I am going for one last dip in the ocean and once I've coaxed the very last grain of sand out of little crevices I didn't even realise existed, I am off. Remember when we used to go down to Tanjong Beach on Sentosa Island, I hosed you down after our dips in the sea to rid you of all those gritty bits. Lovely as beaches are, the sand does tend to stick. At least if I sit on Brighton Beach, where the sun doesn't shine quite so fiercely, those pebbles won't get stuck in quite the same places - perish the thought!
Memories are much like grains of sand. You notice them as they drift to the front of your mind; some stick; some get washed away and others never fade. These are the ones that remain like an old sepia photo sitting on the mantelpiece next to the brass candlesticks. Each morning the picture and thoughts behind this photo are ignited. When I set up my home, I am going to make a collage of all my memories of this trip. I don't want anything to fade away.
So far this trip, there hasn't been a bad day. I have been snapping away on my trusty D90. What gets washed away in the blur of the days that have passed me by will definitely be ignited.
When it comes to memories Tennis is a the top of my list. I started playing thanks to my Great, great Aunty Rose and I have never looked back. I played badminton and squash along the way but as the knees have become a little creaky it is tennis that gets me up in the morning. The British Club and the British Club WITS teams have been a big part of my social life and I doubt there will anything to match them back in old Blighty. Friday nights and the mixed socials at the club will be remembered as much for the players, as for the tennis. I wanted the club coaches, Cyril and Mustafa to make me play like Navratilova. When people back home ask me disparagingly how I learned to play like THAT. I can point fingers at these guys...
Dairy Farm - my home for longer than anywhere else I have ever lived.. I won't forget you ever.. Don't get knocked down. Tay Kheng Soon did a grand job as the architect and the whole estate should become listed. I want to see you again before too long, trees and all. My favourite tree in all the world is at Dairy Farm. It has so much extra life on it, it is a wonder to behold.
My memories of work after a fortnight's retirement now the nightmares are fading (joking) are still clear - no alzheimers yet! On my timetable it said for Saturday, 30th November, "Last Day of Work All Day". I think it should have had a comma. I didn't go into work as I didn't want to find out if it meant I had to work all day or not. Now, I'll never know whether a comma should have been there or not.
Come January and the new term, I will have been forgotten already - there is no sign of me occupying a seat at a computer on the row nearest the photocopier. It is already a home to a newbie I expect and they will have to laugh at Karl's witticisms which come thick and fast and participate in eating chocolate ginger. A tough call all round.
The sunshine shines everyday. It shines even on rainy days. Even so I was given to complaining when the temperature dropped to 23c and it was too wet to cycle. There is a good reason for this though. After being knocked off my bike on a wet road after a rainfall I became more cautious. Drivers in Singapore have little regard for cyclists. PMDs were only allowed on footpaths and the drivers of those had even less regard for pedestrians. In many ways I was serendipitous. I broke a bone in my leg and had whiplash. Lucky for me, I bounced.
Bouncing back has been a theme in my life. Sending a tickle behind the ears of the miles. Love You...
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