Skype calling

We seem to have had a purple-patch of skyping or email connection lately with friends and family which is fabulous. Much of the time either one of us is just not on hand at the right time, or we are not feeling energised to write. A blog is a one-way conversation and I know I use it as an excuse not to write personally to people more often (and I kick myself for that). Then all of sudden it seems the planets align and we hear the familiar skype call or something arrives in our inbox out of the blue - last week I went off to work one afternoon with a huge grin on my face just because we had skyped with Mum, Adrian and Judy all in the one morning. Mostly all the updates are good but there is one long time friend up in the Dandenongs who is deep in a battle with pancreatic cancer and our thoughts are going out to her and her family at this time. Robert and Eric taught together at Boronia when Eric first graduated as a teacher. They got on instantly and we soon got to know Marge with whom we shared some wonderful times which are now treasured memories of weekends away canoeing on the Loddon, skiing at Baw Baw, camping at Angelsea or just watching the footy in their lounge room at Mt Dandenong. I got dressed for our wedding in that house. We thought they would never leave that home, even temporarily. Their first ever overseas trip was to visit us in Penang and then they got the bug and more recently spent a few years working in Bahrain. Oh how we take our health for granted! I'm very glad I got to see them just before we moved to Singapore. She already knew her diagnosis at the time but looked fantastic and had a very determined and positive outlook. 

So, it helps put things in perspective. In comparison, my recent knee problems are a breeze. I saw the specialist Thursday and got the all clear to walk without the brace. It feels really weird but oh so much cooler! I'm not going to rush out and tackle every flight of steps I can find just yet but I feel so unfit compared to when we returned from Nepal; got to get back to regular walking as well as the pool walking. I also received a good report from the skin clinic so I'm going to have so much more free time without more medical appointments. 

Eric has found that the resources at his branch are not so available as at Kovan. That's the problem when you switch branches, you know what you're missing! He has spent a bit of time over the last week raiding Kovan's filing cabinets and cd/dvd shelves for copies he knows they should also have on hand. The MAE 2013 Great Race Committee have also had their first meeting. This race has been an annual event until last year when no one was prepared to organise it. Even though I have never participated in one I put up my hand to make it happen this year and coerced Richard and Eric into helping me. June volunteered. We have decided on a starting point and an end point, can't tell you any more details for fear of wikileaks getting a hold of it. Basically teams of 3 or 4 search the island for answers to clues we provide and the winners are the ones who get the most points. We are yet to decide if there will actually be a time bonus and where the final stop will be. Our task now is to get out and do a reconnoiter walk to create questions that can't be answered by sitting in a cafe surfing Google. 

Eric lead the walkers on Monday from our local MRT station along the park connector to Kovan and then cut across to the Japanese Cemetery. 

 war memorial

We finished up at Ang Mo Kio Hub for lunch. We finished with a swim in the pool downstairs. My knee held up well but then I put it to the real test dancing in the aisles at the Carlos Santana concert at the Stadium in the evening. We have both been fans for a long time, Eric saw him at Calder Raceway in 1977, but this is the first time I have ever seen him. 

On Tuesday morning June and I met and began researching Great Race questions which involved quite a bit more walking. Eric did the same at a different location then we met for lunch in Little India and tried out a vegetarian restaurant. This could be considered research for the impeding visit in Nov of my brother Col and partner Beth who are both vegetarians. We can recommend 'Big Bites' to anyone else who is vego inclined too. I seem to have walked out the stiffness from the dancing but don't think I'll walk to dinner tonight, I'll take a bus to Serangoon Gardens instead.