SJI, UWC Dover, The Canadian International School and more

I've now arrived in London after a busy second week in Singapore.  On Tuesday I spent the day teaching writing at St Joseph's International School with the students from Year 5 and Year 2.  The children were delightful and they produced some great work over the course of the day.  SJI is a relatively new school but is extremely well resourced and in the secondary school is attended by many local students as well as expat children. I went there last time I was in Singapore and was really taken by the warmth and professionalism of Louise and Deidre, the Head and Deputy Head of the Junior School.  It was great to go back again.  One of the teachers presented me with a card from her niece who lives in the UK, telling me of her love of Alice-Miranda - it's so lovely when things like that happen.

Wednesday saw me at UWC Dover where I was working with Year 3 and the fabulous librarian Pamela Males.  Again I had met Pam last time I was in Singapore and really loved the feeling at UWC.  I had a ball working with the Grade 3 students and their teachers (equivalent of Year 4 Australia).  The children produced some great writing too.

Pam's library displays are fabulous and you can't help feel very welcome when there are whole walls dedicated to your visit.

On Wednesday night Sarah and I met up with Dave Seow and we headed down to Clarke Quay for dinner and a walk.  Dave is so much fun to spend time with and he and Sarah then arranged to take a walk to the Botanic Gardens on Thursday morning.  We ate at a place called Indochine - Thai inspired food so a little different to what we had been eating at other times.

The area around Clarke Quay used to be quite down at heel but now it's a bustling hub of activity with lots of places to eat and other entertainment on offer.  There's a reverse bungy for the more adventurous (not me that night) and you can also take trips along the river from there in one of the traditional boats.

After Clarke Quay we caught a taxi over to Little India to see the lights for Deepavali (or Divali as we more commonly say in Australia).  They were so pretty.  Little India is busy, and has the most amazing smells - with so many great restaurants it will definitely be on my list of places to eat next time I'm in Singapore.

There is a department store there called Mustafa's which is the only 24 hour department store in the city.  We didn't get there though because after a week of wearing the same shoes (which are usually quite comfortable but by this stage were having a rebellion against the humidity), my feet were so swollen that walking was proving very difficult.  Next time.

Thursday was a busy day with four sessions at the Canadian International School - two at the very beautiful purpose built Lakeside Campus and two at the older and smaller Tanjong Katong Campus.  Both were fabulous and I had such a warm welcome from Lisa and Isabel the Junior School Librarian and Head of Library at Lakeside - which has one of the most incredible librarians I have every seen.  Set over two floors it's literally breathtaking.  The 500 seat theatre where I talked to the children was right beside the library and is a magnificent facility too.

I was telling Lisa that there was possibly a student there who I had met on my previous visit to Singapore.  I couldn't remember the little girl's name but her mother is an Australian diplomat.  I couldn't believe it when I picked one of the children to come out the front and do some drama and the little girl said, 'you've met me before - I'm

Sasha.'  Seriously what were the chances of that happening in an audience of 500.  She was stunningly good at the role too - I haven't heard a piercing scream that loud in years!

We had a delicious lunch in the cafeteria where the school was hosting visiting chefs.  I had chicken pad Thai.  The cafeteria is huge too and it was great to see lots of the older students dressed up for Halloween.  There had been a Halloween dance the night before too which is apparently always fantastic.

The Tanjong Katong Campus is not too far away.  The librarian, Audrey had arrived in the position from Canada in August and told me she was struggling with the heat a little - I can imagine, seeing that the school is set over four storeys and there is no lift.  I was struggling too by the time we reached the classroom at the top.  Audrey was lovely and very excited about my visit.

I talked with a much smaller group of children but certainly no less enthusiastic.  They were fabulous and it was a fitting end to the tour.  While I was giving the talk there was a huge thunderstorm - the clap of thunder and lightning made me leap into the air which gave the kids a good giggle.

Cheryle and I then headed back to Bookaburra to sign some more books and complete some orders.  I have been so thrilled with the book sales on this trip and apparently the book fair at the local school, CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity was something to behold.

Sarah and David had a great walk to the Botanic Gardens and saw the orchids, which I hope to get to next time I'm there. 

Wonderful Cheryle drove Sarah and me to the airport where we had a fabulous dinner before saying goodbye to Sarah who was catching a very late plane home to Sydney and I was going to another terminal to meet Ian before heading to London.

