They say the greatest pain for parents is when they survive their child.
Teachers feel the same when they have to say a final farewell to their younger former charges.
Din informed me that Amin passed away this Tuesday morning. He was only 49.
I can see him in his seat, 4th from the front I think , in the row by the windows when he was in Sec. 3F (1976), Jurong Secondary School.
I can visualize him standing up to the Disciplinary Teacher, Mr Johnny Lau, to ask that the boys should be allowed to wear trousers instead of shorts. When he was asked for the reason why, he stood up and pointed to his legs which were abundantly covered with hair!
Dear Amin - may Allah bless your soul and I pray that you will find peace in Allah's presence. May your parents find peace too.
We shall never forget you - our unpredictably cheeky Amin.
AL-FATIHAH
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Dennis Potter's 'Lipstick on Your Collar' - History Repeating Itself
I am no Anglophile. Malay movies from the 1950s and 1960s, Malay popular music from the 1940s onwards, Lagu Melayu Asli and Hindi movies and songs are in my blood and in my bones.
Growing up in Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s was a very rich and multi-faceted experience. The popular songs before and after The Beatles were shared by us all - Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians and all the various shades and colours of people you can find in our Pasir Panjang English School during the Colonial period. Somehow, without any diktat from above, we accepted, acknowledged and respected our differences. As for our similarities - we were just schoolkids having to work hard to get a good education so that we can help our parents when we grow up. And most of all we had fun doing all the silly and mischievous stuff that all kids do.
Some of our parents were poor, some were rich and some just plain ordinary like mine. We could not see many visible signs of our parents' economic and social status. We all travelled by bus or walked to get to school. There were no Mercedes or Jaguars in the school carpark to pick up the rich brats. There were no talk or boastings in the classroom about going on holiday to Europe or the U.S.A.
My sister would often visit her friend who lived in a big house by the seaside and this girl was the daughter of the Biscuit Taukeh! My friend Yap Siew Har lived in a huge mansion at the 5th milestone and in class she was just as ordinary and naughty like the rest of us. She even told us that her father had two wives and we all thought nothing of it.
Jeevan threw a stone at my brother's forehead and as a result, Mus needed a couple of stitches. I had to run home to inform my mother about the trouble he had got himself into. Jeevan's father was a Manager at the then Singapore Harbour Board but my parents were not bothered about confronting Jeevan's parents. Kids will be kids. Racist intent? Racism? That was not in our parents' vocabulary.
That's a long preamble before I begin this posting.
Living in England from the mid-1980s had opened up my eyes to the reality of what Britain and the British had done to my part of the world and how the powerful in the White Christian West have manipulated and subjugated the powerless - especially the colonisation of our minds.
But there were also parts that I admired and enjoyed. There were the writers, the journalists and the playwrights. One I really appreciate is the dramatist Dennis Potter - especially his TV dramas like 'The Singing Detective' (1986) and 'Lipstick on your Collar' (1993).
I know I have a penchant for attaching songs to complement the themes of my various postings. This is certainly due to Dennis Potter's influence because I love his technique and I love songs.
'Lipstick on your Collar', set in 1956 during the Suez Crisis, tells the story of a young man doing his National Service as an interpreter of Russian documents in the Intelligence Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today you would call him a spook - like those in MI5 and MI6. As his job and his bureaucratic Civil Service Colleagues are so staid and boring he decided to create fantasies about them in pop songs.
It's uncanny, almost prophetic because some of these scenes are applicable to the Invasion of Iraq by USA and UK in 2003 - another war against another Arab nation.
N.B Each video begins with the same 20 secs. introduction.
Blue Suede Shoes is a scene in Parliament. Just change Colonel Nasser to Saddam Hussein.
And substitute 'blue suede shoes' for dominance over oil in the Middle East.
'Don't be Cruel' is such a lovely parody of office culture in a Government Ministry.
And this is the best of all. It's all about toilet paper and Intelligence documents. Just like the 45 minute threat and the secret dossier on Saddam's weapons of mass destruction that Blair was plugging before pushing the button on the Invasion of Iraq aka Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Well - people in a hurry may say - why rake up the past? The War's over. Saddam Hussein has been overthrown. Iraqis now have democracy because they are allowed to take part in elections.
If only Dennis Potter knew how his portrayal of British Intelligence in LOYC is being given a re-run ten years later.
