Escape to the Country

I was very pleased to leave the grey of the city behind on Friday and head northwards.  Although I must say I found the young people in London extremely willing to carry my case up stairs at underground stations.  Willing helpers stepped forward on many occasions, which was an unexpected delight.
Another interesting point about UK youth is that (thanks to Jamie Oliver's good work) the young people are getting healthier.  School lunches are now healthy, and children are not allowed to take junk food such as chips to school. Progress indeed.

As the train travelled northwards towards Coventry the grey skies cleared.  It was wonderful to see some sunshine again, and lambs in green fields.

The primroses are floweringCoventry Cathedral. The old part that was bombed in WW2 and the rebuilt cathedral adjoining

Road name in the village where I'm staying

Petty thatched cottage

London Calling

LONDON CALLING

First impressions of London, from the bus that took 3 hours to crawl across London from Heathrow to Croydon. 

Grey buildings, grey people wearing grey clothes. Spot the rebel in the RED jacket!  Even the clear blue sky was rather washed out.  The pinks and whites of the flowering magnolias did their best to soften the view.  The catkins hung timidly on their branches.  The brightest, largest bed of golden daffodils, outside a pretty little church, shouted “Hallelujah and Happiness”.   Spring has sprung and I am thankful it is very mild. 

Singapore

First stop Singapore. Hot and humid, as expected.  I knew I had booked a tiny room, but it took a day to get used to the fact that there was only one small opaque window, high up in the shower. At least it was enough for me to tell whether it was day or night.  But the room was clean, close to the river, and there were Earl Grey tea bags provided, so what more could a Happy Wanderer want.

Day One – a day of SPONTANEITY thanks to Beryl’s wish for me.  I hopped on an electrically powered bumboat for a 40 minute trip round the river.  The on-board recorded commentary was very interesting, pointing out all the historical sites, including an area where the old storytellers once charged one cent for a story, the telling of which took as long as an incense stick took to burn.

Off on foot, I wandered in to the Victoria Theatre, past the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles himself.  An organ recital, with dances by very talented local performing arts students was about to start in the concert hall.  It was free, air-conditioned and in a beautiful theatre.  How could I resist.  And so I settled in for a most enjoyable 40 minutes.  All those mechanical organ stops, a double keyboard, and some very fancy, grapevine like, foot pedal work, gave me a new appreciation for organists.

Off again in search of the free guided walking tour of Chinatown.  It was nowhere to be found.  Perhaps the angel of happy feet was looking after me.  I had already wandered for many hours and probably wasn’t up to another 2.5 hours.

Instead, after a quick lay down, I set off on a bumboat to see the sound and light show at the giant metal Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay.  They are gradually getting covered in plants and are quite a sight. They also harvest rainwater and solar energy.

Day two – more walking.  Back to Gardens by the Bay in the daylight to enjoy the gardens and the two huge climate-controlled domes – one featuring cherry blossom trees in flower this month, and many beautiful sculptures. 

The second dome is the Cloud Forest, with giant waterfall, hanging gardens and high walkways.

The most excitement I needed after all that, was an evening spent putting my feet up, enjoying a nice cup of Earl Grey, and preparing to set off very early next day for the somewhat cooler climes of Old Blighty.   And so to bed.