to have found it. I gave it to her after school in the car. She was wrapped, but the Kinder Surprise was all just fluff as the surprise in store for her was that they had omitted to include any chocolate., only the small plastic toy which apparently can choke small kiddies; which why they have banned them in the USA.  Any way I have written to the Ferro group and given them the batch number so that they can sat least stop disappointing little kids or ; Thanks to Maurice and Jan who arrive on Thursday with our food parcel, we are saved, as they are kindly bringing eggs over for Molly and her friends. Currently on Jan's list we have the simplest of requests; grease proof paper, aluminium foil, Waitrose mango chutney (as many as they can find and carry) and suet.  Chris is salivating for a steak and kidney pudding like his Mum used to make. But these little things really do make the difference.

Any way we have lots to look forward to in the coming months with friends visiting we right through to the end of July which is fantastic.

Over the weekend Molly had a sleep over with Georgia; you may remember that she is in a different dimension!  I had invited her and her mum over for coffee and the girls got on famously and spent the entire weekend in each other pockets. They have found a secret place which they have called desert Meadow in the private wood next door. The "intrepid two" are currently saving to buy a tent and two sleeping bags to camp out with cows in a cactus enclave; we'll see. 

Meanwhile, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Easter, until next time Love Vanessa xxx

Vanessa x

April 2010-03-10

It is April 1^st, and Chris and I are catching up on emails and generally relaxing today. It is the first day of her Easter holidays for Molly, and she has gone off to the Safari Park with her brother Matt, who she now affectionately refers to as "Stinky"; they get on really much better now that they do not live under the same roof, as siblings often do.

We have just had our good friends Jan and Maurice to stay and celebrate 40 years of Happy Marriage together, although I did hear Maurice comment that he would have gotten less for murder! They were great guests and entertained us no end from Morning till night'. By way of introduction I should tell you that Maurice is a Bank Manager so he has that special ability to get everything there is to know about someone extracted from them in a very short space of time.

And so it was one hot Sunday afternoon that we went to view some garden furniture, taking both Maurice and Jan with us. I will withhold the man's name not only to protect his privacy but also because if I told you his name you would certainly not believe me. The address of the house we needed to find was down one of those narrow back streets in Seminyak so it could only be reached on foot. The narrow labyrinth of passageways wound round and round until we eventually came upon said house.  Stepping into the shadowy recesses of this cool house it was evident that it was stacked to the gunnels with the furniture they had for sale. 

Everything about the setting was surreal; it was like stepping onto the studio set for an episode of "Absolutely fabulous". The Joanna Lumley look alike lurched in the background, holding onto the bar for support and sporting a haircut that would look good on a sixteen year old and which hid most of her face, making her at first glance look startlingly youthful.  However, every glance at her had her age by the minute like Dorian Grey; it was then that I noticed that she had the arms of an centarian. Whilst Chris and I had a look at the furniture Maurice and Jan had had learnt everything there was to know about the strange quartet, he had even managed to sort out the possible quotation for the transfer of his caravan from NZ to Aus. The most bizarre passing comment made to me as we were leaving was had I noticed that there were so many strange people on Bali? Come to think of it madams there truly are! I think that Jan and Maurice will dine out on this story for some time to come.

As I have said before they were just the tonic we both needed. They have returned home to Singapore to pack up their belongings and say a final farewell before transferring to the sunshine coast of Australia, so we have promised to catch up with them there.

Well the intrepid travellers returned from their day out, and Molly was quite animated about the Safari park, and the theme park rides came highly recommended too, even if Matt wanted to get off, as they were so stomach churning!

Another Park we can recommend is "Water Bom", it is fantastic even if you are a water wimp like me you can appreciate the jungle setting it is as good as anything if not better than I have seen before.  We went along with Georgia, Cushla and Trevor. On the very first ride (or should I say float) I got caught like a bobbing cork on the lazy river, and was left gasping for my breath in my rubber ring.  I emerged feeling like a big twerp shaking like a leaf. If you have no phobias yourself about anything you will not understand this feeling. I cannot catch my breath if I drink a glass of water too fast. I am sure if I was to be regressed or whatever it is they do to you, I would discover that I had been drowned in a bucket or something even more sinister associated with water.

Anyway, everyone else had fabulous time going on ride after ride until they were quite exhausted; it really brought out the child in all of them.   What was really touching was that when I tucked Molly in that evening she took a hold of my am and reassuringly told me I was the best Mum in the world and a really cool one too. For any of you that know Molly this is something of a revelation, as she only ever says something if she really means it. I love her to bits anyway but she caught me of guard and we had a good ole howl together before lights out.

Chris has just received a rather sad and tearful email from Trisna, our Balinese friend whom we have now known for many years.  For a young woman she really does seem to shoulder an awful lot of her family worries and responsibilities, and she is not the eldest child.  She wrote to tell us how upset she is because her father has just been diagnosed with AIDS, and she is bereft as to how to deal with the situation that is unravelling before her. She is the only family member that will go anywhere near him let alone visit him; the doctors continue to detain him is hospital because the Villagers from his neighbourhood do not want him to return home for fear of catching the virus. How sad and tragic is this Ignorance of Aids so many years on, leaving the victims feeling like pariahs' with nowhere to go, and the tragic effect this has on the wider community; it is where the western world was 20 years ago.

On Monday Chris got a sms from Alex, Trudy and the girls to say they were over from Singapore until Friday; so we make a date to catch up with them on Wednesday and had a very lazy afternoon and evening with them by the pool before collecting Lisa and Grace (a friend of Molly from Dover Court School in Singapore visiting us for 5 days) from the airport. Lisa and Grace are mutual friends and they had had one of those "we are visiting friends in Bali conversations at the swimming club" only to discover that they both were both going to be catching up with the Parr's? How spooky is that.

Lisa has just been to India and Cambodia to access the school projects she has been supported for the past few years. How she fits it in as a working mum, running a home and looking after three kids single handled I do not know, but I take my hat of to her. Lisa has the energy of a team of men and can move mountains to get donations for the various charities she supports. She is tireless in all that she does and any outing she organises sound like a military manoeuvre.  I am always left feeling tired at the prospect of it all, as she is describes in detail, in her own animated way just the headlines of her forth coming itinerary to Europe this summer.

Saturday evening over a long supper,  and perhaps one too many cold beers we enjoyed hearing Lisa's anecdotes and learning more about just some of the achievements that she and her friend Anita have accomplished with the Non Government Organisations (NGO) school projects back in Singapore.

Through the "Starfish" project Lisa has managed to get round 1800 children out of the slums of Cambodia and into school; something these children could never in their wildest dreams have imagined or have afforded such a luxury; or God given right as it in the western world.

Anita's project i-India has organised numerous different initiatives; from a weekly shower bus and a mobile school house to visit the children that live in the slums of Johor in India; to safe houses for children in the deserts . For me,  it stupidly conjured up an image in my mind of a bus fitted with individual shower cubicles, when in reality it turned out to be a tanker of water and a bar of soap each; but a sheer luxury in a land where there is no clean water to drink let alone bathe in.

In yet another project they have arranged for hundreds of children to receive a daily portion of rice for 6 days of the week, however, with no line to join on Sunday, they sadly all have to starve. Unthinkable for us I know in our disposable world, full of plenty and waste.

Chris and I were lucky enough to get the opportunity ourselves to support a school in Koh Ker in Cambodia whilst living in Singapore.  Chris made a film of that visit which he still uses today to centre himself. We all need to remind ourselves and Molly from time to time that everywhere around us there are people struggling just to educate and feed themselves, hand to mouth. So when later that same evening Lisa shared her pictures of the trip to both India and Cambodia, it brought back many humbling memories and breathed life into her stories.

Once Lisa had retired to bed and unbeknown to her, Chris transferred them onto a DVD and put together two compilations of the most incredibly moving films which he set to haunting music for her to show people back in Australia and Singapore; it was a labour of, what a sweetie he is.  Lisa is anxious to promote these projects and help the Australian community understand about the good works, the need for donations, however small, can really make a difference to people who have nothing. I have to say the movies are fabulous and reduced us all to tears. The faces of the children, the games and the smiles are the same as for children all over the world, except here the hope in the eyes of these small girls and boys may sadly never be realised, I am told that their parents will eventually try and reclaim them from the orphanages, and put them to work as prostitutes once their own youthful good looks have faded.

Sadly, there are so many examples around the world where innocent children find themselves victims of their circumstances or at the hands of contemptuous vile adults. Even here on Bali amidst the radiant smiles and sunshine I found this article posted on the website in which we advertise our SPICE school:  "Nyoman Pakeh is an Eleven year old girl.  She was found 2 months ago riding on the back of her father. For some years, he has been using her birth defects as a source of begging for the family income.  Nyoman is thin, has congenital club feet, one of which is black with a large open sore because she has had to walk on it for years. She also has a large birth defect mass (spina bifida) on her lower back (about 15cm). With the help of two Italian Bali residents, the police located them and took her to the public hospital, but while the doctors were looking the other way, the father took her away back to begging. This week (Jan. 8, 2010), Putu recognised the father and child begging in Kuta. She called the police (women and children police), and they took the child and her parents to the hospital again. Doctors in the emergency dept. recommended the child be in protective custody, and receive extensive evaluation of her problems. The police required the child be sent to YKPA for protection while she gets care, threatening the parents with jail if they take here away. The child and parent(s) have been staying at YKPA in a private bedroom with meals provided. Every day, Putu, Michael, the child and parent(s) spend many hours at the hospital where Nyoman is just beginning to be evaluated by multiple specialties (Orthopaedics, Urology, Neurology, and Surgery) for the defects, and anaemia, hourly urination, and probably osteopmylitis in her foot. She is undergoing laboratory and imaging studies. Nyoman will require multiple surgeries. This child is totally illiterate, as are her parents. She has never attended school, never seen a doctor and never had immunizations. Her diet had consisted mostly of rice. Over the first week in the Yayasan, she has spent 98% of the time with her father, not talking with other children.

The parents mostly talk with her secretly. She is slowly starting to smile and talk. Only slowly are we learning about her past. The family originally comes from a very poor area of Bali, the same area where the street children at the orphanage come from. When the father was asked what kind of work he can do, he responded matter-of-factly with "I use my child for begging". He is a security risk for taking her away, and must be watched. The entire family will need support to learn a new life. YKPA needs help affording her care, already over $100 USD. The cost of the tests and surgeries is not know yet, but will easily be over $2000 USD. Anyone who can help, please contact Putu." Thank you! Putu Etiartini, Founder - Yayasan Kasih Peduli Anak -  www.ykpa.org - care4child@ykpa.org - +62 (0)8192 55499. 

All this is in stark contrast to my own life and I suspect to any of you my readers out there.

On Friday we all meet up at Echo Beach and have a very entertaining evening regaled by hilarious tails of Trudy aggressive and hapless maid "Imelda' who after 4 years have managed to extract her out of their lives. Evidently, she was so accident prone that she had increased Alex's insurance premiums three fold having written off all but one of his hi-fi speakers. On one particular occasion Trudy returned home to meet her 6 year old on the way out to A& E with Imelda clutching her bandaged head after she had cracked her head open on the freezer door that she herself had left ajar. Lately, Imelda had become severely more hapless having had the last remaining speaker attack her physically while polishing the glass coffee table, bruising her eyes so badly that Raffles Hospital thought that Trudy may have to pay for an operation for her! Things had gotten so bad that Trudy was more than a little afraid to return home as Imelda had taken the high ground and had started to question, correct and attack her vocally. This was the last straw, and it was the final curtain for Imelda.

On Sunday we had a lovely trip to savour the delights of the Safari Park Stinky and Molly had raved so much about.  Chris was rather outnumbered that day by females with Lisa, Grace, Cushla, Molly, me and Georgia, the girl's last outing of the long Easter holidays as Molly and Georgia are back at school on Monday.  On Monday morning we bid Lisa and Grace Farewell.  Lisa has a busy schedule, no surprise there, and is off to Melbourne on Wednesday to look at a house she is renovating for their homecoming this Christmas then she is back to Cambodia on Friday for a spot a house building, what a gal!