I have really fallen in love with Singapore.  It's a beautiful place, safe and lots to do, with amazing people and an enviable lifestyle.  I can't wait to go back again and will be planning a longer trip probably around the same time next year.

It was great to see my gorgeous husband as he got off the plane from Sydney about 9pm.  We had a while to wait before we boarded for London.  The flight was just that way I like it - uneventful and I managed to sleep quite well - I'm definitely getting better at that.

We arrived in London at 5.15am and met up with Charlotte, one of the fabulous publicists from RHUK.  We went to breakfast at a stunning place called Daylesford - a café in Pimlico.  The shop is gorgeous and is quite like a farm shop that you'd find outside of London.  The food was beautiful although there was some unexpected excitement when one of the light globes exploded overhead, showering glass all over the place.  Fortunately we were sitting away but I felt for the two women  who were almost underneath it.  It was a bit of a shock.

Ian and I then went for a walk to Victoria Station and down towards Buckingham Palace.  We were trying to adjust to the time zone and climate.  It was quite mild for this time of year - about 13 degrees.  We decided to have a look through the Palace Mews and met some of the Queen's beautiful horses and saw the carriages, cars and the facilities of the working stables adjacent to the palace.  The gold coronation coach is something to see - it's over 400 years old and has been used for every coronation since it was built.  It weighs four tonnes and they have to spend about three days taking the room apart in order to get it out of the stables.

 

We arrived at the RH flat just after 1pm and spent the next few hours getting organised for the week ahead.  I managed to stay awake most of the afternoon and get a good night's sleep.  Today was grey to begin with but the sun is now shining and Ian reported that it's not too cold out either.  I've been catching up on emails and the blog and am about to start the final page proofs for Alice-Miranda In Japan.  Tonight I am so excited that we are going to see Matilda the Musical.  A full report to come!

Chatsworth East, Tanglin, a SCWBI dinner, sightseeing, CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity Singapore and lunch!

I've been a little slow with the blogging the past few days as I had a book to finish last Thursday and have been enjoying a weekend off doing some sightseeing.  I had a wonderful visit to Chatsworth East School on Thursday for just over an hour and met a fantastic group of students and teachers.  Sadly I didn't get any photographs, as their displays were amazing and I felt so wonderfully welcome.  I am looking forward to working with the school again next year.

I got back to the hotel just on 11am and spent the next 7 hours working on Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box before a delicious dinner with Cheryle Hum, then back to work until midnight to get the book off to my publisher.  I really wanted to have a free weekend as my sister Sarah was arriving on Friday evening.  On our way out, Cheryle took me around to Bookaburra, her shop in The Forum where I met a lovely little girl called Alex who had come especially to have a book signed.  She and her family have just moved to Singapore from Melbourne.  It was really special to meet her.

I spent Friday at Tanglin Trust School, which is beautiful.  The library is gorgeous and again the displays were amazing.  I had a wonderful time talking to the Year 3 and 4 students throughout the day.  The school is incredibly well resourced and the teacher's lounge is extremely comfortable.  The food was stunning - you'd never bring lunch from home if you worked there!  Celeste Fisher, the Junior School librarian was a boarder at Ravesnwood, one of the schools near me at home.  She made me feel so welcome and I'm looking forward to visiting Tanglin again in the future.

On Friday night I was really excited to be catching up with the SCWBI Singapore group.  Dave Seow came to collect me at the hotel with another writer Emma, who is working on a junior fiction series.  We drove down to Jumbo Seafood opposite Clarke Quay on the river.  It was a balmy evening with a breath of wind that kept the humidity down and the temperature just about perfect.  I met Catherine Carvell and her husband, other authors, Evelyn and Simon and it was lovely to see Sarah Mounsey again.  I do apologise for not remembering everyone's surnames!  The group is so welcoming and supportive of one another.  It was a real pleasure to spend time with everyone.  Poor Catherine was worried about my seafood allergy but I managed to get through dinner without a hitch.  Several members of the group are published or soon to be published (Catherine has a book coming out with Fremantle Press next year) and it's wonderful to hear their excitement for one another's successes.

My sister Sarah arrived just before I got back to the hotel.  Saturday morning we decided to go to Vivocity which is right opposite Sentosa.  It's an enormous shopping mall and has a great range of restaurants too.  We wandered around and I even managed to buy a top which is slightly miraculous given I seem to be of gigantic proportions here!  This is Sarah outside the Toy Shop with the giant Lego Merlion.

