But first, HallowEeeeEeeeEen!

I am finding it extremely challenging to blog about the week-odd holiday spent in Bath, Edinburgh and Rome. I've been too lackadaisical with blogging (even tho' I had internet access at the el-meager guesthouse in Italy and could've easily updated stuff there and then), and the current backlog is beginning to resemble a monstrous mountain of unwritten posts up 'there'.

Speaking of monsters and monstrosities, it was Halloween yesterday.

With Venomously Vile JH and Mel the Serpent-haired Hag in our midst, I thought it was a fantabulous excuse to hold a perfectly ghastly shindig.

So part-taaay we did!

the ghouls and goblins that dropped by yesterday!

Halloweeny, autumny grub
Will you puh-lease chk out my chow-tah corn!
Suitably repugnant for Halloween, don't you think? Heh.

silly slippery lychee 'eyeballs'...

Evil monkey spawn & grizzly ghoul
with grotesque hand growing outta its ear! Grrrraaaah!!!

Sadako's in da house!!!
(And she's stealing our cookies!)

the Jack-O-Lantern cookies we each decorated

the REAL cookie monster!

You can betcha Danielle was très thrilled by the party. Even though it failed parlously on the Spooks factor, no one else was dressed in a costume except her, the party decor was all hand-made or printed off the Internet, the corn was burnt, and no, she was NOT allowed to eat the M&S Halloween chocolates Mummy had placed on the table as decoration - our lil' goblin fairy was happy & content.

party decor done by Mel, Sadako (EEEEEEE!!!) and Cheeks

And the rest of us? I think we myuumsters were happy for ANY excuse to stuff our already-distended bellies!

Oh and one last bit, I thought my beef stew was guuuuuuu-oooooooood!...

...even though it resembles lumps of cow turd

Surely I can dispense with all manner of modesty on my own blog? *cackle*

* Mel suggested we bring Cheeks Treat or Treatin' but I wasn't too keen on the idea since no child had ever knocked on our door, and besides, I didn't think the occasion is THAT big in the UK? Is it?

My Seasonal Obsession

Did I mention I love Autumn? I'm sure I did, if not for the millionth time!

Admittedly I'd much prefer it sans the chills. Even then, I simply can't get enough of this 'ambience' I walk out to every day.

And I must confess, I've gone completely mad taking pictures of autumn leaves, trees, twigs - everything and anything that has a semblance of 'Autumn' stamped on it.

In the meantime, pardon this MOO (my new abbreviation for 'Mother of One') who's rather enjoying her 1st Autumn in the UK. :)

Natural-Born Leader (A roadtrip to Blenheim Palace & Bicester Village)

Some people are destined for greatness. They are natural-born leaders, acute strategists; great orators who in their speeches are able to move nations, inspire millions and are remembered through the generations.

Our roadtrip to Oxfordshire on Saturday 'uncovered' one such leader - Sir Winston Churchill.

Prior to the roadtrip, I must admit, I knew little of the man. All I knew was that he was the ex-PM of UK, the one who saw England through World War II.

I didn't know what a stirring orator he was, nor that he was a prolific writer and painter. I certainly didn't know he belonged to a family line of Dukes (of Malborough) and was half-American (his Mama was American).

The roadtrip to Oxfordshire was taken with Reuben and Ori. We hired a car and with Dee at the helm, set off for what I thought was to be a major shopping trip. In our email exchanges, we'd placed Bicester Village (pronounced 'Bice-ter') as our primary destination, and Blenheim Palace as the 'side-trip'. Bicester Village is a retail haven for shopaholics. It houses all the major brands in a tight colony - from Tod's to Dior, Polo Ralph to Ferragamo; simply utter a brand and chances are, you'd find it at the Village. Bicester promises discounts of up to 60% but truth is, the prices are still VERY, VERY steep.

Well, at least to me.

For a housewife who's accustomed to purchasing items below 10 pounds (or 20 at most!), there was no way in hell I could part with 50 quid - certainly not on some designer tog or accessories! Fuuur-geddit!

At the end of the day, the only one who went away with any purchases, was Reuben. The rest of us couldn't bear to dip into our savings/pockets, I think. :)

Anyway, the 'side trip' ended up being a greater highlight for me, so more on Blenheim and Churchill...

Blenheim Palace
Boasting to possess 'the finest view in England', this Palace certainly did not disappoint. And we were fortunate to be there in time to see it decked up in Christmas lights and decorations.

Once again, my photos do not do the estate any justice (time for an upgrade!). Hampton Court was breathtaking but this, was something else. As with any palace, you'd expect a certain level of opulence and grandeur and whilst Blenheim possessed these traits, it had in addition, a quiet beauty. The gardens surrounding the estate seemed like scenes from a postcard, or impressionist-type paintings. Unending acres of greenary, willowy trees, peaceful rivers - all (seemingly) untainted and unspoiled. I marvelled that people actually woke up to such beautiful scenary when they held residence at Blenheim. Those lucky buggers...

Besides trying to capture the scenic landscape from different angles, I also took numerous pictures of autumn trees. I'm starting to think landscapes are better photographed in the Fall. I don't know what it is, but I'm of the opinion that this season - with its warm hues of orange, gold and brown, deciduous trees, and blueish grey skies - lends more 'character' to a scenary? As Keats describes it, autumn is a 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness'. How beautifully put.

Churchill
Blenheim is also the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill so we got to see his birthroom, displays showing the correspondences between him and his parents and his life as a soldier, amongst other things. There were 2 notable exhibits showing the 'other' side of him: 1) Churchill as a painter (his paintings were used on Hallmark cards, imagine that!), and 2) as a son and loving husband. I enjoyed being 'acquainted to' the more personable side of him. This is how exhibitions should be, I thought. They should reveal more about the real life of the historical figure, not merely extol the public persona.