Mid morning and I call Cushla to check on how her hair dressing is going. She had volunteered to be the guinea pig for the services of a young Javanese girl who had come highly recommend by Claudie called "Fani". On Tuesday I am persuaded to go round to Cushla's place and have mine done, as she is still there adding the finishing touches to Cushla's hair.  Wednesday and day three of the proceedings, she is still adding the finishing touches to Cushla's hair; can you imagine this anywhere else? However, Chris picks me up and chances his arm for a cut himself; off with the long stresses.  He is so pleased with the cut that he pays her extra; wow, she must be good for such an endorsement. Never the less, three days I ask you, thank goodness we all have time on our hands!  I saw Claudie on Friday and mentioned that we had used her Fani to have our hair done!! Her eyes widened, before the penny dropped!

We receive a News flash that Volcanic ash is wreaking havoc across European airspace and the situation appears s to be getting worse ; luckily we have our own personal daily update as Danielle works at Heathrow supervising check-in or not, as this week proves to be. We hope that it lifts soon for everyone's sake as we have heard all sorts of stranded horror stories, but also because we are expecting Ian and Shirley to visit us next week from England, and Molly is counting the sleeps until their arrival.

Pebbles or "Shadow", as she would have been more aptly named, continues to trail round the house after me. If I leave the house for any length of time I need to secure her in her cage as she will follow me wherever I go. She even sits outside the lavatory creating till I reappear. Every morning she sits in front of the bathroom mirror fascinated by every ablution, and is interested in tasting and sniffing everything from tooth paste to hair moose. She continues to terrorise and annoy the dog, because that's her job; but it is Ellie who is the one that gets shouted at when she retaliates because she is just that much bigger. She stands there with a long for lawn look on her face with the cat's foot dangling out of one corner of her in her mouth, as if butter would not melt in it.

That evening, as I was tucking the two of them in for the night I noticed an enormous black shiny scorpion making a bee line across the floor for Ellie. Luckily, I had a glass in my hand so I was able to quickly snare it; which in turn made it very aggressive, ready for Chris  do what men do, in disposing of offensive creatures like this, spiders, creepy crawlers and the like for us women folk. Unfortunately, as he slid a piece of paper under the bottom of the glass his own glasses slipped off the end of his nose enabling the little citer to escape into the darkness without a trace. It was not until about a week later that upon retiring for the evening that we were reunited with our little friend. Chris found him lurking in the folds of our bedroom curtains. Armed with my tweezers, he was not letting him escape this time. So this is how encountered him, grappling with a locked patio door with a now very pxxt off Scorpion held outstretched in front of him whose only intention was to sting him any which way. Needless to say he was hurdled over the balcony with great aplomb. Latterly, we seem to have been plagued by many more of these guys although of a much smaller variety, needless to say they can still give you a nasty bite similar to that of a snake, which would need hospital attention.

I really enjoy reading "The Bali Advertiser"; it is a free local paper which is avidly read by all. The page I always go to first is the surreal  articles titled "World News lite"; short and often insignificant  items just like the American News round up on CNN (sorry Leslie and Bob) which is an 80 second round up of World News read at jaw breaking speed. The two stories that caught my eye this month were:

 "Women robs bank because it was on her Bucket list".  Patricia Edwards said that as she rode in the bus after the heist, she watched patrol cars and police officers swarm the bank looking for her. Once at her apartment, Edwards counted the money and realised she had stolen $4,300. (Daytona Beach News-Journal) I especially liked this one because Chusla has such a list, and we were only discussing the merits of it the other day; now I feel I should also have one to aspire too; so please put a bit thought into it and let me have any suggestions you may have for me so that I can tell you what I have put on it next time.

The other one "Two women sue after slipping on Grapes in Store Produce Section". Evidently Estela Maldonado and April Holt (she should have obviously shouted louder at the grape to stop hee hee!) were shopping in two different Chicago- area grocery stores last year when they both fell victim to runway grapes loosed from the produce section. Both have files lawsuits (Chicago Tribune). How tame, they could have been pursued by a runaway trolley. I told you shopping should carry a government health warning.

In more detail we have some alarming local news that an Indonesia Village is hunting for a 7 meter killer Python that strangled and nearly swallowed a 13 year old boy on the island of Sumatra before villagers armed with spears forced it to flee. Pythons native to Indonesia usually grow up to 6 meters!

And lastly President Barack Obama has again postponed his trip to Bali until June. I just knew that the film "Eat, Pray, Love." Filmed here in Bali and starring Julia Roberts would put us on the Map as a tourist destination this summer.

It's Saturday morning 17^th April and Molly has me up and at the stove by     6.30 am to make pancakes. As I descended the stairs I could hear Chris's phone ringing, but whoever it was calling had hung up by the time I had managed to answer. I noted that this person has called 5 times already, at this time of the morning, I ask you? Now the person resorts to texting, "why you not pick up your phone?" Her name is Cindy, and she is now seriously stalking him, the messages go on and on throughout the day. We all have a good laugh about it at his expense.  He has been polite he has been firm, but still she persists. Now, sorry he has to rude, but she still has one last attempt before signing off for good, we hope.

On the evening we discovered a Bali of a bygone era. The date could have been April 1932. Claudie had told me during the week about this restaurant she had been too that was on the beach which no one seemed to know about. This is probably because no sensible person would even think about driving on the beach as far as you could along what seemed like a dirt track to nowhere.  Eager to find such an establishment here on Bali and so close to Seminyak we made a foray to see it earlier in the day and made reservations for a table at the edge of the surf. However, we need not have bothered as we were the only patrons there, so we could have sat anywhere. As it was we set out selves up in the veranda of a tiny straw pavilion whilst the girls played innocently on the sand.  We ordered ice gold beers and a wine for lady in our company and toasted absent friends and loved ones as, Trevor, Cushla's husband is in Perth.  It is Happy Birthday today to my lovely friend and colleague April Tsao back in Singapore, who has to be a really nice person as she shares the same birth date as my own mum.

For such a tiny restaurant it had an enormous menu.  We all opted for a variation on a seafood theme, which I have to say, was excellent. The girls could barely stop to eat and then continued to play catch in front of us. We sat with a view of the entire bay lit only by the stars, the light of the wash and the make shift drift wood lights of the restaurant. We had such a lovely evening that we could hardly bare to pull ourselves away from our fresh found Robinson Crusoe eatery. If you take booze off the bill the 5 of us dined for less than 15 pounds ($20 US) including starters' main course and dessert? We all agreed that this was a real bargain, and vowed to return.

That night Georgia slept over with Molly. They had both decided that they would both sleep in the same top bunk bed of the basement Play room.  I left them telling each other ghost stories in the dark. During the night we had we had the biggest blustery storm of all. It was like an October storm in England. I was awoken about 2.30am by a door slamming and thought may be the girls had also been disturbed. So I descended the stairs in the dark so as not to awaken the pets.  In the basement the wind called under every door, and the frames shook eerily throughout the house. I actually had to go in and physically touch Molly's hand as it was not obvious that either of them was in the bed at all from the door way. Thank fully they slumbered right through it all otherwise it would have really quelled their imagination of ghosts and gaols.

Monday April 20th, and it is absolutely pouring with rain.  It is the first time throughout the entire rainy season that we have had such torrential rain during the day.  It is the kind of day you should be shut in doors curdled up on the sofa with a good book. Unfortunately, for me it is the last day on which we have to pay our electricity bill otherwise we will incur a fine.  In addition I could not believe the amount they wanted for one month so I needed to query the invoice, which meant an excursion into Denpasar.  With Cushla in the same boat (literally speaking) we headed off with Kadek.  Visibility was poor and many of the smaller roads were blocked due to flooding. I was extolling the merits of a 4 x 4 for such weather conditions but Cushla's suggestion of a boat seemed even more sensible.

Eventually we arrived at the PLN offices (Electricity Board) like drowned rats from our short run across the car park; where we were directed to the stairs, as usual, as there are seldom lifts in any of the public buildings.  After climbing the stairs and still clutching my chest to catch my breath, we were pleasantly delighted to find two very helpful English speaking staff. The guys were very understanding, and said they would come out and check out our unit, as I had explained that we were running a house and not a hotel, or had the rest of the village hooked up to it?

Meanwhile, we still had to pay the bills.  So it was back out into the rain and into the car. We drove round looking for a suitable Bank in which to deposit our large wads of cash before they closed at 2.00pm.  We ended up in a very dodgy looking shop which had an air of impermanence about it. There was no evidence or attempt of branding on either the shop or on the two young people serving. It had a shabby brown counter, a money counting machine and little else.  It was the strangest bank I have ever been into, it felt more like a temporary money changing kiosk. There were however, other people though queuing to hand over their 50,000 Rps for their monthly bill; but it still made me feel a little uncomfortable handing over my 11.5 million, but at least I did get a postage stamp sized receipt which made me a little more confident that the deed had indeed been done.

 The PLN guys at their word came out that very same afternoon to check out our Twilight box.  Sadly it turned that it was quite correct; so now we look at being even more eco friendly, pools and pumps get switched off and everything else that can be put on a timer is, as we cannot possibly sustain paying 11.5 Million Rps every month! It makes heating your house in the UK and Singapore now looks incredibly cheap by comparison.

This afternoon whilst having I was having a meeting with Jolena in the office about SPICE school, I noticed that one of the Finishers was on his hands and knees under my dining room table, but paid no real attention; that was until pebbles jumped onto my laptop leaving a nice crisp white paw print! Evidently she had she had stepped into the tray of white paint he had left on the stairs. After securing in her little house I discovered to my horror that she has left her calling card of paw prints all around the house; I could not believe how many times and so many different routes she had circumnavigated our home and over the furniture including my lovely old table which have now dried beautifully.

Tonight we have received another email from another relative to say that they have had their parcel retuned address unknown? This makes three separate parties that they have received cards and parcels back that they had originally sent to us back in November of last year. Evidently the packages look as though they have been round the world, and I guess they have. Sam had to go the post office and pay them six pounds sterling, only to discover it was the bags of Marsh Mellows she had sent to Molly were now sticky bags of goo.

Chris has just had an email from Lisa to say that the professional film maker they had hired to shadow them on the Indian and Cambodia journey had failed to deliver the film he had promised, and that she had been able to step in with a copy of Chris DVD to show to hundreds of people this coming Saturday at a charity event with the hope of tugging at both their heart strings and their wallets. I have to say Chris is very flattered and received the following email from Anita who had just received the DVD from Lisa.  I do hope that neither Anita nor Chris mind me including it.

"Dear Chris,

May I just say the biggest heartfelt thank you ever possible, it is a true work of art and such a gift to us all.  As Lisa said it will be shown to very large audiences, starting from Saturday!

It is very moving, real and I feel like I am back in India again.  I know for others they will feel connected and part of i-india too.  You did an amazing job with the sound effects, and the feeling you are watching a movie just by using the photos cleverly.  Like Lisa said its amazing how things happen for a reason.  The most beautiful part about all of this is that you did this totally independently without Lisa even aware of your efforts with it late into the night!   Her photos moved you into action.   It is not often you get a gift like this in life so unexpectedly. I have so much footage from i-india but no-one able to make magic like this!!  

Thank you so much Christopher I do hope we can meet one day.  

A great big hug to you 

Warmest regards

Anita"

Meanwhile, I will try and find a site on to post the films it so you can view them, so watch this space. If any of you are interested or want to make a small donation however small or simply want to get involved with any of the projects please let me know and I will put you in touch with them or check out the following web sites: http://www.i-indiaproject.org.au/ and http://www.i-indiaonline.com/

The Daily Mail has just popped up with my daily horoscope: Hello Aquarius. Below is your horoscope for 21 Apr 2010 from Mail Online astrologer Jonathan Cainer.