But then I live in the past.
And we are doomed to repeating the tragedies of past history.
But we do enjoy our present.
Growing up in Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s was a very rich and multi-faceted experience. The popular songs before and after The Beatles were shared by us all - Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians and all the various shades and colours of people you can find in our Pasir Panjang English School during the Colonial period. Somehow, without any diktat from above, we accepted, acknowledged and respected our differences. As for our similarities - we were just schoolkids having to work hard to get a good education so that we can help our parents when we grow up. And most of all we had fun doing all the silly and mischievous stuff that all kids do.
Some of our parents were poor, some were rich and some just plain ordinary like mine. We could not see many visible signs of our parents' economic and social status. We all travelled by bus or walked to get to school. There were no Mercedes or Jaguars in the school carpark to pick up the rich brats. There were no talk or boastings in the classroom about going on holiday to Europe or the U.S.A.
My sister would often visit her friend who lived in a big house by the seaside and this girl was the daughter of the Biscuit Taukeh! My friend Yap Siew Har lived in a huge mansion at the 5th milestone and in class she was just as ordinary and naughty like the rest of us. She even told us that her father had two wives and we all thought nothing of it.
Jeevan threw a stone at my brother's forehead and as a result, Mus needed a couple of stitches. I had to run home to inform my mother about the trouble he had got himself into. Jeevan's father was a Manager at the then Singapore Harbour Board but my parents were not bothered about confronting Jeevan's parents. Kids will be kids. Racist intent? Racism? That was not in our parents' vocabulary.
That's a long preamble before I begin this posting.
Living in England from the mid-1980s had opened up my eyes to the reality of what Britain and the British had done to my part of the world and how the powerful in the White Christian West have manipulated and subjugated the powerless - especially the colonisation of our minds.
But there were also parts that I admired and enjoyed. There were the writers, the journalists and the playwrights. One I really appreciate is the dramatist Dennis Potter - especially his TV dramas like 'The Singing Detective' (1986) and 'Lipstick on your Collar' (1993).
I know I have a penchant for attaching songs to complement the themes of my various postings. This is certainly due to Dennis Potter's influence because I love his technique and I love songs.
'Lipstick on your Collar', set in 1956 during the Suez Crisis, tells the story of a young man doing his National Service as an interpreter of Russian documents in the Intelligence Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today you would call him a spook - like those in MI5 and MI6. As his job and his bureaucratic Civil Service Colleagues are so staid and boring he decided to create fantasies about them in pop songs.
It's uncanny, almost prophetic because some of these scenes are applicable to the Invasion of Iraq by USA and UK in 2003 - another war against another Arab nation.
N.B Each video begins with the same 20 secs. introduction.
Blue Suede Shoes is a scene in Parliament. Just change Colonel Nasser to Saddam Hussein.
And substitute 'blue suede shoes' for dominance over oil in the Middle East.
'Don't be Cruel' is such a lovely parody of office culture in a Government Ministry.
And this is the best of all. It's all about toilet paper and Intelligence documents. Just like the 45 minute threat and the secret dossier on Saddam's weapons of mass destruction that Blair was plugging before pushing the button on the Invasion of Iraq aka Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Well - people in a hurry may say - why rake up the past? The War's over. Saddam Hussein has been overthrown. Iraqis now have democracy because they are allowed to take part in elections.
If only Dennis Potter knew how his portrayal of British Intelligence in LOYC is being given a re-run ten years later.
But then I live in the past.
And we are doomed to repeating the tragedies of past history.
But we do enjoy our present.
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Skipping over the Ocean like a Stone
I must admit to feeling knackered. There have been too many lackadays, lackaweeks and lackamonths.
I took my mind a walk
Or my mind took me a walk
Whichever was the truth of it. (Norman MacCaig)
And my mind wanted :
* to hear my good friend Dot greeting me with a
* to muck about in my favourite 'shopping mall' - Leicester Animal Rescue.
* to go marketing for fresh fruits and vegetables.
* to observe from my study the spouse coming home after a successful forage for milk in the shops.
* to potter about in my kitchen where I have a special accessory
* From my kitchen I can delight in my two favourite snacks - burnt muffins and marmite on toast.
* There are no spectacular views of sunsets and stormy seas. But what I can see from my study window is good enough for me.
