Tuesday, 22 June 2010

a year in Singapore....






Hello Family,
Well, we've almost reached the end of our first year as Singapore Slingers, very hard to believe, but true! We've really enjoyed exploring our new city, from the beach to Orchard Road to the jungle, and are pleased we made the right choice for our two water babies who have loved our new warm and swimmy environment....Kevin has had a hard first year, but is hoping things will ease off a little next year, while I am hoping to have a bit of a rest by returning to some part time work next year - had no idea staying at home was so exhausting! To this end, Kevin and I are finally tying the knot this summer, which will appease both our daughter's wishes for a conventional photograph on the mantlepiece and provide me with the correct work permit in one fell swoop! How romantic! If any of you are in SIngapore on 6th August, then you are, of course, invited to the Mandai Orchid Garden to witness the fun!
Children are growing oh so fast...Izzy turned five this year, and Felix was 2 last Saturday...took him to the opera in the Botanical Gardens for a picnic- doesn't every 2 year old wish for the opera on his birthday? We are flying home on Saturday for our usual crazy UK summer and can't wait to catch up with those there - and to those not there, we say, when will we meet again?
I attach a few photos from our year in Singapore, as we haven't been very good on the photo front this year. Lots of love to all of you,
Kirsty, Kevin and the little Slingers xxxxx

Sunday, 20 June 2010

On to Middle school!



The last day of the only year my kids will ever be in the same school or wait for the bus together! Now Tyler goes onto middle school and he'll be in high school before she moves up! Now on to more important things .......SUMMER :-) Hope all is well wherever you may be!

Saturday, 19 June 2010

FORGOTTEN PORTUGAL TRIP.....






FORGOT TO POST THESE PIX AFTER OUR RETURN FROM VISITING THE ALGARVE CLAN....MOST NEED NO EXPLANATION THE ROSTRUM PIC WAS FROM OUR VISIT TO THE NEW RACING CIRCUIT NEAR PORTIMAO VERY IMPRESSIVE MAX CAME FIRST AND I WAS SECOND.....A GOOD DAY OUT WAS HAD... WE GOT BACK ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO...SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY....HOPE TO SEE THE SINGAPORE SLINGERS SOON. PETE ETC.....

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Oberammergau

Just back from Austria/Germany with Liz and Nigel and Owain. The Passion Play was amazing, all five-and-a-half hours of it! (We did have a three-hour break for dinner in the middle.) Other pics are in Hopfgarten, where we stayed, and the Easter/Christmas shop in Salzburg.

Saturday, 12 June 2010

Rocky Mountain High








Dara and I broadcasted the radio shows in Colorado last week after touring round the south western part of the state. Three national parks and a stunning steam train trip...From the top: Mesa Verde NP (700 year old Ancestral Pueblo dwellings tucked under overhanging cliffs in desert canyons); the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (2,700 foot deep gash in the earth, only 40 foot wide in places to the Gunnison River); Great Sand Dunes National Park (750 foot high sand dunes piled up against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains); and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Steam Train (from a 10,000 foot high old gold town along the River of Lost Souls to Durango where Butch Cassidy was filmed). More pics, if you have the patience, are on the travel Show blog at http://www.christalkstravel.blogspot.com .

Saturday, 5 June 2010

Maddie's dance recital

Thought I'd give you all a laugh and forward these links to Maddie's recent dance recital - ballet and jazz! big fun, how come she is so confident??? Love and miss you all H xx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HFUzANVKP4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71z6iV75bX8

Looks like you'll have to cut and paste them to view!