'Today is the first day of the rest of your life'. Again! Statements like this sound terribly profound and portentous when you first hear them. After a while, though, it becomes clear that, like politicians' promises, they don't really mean as much as you had hoped. You would like life, today, to bring you the start of something fresh, different and wonderful. It just may... but you will have to make sure that you don't slip back into the same old easy habits. If you really believe that a change can happen, you will make it happen.

Well what am I waiting for?...........

Until next time Vanessa x

PS: Fantastic news, we have just heard that the flight ban has been lifted in Europe, so Ian and Shirley will be boarding their flight tomorrow afternoon after all and will arrive here on Friday afternoon.

May 2010-05-04

The months of May and June have been very hectic for us at "Reflections", with an array of lovely guests and significant birthdays' to be celebrated as will be revealed:

Although the rainy season should have long passed the rain continues to lash down; ever since Shirley and Ian touched down in Bali it has persisted; they clearly brought that lovely wet English weather with them. One night the storm was so bad it toppled over one of our little Palm trees. We have now had to revert to having all the sun lounges lined up against the house shielding us against the elements. Sitting there all in a row clutching our gin and tonics I likened it to us sitting in an old folk's home waiting for God.

This weekend was one for the men being in the wars so to speak. It all kicked off with Enzo falling off his own roof. He was very lucky on account of having a tremendously thick skull so that no lasting damage was caused; although it was a worrying couple of days while he was in intensive care. The local police thoughtfully popped by on the Monday a to inform us that he was now sitting up in bed eating pies so we knew all was well at last. 

Ian our guest from England seemed to have one calamity after another.  On the evening of his arrival he managed to walk straight into glass door leading from his bedroom into the bathroom; which is clearly testament to Mades's cleaning prowess. Thank goodness no lasting bruising.

Unfortunately, he was not so fortunate with his next mishap. He tripped and fell over our glass coffee table in the lounge seriously grazing and bruising both legs from knee to thigh, but thankfully our table was unhurt!!. Later in the week he developed a nasty ear infection causing him considerable deafness.  Sadly, his wife Shirley also developed deafness' in sympathy, but unfortunately it was also in the same ear; so we could not even sit them side by side so that they would have one good ear between them. Ian also tried a new variation of skin pealing after jumping into the pool that Chris had just laced with heavy a concoction of chemicals, and slowly he recovered his eye sight. This was not helped by the fact that the arm had come off his day to day reactor light glasses which he did thankfully manage to have repaired. And if this was not enough Ellie finally disgraced herself by chewing a pair of sun glasses that Shirley had left inadvertently left on a coffee table outside. This aside we had a wonderful time with them and they had many fruitful forays and excursions into the lovely Balinese countryside and up into the volcanoes.

Last week I started Palates' classes.  It is run by a lovely gal from England, Jessica who I can only describe as "Miss Bendy". I cannot say that I enjoy it at all, but given how stiff I am at this age, I will be immobile in another 10 years if I do not get my act together; so I am determined to stick at it although even as a child I was never able to contort my body like this 30 something. As Shirley is here I make her come with me, and she is brilliant at it!

Ellie's latest sport has become chasing the Javanese Pool boy that comes to tend the swimming pool.  Ellie thinks that it is all a game, chase me chase me; but he really is scared witless of her, which has him jumping up onto the BBQ. Lucky for him it not a light during the day, although being granite it is as hot as coals, hot enough to cook eggs ,so once he is up there he can be seen really hopping up and down as his feet sizzle.  Shirley has wicked sense of humour and tries to deter me from tying up the dog when he arrives, as it really is the funniest thing you could witness; well nearly as funny as Pebble's new trick of chasing the dog. 

That evening as we sat in semi darkness, I was aware that something had just dropped into my hair. It was a Spider; there I am sitting like Miss Muff it on my Tuff it.  Ian and Chris the true chivalrous gents that they are gallantly jump to my rescue; Ian armed with nothing more than a bottle of sun tan lotion unleashes a tirade of blows and it is death by drowning in factor 15.

Saturday night we take an excursion over to Sanur to have sun downers on the beach and Supper.  It is about an hour drive from where we live in Canggu.

Late afternoon the light is spectacular just like a Rolfe Harris painting where he would do some interesting and effective white highlights as the studio lights were dimmed.  The beach is a hive of activity with the locals and their families; as the tide recedes it leaves an interesting array of shallow rock pools which affords all youngsters at heart the opportunity for exploration of another watery world.  With nets and lines they are all busy crabbing and catching star fish. It really is a good and safe beach to bring children. The sea on this side of the island is in stark contrast to the dangerous whip tides of the west coast of the island.

The locals are also here in droves as it is a Saturday; there are young groups of lads performing back flips from a standing start and generally trying to impress the ladeeeze.  It isn't Muscle beach on the coast of California, but nevertheless it is still quite appealing. As darkness falls and the lights on; the locals head for home leaving the holiday makers to make merry. 

Sanur really does have is very sea side feel about it without being too kiss me quick; although there are many fake sunglass and watch kiosks . A good path winds along the entire beach with hotels and restaurants along its whole stretch; just watch out for bike riders that share the path and fail to use any lights or bells which can take you unawares.

There are many different restaurants to choose from ranging from cheap and cheerful to the quite sophisticated, but the most popular by far are the BBQ fish restaurants on the beach at the start of the path way.

As their holiday comes to an end they are blighted by the troubles that have emerged in Thailand whilst they've been us.  This has meant that they were not able to fulfil the last leg of their journey and spend some days sightseeing in Bangkok, which was a great pity. Instead they had to change their travels plans and fly straight onto the UK. I always say leave a reason to come back, so maybe this will be theirs.

Tonight Molly cannot sleep with excitement, as tomorrow her class is dressing up to have a Victorian School day. I can never remember my school managing to instil that amount of enthusiasm into me about anything that meant I could not sleep the night before.

Since I am able to use this forum for recording various events however trivial I can report for posterity that Molly has suffered her first adolescent spot, it's probably because she is having her school photograph taken tomorrow.

Thursday and Molly is off school with a virus that has been doing the rounds in Singapore and Bali. Exceptionally high temperatures and vomiting following by hideous painful mouth ulcers; which means having not eaten for days she is even skinnier than usual.

Ellie poor pet is in season, so our walks for the meantime are curtailed. She has a posse of admirers who congregate at the gate each morning barking and baying for her attentions.

She did however manage to escape with her mate Daisy a Bali dog that lives over at a nearby villa one quite Sunday afternoon just before we realised her condition. Luckily it was Daisy and not desperate Dan, as who knows what may have ensued. I caught the two of them running towards the beach, calling Ellie to stop. The two of them rather reluctantly stopped and turned back to look back at me then the two of them looked each other like in "Thelma and Louise", figuring they may well be hung for a sheep as a lamb; dashed off in the direction of the sea. Luckily, it being early afternoon the beach was deserted, so we were able to devise a quick tactic to catch her.  I got Molly to call for Daisy as they frolicked in the surf, as always she obediently bounded up to us giving me enough time to get a grip of Ellie collar, and carry her home. Boy is she heavy now!

Unfortunately, Claudie has not been so fortunate. She had taken delivery of Hazel a beautiful cross breed Lab/Poodle on Friday from a family who are repatriating to Australia and who had rather reluctantly decided to leave Hazel with her. Claudie was out walking with her other three dogs when a commotion startled Hazel who ran off. A wide spread search of the area turned up nothing; she had simply disappeared without a trace. Since she is such a pretty animal Claudie believes that someone must have taken her away, she has put up a reward but as yet no one has come forward with any information.

Staying on the topic of dogs Molly called me after school one afternoon to follow a dog she had just witnessed giving birth in the gang that runs down past our house. The dog was really distressed and had run off into the road with her newly born off spring still attached to her; dragging the puppy's face down along the road. Unfortunately, although we were quick out of the gate we could neither find hair nor tail of it, so were unable to help either of the poor animals.

Staying with pitiful little animal tales; I recently learnt firsthand the true meaning of "fussing like a mother hen". We had been out driving one day when on the main thoroughfare into Seminyak we saw that one of a mother hens little brood had just been run over while they had all been crossing the road.  Undeterred by the continuous flurry of bikes and cars the mother hen had made her way back to the middle of the road to retrieve the squashed little chick, dragging it to the relative safety of the dusty curb side, where she looked on forlorn at her now dead off spring.

Saturday, and I feel the need to break out of my small world so we head off Northwards in the general direction of the Volcano. It is a fabulous drive with wide open countryside.  It is so refreshing to be just driving on different roads with a sense of the unknown as this is territory we had not had the opportunity to explore before.   Eventually we end up at the local market which is at the top of the mountain.  All the produce looks so verdant and fresh.  After some vegetable marketing we stop off and have lunch at "Strawberry Hill", a cute little restaurant and hotel which has been built on a nasty bend; however, it does have a terrific 360 degree panoramic view of the entire countryside below. 

On our travels to and from the volcano we pass all manner of different wares being peddled aside the road.  It never ceases to amaze me how these guys with their bicycles fully laden with a myriad of different wares, hold them up right let alone be able to ride them. We have the coconut Mat man, which Molly always sings out to the tune of "Bat man" when she sees him. There is the Pan man selling aluminium cooking pots, a Knife man; the equivalent of the Addis man selling all manner of kitchen utensils, the Toy man who can always be seen selling cheep plastic toys outside temples and on street corners in the rush hour; you name it they peddle it, and if you need it, right to your door.

All in all it has been a great wreckie and we vow to do it all again next weekend with Peter and Jeanette.

Meanwhile, it is the bi annual Gulag galang holiday again. At every turn in the road you can find pigs being scrubbing down and cut up to be sacrifice too their gods. At least they do get to eat their offerings, so it does not go to waste.

We have a beautiful Pelang outside the front of the house; which we had Kadek and Bagus buy decorate and erect. In many ways it is similar to us putting up a Christmas tree; it's just that the connotation is different. Here it is representative of a snake, which is used to guide their ancestors and their Gods down from the volcanoes where they reside. It is used as a marker and a slide into their homes. For the Balinese it is an opportunity to have elaborate celebrations and meet up with family and friends both past and present and generally have a jolly good week's holiday.

Today Chris celebrates a significant mile stone birthday.  It is Thursday the 20th May, and he is sixty, yippy! He had planned on spending the whole day in bed, but I had other plans for him; they may not be on quite the same scale as I orchestrated for his fiftieth birthday, but nevertheless no less exciting.

Jeanette and Peter arrived last night so he will be doing nothing of the sort. Anyway, I had told them they we were all to be up and ready to go with Molly on the school run at 8.00am as I was taking them all for breakfast.  Little did they know that I had planned to take them up in a helicopter so that Chris could finally take some aerial shots of our new home.  So now I have them sitting in Star Bucks nursing a bucket of coffee each, and wondering whether this scant breakfast was the reason they had gotten up so early.  It is nice to know that they are still clueless, and really nice to be able to surprise them all.

Crossing the tarmac it all became clear, and we had a fantastic trip.  The weather could not have been kinder. One fly in the ointment however was that only yesterday I had received a note from Molly's school advising me that they  would be holding the annual sports day event the next day; great notice! However, after studying the schedule of events I had worked out that we could still do our trip and be at school for Molly's high jump. Even better, we were able to fly right over the sports field and see all the activities first hand. Not sure buzzing the sports field would be allowed anywhere else in the world!

Later that same day Peter and Jeanette took us all to Sarong to celebrate. We all agreed that it had been a fabulous and memorable day; which we rounded off with a special birthday cake we collected on the way home; as he would have killed me for sure if I had even had the slightest thought of embarrassing him in the Sarong with a chorus of "happy birthday"; although it did cross my mind albeit fleetingly!

