A guest editorial...

Hi all, Nigel typing today.

Thought a contribution from me was overdue although a disclaimer before I begin: I suspect my literary style isn’t quite up to the standards established by my lovely wife thus far. J but I’ll give it a shot.

This weekend has been a milestone in a number of ways. The search for a house into which to move has moved from ‘the hunt’ to ‘the negotiation’. The details are in the capable hands of the admin staff at school who handle the intricacies of the Philippine legal framework, which weaves a web of intrigue around even the simplest thing. For example, the process of moving from a condo (apartment) into a house is governed by a 37 step process, each step of which will no doubt involve various forms signed the standard seven times plus a thumbprint for good measure (well I might be exaggerating a little…)

Secondly, after dragging Joanna around the city looking at a couple of vehicles which weren’t really us, I came up with the idea of deciding on the type of vehicle we wanted by going to a dealership – then buying privately afterwards. We’ve settled on a Toyota Tamaraw Revo, which is classed as an AUV (Asian Utility Vehicle) – named after the indigenous water buffalo of the Philippines…. I prefer the name it has in Indonesia – Kijang – which at least is a deer.. somewhat more graceful. But here this is THE family vehicle of choice… so hopefully by tomorrow, all inspections going well, we will be mobile without being subject to the whims of Manila taxi drivers.

Thirdly, yesterday we found a veritable Garden of Eden in the form of the La Mesa Ecopark. It was a bit of a trek out to the northern edge of Manila but worthwhile – a clean, VERY green

forested area with picnic areas, play equipment, a fitness trail (we didn’t make it all the way round… well we stopped after 20 m….) a huge bank of flowers, something we didn’t investigate called an orchidarium… and a boating lagoon. We’ll definitely be back – the large swimming pool setup was wonderful – no city noises or smells, and surrounded by tropical forest. The kids were something of an attraction with the locals – but it wasn’t too packed and we were able to relax. A valuable recharge!

I’m obviously working too hard – can’t get away from the old three point essay even here…. Thanks for reading!