Golden Moments On Our Travels (1)
A quick look back at Brisbane/Singapore experiences:
We flew from Heathrow on Saturday, 23 March; our flight was scheduled to leave just after 9.00 a.m., so we had a jolly good breakfast first, at The Gorgeous Kitchen, which really lives up to its name.
Once on the plane, we were well fed - usually, I am not keen on in-flight food, but I did enjoy the meals on the leg from London to Singapore, doubtless enhanced by the fact they had a plentiful supply of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars on board! Every time I was offered a cup of tea, I could have it with another bar of chocolate. Bliss. Also on the menu were Singapore Slings, so Wendy enjoyed one of those. I watched one of the films on offer, dozed a bit and slept a bit. Wendy is wonderful: she can sleep anywhere, with her "j" shaped pillow tucked under chin, she snuggles up against the window, and is soon in dreamland.
We arrived in Singapore at 6.20 a.m., and had three hours to wait before our onward flight. I had booked one of the Executive Lounges; this is a really good idea, with facilities to have a shower, get changed, have breakfast and sit in seats that are in no way cramped. (Oh, for the pleasure of turning left as you board the aircraft, eh?!)
Before the clocks went forward to British Summer Time, we were 8 hours ahead in Singapore, and 10 hours ahead of the UK in Brisbane. Wendy kept her watch on English time, so we wouldn't have to stop and think about when would be a good time to ring home and speak to Mum; we were able to keep in touch regularly, and if Mum was up and awake and having a good day, we told her where we were, and what we were doing.
Before the clocks went forward to British Summer Time, we were 8 hours ahead in Singapore, and 10 hours ahead of the UK in Brisbane. Wendy kept her watch on English time, so we wouldn't have to stop and think about when would be a good time to ring home and speak to Mum; we were able to keep in touch regularly, and if Mum was up and awake and having a good day, we told her where we were, and what we were doing.
There was time to visit the butterfly house in the airport - absolutely amazing butterflies flitting around your head, landing on slices of pineapple or other tasty flowers, and such a sense of calm and rest, with a waterfall splashing down in one corner.
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| Butterfly House and Waterfall Changi Airport 24 March 2019 |
Back on the second leg of the journey, I still felt pretty fresh; we had dinner, another sleep (and I watched another film!) until we arrived in Brisbane in the evening.
By the time we had gone through passport control, collected our cases and picked up the car, Wendy - who has done this routine so many times before - said,
"Now: it's Sunday evening, so not much is open; we'll drive straight to the Midtown Mantra Apartments, and check in. Then we'll have a quick visit to MacDonalds, where you can have an apple pie and a hot chocolate - it's much nicer here in Brisbane than in the UK, because they make the whole drink with milk - and then it's back to the apartment to sleep."
We did just that. As soon as we got up to the flat - beautifully appointed, on 26th floor, with wonderful views, including the Wheel of Brisbane - I could see so well why, every time she came out to see him, Uncle John loved spending a holiday with Wendy. When Uncle John joined her, she rented a larger, two bedroomed apartment; she is such a regular visitor, she was always given the same one, on the 28th floor. It was so high up, with fantastic views over the city, and sitting on the balcony gave them the benefit of cool breezes, and no insects!
To make sure everything would be perfectly clean for us when we needed it, Wendy put all the crockery and cutlery into the dishwater and set it going, As soon as it was into its cycle, we walked to MacDonalds for supper; after that, oh, yes, I was seriously ready to get my feet up and have a decent sleep! For a day or so afterwards, I could still feel the movement of the plane underneath my feet.
Come Monday morning, Wendy was up bright and early, and walked to Woolworths (or Coles - I can't remember which!) to get in some provisions for breakfast; after we'd eaten cornflakes and had a cup of tea, we were ready to visit Uncle John.
During the flights from London, one of our main concerns was, how we would get on, once we arrived at Princess Alexandra Hospital the next day? Would we be allowed to know how Uncle John is doing, or would the Enduring Power of Attorney be quoted, to prevent us for having any information?
In the end, we need not have worried. To begin with, the love and warmth we had from the first moment when we saw Uncle John in the ward, made all the effort to fly to him worthwhile. The message had also got through, that Uncle John had already given his permission for us to be told how he was, which made things a lot easier.
We were also helped by another senior nurse, who in turn went to find the Social Worker dealing with Uncle John's case. She was happy to talk to us, and confirmed that the way an Enduring Power of Attorney works, is that it only comes into effect when the Donor (in this case, Uncle John), no longer has full mental capacity. Clearly this is not the case for Uncle John - he is fully in command of all his faculties!
We mentioned how Wendy, when she came back home at the beginning of March, had made a very prescient remark: "You know Mum," she said, "Uncle John could die, and we would never be told!"
Well, at least that won't - or shouldn't - happen now. We were asked to provide all our contact details - names, home addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, and these were all added to Uncle John's file. It is such a relief to have met people who understand how much Uncle John means to us.
To make sure everything would be perfectly clean for us when we needed it, Wendy put all the crockery and cutlery into the dishwater and set it going, As soon as it was into its cycle, we walked to MacDonalds for supper; after that, oh, yes, I was seriously ready to get my feet up and have a decent sleep! For a day or so afterwards, I could still feel the movement of the plane underneath my feet.
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| The view from the 26th floor of our Mantra Midtown apartment |
Come Monday morning, Wendy was up bright and early, and walked to Woolworths (or Coles - I can't remember which!) to get in some provisions for breakfast; after we'd eaten cornflakes and had a cup of tea, we were ready to visit Uncle John.
During the flights from London, one of our main concerns was, how we would get on, once we arrived at Princess Alexandra Hospital the next day? Would we be allowed to know how Uncle John is doing, or would the Enduring Power of Attorney be quoted, to prevent us for having any information?
In the end, we need not have worried. To begin with, the love and warmth we had from the first moment when we saw Uncle John in the ward, made all the effort to fly to him worthwhile. The message had also got through, that Uncle John had already given his permission for us to be told how he was, which made things a lot easier.
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| Uncle John is pleased to see us! At Princess Alexandra Hospital, Monday 25 March 2019 |
We were also helped by another senior nurse, who in turn went to find the Social Worker dealing with Uncle John's case. She was happy to talk to us, and confirmed that the way an Enduring Power of Attorney works, is that it only comes into effect when the Donor (in this case, Uncle John), no longer has full mental capacity. Clearly this is not the case for Uncle John - he is fully in command of all his faculties!
We mentioned how Wendy, when she came back home at the beginning of March, had made a very prescient remark: "You know Mum," she said, "Uncle John could die, and we would never be told!"
Well, at least that won't - or shouldn't - happen now. We were asked to provide all our contact details - names, home addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, and these were all added to Uncle John's file. It is such a relief to have met people who understand how much Uncle John means to us.
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