The next morning there was no lie in, and Molly is allowed a special day off school to come with us.  We again head off into the hills as we had the previous Saturday. This time after stopping at the flower and vegetable market we instead lunch at the "Strawberry House" by the lake. Over lunch we ponder the route home and decide to continue our journey upwards and skirt round the perimeter of the volcano. What a sensational drive, however, not for the faint hearted, of if you indeed suffer with kind of motion sickness as the road faithfully follows each natural contour of the volcano. I would do it again any day since the scenery is just breath taking; you could be up in the lakes of Italy or in the mountains of Switzerland.

On Saturday we allow them to rest and lie by the pool. After a leisurely lunch of fresh prawns bought on the beach that morning they jet off back to Singapore.

This Friday it is Molly class's turn to hold the afternoon assembly. They have been practicing all week for it, but I am not told what it will be.  It is a surprise.  I am delighted to tell you that Molly played the bongos with gusto; you could tell that they all had a great time practising and performing this one, especially as they had known it had annoyed the other class 5 next door.

That night the storm clouds continue to gather, the school fete has been cancelled and rescheduled until next Friday, as we brace ourselves for yet another terrific storm; which was so strong that it manages to blow over our beautiful old tree in the front garden. When will the rainy season end? The local news seems to think that sometime in mid July?

Friday June 4^th.  Today is both Molly's 10^th and Chris's Mum, June, 85^th birthday. Fancy that, Grandmother and Granddaughter sharing the same birthday!

That evening after school Molly has a disco bash with all her friends. It is a great evening and the gods finally shine on us with the weather, at last it has stopped raining. The garden is lit with a runway of candle lights to the pool and disco area and the palms trees are decorated with hundreds of fairy lights. There are smoke machines disco lights and a cute dancing hula hooping fire girl.  The girls have a thoroughly good time, and it begs the question what on earth do we do for her eleventh?

Today on one of our walks I finally run into two of Cushla's acquaintances'. The first is an interesting Italian who runs a hotel come art gallery on the beach.  He buys artefacts to sell on from the locals, (probably too cheaply).  They can be seen most mornings queuing up outside his place, while he receives them dressed only in a white towel?

At the end of the street, while washing the sand from our feet, who should we see round the corner but Jo her other friend. What a character he is.  I can only describe him as a lovable rogue; he has the most amazing pale blue eyes and a colourful life to boot. He is of indeterminable age and has many stories about a variety of Hollywood stars to recount. Over coffee he also mentions that he has indeed met the lovely Elizabeth Gareth, whom he met at one of her book signing jamborees in his local bookstore in Californian; and had taken her for a coffee? All this makes me wonder if he is also one of her dalliances she had while here in Bali.  I do not think he is the Brazilian guy, because of his age but he does seem to know an awful lot of where she did and didn't go while she was here in Bali!

I love this one. One evening over dinner, a friend (who will remain nameless) on account of slipping her Barbie head on; regales us with information about the forth coming visit to Bali of that famous president, "Obama Bin laden", no less.

 It's June 18^th and almost the Anniversary to the day that we invested in the old Seminyak Village School and re-launching it as "SPICE Early Learning". It is looking spectacular; Jolena has stepped up to the post of School coordinator/Headmistress and is doing a grand job. We have reinvested every bit of income earned this year from the schools activities; and there have been many to bring it up to scratch, most importantly from a health and safety stand point, especially a much needed fence and locks for the swimming pool. We have developed a new class room, revamped the swimming pool, introduced another cute red school uniform; we continue with fun Friday, have had numerous outings, bazaars and fund raisers, Halloween and Christmas parties, Easter egg hunts and have introduced a practical first aid course for all the Balinese helpers. It all sounds exhausting doesn't it?

 Today we attended the end of year performance Where is Billy's Buzz? The costumes were extraordinary. The materials had been donated by many of the mums, then costumes masks and wings run up by others, it was all so professional a far cry from this time last year when everyone was sad about the possibility of the old school closing.

As testament to her hard work and endeavours we now have 42 pupils ranging from eighteen months to 6 years. The children seem to love it and that all I can ask for. In the new term we will be taking babies as young as 14 months and will build another new class room during the summer vacation. As well as Spice Camp which will run throughout the school holidays we have today launched "Sugar and Spice" to cater for Birthday parties for kids of all ages.

Little Stephen, Cathy and Fab's little boy sneezed today at school and managed to smash his head so hard on the corner of his school desk that he ended up in the emergency room and had to have 3 stitches in his head, bless.

On top of that Made has asked to have tomorrow off as two of her aunts have passed away within 24 hours of each other; evidently one has been asleep for this past year, and the other just went. She sidled up to me and whispered that it was something to do with black magic? My eyes widened but I dare not ask for any more detail.

This weekend we had April, Cheep, Emmie, Christine and Soek Mun come and stay with us from Singapore. We had a lot of laughs and it was easy just to pick up where we all left off nearly a year to the day. Listening to them chat on about what has happened in this past year was really interesting, and I ask myself this question "do I do miss any of it"? No, but of course I miss the adrenaline buzz and my dear friends and work colleagues that made it all so much fun and rewarding. 

Since Singaporeans' just love to shop and eat we took them to 3 of our favourites "The beach House" at Echo Beach, "Biku's" and the sophisticated "Sarong", which they treated us too, which was very much appreciated naughty girls as well as some good retail therapy in Ubud.

Today is the 28^th June and its Molly last day of the school term.  After the final assembly at midday it is was the International food fair where every parent is expected to provide some food that represents their own country. I had prepared a Victoria Sandwich which I did fret over; but I need not have worried as it was one of the first things to be polished off. The whole spread was terrific there are certainly some excellent cooks here, I guess it is developed out of necessity as all dishes put on the table here have to be prepared from scratch. No such thing as convenience foods here.

 So on that note l can honestly say that life here is anything but is dull, till next time love Vanessa x

The Final Chapter

Apologies for lateness of this final chapter in my Bali journal; but for the first time in years I have become a profound book worm.  In addition to" Eat Prey Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert; which opened in New York too poor reviews. (It is out here in October, I can get a hold of a pirate copy in the interim but the quality is still poor. They are only 10,000 Rps here, that's 80 pence in sterling). I have devoured: The Symbol by Dan Brown; "That certain age" by Elizabeth Buchan, "The Piano Tuner" by Daniel mason.   "Things you should tell your daughter", "My family and other animal's by Gerald Durrell,  A trilogy by Stig Larsson including "The girl with the Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl that played with Fire" and now into "The Girl who kicked the hornets' nest "gripping! Not sure what to follow this with?

Today we awoke early. Chris and I were busy chatting about the events of the coming week when I am acutely aware of a burning sensation in my lower lip. Upon inspection I can see that I have been kissed by a mosquito. My lips have reacted badly and are immediately swollen and fat: I look as though I have had received a nasty full syringe of Botox or bad plastic surgery. And before you ask, no, they are not a good look on me

Tomorrow Teresa and Ian arrive from New York, and Phil from Singapore; we are really looking forward to seeing them all and helping with them equip their new villa, so my face has to be better by then, please!

It was great to see the newlyweds, so fresh faced and happy even off an extremely long flight (well there still young for now aren't they). We had not seen them for nearly a year to the day that they departed for pastures new in New York New York.  All three of them are fitness fanatics, rising early to jog along the beach or whatever.  One morning during their stay Teresa decided that she should take them both in hand so to speak and be their personal Trainer.  She is ably assisted by "Molly" her Assistant Coach. The two of them are dressed in gym kit; Molly also has her hair tied back like Teresa and are clutching clip board, quite professional like. The girls have them up and at it by 8.00 am; putting the guys through their paces out on the lawn. I am reliable informed about all these shenanigans by Chris as he observes them through our bedroom window; I am still tucked up in bed, after all it is a Sunday!  Whilst doing press-ups our Beagle Elly joins in! Eventually she has to be restrained; it is hard enough for these boys without the dog taking a fancy to them. Well its one way of eliminating all the carbs consumed the previous evening. We had dined at the famous "Sarong" courtesy of the three of them and all had enjoyed far too many sherbets.

Whilst they are here I get to do what I like doing most; help others part with their cash and shop.  They are all here on a Shopping spree; and I am only too happy to help them sort out, furnish and equip their new Villa. It is called "Villa Merah" (The Red Villa) it is in a very central and lovely part of Canggu; right near to the Canggu club, the beach and 15 minutes from Seminyak.  If any of you are interested in staying there it can be found on the following web site: http://www.cangguvillamera/

Today is the 4^th of July, its the first Anniversary of our leaving Singapore, and a year since we spent a month in England; well it was only actually two weeks for me, as I was laid up in bed for the first two weeks with Swine Flu.

My bout of illness all started after fabulous sightseeing day out in London with children and grandchildren.  I had suddenly and unexpectedly started shivering on the train journey home; by the time we reached our friends home in Berkhamstead my whole body ached.  I took myself off to bed putting it down to a simple dose of flu. It was not until an unfortunate "trip" excuse the pun in the early hours of Monday morning, causing me the misfortune to visit the local Accident and Emergency room of our local hospital, in Hemel Hempstead that I was actually diagnosed with Swine Flu. I was navigating my way back to my room inching my way round my unfamiliar surroundings in pitch darkness after a comfort break when I inadvertently smashed my toe into my open suitcase.  The pain was immediate and excruciating. I gingerly edged my way back towards the bed; but could find no comfortable way to sit down even, as I had clearly put my back out; on top of how I felt it was all that I needed!

Eventually Chris heard my cries for help and it was decided I need to have my back looked at by a professional. To add to my discomfort, Chris had earlier in the week hired a Chicqento 500; it fitted him like an Armani jacket, (ok then; a tight fitting white T-shirt).   If you are familiar with this car you will be aware of how tiny this car actually is. You will know that the car in question would fit into your average ladies hand bag.  Rather like Queen Victoria, I had been amused at the time; I had even taken a photo of Chris in it on the forecourt of the car rental company, so that I could send it to all family and friends by email.  We would even be advertising Town and Country rentals" for them as we zipped about the English Countryside. It was after all very cutesy; but a huge climb down from a Mercedes CL 55 AMG and an Aston Martin; but what the heck and besides we were just being cheap.

Back to the early hours of Monday morning and on route to A & E, as we hit every lump, bump and sleeping policeman in Berkhamsted high street, I whinge and scream with pain; it was only now that the "Italian Job" did not now seem such a good idea. If anything it has made me really appreciated all the cars I have ever owned in my life; and boy how I wished I could be in any one of them right now.                

Thankfully, being the early hours of Monday morning the emergency room was absolutely deserted; but it is the NHS and I had to wait over an hour to see a doctor. I was wheeled to a cubical at the furthest end of the corridor in the hospital.  Upon examination the doctor declared that he would give me an injection to relieve the pain in my back, and a course of Tamil Flu Pills for my Swine flu. I looked back at him in amazement; evidently the epidemic had reached such a hiatus in the UK that they did not even bother testing for it; they simply just handed out the pills from an undisclosed location to avoid any unpleasantness. They even gave Chris a course on account of him being diabetic.

Once I was back on my feet I thought I might also use some other services of the NHS that I had been paying into all these years.  It was a chance to catch up on having a smear test and blood tests before we left for the tropics. Now cross your legs for in our County of Hertfordshire they have introduced plastic deposable tools I am told this is in order to keep cost down, and dispense with outmoded equipment such as the use of sterilising machines; say no more.  Now girls, I am not one to brag, but they managed to break three of these contraptions on me, even after they had ushering in the so called expert Doctor Wright.  "This never happens" she explained abruptly; but clearly Dr Wright you are wrong it does! She explained they could waste no more precious resources on me and that I would have to get the procedure done in Singapore, and by the way can you send us a copy of the results for their files, thank you very much! This was all on the same day that their new nurse failed to obtain any blood from either of my arms for a blood test; she exclaiming that "this never happens" but clearly it does and "perhaps you don't have anything in your veins, hee hee".   Sporting a name badge "Practice Nurse Ms Bowles" I should have been wary from the outset. So now you know why I need an expensive MOT in Singapore later this year.  Anyway, the reason for mentioning any of this is at all is to make sure that you all give yourselves a on present on your next birthday, book an appointment with these brutes, however off putting it may seem, no excuses.

