On 7th April, Circuit Breaker came into force. 80% of the workforce are now working from home and the use of public transport and traffic volume has decreased by more than 70%. To prevent the spread of the virus free masks have been distributed and on Wednesday 15th April, it became compulsory to wear them… Continue reading…
On Tuesday, Circuit Breaker came into effect in Singapore to contain Covid-19. The government’s resolve to impose stay at home rules was enshrined in the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020, but that has not stopped the steady rise in cases, a significant number of which sprang from foreign workers dormitories. As at June 2019, there were 981,000… Continue reading…
Singapore has finally entered the Lockdown Olympics 2020. The announcement came yesterday during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s address to the nation; “We used to see fewer than 10 new cases a day but in the last two weeks, despite our best efforts, we have routinely had more than 50 new cases daily.” Efforts at… Continue reading…
It’s weird having a foot in two camps at the moment. Whilst it’s comforting to live in a country geared up to tackle COVID 19, it’s dreadful to see it run wild in those that weren’t. Even here, the government is preparing for a hike in numbers as around 200,000 Singaporean students return home from… Continue reading…
Hello and welcome to this post. I was delighted to learn that book clubs are reading Blood and Bandages, so I thought I’d suggest some questions. Book club questions What do you think happened to Mary and why? 2. With which character did you most identify and why? 3. Would you have understood William’s story without,… Continue reading…
On 11th November, the BBC broadcast a moving and important documentary called Gary Lineker: My Grandad’s War. It had been commissioned from Wall to Wall Media and told the story of Gary Lineker‘s grandad, Stanley Abbs, who had served as a nursing orderly in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Italy in World War Two… Continue reading…
Life as an expat is mixed. You have the excitement of sights that broaden your mind… challenge your faith… transfix… shame… and surprise. Upon arrival, we were embraced by the English speaking expat community and automatically included by dint of being there. It’s a community which includes, English, American, Australian and Dutch, all of whom… Continue reading…
Well, my resolve to write a fortnightly blog has failed miserably and I apologise for going AWOL. How many times have you heard that?! This week is one of celebrations. On Saturday 12th May, it was William Earl’s 103rd Birthday. In case you have not met William before, he is the hero of Blood and… Continue reading…
We have been in Singapore for exactly three months now and have spent the last two in our new home. Our new home, a rented bungalow on the former RAF Camp at Seletar We took possession half an hour before the container turned up from the docks. Last time I saw this, it was on… Continue reading…
Today is the start of the Chinese New Year. Here in Singapore, it is marked with a two day national holiday. It’s being celebrated by the majority of the population as the Chinese account for 76% of the inhabitants in this multicultural city-state. The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the Chinese calendar… Continue reading…