It's amazing how many quotable quotes came from just one man. In his lifetime, Churchill made hundreds of stirring speeches, all of them containing a plethora of memorable quotes and witticisms. Here are some of my favourites picked up at the exhibitions:

• I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat...You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival
• Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar
• Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
• Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
• Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

As I walked away from Blenheim, I knew my stay in the UK had been enriched by this visit. And I was filled with a new-found respect and admiration for this great legend...


Postscript: We ended the trip with a drive into Oxford. Reuben initially suggested having dinner at 'The Eagle and Child', the frequent watering hole of J.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis. But upon reaching the pub, we declared it too smokey and child-unfriendly for Danielle. Sorry guys, you couldn't revel in the walls of the 'greats' becoz of Danielle. But thanks so much for being accommodating...

Clara's Day 1 in London (the blog entry to make Skiver A. green with envy!)

It may seem a little odd but we started Clara's 1st day in London by attending the women's bible study at our church, AllSouls @Langham Place. It was my first time at the session so I reckoned it would be less 'intimidating' if I had a friend in tow.

We set off at 9ish (am) and I was glad Clara was able to get 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Best she's had in months, she said.

The session, we both felt, was pretty good. The study & discussion on the book of Ruth was altogether riveting. There were quite a few attendees, some were mummies like me, with one or 2 tots in tow. Best part is there's a creche to leave your children so sans Danielle, we managed to enjoy a meaningful bible study. But during the prayer request, I totally embarrassed myself by breaking down. I gave thanks to God for bringing so many friends to me in the short period of time we've been here. In the hustle and bustle of looking after a household and a hyperactive 2YO, one hardly finds time to mull over things (not necessarily a bad thing) but when you realise what you actually miss, that's when it hits you - WHAM! I think that's what happened, thus the waterworks. And here are women I'm meeting for the very first time and they have to see me all dribbly and teary. Sheesh-aroos. But Clara teared too. So the embarrassment was somewhat spread out. Ha!

After bible study, I brought Clara to Kensington Park where we had tea at The Orangery. Eat your heart out, Skiver A! We had our 'cuppa tea' (with 'stiff upper lip' poise and all) in that charming, quintessential English setting! Clara had a lemon tart with creme fraiche and a side accompaniment pot of lemon & ginger tea, while I had a thick slice of fruit cake with clotted cream and Earl Grey tea (on your behalf, Skiver A!). Even Danielle had fruit scones with strawberry jam and cream. So you see , EVERYONE had their fair share of English tea! Jolly good!

After tea, we took a slow stroll down the park, catching squirrels on camera, admiring swans & geese (who thought we were going to feed them and were frightfully close) and watching other strollers traipse by... It was an ideal day for a stroll - weather was cool but the sun was still out. Simply perfect.

After Kensington Gardens, we bravely ventured a walk to Knightsbridge. I was certain - gauging from my London Guide - that it was not too far a walk from the Gardens and thankfully, I was right. It took us approximately 20 min to get to the 'home' of Harrod's and other fashionable shops. We browsed through Harrod's ground floor - decked with beautiful Christmas coffrets/hampers & Harrod's own merchandise, its gourmet food section (where Clara bought 130g of white bait to munch on, yums!) and the branded goods section. Afterwhich, we visited shops like Office, H&M, Zara, Accessorize, and Harrod's 'supermarket' (a downsize of the mainstore that sells only food and home products but for the life of me can't remember the actual name!) before heading home via the Tube.

Dinner was home cooked by moi, but of course. The night's menu consisted of rice and 3 side dishes - steamed egg (with mincemeat), pak choi and baked plaice a la Saggs. Nothing fanciful. Told Clara this was food I'd have cooked on a normal day. But she was a fabulous guinea pig and thankfully, lives to tell! So I guess she'll let you guys know her real verdict when she gets back! Heehee!

Is it me or is it getting cold in here?

Summer is OFFICIALLY OVER. Yes, it's goodbye sunshine, hello gloom.

Try as I might to delude myself from this, I can't.

The sky starts to grey by 3ish, clothes take FOREVER to dry, & my 3-in-1 Milo swirls even more often in my Andrew Brownsword mug (depleting reserves! But B to the rescue! Hurrah!).

I am bombarded from all angles by headlines shouting - Great Activities for Autumn/Winter, Bring Your Galoshes Out!, Fight the Flu Bug this Winter! Keep Warm with these Hearty Recipes, Autumn Books Must-Reads etc. Even fashionistas have started giving tips on Autumn/Winter 'Must Haves'. Apparently, if I want to look stylo-milo this season, I should don myself in 'parkas' (or anoraks as we term them in Asia), tartans or capacious jackets. Pfffht.

And you think Singaporeans (or should I say STB?) are being our kiasu selves when Christmas decorations are up by end Oct, beginning Nov? Here, the Christmas goodies are out on the shelves by Sept! Talk about lengthening the Christmas season! Hmmm, not a bad thing for a kiasu shopper like me though. I've started to KIV many, many things I see at the shops. Hohoho! :)

I'm certainly not looking forward to the days to come. Grey skies and cold weather make it hard (not to mention depressing) for me to bring Danielle out without freezing my arse off first! I'll just have to bite the bullet and keep up the frequency of our outings, else drive each other completely nuts at home.

The good thing is magazines here do provide mums like me with cool (excuse the pun) tips/ideas on how we can keep kids busy in this gloomy, wet weather. So, armed with the much-needed info, I prepare myself to battle the cold here!

In the meantime, excuse me while I slip into my orh biang thermal undies...