It's the 8th July and Glen and Henry are visiting Bali for a wedding, so we have the opportunity to catch up with them at Echo Beach for a lunch; again we just picked up we left off a year ago in Singapore.  Their visit is pure coincidence; I cannot believe it, not only have I had the pleasure of seeing all of my first line from Singapore, but to have them visit me here in Bali in the space of 3 weeks is amazing; what are the odds on that happening? And by the way not one of them knew each other were visiting me, because all trips were all planned at relatively short notice.

The construction of the villas I have mentioned before along the road into the village continues, albeit at a slow pace, at least this does allow you to get used to the gradual changing landscape.  Most morning I run into Kadek the gentleman who once owned one of these pieces of land before he sold it to the owner of "Deus Bike Machines" building two villa complexes one for himself and a friend.

Pak Kadek like his ancestors before him engages in a cooperative agricultural practice, this remarkable achievement in sustainable agriculture is surprising given the absence of any centralised controls. Nevertheless, he and the other farmers have created a carefully coordinated system that allows productive farming in an ecosystem that is rife with water scarcity, (though with the amount of rain we have had recently I have to wonder amount that one); the threat of disease and pests. Kadek can be seen guarding the narrow strip of land that runs down the side of the sold piece of land; that he has retained. 

Worldwide there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice grown; with many differing types grown here on Bali.  Probable the best tasting is the old style that grows to a height of 1.5 meters, but because of its low yield, and because it is a lot more expensive than "new" dwarf varieties, Kadek likes to grow smaller quantities of red rice (padi Merah) and black rice (padi hitam).  These varieties are used in special ceremonies because of their colour where they are important because of its religious significance. The following link is an interesting phenomenon of the interconnection between the green revolution and coral reef preservation which is summed up in a nice article by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski. http://blog.baliwww.com/environment-nature/1421.

Kadek stands guard throughout the day every day until early evening shooing away the greedy birds that use every opportunity to devour his rice harvest as it ripens. His dilapidated bicycle is propped up against the wizened fruit tree; and he passes the time of day with friends that stop to chat and chew beetle nut leaves with him; but every now and then he breaks off mid sentence to berate and chase away the birds by waving and clapping his hands.

Since my Indonesian is still poor and his English about the same our daily exchange is brief, with a hello and a smile for Elly the dog "bagus bagus" he repeats (meaning good good dog) with an ever watchful eye on the sky we laugh; how typical even in Bali we still always talk about the weather, whatever the kind of weather.

"Julie the Fish" as she is has become known on account of being the girl that supplies us with the giant prawns from the beach; has introduced me to one of her relatives "Wayan the estate agent". Wayan at least makes an effort to look the part by donning an old thick woollen jacket over her tired jeans and jumper; and has a Gucci branded bag slung over her shoulder. The brightness of her lipstick is startling, but at least she is trying. She is enthusiastic, but as yet has not shown us anything we might go "wow" about.  Wayan now calls Chris constantly, so sadly we have had to change her title name on the incoming call address to appear his phone as "Wayan don't answer" just in case she were to catch unawares so to speak. She is well meaning, but like a dog with a bone she will not give up on us yet.

At long last Matthew can breathe a sigh of relief as his singleton period comes to an end at the end of August with the arrival his lovely girlfriend, Ambra who is here from Italy, and who will be staying for two months.

At long last we are to have our road resurfaced.  We do not get much traffic down it as it only goes down to the Fishermans beach.  The road works last nearly four weeks, and the result is a patch work quilt of grey and black asphalt where it has just been filled here and there. The gang of workers consisted mostly of women, a minder that sat on his motor bike and watched whilst they toiled under the burning sun; and ancient steam roller and driver; which appears to have been abandoned at the end of our road. Whilst they were patching outside our house Chris negotiated with the "Minder" to cut in and join the road to our drive in a T shape.  He initially wanted a one Million Rps, but settled for 500,000 without much argument or persuasion. The women immediately sprung into action preparing the road.  This involved them firstly raking over the original road; filling any potholes with rocks and jumping on them to flatten them down. The tar was precariously boiled in an old oil drum set over a canister of flaming gas in a make shift affair by the side of the road (very safety conscious I don't think). When this was at the correct consistency they inserted a bamboo pole across the top of the drum and staggered to the prepared area. Once poured, it was covered with a gravel surface and rolled.

 All in all this should last all of six months with the rainy season approaching.  If only it could have been done properly first time, it would save so much time, money and inconvenience.  There is a saying I hear all the time in Bali "it's good enough"; which I struggle with having had a career in the Service Industry, with strap phrases such as "Customer Delight". The really sad part is that the Government probably paid someone handsomely for the project, but by the time the various bribes and handouts have been given out the net result is a mediocre job at best patched here and there with what was left of the budget.

Late August and my brother Nigel, his wife Carolyn and our Nephew Harry finally arrive from England, having had an unscheduled stop over in to Singapore. They knew about one stop in Doha, but not the second one in Singapore.  Never the less they thought Quarter airways were a good carrier to use from the UK. It was great to see them all after such a long time and to show and share with them all the places we love where we now call home.

Carolyn is priceless, and a naturally very funny person, she had us rolled up most of the time during their stay.  For example, I remember on one occasion when we had parked outside an Apokak for some pills or other; where upon exiting the store she tried to get into a completely different car, different colour, different make, different location etc. The group of American men whom she opened the door on were quite keen for her to join them; classic Carolyn.

Elly does not improve with age, one morning whilst we were out, Elly snuck into my bedroom and half inched my watch off of my bedside table; and buried it in the garden.  I was so cross with her as it had been a beautiful parting gift from my dear friends at Fuji Xerox. My brother and I conducted a thorough search of the garden and undergrowth but found nothing. It was not until later that same day that she retrieved it for another round of play that I was able to get it back; I really thought that I had seen the last of it as we had combed the garden several times.  Sadly, neither of its faces for both Indonesia and England time worked.  However, the "Hour glass "shop where it had been purchased in Singapore still had the serial number in their data base and repaired it free of charge within the hour; now that what I  call service.

Staying on the topic of outstanding Customer Service, which I have to say, is somewhat of a rarity on Bali with the obvious exception of Hotel Services etc I have to cite two separate incidences which Bali can applaud itself:

Ever since my brother had returned home to England I had been suffering from a nagging cough.  As nothing seems to shift it I paid a visit to a local doctor.  He is based at a Hospital in Denpasar.  His staffs were most polite and attentive.  After an examination with a large rubber flashlight and stethoscope he suggested I have a chest X-ray; which showed nothing onerous I am very pleased to report.  I am packed off home with numerous pills and potions which cost no more than a few pounds.  What was even more remarkable about this entire process is that they even telephoned me three days later to check on my progress. That was the first time in my entire life that this has happened to me or anyone else I know, (oh that is unless you know otherwise).

When we first arrived on the Island everything article we read about Health issues suggested that if you were ever to fall sick in Bali you should just hop on the first flight back to Singapore? However, two of my friends here; one a more mature English lady had her 3^rd child here and could not say enough about the care and attention she received; and another South African friend had a Hysterectomy, and again she was full of praise for the Hospital and the procedure.

The second incident I can really blow the trumpet here for "Circle K". Chris is a creature of habit thank goodness, and has been using the ATM in one particular 24/7 convenience stores. One afternoon after withdrawing a large amount of cash to pay in small denominations for a deposit for some wood working he inadvertently left his card in the machine. It was some days later that he discovered his loss. When we returned to the store they had not only found his card, they had recoded it in a special book for such a purpose then sent the card onto their head office to await a call from Pak Chris. Whilst very manual, it is such an unbelievably good services for the Island of Bali. Needless to say we continue to use this same store to withdraw cash.

On the other hand my brother was not so lucky when he used an ATM near the CCS club. He inadvertently left his new iphone on top of the machine while retrieving his cash. When we returned on discovering the loss it was nowhere to be seen, despite putting up a reward notice in the local Deli he never saw it again. The sad thing about a devise like this is that it was loaded with all his photographs and information, irreplaceable data which now lost forever. 

They had not been with us a week when we received conflicting news that we had to go on a visa run earlier than expected to renew our kitas documents; this meant  that we would have to leave the island by the 8^th July right in the middle of their visit. So for us it was a short hop over to Singapore with Molly and Harry, alas we had hoped to spend more time catching up with friends, but as my brother had come half way round the world to see us so we had to keep it as short as possible; but we vowed to return later in the year to put that right.

We spent an exhausting couple of days in Singapore showing off the city we all love to our Nephew Harry. This also entailed a trip to the new Universal studio on Sentosa Island; and the viewing station on top of the new Sands Hotel and Casino. Sadly a couple of rides at universal were not operational, but nevertheless we still managed to have a fantastic time. A kindly word with the GM while we were there entitled us to tickets to return later in the year when all the rides should all be running, a result!

When we arrived home late on Saturday evening we learnt that Sue, Carolyn's best friend from her school days had lost her battle with Cancer, and had passed away the previous evening, all this was terribly upsetting for her.

That same week we also heard that Cushla's father has also lost his battle with cancer, he was 87.  Her husband Trev managed to get companionate leave and come back to Bali but it was a tough old week for them both all round.

Today is the 10^th August and Molly goes back to school after the holidays. It really has gone very quickly and we will all miss her during the day. We have gotten into a nice routine all three of us, so Molly fits into retirement very easily at the age of 10?

11^th August, and sadly today we have to say farewell to Nigel Carolyn and Harry who are home to England later this evening. Like all our house guests to date   they have been great; keeping our snacks and drinks cabinet constantly topped up, and with Carolyn lunches which are memorable they can come anytime.  We have all had such a lovely time together; it has been so long since we had seen them or had the opportunity to spend any quality time together. My brother is a bit of an artist and spent many happy hours painting while he was here. He has left me a selection of paintings and taken a couple of them home with him to remind him of their trip here. None of us envied their long journey home. The day they arrived back home in England was to be Sue's funeral in Wales which would impossible for them to get too. The following Saturday there was to be a service of remembrance for her in Birmingham, her home town for most of her life; which they can definitely attend in her honour.

Now the girls are back at school Cushla and I can resume our walking regime and get some "Me time".  Her friend Joe; has his daughter Adrianna here from LA and guess what she does for a living? She is a hairdresser, but not just any old hairdresser, she is hairdresser no less to red carpet celebrities; perhaps we can get hair done in one afternoon instead of the three days it took last time with Fani?  Cushla gets the appointments arranged and we have the quickest and best treatment ever. Talk during the afternoon is about all the various stars she has worked on, there are the awkward English women and those who are sweeties but unfortunately I cannot name any of them here on the grounds of hairdressers' confidentiality.

Wednesday, and Pebbles is again pining after all the boys in the neighbourhood.  Now that she is six months old the day has finally dawned for her to be done so to speak.  She is despatched to "Made" the vet.  When I picked her up she looked bruised and battered, and within two days she has developed a large swelling on her abdomen. Concerned, I took her back, and they kept her in for observation over night. 

At 2.00pm the following afternoon while I am in Made's Warong finishing lunch, I receive a call from the vet. He immediately launches into a long laborious story about how some well meaning American visitors had visited the vet's clinic the previous evening, as they were animal lovers etc. I interjected and asked him to cut the chase; when he suddenly blurted out that they were still looking for Pebble; as they had seen hide nor hare of her since the well meaning, cat loving Americans had left the night before; having neither secured her cage or the door to the clinic upon leaving?

I was livid; I could not believe that they had waited all this time to tell me. I was still an hour away from them and had to pick Molly up from school en route.

When we arrived at the clinic, the large wooden gates which are normally secured were flung open wide onto the road with cars whizzing past, dogs were everywhere and barking; all the elements that my timid little cat hates. She had never ventured out of our garden; well, not since the last traumatic episode when she followed my car as a kitten and got lost in the fields. 