* I also managed to learn a little lesson about conservation. As kids, if we did not polish off the food on our plates we either get a hard rap on the knuckles or a remark like " your father worked very hard to put that food on your plate". Why did it take the environmentalists that long to advise the public and why didn't the parents take on the responsibility?
* I would walk past these photos each morning when I woke up to get to the kitchen. And I miss that routine.
* I often think about my special room, my messy cluttered room where I store all my treasures past and present - where I could spend endless hours on my writing, sewing and my fiddle-faddle.
* But this, the trees of Victoria Park are what we miss most of all.
I feel it is time to go (to the other) home, 6,572 miles away.
Insyallah we shall and soon, once Iain gets reasonably well enough to face the winter without having to fall back on the NHS. Between Leicester and Kuala Lumpur - it's like being caught between two lovers. But I should not complain - we are blessed - Syukur Alhamdulillah.
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Tears for Fears
For the past few days I have been reading Wikileaks' Iraq War Logs.
So I asked myself what's new? I recalled the revelations about U.S. use of torture in Iraq, especially the atrocities in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Yes, there were splutters and a degree of outrage but generally people - especially the Americans - were quite sang-froid about these disclosures. They were more up-in-arms about the construction of the Mosque near the site of 9/11.
After all, their CIA had been conducting this 'harsh interrogation' in Vietnam and Latin America. The CIA were also not averse to utilising Nazi torture techniques. According to Alexander Cockburn (2007), they have, since the 1950s been "financing research into sensory deprivation and isolation techniques".
The bleeding hearts in the West reacted with the usual debate about the dangers of using torture to extract information without really touching on the moral principles involved except of course if they are talking about the 'Islamists'. They'll quote selective chapter and verse from the Quran to express their disgust.
The cynic that I am cannot help but think that the Iraq War Logs, especially promoted by the Guardian (the world's leading liberal voice ?!??) is just another repeat - and will not change the fate of Iraq or the Middle East by one iota!!
All the hand-wringing, just like all the perfumes of Arabia for Lady Macbeth, will not wash the blood from their hands. I see it as merely a form of catharsis for the West so as to carry on with business as usual in Afghanistan and perhaps Iran? Yemen? Sudan?
So we can expect to see the Liberals and liberals putting on their hair-shirts, wallowing in their angst and spouting platitudes of "your pain is our pain".
But for the Iraqis and (some of) the Muslim countries, this response of the West is very irritating and irrelevant.
What about a Nuremberg Trial of the perpetrators and the liars - or something close to that? If that is unpalatable, how about a recantation by Bush, Blair, Mr and Mrs Clinton, Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Sarkozy, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Gordon Brown, Jack Straw, David Cameron, Berlusconi, John Howard, the Israeli leadership, the Arab running dogs of the West and all the supporters of the War from the great and good in Hollywood and the literati?
Perhaps an apology might appear - like Blair's for the Slave Trade - but just over one hundred years too late!
How about financial compensation? That is quite feasible because an Iraqi's life, like the Afghani and Palestinian is quite cheap. After the deaths of civilians at Kundun in Afghanistan the Germans were talking about Euro4,000 for each victim. That's about Malaysian Ringgit17,000. That sum can only get you a bread-and-butter second hand car in Kuala Lumpur.
The Germans had another offer - to purchase cattle for the families of the victims!!
War Log or War Dogs - the evil deed is done. The scorched earth policy and divide and rule is now in full swing. The house has been blown down.
So I asked myself what's new? I recalled the revelations about U.S. use of torture in Iraq, especially the atrocities in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Yes, there were splutters and a degree of outrage but generally people - especially the Americans - were quite sang-froid about these disclosures. They were more up-in-arms about the construction of the Mosque near the site of 9/11.
After all, their CIA had been conducting this 'harsh interrogation' in Vietnam and Latin America. The CIA were also not averse to utilising Nazi torture techniques. According to Alexander Cockburn (2007), they have, since the 1950s been "financing research into sensory deprivation and isolation techniques".
The bleeding hearts in the West reacted with the usual debate about the dangers of using torture to extract information without really touching on the moral principles involved except of course if they are talking about the 'Islamists'. They'll quote selective chapter and verse from the Quran to express their disgust.
The cynic that I am cannot help but think that the Iraq War Logs, especially promoted by the Guardian (the world's leading liberal voice ?!??) is just another repeat - and will not change the fate of Iraq or the Middle East by one iota!!