Wednesday, 28 April 2010

Canadian Update



A quick update from this side of the volcanic cloud, which has cast yet another wrench into the global travel industry of course...Pip starts work at an Asset Management company on the Toronto equivalent of Wall Street on Monday after completing his third and penultimate year of Business School. He's pictured above in our office practising his gravitas...
Tim has just completed a successful hockey season and has moved on to playing Ultimate Frisbee - a so-called sport that is actually fast moving and very entertaining to watch. He's in the top pic playing for the Greenwood Grizzlies. Dara is busy keeping everything and everyone afloat. I raced in the Waterloo Marathon last weekend and am now having to go up stairs sideways in the recuperation stage...Love to all, Chip, Dara, Pip & Tim

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

The Gang


Hanging out down at the farm:-) what a gorgeous looking bunch!!! Great to catch up with everyone back in the UK even if it is never for long enough. Thanks for the hospitality, miss you all H and gang xx

Monday, 26 April 2010

Summer´s Arrival and Albert


At last the summer is here ! Beaches empty but the vinho verde bottle full !!!
Benagil cove for Sunday lunch with the "outlaws"....octopus rice, garlic prawns ...mmmmmm

Miss you all......

Love Jamie Clare and Max.

P.S We have just had to use a car jack to prise our very skinny "Jack" out between the metal bars that front our house !! as he was trying to "hoover" up some doggy biscuits that we just the other side !!!! I always was expecting this maybe from Max at the zoo, but not the dog..
Was funny though as it reminded me of Nan´s favorite "horses head handle" story....Alberts below if you care...........

There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool,That's noted for fresh-air and fun, And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom Went there with young Albert, their son. A grand little lad was their Albert All dressed in his best; quite a swell 'E'd a stick with an 'orse's 'ead 'andle The finest that Woolworth's could sell.They didn't think much to the oceanThe waves, they was fiddlin' and small There was no wrecks... nobody drownded'Fact, nothing to laugh at, at all. So, seeking for further amusement They paid and went into the zoo Where they'd lions and tigers and cam-els And old ale and sandwiches too. There were one great big lion called Wallace His nose were all covered with scarsHe lay in a som-no-lent postureWith the side of his face to the bars.Now Albert had heard about lions How they were ferocious and wildAnd to see Wallace lying so peaceful Well... it didn't seem right to the child. So straight 'way the brave little feller Not showing a morsel of fearTook 'is stick with the'orse's 'ead 'andle And pushed it in Wallace's ear! You could see that the lion didn't like itFor giving a kind of a rollHe pulled Albert inside the cage with 'im And swallowed the little lad... whole! Then Pa, who had seen the occurrence And didn't know what to do nextSaid, "Mother! Yon lions 'et Albert"And Mother said "Eeh, I am vexed!"So Mr and Mrs RamsbottomQuite rightly, when all's said and doneComplained to the Animal Keeper That the lion had eaten their son. The keeper was quite nice about it He said, "What a nasty mishap Are you sure that it's your lad he's eaten?" Pa said, "Am I sure? There's his cap!"So the manager had to be sent for He came and he said, "What's to do?" Pa said, "Yon lion's 'eaten our Albert And 'im in his Sunday clothes, too."Then Mother said, "Right's right, young feller I think it's a shame and a sin For a lion to go and eat Albert And after we've paid to come in!" The manager wanted no trouble He took out his purse right away And said, "How much to settle the matter?" And Pa said "What do you usually pay?" But Mother had turned a bit awkward When she thought where her Albert had goneShe said, "No! someone's got to be summonsed"So that were decided upon. Round they went to the Police Station In front of a Magistrate chapThey told 'im what happened to Albert And proved it by showing his cap.The Magistrate gave his o-pinionThat no-one was really to blame He said that he hoped the Ramsbottoms Would have further sons to their name.At that Mother got proper blazing "And thank you, sir, kindly," said she"What waste all our lives raising childrenTo feed ruddy lions? Not me!"

Monday, 12 April 2010

Living the dream ....!

World Superbikes, Portimao, 2010.

Front line seats = two happy chappies !!!!
Quote of the day " Daddy, those ladies bottoms are falling out of their shorts!"
Welcome my Son to the world of hotpants.........
Love to all J, C and Max

Sunday, 11 April 2010

Back from Singapore


We motored up to Kuala Lumpur for a few days and then came back to Melaka for two days. Liked Malaysia a lot - still very cheap, though probably not for much longer.

Isabel asked Kirsty to take the photo "so I shall always remember you when you're dead." Dear child - does she know something I don't!