Again the Assistant vet launched into his story; but I cut him off short and go into the garden to call for Pebble. She answered me immediately from her hiding place on top of a 14 foot high wall, which she ran down grazing her belly on the bamboo in her eagerness to leap into my arms.  I demanded that the owner call me with an explanation regarding such dereliction of duty.  Needless to say none of my pets will ever be going back there again.

During the dry (or not so dry, as this year is proving to be) season of June right through to August, the winds blow continually from east to west in most of Indonesia. These breezes are a wonderful respite from the searing heat.  Both Balinese children and adults fly kites in the vacant rice paddies during this period, and it is a wonderful skilful spectacle to observe.

There is an annual international kite festival held in July in the Padang Galak area, and over in Sanur Beach. The traditional giant kites , which are approximately 4 meters in width and almost 10 meters in length; they are made and flown competitively by teams from the villages (Banjar) of Denpasar. The event is a seasonal religious festival and is intended to send a message to the Hindu Gods to create abundant crops and harvests.

There are three traditional shapes of kite flown during this kite festival: Bebean (fish-shaped), Janggan (bird-shaped) or Pecukan (leaf-shaped). The kites are so large that they demand 10 or more adult teams of kite fliers. The Bebean is the largest kite, and looks like a broad-mouthed, split-tailed fish. The Janggan form has a broad flowing cloth tail that can reach more than 100 meters in length. The Pecukan requires the most skill to fly, as its unstable form often tumbles towards the ground.  Each type of traditional kite has its own competition, with heats of 10 teams vying for the best launch and longest flight. Sometimes the kites come down over the adjacent rice paddies, and the team members have to dash through the paddy to rescue the kite before it lands in the water, and inevitable disaster.

A competition is also held for 'New Creation' kites which may include detailed three dimensional figures representing the Hindu Gods or sponsorship kites. Traditional and new creation kites are constructed from bamboo and cotton cloth and are hand painted in red, white and black in colour. A gamelan orchestra plays music throughout the festival, which attracts many tourists and international kite fliers, along with many local spectators.

Quite recently we happened to be following a group of villagers to the beach; they had their kite loaded onto the back of a lorry.  The kite was so enormous that they had to stop every now and then to lob bits of trees off that hampered their progress. Once they reached the beach there was great excitement. They carefully unloaded the kite and re assembled the kite, skilfully assailed it launching it aloft; they stood shielding their eyes from the afternoon sun assessing their handy work, their smiles said everything. They were as pleased as punch with its maiden performance.

The girls have been back at CCS school for all of a week and its August 17th and Independence Day, so they all enjoy another day off school as we celebrate Indonesia's 65 years of Independence from the Dutch.

If you are interested in short history lesson, Indonesia attained independence from Holland in a long struggle during the 1940's. When the Japanese invaded Indonesia in February 1942 the Dutch were forced to flee, or be captured. After the war was over Indonesia made it Declaration of Independence on August 17th 1945, with Sukarno as the first President.

The Dutch had other idea though and returned in March 1946. They fought in many famous skirmishes with the Balinese, including the massacre of Balinese hero Gusti Ngurah Rai, and managed to take back control of Bali. Nations around the world were not sympathetic to the Dutch position and finally in 1949 they withdrew to allow the formation of The Republic of Indonesia in 1950.

In nearby Seminyak there was plenty of red and white (but no blue) everywhere. Every school kid had a flag to wave. It was all jolly and probably meant a lot more to the locals, than it did to the rest of us. In our neighbourhood everything was functioning just as normal, however, as a National holiday, the government offices, schools, banks, and some businesses were closed. I also read that up in Ubud on the eve of Independence Day nearly 3,000 Balinese school children marched 3 abreast through the country side, each holding a flaming torch. Evidently it was a beautiful and slightly unnerving sight.

At home we finally we got around to having a Dinner party to christen the "kitchen".  We had been promising to do this since forever with Claudie who organised its build and installation, and with Reg, who was responsible for my fabulous lighting; which has all my cupboards illuminate upon opening rather like your fridge; and Trev the chef and Cushla just because they appreciate good food. This was our first formal dinner with me doing some serious cooking for the first time in years. But I am now in full swing with cake baking. I make an awesome carrot cake, even if I do say so myself; so those inches will not be shifting anytime soon!

Sunday afternoon, and Claudie is back to bake biscuits with Molly, and the beautifully decorated results are delicious.

Wednesday morning and Chris is good spirits today as he has now managed to sell all three of the properties which were under construction in as many months. Now they can start work on the plans for the other four properties which is fantastic.

It's a beautiful Sunday morning, and Molly and I are walking down the lane towards the village when a neighbour I have not met before who introduces himself as "Charlie". Charlie is carrying a cute chunky cherub that I would not have been able to have carried more than a few yards.   Evidently he and his family have lived in the village since the beginning of the year having arrived in Bali last August. It's amazing with the amount of walking and the number of people that I talk to that we have not run into each other before. Just before he turns off down his gang we notice the tiniest little white and striped kitten.  It appears to have been abandoned on top of a heap of gravel and earth.  Molly immediately wants to rescue the kitten and take her home.  I tell Molly that we will investigate the situation on the home way, if no mother or other kittens have appeared in the meantime we will see. Charlie is more encouraging, persuading Molly that having two cats is better than one; but I move the conversation on, or so I think!  As I wave Charlie and his baby daughter Amelia goodbye, it is then that notice Molly scurrying home and there is no sign of the kitten.  I quickly text Chris to say that Molly is on her way home with said kitten and to say no! By the time I get home the cute kitten was bouncing all over Chris's computer.  That was two weeks ago now, and as I write the kitten is sleeping on my chest. 

Its Monday morning again everyone is out, and I have retreated indoors because we have even more rain, evidently it is on account of Al ninio in the Chile.  This really has been funny old year weather wise. Not that it bothers me, I like cloudy days, but then I am not here on holiday!                                                                                     

And yes, in spite of all the pleading and promises you guessed it, Muggings here is now looking after all 3 of Molly's pets.  Luckily we still had the syringe we weaned Pebbles on and this one is just a greedy. When eating junior whiskers she actual sits in the bowls and pushes both Pebbles and Elly away as they both try to edge their noses into the trough. She is having none of it, All Mine!! Typing is a night mare as she just loves the warmth of my lap top I am really worried that one day she will actually pee in my key board.  She is also very noisy when hungry and that seems almost constantly and boy does she squeak. Every time the sound comes out, both ears are squeezed down by the side of her head as though someone is squeezing a soft toy.

I am sorry to keep referring to her as "It", but as yet she still has no real name well not one that has become obvious or printable.  "It" is still very very tiny and we have tried out all sorts of names, but none really work. I wanted to call "It" "Little Sod" on account if it being found on top of a mound of dirt. Harry our Nephew suggested "Bin tang" after the local Bali Beer, and because "It" was virtually found in the Bin which translates to "Star "in English. Molly is adamant that it should be called "Pickles" but "It" is really far too dainty for this. Carolyn is keeping with the Flintstones theme from Bedrock, after "Pebbles" our first stray kitten to adopt us with "Bam Bam", and I quite like Betty.  "It" speeds around the house with its two surrogate mothers in tow. Both Elly's and Pebble's maternal instincts are in abundance and the two of them vie to look after her following her everywhere. Her fur is always damp because her two devoted mums keep licking her clean.  Right now I think "It" may become "Dash". "Pebble and Dash" has quite a ring don't you think? Chris has another idea but I cannot print that one here! 

On Thursday 8th September it will be our Wedding Anniversary, 20 happy years together. It will also be both my brother's birthday and Matt's and Harry's on the 11th. 

In preparation, I recently popped into our local Post Office or "Pos" as it is referred to locally in Kerobakan as I wanted to send my brother and Harry Birthday cards and a copy of the DVD of their summer holiday here.  The office is no more than a small dusty shed, set slightly back from the road side.  It has metal shutters that they can padlock close at the end of the day. Parking is always difficult and the service slow. The most important job there appears to belong to the person who welds the Pos chop; which is a large hammer stamp which seems to get smashed onto every document processed. Oh, how I would have loved that job as a child, today however, such a job would just give me a migraine.

I decided to send their cards by "Speed Post" because they should arrive within the week; as an afterthought I ask how long the normal post would take? Smiling, the clerk replies "10 years", as I burst out laughing,  he realises his mistake and corrects himself ,"oh I mean 10 days", but it did make me wonder!

 On Saturday morning we whizz round to Christine Ku's factory, where her company is in the process of building our Bar and library. It is looking splendid. We have coffee in her office ,and then she shows me round her loft apartment over the factory, where she lives alone with her Rock viler; which by the way is trained to kill. Christine has everything she needs up there, a double Jacuzzi bath with TV and DVD; a proper hair dressing salon with shampoo basin, complete with makeup mirror and professional driers for that all important coiffing; this is because in a former life Christine was a makeup Artist.

On the way home I am suddenly aware of an intense burning sensation in the back of my ankle. I had tried to stick my leg under Chris's nose in the front seat of the car; but he really could not see anything, and was much more interested in ordering his Big Mac and fries at the drive through.  By the time we had reached home a large red selling had appeared, so I treated it with antihistamine cream and thought no more of it.  That was until later that night, when I was awoken from a deep sleep.  The sensation I felt then was as though I had a blood clot travelling up my leg, I was in agony. By morning this had subsided thank heavens.  Upon inspection I noticed that I had two fang marks where the red swelling had been; Glen, who was staying with us at the time, suggested that it was most probably a spider bite! I looked up the most common spider here in Bali on the internet, and found that the most likely culprit was the White spider; whose body is made up mainly of Penicillin. I am allergic to Penicillin, hence my bad reaction to it.

This morning I hear that Cushla now has an additional 5 French guests staying at her place; this is in addition to Georgia, Sam her son visiting her from New Zealand and her husband Trev back from the mines of Australia. That will teach her to talk to strangers; she only has a three bed house and one of these rooms is open to elements. As planned Trev, Cush and Georgia will be leaving the Island on the 18th December. They are heading off to the Sunshine coast and we will miss them all immensely, especially their humour. 

This morning we received one of those texts you dread receiving. Danielle our daughter had left a message during the early hours of the morning to say that Ron, Chris's Dad has been admitted to hospital with a possible stroke. 

It is during these types of incidences that you realise the importance of those precious lines of Communication, especially when we have such a wide time difference. Even with instant communication channels you still need someone to answer at the other end of the computer and or phone. Up until now Danielle has kept us up to date, but with Danielle going on holiday to Majorca for a couple of weeks, we are in radio silence until someone gets back on line to give us his real prognosis. It is sometime before his mum is able to contact us as she is unable to have her mobile switched on in the hospital.  The news thank goodness is good; he is out of danger, and is discharged home fairly quickly.

Its official, even the weather forecasters have declared that Bali and much of Indonesia will have no dry season this year; predicting more bad weather to arrive directly after the holidays which started last Friday, bringing heavy rain, high seas and stormy skies.

They are blaming the strong La Nina climate pattern which brings unusually wet weather to Indonesia, while its reverse phenomenon, El Nino, brings drought; they report that this new wet weather heralds the official start of the wet season.

We are as I enjoying another short holiday because locally it is Idul Fitri.  This is the celebration that comes at the end of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadhan. The Arabic meaning of Idul Fitri is "becoming holy again". During the month of Ramadhan, Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, marital relations or getting angry during the daylight hours. In addition, those fasting are supposed to refrain from bad habits - lying, getting angry, and using bad language as well as to be more diligent in prayer and giving to charities. It is believed that fasting heightens spirituality and develops self-control.

The fast begins in the morning just before sunrise, at Imsak, and is broken at maghrib which falls at sunset. Fasting during the month of Ramadhan is one of the five pillars of Islam and an obligation for devout Muslims.