All the hand-wringing, just like all the perfumes of Arabia for Lady Macbeth, will not wash the blood from their hands. I see it as merely a form of catharsis for the West so as to carry on with business as usual in Afghanistan and perhaps Iran? Yemen? Sudan?
So we can expect to see the Liberals and liberals putting on their hair-shirts, wallowing in their angst and spouting platitudes of "your pain is our pain".
But for the Iraqis and (some of) the Muslim countries, this response of the West is very irritating and irrelevant.
What about a Nuremberg Trial of the perpetrators and the liars - or something close to that? If that is unpalatable, how about a recantation by Bush, Blair, Mr and Mrs Clinton, Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Sarkozy, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Gordon Brown, Jack Straw, David Cameron, Berlusconi, John Howard, the Israeli leadership, the Arab running dogs of the West and all the supporters of the War from the great and good in Hollywood and the literati?
Perhaps an apology might appear - like Blair's for the Slave Trade - but just over one hundred years too late!
How about financial compensation? That is quite feasible because an Iraqi's life, like the Afghani and Palestinian is quite cheap. After the deaths of civilians at Kundun in Afghanistan the Germans were talking about Euro4,000 for each victim. That's about Malaysian Ringgit17,000. That sum can only get you a bread-and-butter second hand car in Kuala Lumpur.
The Germans had another offer - to purchase cattle for the families of the victims!!
War Log or War Dogs - the evil deed is done. The scorched earth policy and divide and rule is now in full swing. The house has been blown down.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
In the Name of Holy / Holey Charity
My desk-top computer collapsed completely a week ago. My brother had a tough time trying to retrieve the backup but a visit to Low Yat saved my skin or rather the computer's.
Going through what had been 'saved' brought me to this posting.
FIRSTLY THIS:
These beautiful children from the poorest parts of the globe are being put up for adoption. This includes the appropriation of their souls as well in the case of this Christian Compassion Charity.
For US$38 per child (tax-deductible), your adopted one will be connected with "a loving, church-based child sponsorship programme". Other than food, water, education and medical care - "Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God".
I could suggest another country where these soul-snatchers could ply their trade.
Yahoo News UK revealed in October 2010 that in UK, nearly three in ten seven-year-olds are living in poverty. 20% of the children are "living in such poverty that their family's income is less than 50% of the average family's weekly income".
But such Compassion to these children will not be tolerated and there's not much cache in harvesting the souls of children from the West.
Remember the old saying? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. But the intentions of this Charity reek with the odour of self-serving righteousness.
ON THE OTHER HAND:
If religious-based do-gooders turn you off, you can always divert your good heart and wallet to adopting an Orangutan instead.
You can select what you please from
There's also Nita.
However she suffers a terrible malady. "Treated as a human while being with her 'owners', it will be difficult for her to adapt to life in the forest".
I discovered some fascinating aspects of 'bringing up' adopted orangutans.
1.Diaper them from day one. Why? To keep your floors clean.
2.Feed them a non-soy formula because some believe that soy causes aggression in adults. Bang goes Darwin's Theory of Evolution. As far as I know soy is marvellous for us human primates. And it's especially good for women to ward off menopausal problems.
Also sambal pedas tahu and tempeh is one of our top favourites. But maybe that's why I'm so bolshie and bloody-minded?
3.Give them biscuits as a snack or a treat. Hmmmh - The spouse also enjoys this for his elevenses.
4.Baby orangutans love stuffed animals. Which animals, I wonder?
Both Charities apply the same gambits for extracting the milk of human kindness. Christian Compassion offers this.
"Receive a free Compassion scrapbook when ....you make your first payment. This scrapbook will serve as a handy way to organize the photos and letters that you receive from your sponsored child.
When you sponsor a child, you are linked with one particular child who will know your name, write to you, and TREASURE the thought that you care. He or she will pray for you often and write to you.
......you'll receive your child's photo, personal story".
For £10 per month
What are we doing to our suffering children and animals?
FOR CHARITY WILL HARDLY WATER THE GROUND WHERE IT MUST FIRST FILL A POND. (Francis Bacon 1561-1626)
P.S. I have a habit of scribbling on bits and pieces of paper what I consider to be telling and fascinating ideas that I see on TV and hear on the Radio. This I wrote about 15 or so years ago in my kitchen note-book. So I must have heard this over the radio while I was cooking at Oxford Avenue, Leicester.
