At the airport

Had an early morning walk as we’ll be inactive otherwise today.

Straightforward check-in at airport.

Happy memories!

Last day

Everyone emerged about 10 am by which time the day is well and truly hot. The girls are grumpy. 

MF and I leave to walk out to the Deli and find a truly wonderful cafe specialising in coffee - the best by far that we have had in the Philippines. 

It is very much a cash economy here at anything smaller than a supermarket or department store.

Back for some puzzle time and painting with the girls. They follow this with a swim then lunch. 

Meanwhile, MF & I go off to the Mall (yet again!) to get a gift voucher for Kathryn for her birthday in April. Plus some sandwiches for the flight home tomorrow.

Notch up a bit over 3.5 kms. No early morning walk today as I woke too late at 7 am - too hot by then.

More puzzles then we walk to the park about 4 pm; still hot. There is a slight breeze as we leave to return home.

Out to dinner tonight! Pack before we go.

Have walked 5 kms.

Rock Climbing

Clocked up 4.5 kms walk this morning. Same as yesterday plus a little more along Aries Street which had a mix of amazing homes (there seems to be some Chinese influence in some of the architecture) plus some derelict ones that look like they’d be rat-infested. Past the signs pointing to the Earthquake Evacuation Centre. 

Back and forth along Libra Street, Zodiac, Solar, Aquarius, etc.; haven’t come across Gemini yet 😀. Total yesterday ended up being 8 kms so, early days yet.

Pretty frangipanis in all colours. 

Had to urge the girls out of bed but once I suggested rock climbing at BFC, enthusiasm picked up markedly.

We walked to the exit to book our Grab rather than bother with getting the Grab through security and traffic was congested as expected. Nevertheless, we arrived with plenty of time to have an ice-cream as the rock-climbing didn’t start until Noon.

Unfortunately the guy for the rock-climbing didn’t turn up and I think the outdoor shop had to call him. 3/4 of an hour later … but he was a super sweet young guy and he took the girls through their paces.

We spent an hour here and then did lunch followed by some shopping.

Grabbed a Grab and arrived home somewhat weary (we walked from security as they wouldn’t let the Grab in).

The girls are jumping in and out of the pool. Such energy!

Walked over 9 kms.

Well, actually. Make that 12 kms.

After a rest, the others headed out for dinner. We were feeling like we’d eaten enough but we dif have left-over pasta from lunch so we heated that and felt revived enough to call up the others and say we’d join them.

It was a brisk walk - pleasant because the temperature by 7 pm has dropped and there was a nice breeze.

Had a yummy cocktail as the others finished their meal and then played chasies in the park outside; I was hoping I wouldn’t have a heart attack! Then long walk back - not all the way as they had the car parked near the security exit.

Manila is pretty at night.

Cup Cakes

Up early. Kathryn arrived home about 4:30 am from Thailand.

I manage to squeeze a 4 km walk out of the neighbourhood. Some streets actually have a small incline so I walked down these and back up again in reverse proceeding laterally across the upper and lower extremities so as to get variety as well as exercise.

Yayas are out in force washing cars, sweeping the footpaths, walking dogs.

Very pleasant in the cool morning as the sun goes higher.

After breakfast, I decide to tackle the larder to impose some order. I am also looking for ingredients for cupcakes.

So the girls are somewhat at odds this morning. Nothing pleases them. And they don’t want to go out claiming it is too hot. They are right about that.

Eventually we agree that Nonna and Poppa will go get eggs and icing sugar (we find a dozen in the fridge later …) and there is no icing sugar at the supermarket … 

After lunch we tackle the cakes which are strawberry cupcakes so we use up some of the frozen berries from yesterday.

We put on lemon icing (Kathryn locates the icing sugar in the larder when she emerges: it is in a box I am unfamiliar with). And the girls cut up sour strips for decoration.

All in all, very successful.

Although we haven’t tasted them yet!

They are now playing hide and seek with Jane (MF has gone to ground with a can in his hand, his expertise using the mixmaster having exhausted him…).

I feel terrible just walking away from all the cleaning up, leaving Jane to it; can see how you’d get used to it!

In the kitchen

Regis left about 6:30 to be driven somewhere a couple of hours north of Manila for a meeting. Kathryn still in Thailand.