I also managed to order Ian a new sports jacket and pants from the tailor he used in February - a lovely man who remembered as soon as I walked in the door that I was 'Mr Ian's wife.'

Cheryle Hum took Sarah and I to dinner at Jade Palace Restaurant on Saturday evening.  It was delicious. The food here is outstanding. 

On Sunday Sarah and I played proper tourists and took the open top bus tour (two of them in fact).  It was great - really got my bearings better for the city and saw some places I hadn't been to before.  We stopped for a late lunch at Marina Bay Sands and then went to the top of the hotel to have a look at the view.  We had drinks and enjoyed watching the thunder clouds rolling in over the sea from west of Indonesia.  Afterwards we spent some time in Orchard Road where I became completely disillusioned about my enormous size.  Sarah is tiny and fits into so many of the beautiful things.  Me on the other hand, not so much! 

I did find my books in Kinokuniya which was exciting!

Today Cheryle took me to one of the local schools, CHIK Our Lady of the Nativity in Upper Serangoon Rd.  I had really been looking forward to it as it was going to be one of the largest audiences I've spoken to - 1500 girls and their teachers.  The librarian Mrs Tan was lovely and the hall was huge!  The fans were enormous too - she told us they were called Big Ass Fans and sure enough when we looked up that was the name on the fan!

The girls were so receptive and laughed in all the right places.  I was thrilled with the two girls who were chosen to participate in the drama activity too - they were amazing.  Such expressive faces and great timing.

This afternoon Sarah and I had lunch with Dave Seow and his mother Eileen.  They are so lovely and both of them tell the funniest (true) stories.  Mrs Seow took us to Paradise Dynasty in the ION building, which Ian and I tried to get into last time we were here but the line was so long.  The food was fabulous and the company excellent.  We then walked home to the Seow's house which is in a beautiful neighbourhood off Orchard Rd where there are rows of heritage protected townhouses.  While we were there a mighty thunderstorm hit and the rain belted down, the lightning forked and the thunder boomed for at least an hour.  But it was no bother as Sarah and I were both far too interested listening to Dave and his mum.

For dinner we met one of Sarah's friends, Cass at Newton Food Market.  Ian and I had been there last visit and it was just as much fun the second time around.  It was great to meet Cass too.

Tomorrow I am off early to St Joseph's International School for workshops all day with Year 6 and Year 2.  I suspect Sarah might do some more shopping.

Singapore October Tour - Day 1 Australian International School

I arrived in Singapore last night after a smooth flight  - definitely the type I like the best.  Cheryle Hum from Bookaburra picked me up at the airport which was incredibly kind - particularly as I arrived at 10pm.  It wasn't quite as much of a shock walking out of the airconditioning into the humidity as the first time we were here in February, and it probably helped that I came from hot Australia and not chilly London. 

When I arrived at the hotel there was a beautiful basket of flowers, chocolates and cheese in my room from RHA - so thoughtful and a lovely welcome. 

I think I got to bed about 3.30am Sydney time suffice to say that I'm a little bit tired tonight and writing a blog post rather than working on the last couple of thousand words of Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box.

It was an early start too, not wanting to risk getting caught in the traffic.  I headed off at 7.30am to AIS Singapore.  It's a huge school and a great success story as they celebrate 20 years this year.  Jo Anne Ward is the lovely Primary Teacher librarian who looked after me as I worked with students from Year 3-5 in three separate workshops.  The library display was amazing - last time I was here it was incredible too thanks to the brilliance of Library Assistant Carole Gillon.  I certainly felt very welcome.  I also met the Head of Library, Linda Twitchett.  It's a fabulous team.

I had a terific time with the students.  Lots of enthusiastic writers with great ideas.  Many of them come from Australia although I'm sure there are numerous other countries represented.  It's funny when you ask some of the kids where they come from in Australia they can't remember as they left when they were very young.  One little girl told me she was from Sydney, somewhere in the country, around New South Wales :)  This expat life is an interesting one and certainly there are teachers who come up here and stay on forever.  It seems there is a fabulous community spirit and lots of opportunities for fellow Aussies to get together on a regular basis.

This afternoon I caught up with Chris and Maria from Avondale International Grammar School.  It was lovely to see Chris again and meet Maria for the first time and I'm looking forward to spending time at Avondale again next year.