Going through what had been 'saved' brought me to this posting.
FIRSTLY THIS:
These beautiful children from the poorest parts of the globe are being put up for adoption. This includes the appropriation of their souls as well in the case of this Christian Compassion Charity.
For US$38 per child (tax-deductible), your adopted one will be connected with "a loving, church-based child sponsorship programme". Other than food, water, education and medical care - "Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God".
I could suggest another country where these soul-snatchers could ply their trade.
Yahoo News UK revealed in October 2010 that in UK, nearly three in ten seven-year-olds are living in poverty. 20% of the children are "living in such poverty that their family's income is less than 50% of the average family's weekly income".
But such Compassion to these children will not be tolerated and there's not much cache in harvesting the souls of children from the West.
Remember the old saying? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. But the intentions of this Charity reek with the odour of self-serving righteousness.
ON THE OTHER HAND:
If religious-based do-gooders turn you off, you can always divert your good heart and wallet to adopting an Orangutan instead.
You can select what you please from
There's also Nita.
However she suffers a terrible malady. "Treated as a human while being with her 'owners', it will be difficult for her to adapt to life in the forest".
I discovered some fascinating aspects of 'bringing up' adopted orangutans.
1.Diaper them from day one. Why? To keep your floors clean.
2.Feed them a non-soy formula because some believe that soy causes aggression in adults. Bang goes Darwin's Theory of Evolution. As far as I know soy is marvellous for us human primates. And it's especially good for women to ward off menopausal problems.
Also sambal pedas tahu and tempeh is one of our top favourites. But maybe that's why I'm so bolshie and bloody-minded?
3.Give them biscuits as a snack or a treat. Hmmmh - The spouse also enjoys this for his elevenses.
4.Baby orangutans love stuffed animals. Which animals, I wonder?
Both Charities apply the same gambits for extracting the milk of human kindness. Christian Compassion offers this.
"Receive a free Compassion scrapbook when ....you make your first payment. This scrapbook will serve as a handy way to organize the photos and letters that you receive from your sponsored child.
When you sponsor a child, you are linked with one particular child who will know your name, write to you, and TREASURE the thought that you care. He or she will pray for you often and write to you.
......you'll receive your child's photo, personal story".
For £10 per month
What are we doing to our suffering children and animals?
FOR CHARITY WILL HARDLY WATER THE GROUND WHERE IT MUST FIRST FILL A POND. (Francis Bacon 1561-1626)
P.S. I have a habit of scribbling on bits and pieces of paper what I consider to be telling and fascinating ideas that I see on TV and hear on the Radio. This I wrote about 15 or so years ago in my kitchen note-book. So I must have heard this over the radio while I was cooking at Oxford Avenue, Leicester.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
THE SWEETEST THING
This is for the family in Paekakariki with our heartfelt thanks for the hospitality - from the roast (halal) leg of lamb (and all the yummies) to the joyful times with Atom and Mika.
Remember our Brave Bride ( posting on 30th June 2010)? Well here's more - and a half.
I have removed this photograph because this is not Bride's and Graham's house.
Here's part of the garden - on the leeward side - bursting with lemons.
And speaking of lemons, here they are, all clustered in a family photograph on a lovely sunny Spring day.
And here's my favourite Kiwi nephew Josh with his favourite nephew Atom.
Just to spice up good old Josh, here's a blast from the past. Yes, it was you playing Ninja with Unc on Foxton beach when you were just knee-high to a grasshopper.
My bestest favourite is beautiful Mika giving her great-aunt a flower.
And now, the most dreadful part. Here are the FOFs (Four Old Fogies). Bride, don't you dare suggest another word for the second 'F'.
However I much prefer this picture when we were all so much more beautifuller and gormless.
The lady in the orange top was the matriarch, the late Ruth (or Haggis to her children, don't ask me why) and sister Jane is to her left.
And for the grand finale, here are all four of the second generation - playing their usual loopy games.
There are Josh and Sadie acting out their drunken yobs' roles. And Jane's Joe and Sam are making out to be two pommies in a Gentleman's Club.
They're not like that now, just much worse in different ways. Sighh!
Thank you all in Paekakariki for the memories and the love.
