Ex-pat Wife or Have you eaten yet?: Home

A friend emailed to check if I was okay as it's been such a long time since I've written my blog. He was the last person I spoke to, in the airport departure lounge, before I got on the plane to come back. Not to come back home. Home isn't Singapore, it's definitely still London.

My trip was filled with the things and the people I love. The things that define me. Queing for dayseats at the National Theatre, watching plays, protracted cups of tea with friends, walking and enjoying it instead of being sapped by humidity, eating the occasional scone.

I traversed the country. From London to the Lake district where I saw my friend J* being wonderful in a play in Keswick. The next morning we walked around the lake, talking hard as it rained hard. The charcoal clouds hanging low over the hills. The sheep standing patiently, masticating, under trees waiting for the rain to stop.

Then onwards to Edinburgh where my Scottish niblings live. More rain. The Meadows are so flooded that ducks have taken up residence and are paddling there. And so are small children.

Back to London and my American niblings had arrived. As soon as the front door opened my niece L****, one of the twins, took me by the hand and led me inside. “There are toys!” she declared and, conversationally asked, “are you a little girl?”

I saw a lot of theatre. Matilda with the divine Bertie Carvel as Miss Trunchbull. I was expecting to be cross that a man is playing a part that should go to a woman, but he is so, so good. So good. Really inspired.

'Collaborators' and 'The Last of the Haussmans' both at the National. The latter has wonderful performances, but is a disappointing play. My wonderful friend A*** in a beautiful piece of puppet theatre, three small sets, filmed. The audience able to watch the creation of the puppeteers work on a screen as well as them hard at work below. I went to the Royal Court and queued for returns for 'The Witness' and got the last one. I bought plays and have been devouring them here. 'Constellations' is so beautiful if you have the chance to read it.

It did rain a lot. I got out my winter coats. They felt novel and exciting. But I know it's pants for everyone in the UK, such a non summer summer. Though my parents garden is looking lovely. Every dark cloud and all that.

In November I will go to Burma where my grandmother was born and brought up and which she wrote books about. It is the trip I've wanted to go on as long as I can remember and I'm finally going. Between now and then we are going to Bali for a long weekend and to Malaysia with the DFP's family while they are visiting.

I wanted to travel more. Now I am.