Jane arrives and starts tackling housework as she is the only yaya today.

The girls emerge.

I go for a walk and am lucky as the sun has disappeared temporarily and there is a breeze so it is quite pleasant. Most of the streets are no-through as they are blocked, there being just 3 exits. There are some very expensive-looking homes and expensive cars. There are also some very rundown and abandoned places that look like they have been quite splendid in the past. 

Someone has decorated the sidewalk outside their home with an impressive set of bonsai.

I notice as I walk the neighbourhood that the yayas even walk the owners’ pets!

So my plan for today is to get the girls to do a shopping list in order to prepare something in the kitchen. Sophie decides on icecream which necessitates berries - and white sugar which is not in the pantry. I decide that as we need only 2 tablespoons that when we go to the mall we will have a coffee and purloin some sugar sachets (as I’m guessing Kathryn doesn’t want white sugar in the house? The girls are always looking at sugar content in recipes …).

Sophie also decides on a chicken / roll type recipe for lunch snd fortunately I had noted there was roasted chicken where we bought the hot dish for lunch yesterday.

The girls had the yummiest mango and strawberry shakes at the mall while nona and poppa have coffee (and secrete sugar sachets into my bag …).

Then the roast chicken. Then the berries.

Now, a punnet of strawberries was 833 pesos. Yes 833! Which is over $A22. And that was for 500g and we needed 2 punnets so frozen berries were the order of the day at 250 pesos a packet (=$A6 +). So, a ‘no-brainer’ really. 

A detour via the park on the way home with nonna the designated ‘monster’ chasing down the girls. Oh to be a Younger Nonna!

We follow the recipe in Sophie’s book for the chicken rolls and make a sauce with garlic, curry, cilantro, onion, yoghurt, etc. - making substitutions from the larder when we can’t find things. The chicken came with a gravy in containers and is disgusting compared to the home-made sauce.

After lunch we launch into icecream-making.

We have not long finished when the piano teacher arrives - one and half hours early!!!! Just as well we are home …

The rest of the day passes; I encourage Jane to participate more as she has had a peripheral relationship with the girls today.

Dinner - and ice-cream, which is really gelato. Yum.

Looking for avocados

It is sultry. Nothing new.

Jane is due to arrive to do Kid Stuff. The kids have planned first up to go to the park: this is on the new weekly planner I bought them yesterday and so we all set off (after Jane first of all tames Niah’s unruly hair into a neat ponytail).

We leave them at the park and use an exit from the gated community that we haven’t done on foot before. The sentry is very chatty and asks about life in Australia; everyone here seems to be familiar with the fact that there are lots of Filipinos working in Australia. 

There is (yet another) Starbucks outside this exit but Regis has said the coffee at the Deli opposite is good. It is.

We also find the cilantro (coriander) he has asked for but there are no avocados. There is a shower of rain whilst we have our coffee which is good timing and it has cleared by the time we set off again.

We head off to the mall we have been frequenting and it takes us 3 more shops and 5.5 kms of walking to find ripe avocados.

Can you believe they take their pet dogs for walks in strollers and prams and even put diapers on them????!!!!

We buy a fried pork dish (liberally garnished with chilli pieces) and arrive back just in time for 2 hungry girls. Lunch is ‘a hit’.

Afterwards, Niah enjoys playing Lego with poppa but the Slime activity involving Jane and Sophie doesn’t appear to have been much of a success and so she has retired to her room to read.

I have my second shower of the day.

Puzzles with Sophie then a walk with her to the park. 

School Holidays

I enjoy the cool of the early morning having breakfast and reading in the kitchen. Bong arrives to drive Regis to work.

Jane - a fill-in yaya from another family - arrives. She tackles the detritus gathered over the course of the weekend.

We do arts and crafts then at lunchtime head out to the mall. First question asked is “Are we driving?”. Second is when I say “No” is “Why not?” to which my answer is “Because we can’t drive a car here”.

“Oh”. So it is a novelty to walk; we have lunch out;  we do all floors of the mall, looking at shops and finally (!) ice-cream for them and coffee for us. 

Then we walk home: to which the girls say “That’s a big day”! (We have done 5-6 kms).

The yaya has transformed the house!