Those who are expected to fast include: adults (defined as those who have reached the age of puberty) and those who are sane. Those who are not expected to fast include: children, women having their period, travellers, the sick, those with long-term illnesses, pregnant or breastfeeding women and the mentally ill.

The faithful who fast awaken early in the morning to have a meal before subuh. In order to awaken the faithful, the call to prayer is sounded from neighbourhood mosques. In addition, groups of young boys walk around neighbourhoods beating on drums and other noise makers to awaken the faithful.

The breaking of the fast at sunset is a very social occasion for which special foods are prepared for gatherings with family and or friends. During this period it was quite noticeable, we saw a huge number of small stalls spring up in front of everyone's home selling their own special homemade delicacies. Upon hearing the sound of the bedug drum on the television or the call to prayer from the neighbourhood mosque at sunset, the faithful know it's time to break their fast, or buka puasa. This is usually done with a very sweet drink and sweet snacks. Maghrib prayers are made before a full meal is served. Taraweh prayers are held in neighbourhood mosques and at gatherings every evening at about 7:30 p.m. These prayers are not compulsory, but they are enjoyed by many.

While it is expected that people will keep to their normal activities during the fast, needless to say the lack of liquid and food during the day and the unusual sleep and meal schedule in such temperatures soon take their toll. After the first week you may see that sleep and food deprivation cause those fasting to have reduced energy levels as well as finding it more difficult to concentrate on tasks, none our staff are Muslim, but the heat alone seems to have such an effect on most people that are employed here.

During the mass exodus and travel back to hometowns, more than 300 people were killed on Indonesian roads to celebrate the post-fasting Muslim holiday. A total of 311 people died in 1,397 road accidents, 70 percent of those killed were riding motorcycles, and another 418 others were seriously injured. This however, compared favourable to last year's homecoming statics which saw 500 people killed.  I guess this is to be expected with hazardous driving conditions; the rain was heaviest at night when most of them travelling after work, creating an extra danger on slippery roads, especially when the drivers were likely to be tired and riding just motorcycles.

On Sunday we ran in into Adrianna the hairdresser at the Loop restaurant over breakfast, she tells us that she is heading back to LA with her kids on Tuesday. She is especially sad to go home as Joe her Dad is sick with Cancer. I promise to keep an eye on him with Cushla, and she promises to be back in 4 month to touch up my hair, that if I can wait that long.  Anyway, Joe will be following them shortly for a three week break so Cushla will baby sit his motor bike while he is away. With the amount of vehicles now parked in her yard it looks as though she is running a store.

On Thursday evening Chris is in the middle of speaking to his parents on Skype when Cushla crashes through the front door.  She is quite out of breath and explains that they have a flat tyre and are blocking the bumpy broken road.  she has done her damsel in distress routine and managed to flag down and persuade a hunk going in the same direction to give her a lift over to our place; leaving his partner in the back of her car if you please!( What a brass neck she has, I tell you.)  Anyhow, could she borrow a jack please, and with that she is off into the damp night. She had not been gone long when, crash, it's Cushla again. The jack works but the nuts will not budge on the wheel.  "Could Chris come and pick them up and run them to the restaurant"?  While he is away I set about preparing supper, however, he is gone for an inaudibly long period of time for such a short journey?  It is only later that I discover that en route they encountered a woman, who shall we say was not all that proficient, who  had refused to pass them on the bumpy broken road. Evidently Cushla had gotten out of the car to have words but in doing so disappeared up to her knees in the rice field; on her way back to the car she did the very same thing.  Karma moves in mysterious ways. That night in bed I could not stop chuckling at the thought of her arriving at the Dues restaurant dressed to the nines with mud up to her a--e.

Today I am reliable informed by my sister Wendy that the Christmas trade In England is already in full swing, with the cash registers already ringing themselves off their counter tops to the tune of "Cha Ching".  All the cards, gift wrap and paraphernalia have eligibly been on the shelves since late August, early September. Wendy wrote to me to say that it had taken her five hours to get through to the Harrods switchboard to book her annual audience with Father Christmas in his Grotto for my niece Izzy. Sadly, all the slots for both Saturday and Sunday right up to Christmas had already been taken, and the children of England have not yet returned to school after the long summer holidays; what is the world coming too?

As there will not be too much Christmas cheer around here, Chris has planned a trip in early December for the three us to go to Singapore, which we are all really looking forward to. A spot of retail therapy, a trip to the Doctors for a "MOT "and a gossip with the girls, what more could a gal ask for? Well may be a spell on Santa's knee and some good old Christmas Spirit!

This morning our maid Made spoke to me about her young daughter Komang; she really believes that the Black Magic remedy has cured her daughter Alopecia. When she first fell ill I had looked up her symptoms on the web to discover that the most likely cause of her ailment was something akin to a ringworm fungus; which can cause the hair to fall out.  Made tells me that a small ceremony is necessary and planned for the following Monday, as it is an auspicious date in the Balinese calendar. A much bigger and grander affair giving thanks to the Gods for curing her malady is planned in December; which they will have to fund to the tune of at least two million Rps. Made went on to say that if someone takes a dislike to you, or envies or coverts something you have; like her new motor bike we have recently assisted her with; they can inflict bad things to happen to you or your family, like making little Komang's hair fall out! They truly believe this; there is nothing wrong with it I suppose except that logic tells you that this is not the case.  These are her deep routed beliefs and customers; and that parting with 2 million of her hard earned cash is worth it.

Even today there are some locals that do not dare not to venture into the Sanur region of the island, as they believe that it is full of witches.  For example they believe that if they were to leave a theatre performance early it may offend one of these people, who would eligibly track them down on their way home and do them harm.  It's no wonder that they always stay to the bitter end of a play that can go on for as many as 10 hours, however hard the concrete floor gets.

Whilst on the subject of evil practises, I would like to cite the sharp practise of many of the bike dealers here. When we investigated the hire purchase agreement that our maid Made was going to sign up to for her new motor bike; we realised that she would be paying an addition 11 million for the privilege for this facility over a two year period, for the same bike. These loan sharks are out and out criminals, making plenty of money off the backs of lowly paid workers, who work hand to mouth each month.  You have only to look at the sheer number of bikes on the road here to work that how much they are earning, knowing what salaries are earned here, every one of them must be on this so called easy credit payment terms!!

Tuesday and Christine Ku has popped round to measure the new fridge we have purchased for the bar area. In conversation she asks whether we saw the news about the young Korean man killed in diving accident.  We had, as it had made the headlines along with ex Regent (Bupati) of Gianyar, and his wife, Nani, were swept into the sea while walking on Sedayu beach near Klungkung Sadly, his wife had been swept out to sea and perished.

Christine went onto to say that that she was in the midst of doing business with this man had become more of a friend as well as her client; and had been at a total loss as what to do. So she made up her mind to go and make sure that everything was in order with the body at the hospital, before his family has to identify him.  She said that she will never rid herself of the image that confronted her. The morgue attendants directed her to an ordinary shipping container which had been converted to a make shift morgue with the addition of air conditioning, but no refrigeration facility. He was still in his wet suit in the body bag he had arrived in along with a variety of other bodies; she said the stench was indescribable, something that would stay with her for a very long time.

One ongoing concern here especially if you do not have adequate funds to enjoy medical insurance is the ongoing rabies epidemic. Many hundreds of dogs have already been destroyed as the government has tried desperately to stem the spread of this horrific disease. Vaccinations for both dogs and those bitten have been widely donated to the country, but since 2008, 65 people have died as a result.  The saddest case I read recently involved a four year old boy bitten a few days before he was due to start school. His parents could not afford the series of injections and he died the day before school started. The couple were left bereft, a picture appeared in the local paper of the young father clutching the boy's new uniform that had scrimped and saved so hard to buy for him.

In our Jalan (road) the population of dogs continues to grow like topsey.  Three months ago six puppies were rescued by some guests staying at Canggu Villa opposite; whilst the puppies were small cute and cuddly many of the other clients staying at the same villa continued to leave money for them to be fed and watered by the staff when they left. Even poor old Daisy, Elly's partner in crime has given birth in the last month; and she is no more than a pup herself.

23rd September. Yesterday the Manager of Villa Canggu Villa reversed over one of them on his way to take guests to the airport. At 2 pm Gracie was still crying in pain so I went over to try and find him and to find out what he would be doing about her.  Needless to say when the Manager came home we had words, he promised that if she came back he would seek medical help for her, fair enough!  On the way to school I noticed that Gracie was back, so I advised the Villa Staff.  When I got home to check with this same Manager he claimed that he had not seen her.  However, Molly has just carried her home having found her wondering around aimless in the adjacent field and. Gracie is now in my garage having a good old feed, and I will take it to the vet in the morning. 

Unfortunately, being is a smart Bali dog Gracie pushes her way out of the gate between my legs as I am feeding her siblings. I spent the rest of the hot morning trying to find her. Subsequently I am forced to cancel the vets visit until I have found her, which was not until the following morning.  This time I manage to carrel all three of them, having enticed them into the court yard with food.  The local vet arrives and takes her away. He calls me Monday morning while she is on the operating table but her prognosis is not good. They offer me two options which I have to consider there and then.  Amputate immediately, or try to imbed a pin into the severely damaged muscle; which still may get infected and end up with same result as option one.  I opt for option two and hope and pray she will not lose her leg. Two days later I am summonsed by the vet to collect Gracie. I am advised that she needs at least six weeks complete convalescence, and there is a hefty bill to foot.  My dilemma is not financial, but just how to take the best care of this poor sickly dog that needs a lot of TLC. If I bring her home and she gets out on the street she will surely perish. I see no point asking the villa Manager, I am sure a dose of poison would be her only medicine there. I eventually contact a fantastic Australian lady called Janice who has set up a clinic in Ubud for stray animals; it is called the Bali Animal Welfare association or BAWA for short.  They have a wonderful slogan "Feed-Spay-Love". I will take molly there during her half term break so that we can check on Gracie. If any of you are interested in their cause you can find them on: http://www.bawabali.com/.

Today is the 28th September and Dog Day in Bali.  It is also "Greek Day" at school for Molly.

Molly will be at a Greek school child all-day today wearing a traditional white toga, which I had my little (as she is no taller than Molly) seamstress ran up with only 48 hours notice, she is a real gem. After a spot of discus throwing they were rewarded with a complete Greek banquet for lunch.  I am quite jealous; we never did anything like this any of my schools; that would have been too much like fun!

We have new neighbours John, Fifi, and their twelve year old daughter Dominique who also attends CCS with Molly, with a little baby girl on the way who is due here in November. John is Dutch, and Fifi is originally from Indonesia but both speak fluent English; Fifi, however, speaks with a very posh accent like a Sloan Ranger from Chelsea, I tease her that she must have finished her studies at Cheltenham Ladies College.

Although they have not been in the country for very long, Fifi has already had a series of driving lessons; and told me an interesting story about how she passed her test and received her driving licence. After the requisite number of lessons her instructor took her off to the police station for the written exam and the practical examination.  Fifi had studied hard, so felt ready for the exam etc. On arrival she had her picture taken and was then ushered into an empty room bar one table and one chair.  She was given the written examination paper, which she was just asked to sign. To her astonishment the document had already been completed with all the correct answers to each question. Another document was then presented for signature. This was supposed to be her practical examination; again it had been completed without her being in attendance. After these formalities were concluded she was presented with her five year driving licence and it cost only 200,000 Rps! Result.

The area where we live on Fishermans Beach continues to develop into a real family community; which is obviously in addition to the local village which has been here forever, and we hope will remain so too for a very long time.  Since moving here at the beginning of the year another six children have moved into the vicinity who also attend Molly's school; it's nice to see that the area is orientating itself more towards families living here on a permanent basis as opposed to just a clutch of absent landlords that couldn't care less about disturbing the peace and tranquillity of this quite enclave most weekend during the summer season; by hosting opulent wedding bashes at their sprawling villas.