Sunday, 28 March 2010


KATE YOUR BIRTHDAYS ROLL ROUND FAST THESE DAYS........ALWAYS THINKING OF YOU.... I STILL OWE YOU THAT GIN AND TONIC.....WHENEVER ! LOVE FOREVER.... PETE. X X

Monday, 22 March 2010

Champs!!


Yet another weekend of soccer this time in Cincinatti for the "Elite Spring Thaw" pretty sweet they won the championship game against Tyler's old Carmel team - it's tough playing against your old team mates!! but they pulled if off!! (Tyler front and middle for those that are struggling to find him!) They all look pretty pleased with themselves!!
Hope you are all healthy and happy and enjoying life, can't believe where this year is going! Tyler's getting ready for middle school (HELP!) and Maddie enjoying her last couple of months as a Kindergarten kid. Jamie and I are just along for the ride!
Love and miss you all

H J TJ and Maddie xx

Sunday, 21 March 2010








A week in South Carolina for the radio show and Tim's March Break. Wonderful Southern Hospitality, charming Charleston in a horse-drawn buggy (2nd pic), long walks (and runs) along 100kms of Myrtle Beach (3rd pic), Tim's first shark on a rod that wasn't designed to cope with Jaws (4th pic), alligators in the marshes, food portions big enough for King Kong (shrimp and grits a favourite), and plantation houses and gardens of refined elegance...
Love, The Canadian Robinsons (BTW: did we mention we won the hockey gold medal??)


Thursday, 18 March 2010

Sierra Nevada Trip



Hi Guys, Quick Portuguese update...Family trip to Sierra Nevada in Spain ! A swift 3 day trip for Clares and Max´s first ski experience. As you can see the weather was eventually great, new snow and bright blue skies!! Clare (speed demon) Robinson did very well considering, she wished she had taken it up about 20 years earlier ! and Max (coming through!) Robinson was very keen, enjoyed his Lessons and was flying down (as usual for his age group) with not a worry in the world at 90MPH !!! I went again to the dark side and boarded for this trip to try and improve my (lack of) skills. Videoing on the board though is tough, especially trying to play catch up with Max!
Now back to reality, works tough for all at present, but the summers enroute so back to BBQs and evening swims...
Love to all.

J, C and Max

Monday, 1 March 2010

O Canada!

Canada has gone delightfully crazy at the end of our Winter Olympics! There's a national euphoria at the fairytale ending to the games: beating the arch-rivals US hockey team in sudden-death overtime for the gold medal to take our gold tally to the most for any country in any Winter Olympics, ever...even including the bad old days of the USSR. The whole country erupted onto the streets and it was pandemonium! I so hope the Olympic experience is as wonderful for Britain in two years time.

Friday, 26 February 2010

Ferry Boat Inn



Could this be the answer Bev? It looks very different in your photo...but then it's over half a century between the pics...I was probably only 18 months old...and if you look carefully at the top pic, you can see Pete baptising me in beach sand!

Monday, 22 February 2010

Images of Cornwall

Lovely few days with excellent weather. Five points for identifying top left picture; only Pete and Chip should get the bottom left - memories from long ago.
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, 14 February 2010

THE FINAL CHAPTER...






















SORRY TO HOG THE BLOG....
1. AN EMPIRE CRUMBLING. (PANANG. GEORGETOWN. )
2. SINGAPORE SLINGERS.
3. A THORN BETWEEN TWO ROSES. PENANG.
4. ME OLD CHINA TOWN. PENANG.
5. STORM IN KUALA LUMPUR. PETRONIS TOWERS.
6. MALAYSIA WELCOME.




THATS ALL FOLKS.


LOTS OF LOVE TO ALL. P & P. X X












EPISODE TWO...






















JUST TO CONTINUE....

1. LADY ROBINSON LEAVES HER YACHT....IN PHUKET.

2. COCHIN..INDIA.

3. THE TELETUBBIES HOUSE. (MUSCAT)

4. A FLOATING THATCHED COTTAGE ! ! (COCHIN )

5. MUSCAT FORT ..BUILT BY JAMIE AND CLARES LOT...

6. MUSCAT..GET THOSE BILGES EMPTIED....( QM2 MAIDEN VISIT )