PS. The first three photographs are from Lely, and photos 4, 6 and 7 were taken by Sadie - partner to Jason and mum to Atom and Mika. Thank you girls.
Remember our Brave Bride ( posting on 30th June 2010)? Well here's more - and a half.
I have removed this photograph because this is not Bride's and Graham's house.
Here's part of the garden - on the leeward side - bursting with lemons.
And speaking of lemons, here they are, all clustered in a family photograph on a lovely sunny Spring day.
And here's my favourite Kiwi nephew Josh with his favourite nephew Atom.
Just to spice up good old Josh, here's a blast from the past. Yes, it was you playing Ninja with Unc on Foxton beach when you were just knee-high to a grasshopper.
My bestest favourite is beautiful Mika giving her great-aunt a flower.
And now, the most dreadful part. Here are the FOFs (Four Old Fogies). Bride, don't you dare suggest another word for the second 'F'.
However I much prefer this picture when we were all so much more beautifuller and gormless.
The lady in the orange top was the matriarch, the late Ruth (or Haggis to her children, don't ask me why) and sister Jane is to her left.And for the grand finale, here are all four of the second generation - playing their usual loopy games.
There are Josh and Sadie acting out their drunken yobs' roles. And Jane's Joe and Sam are making out to be two pommies in a Gentleman's Club. They're not like that now, just much worse in different ways. Sighh!
Thank you all in Paekakariki for the memories and the love.
PS. The first three photographs are from Lely, and photos 4, 6 and 7 were taken by Sadie - partner to Jason and mum to Atom and Mika. Thank you girls.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
A Carload of Crackers
New Zealand is a beautiful country with a population of just 4 million people and 40 million sheep (2006).
But I must confess, something else other than the landscape, caught my
Most of the time, it was very, very,
because of the storms and fierce winds at this time of the Spring Equinox.
However we managed to put in a bit of walking especially at Rotorua. Fortunately
did not suffer too much from the physical exertion.
It felt
good to be breathing clean fresh air after Kuala Lumpur's urban oxygen.
We hired a
for the duration of our holiday.
We are very stick-in-the-mud and averse to driving an automatic car.
But these two intrepid pensioners managed to make it up hills and mountains, along unsurfaced roads and cute little town roads without requiring the services of either the dent man
or the
This was what the car and Lely looked like at the start.
By the time we got to Cape Palliser both of them became unrecognisable. As for the absence of Lely in the following picture, we had decided to lose her in the hills of Maungakotukutuku.
Most of the time, we did our own cooking and the spouse had to admit that
because, together with the help of our general factotum, he enjoyed great meals sans spices and other hot condiments. That was his reward for doing the driving.
We got back to KL safe and sound but after the episode with the NZ Security people I had to do a little
on bees and their culpability in producing potential weapons for terrorists.
I used to see in Leicester quite a number of people willing to part with quite a bit of money for these special number plates. You know about fools and their money? Well they can also be found next door to down-under.
I shall bid good-night to all with a joyous
See you soon in a tick and/or a
But I must confess, something else other than the landscape, caught my
Most of the time, it was very, very,
because of the storms and fierce winds at this time of the Spring Equinox.However we managed to put in a bit of walking especially at Rotorua. Fortunately
did not suffer too much from the physical exertion.It felt
good to be breathing clean fresh air after Kuala Lumpur's urban oxygen.We hired a
for the duration of our holiday.We are very stick-in-the-mud and averse to driving an automatic car.
But these two intrepid pensioners managed to make it up hills and mountains, along unsurfaced roads and cute little town roads without requiring the services of either the dent man
or the
This was what the car and Lely looked like at the start.
By the time we got to Cape Palliser both of them became unrecognisable. As for the absence of Lely in the following picture, we had decided to lose her in the hills of Maungakotukutuku.
Most of the time, we did our own cooking and the spouse had to admit that
because, together with the help of our general factotum, he enjoyed great meals sans spices and other hot condiments. That was his reward for doing the driving.We got back to KL safe and sound but after the episode with the NZ Security people I had to do a little
on bees and their culpability in producing potential weapons for terrorists.
I used to see in Leicester quite a number of people willing to part with quite a bit of money for these special number plates. You know about fools and their money? Well they can also be found next door to down-under.
I shall bid good-night to all with a joyous
See you soon in a tick and/or a
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