Lulu's home is really taking shape, but she is still at odds with her next door neighbour.  Evidently, he has built his house right up to and onto the boundary line of his land, which is illegal. Today she has shipped in four humongous Palm trees to grace the side of her property; which will look spectacular. On the way home from school this afternoon we stood and watched in amazement as twenty strapping men heaved them into position. Although she still has no glass in her windows is still planning to move in on the 6th November, of this year!

When I started writing to you a year ago I said I would just keep it to our first year in Bali. Sadly, the time to conclude has arrived, and boy did it come around fast; and I will genuinely miss composing it.  I have to say, that on reflection it really does feel like I am living life in some weird comic strip; you simple could not make stuff up, and I really do not know what is going to happen next, but it is still a paradise and a true privilege to be a long term guest here!  

The traffic continues to be chaotic, but somehow it all seems to work itself out. 

There are still goats on the major roundabout at the Galleria to keep the grass nicely clipped. 

There are children that ride down towards you the wrong side of the duel carriage way, oblivious of the impending danger.

Motor bikes and bicycle riders join the road without looking neither left or right.

Children look as though they are playing chicken as they cross to and fro to school on a daily basis. We saw a little boy the other day darting across a busy intersection; now you see him, now you don't, as he ran head long into the traffic hoping that the traffic would just avoid him.  They have clearly never been taught, or heard of the green cross code, or had any instruction on safely crossing the road or dealing with traffic, but they just seem to get away with it. 

The villagers continue to sit cross legged in the road around their temples as they gather for their regular ceremonies, just as they always have done.

They continue leave large amounts of rubble and grey asphalt heaped alongside the roadside, leaving it unmarked at night; evidently this is cited as the most common cause of deaths amongst motor cyclists.

We continue to purchase products from our local Deli that have been incorrectly labelled. A particular favourite is Mouse de Volialle pate; and to eat dishes of BBQ Pawn from our local Warong. It all just adds to the charm of the place.

This gentle 3rd world country has; since the awful bombings seen a healthy revival in tourism, which in turn has seen the job prospects in the hotel and villa industry flourish. All the youngsters seem have most of the trappings of any teenager throughout the developed world, and possibly much more, albeit it not necessarily in a financial way. They have their shiny or not so shiny motor bikes, presumably bought from the proceeds of their fathers land sales; a mobile phone and local designer clothes.  However, behind the beguiling smiles, the underlying and controlling influence in everything they do is their religion; a rich and unique culture steeped in many beliefs, leaving life in Bali to move at the same gentle pace it always has, while the 21 century relentlessly blasts on past.

I do hope that you have enjoyed receiving and reading my journals as much as I have enjoyed writing them for you; and that in some small way, may have even inspired you to do something wild yourselves; even if it is to just stand naked in the rain. Seriously though, when you reach for the stars and follow your dream, what's the worst that could happen? You don't like it and you go home, or you simply put your clothes back on. 

You have one precious life, and you owe it to no one else but yourself to live it to the full every day.

However, as I take my leave, there is just one last thing I would like you to consider, Bali is beautiful; but before you throw abandon to the wind and jump on the first available flight here, please spend a moment longer to read the following article published in this week's Bali advertiser.  It was written by Phil Wilson and should have you preparing yourself as to how you should react too, and conduct yourself with the Citizens' of your newly adopted Country, and not the other way around. Happy reading:

Cathedra Toiletus Encephalopathy

A scream rent the air.
"Wayaaaaaaaan"
Wayan quietly carried on clipping some hibiscus in the nether regions of the garden hoping against hope that the sound was only some cerebral aberration that had intruded itself into the serenity of his afternoon.
"Wayan" the screaming voice came again "where are you? Suddenly he was brought back once again to the reality of working for a woman who is a trifle difficult at times "she's obviously a little stressed again."
His mind wandered back to the time he had left the toilet seat up, the event that finally convinced him that this crazy woman had a somewhat tenuous grip on this earthly realm. She had turned purple and shaken with rage. He'd seen a dog dying with rabies which was nothing compared to cathedra toiletus encephalopathy (or mad seat disease). "I don't know about toilet seats" he thought "I've never even had one".
I suppose I'd better go and see what she wants".
"Coming Bu" he shouted back."

She spun around wildly.
"Don't creep up on me like that" she screamed.
"Wayan I told you to clip that hedge so it was level."
"It looks level to me Bu."
"Can't you understand even the simplest instruction I give you? Are you totally stupid? Do I have to do everything myself?"
‘Which question would you like me to answer first?" he wanted to say but instead Wayan thought better of it and just smiled.
The unflappable nature of this man drove her totally bananas.
"That's not level with the top of the wall."
"Yes but you didn't say level with the top of the wall, the top of the wall slopes, you asked me to make it level and it is level."
"I meant level with the top of the wall but even so you didn't cut it level, it's curved down at the ends."
"It looks level to me Bu."
"You need to get your eyes tested if you think that's level."
"Perhaps it's your glasses Bu" he replied quietly "they make things look curved."
"Don't you start getting clever with me....... she took off her glasses and looked at the hedge, then at the lenses of her glasses, a mumble escaped her lips, a pause........
She regained her composure just enough to get her hysteria properly organised again in her brain so she could change the subject and frame some more words appropriate for the occasion.

"I give you a simple instruction and all you do is put on that gormless smile." She was not going to be deprived of her daily release and was starting to work herself up into a frenzy again.
"What is it about you people, why can't you understand simple English? Why is it that you take everything I say literally? Can't you read my mind?
- and will you stop smiling you stupid, stupid, stupid man"
"Yes Bu" he said quietly.
"Yes what?" she roared. "I've got high blood pressure and it's all your fault."
Wayan smiled back and a thought drifted aimlessly through his consciousness to have pity, after all this poor woman has to wake up with herself every single morning.

Wayan no longer works there, he quietly picked up his clippers and walked out one day never to return. The garden looks unkempt these days, an endless trail of gardeners have tried to tender the plants but few have lasted long. The grass is kept short, however, with the constant stampings of a somewhat deranged woman. And as she storms about in her mumblings and rantings a dog barks, a couple of cocks crow and the birds whistle on in some far off corner of paradise...

This is the 100th Fixed Abode, a bit of a landmark I suppose, and over the past four years I have covered quite a number of topics everything from custard marble and furry water to the extinction of the Greater Spotted Bali Blue. I have even included some smatterings of technical information slipped in between the more meaningful stuff for those who wish to know really interesting things such as how to repair a leaking swimming pool with a piece of bakso.

On a number of occasions over the years I have come across a number of people who get themselves into all sorts of difficulty simply because of their approach.

The Bu above is, of course, a bit of a control freak and the idea, buried deep in her brain, that something in her world would not go according to a predetermined plan sets off the belief that the whole world is going to fall apart around her and chaos will take over.

For a control freak brought up in the predicable world of a western country the vagaries, unpredictability and daily adventure of living in Indonesia can be rather like getting caught in a glue trap.

But when a control freak, or indeed anyone with sufficient mind baggage sets about trying to maintain, renovate or even build a house the troubles really begin. Such projects can be very stressful at the best of times and many of us know some pretty laid back people who have found themselves in a living nightmare when things have started to go wrong.

The more serious cases can often be put down to some sort of confidence trick or even fraud which goes back to making sure the legal issues are properly tied up and monitored throughout the project. Contracts need to be well constructed and full specifications need to be clearly stated before work starts. This is a very full subject in itself.

On a more day to day basis, however, there are many reasons why ordinary people can become very frustrated. We have all seen this haven't we? We've also seen how people can react in the wrong way and make things worse for themselves.

A lot of problems start from having too high expectations. This is Bali in the middle of a development boom, most builders are constantly looking for workers and have to take what they can get. That man installing your fancy new bathroom today might have been a very experienced vendor of high quality DVDs yesterday. Bearing this in mind many builders do remarkably well but without master plasterers on every street corner or the use of plasterboard for walls we are never going to get those walls as flat as a billiard table now are we? Having said that there are some very skilled people who can do amazing things with virtually nothing and it pays to search out the real craftsmen if you can.

Workers here also do not have the extensive range of sophisticated materials, tools and equipment you get in Melbourne available to them. Even if we could get an automatic spigot inserter that building worker could never afford one, his tools will have been made in a backyard in Karangasem from an old car spring. Typical things you may have difficulty finding are black plastic for underfloor waterproof membranes, roofing felt, linseed oil putty (for glazing), many standard fittings for plastic pipes and gutters, undercoat and wood primer for enamel paint, marine grade plywood, stainless steel that doesn't rust, bullet head nails, the list goes on.

How people react when faced with these challenges can very much determine the outcome. Many people have made Bali their home and over the years have learned to adapt to its culture and the ways of its people. They have also learned to understand that this is Bali and that the assumptions they were brought up with in some affluent Western country all too often don't apply here.

Certainly most people adapt readily but some struggle, even with their sanity, as they cling on to primitive mindsets brought from faraway places, primitive mindsets that have no relevance in the unique, and some would say, advanced culture of Bali.

An early lesson that foreigners learn here is that in the face of adversity it is important to stay calm and have patience. Getting angry and shouting at Indonesians simply doesn't work does it? Confrontation is against the local culture. They have a clever way of handling it - they totally ignore you - works every time. You are left screaming and jumping up and down while their day hasn't been disturbed. They will consider you ignorant and disrespectful and you achieve - absolutely nothing.

I came across a man who had a typical next door neighbour problem with the Balinese man next door. He couldn't help himself and reacted as he would back home; he was confrontational and challenged his neighbour. He ended up with a far more serious problem - he couldn't get into his house.

In difficult situations it is usually best to find a solution by doing things the Balinese way. Find a highly respected Balinese man to negotiate with respect and humility on your behalf. A lot of tongue biting may be required. It is well to consider the way people here think and work.

Indonesians have the ability to live in the moment, an ability many western countries have lost. Some say it is because Indonesians have never had to think ahead and prepare for winter, what ever the reason is not important but what is important is to remember that forward planning in a project is often lacking (has anybody been watching the building of the new road to Klungkung?)

A positive side of this "living in the moment" is that Indonesian workers are plodders. I never cease to be amazed at how a local worker can set up a standard pace of work and keep it up all day long. If a truck arrives and dumps 5 tons of earth people from western countries are likely to step back and say "bloody hell that's a lot, it's going to take me all day" and then have a miserable time stopping every ten minutes to complain to themselves that it doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. Indonesians, on the other hand, don't seem to see the mountain, they just see earth to be moved, they start digging without complaint and just keep going until its done.

Understanding the concept of "cause and effect" is another thing that is often lacking in projects here, you know the thought that "if I forget to connect the plastic drain before I cast 500 tons of concrete swimming pool it might be a tad difficult to fix later".

Timescales can also be somewhat relaxed. One of the delightful things about Bali is encapsulated in that well known phrase "being on Bali time", things happen when they are ready to.

Dealing with these cultural norms can set up very stressful circumstances for our control freaks and some people may find they have to take a long hard look at themselves. For some it is not easy to find the courage to simply allow things to happen.

Another type of person that doesn't cope well in Bali are those whose management style consists of shouting and bullying people, they end up trapped in a cycle of constant watching and berating.

A far better strategy is to work within the culture and build trust and respect. Establish operating parameters that embrace local culture and attitudes. Discipline is needed and parameters have to be set. Approach projects with thought, continuous monitoring and lots and lots of patience. From a technical point of view keep things simple. Yes sure that full size swimming pool on the third floor of your mansion overlooking the sea is a nice idea but building it is not going to be a recipe for nocturnal tranquillity.

If you do find you can't cope with it all do yourself a favour and book in for a long holiday in Bangli, it's nice up there at this time of the year and they have a very relaxed smiling gardener.

By Phil Wilson

To catch more of Phil's humorous and not so serious take on life in Bali check out the following web page where you will find more of his articles:

http://www.baliadvertiser.biz/articles/fixed_abode/2010.htm

Now if you can handle all this, by all means jump on the first available flight and start your own adventure.

Love Vanesa xx

Copy right the author