The Last Post

So it seems quite fitting that what may be the conclusion of this four year journal of a military family happens in the second week of November, a sombre time of remembrance.

We are now living back in the UK after our overseas adventure. We have been back three weeks and are starting to recover from the 17 hour flight, the acute jet lag, climatic change and a new house, not to mention being reunited with our many things from storage!

It is a time of mixed emotions - we are happy to be amongst our loved ones once more (mostly!), as well as our friends and acquaintances from over the years, plus being able to frequent shops and places we know well while speaking our own language freely without confusion is a boon. But it is sad to think our warm and comfortable life in Brunei is over for good and we will miss some of the people there very much.

Autumn in England has brought with it many joys; the colour of the trees, the satisfying crunch of a leaf on the pavement yesterday was a pleasure as I took the pram around the village after the school run. We attended our first bonfire and fireworks party with the children last night, prior to which it took some convincing Woozles to wear enough clothes for the cold weather - she eventually got the message!

We are also finding progress very frustrating. The move seems to have done for our brain cells and sense of organisation. Knowing where anything lives remains a huge burden. Boxes are piled high in half the rooms of the house, sorting those is not an easy task with a six month old baby in the midst of a developmental leap.

If I am honest there is also a sense of come down, a sense of 'is this it?'. Will life consist of just work, shopping, walking the dog and pottering for the rest of our lives? I guess, and hope, there will be other adventures around the corner... As my dear Mum said "life begins at 40". So perhaps that will be the next blog.

For now it is Auf Wiedersehen or should I say Selamat tinggal. Thank you for reading!

A walk on the wild side ...

Here is a glimpse into some of the fabulous wildlife we have encountered during our stay on Borneo, particularly within Brunei and even our local district.

Monitor lizard and human tracks in the mud

Water monitor Varanus salvator

Pitcher plants are insectivorous species adapted to growing in low nutrient soils. Pitchers of various shapes and sizes and with different features to enable insect capture are found on sandy soils in Brunei and the two most common ones are shown here.

Nepenthes gracilis

Nepenthes rafflesiana

This is one of the common species of dragonfly (sometimes known as orange skimmer) found around our local area.

Orthetrum testaceum

Hornbills are delightful large birds, somewhat ungainly in flight. This time of year they gather around the coast, presumably to pair up prior to the breeding season (during which time the female nests inside a tree trunk and is fed by the male). The male is closest in the picture and has a larger bill.

Oriental pied hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris

There are now large numbers of macaques living around the human settlements in this part of Brunei and can often be seen on road verges and other grassy areas where they rake the vegetation to look for insects.

Long-tailed macaque Macaca fascicularis

As I mentioned in an earlier post (Brunei beasties) I was hoping to photograph some otters but owing to family commitments and prioritisation of sleep (!) I have not been able to dedicate enough early hours at the Sungei to achieve this.

All photographs are Copyright Leila Griffiths 2014.

Saying Goodbye to Brunei

Only one month left in this slice of paradise! So it is time to share all the little aspects of life that have made this posting a good one, and some of the things we are looking forward to back in Blighty.

Things I will really miss

Sunny blue skies over terracotta roofs and palm trees

Swimming and dining al fresco

Being able to hop on a plane for a couple of hours and reaching an exotic destination in South East Asia

Tropical fruit and vegetables at very reasonable prices

Food with lots of flavour; Thai curry, satay, mango chicken, spring rolls.

Infinite variety of juices, smoothies and frappes.

Tropical rainstorms (though the overhead lightning that zaps the router you can keep, ta very much)

Safe open spaces for children playing out, sitting in the trees with my lovely neighbours, feeling the breeze

The monkeys, hornbills, dragonflies and monitor lizards. Truly exotic.

Regular bursts of UV on my skin eradicating all but the most stubborn patches of psoriasis

Being able to wear flip flops 365 days a year. No coat required!

Things I will NOT miss

Mosquitoes and sand flies*, sometimes these specks of horror even dare to come into my house! [*Sand flies for those who have not had the pleasure are found at the beach and are extremely heinous little insects, inflicting bites on any bare flesh which not only do not stop itching within a day or two, they actually get worse, causing untold misery, intolerable itching and ugly scabs].

Public toilets. Enough said.

Feeling like an outsider for being Western

Absence of key food items in the shops. Carrots for example.

The lack of urgency found in government buildings, in fact many places. And I speak with a`modicum of understatement when I say it took 4 months and more than a couple of visits to secure Fly South Jr's duplicate birth certificates. Well we can't just pop back can we? And nothing is possible online of course.

The searing heat and humidity of scorching days. Utterly strength-sapping. Phew.

The thought of a cobra getting in the car or pram. Makes one super vigilant.

Having to wait until 4pm to contact family, friends and businesses in the UK, when there are tired children and we want to eat dinner.

Storm drains. Stinky. Hazardous. A real downer for ball games.

Things I can't wait to experience again in the UK

Online grocery shopping. I had an email from Ocado cunningly entitled 'We have a you-shaped hole in our life..'. Actually I think it might have been the other way round.

Food glorious food. Number one craving is smooth brussels pate. Also organic fruit and dairy products, gluten-free products, things with no added sugar. Fresh salad that doesn't rot or go mouldy on the second day in your house. Endless choice.

Good British TV drama and comedy

Proper seasons; autumn leaves, cold crisp days, spring flowers

Family gatherings, get-togethers with friends, holidays in the UK, walks in the fresh air

Traditional country pubs, especially those with open fires. Dinner with a tasty glass of wine

Pavements that accommodate prams. Public footpaths and open access land

Things that might take some getting used to again

Going out for food or entertainment to find the place is heaving - crowds of people who all had the same thought

Paying top whack for petrol and parking

Traffic queues and being beeped at, I may have lost the knack of urban driving.

The hustle and bustle of modern life, no more lazy weekends with nothing to do til lunchtime!

Having to take all holidays in term time, I gather it is so expensive we will only be able to afford camping in Wales in January.

~ That's it til next time. So what else has changed? Answers on a postcard.

More moving mayhem

It's that time again folks; boxes, boxes and bubble wrap. Though not so much of the latter as we are trying to save space in order to bring back 'one or two items' acquired locally ... so we are wrapping with clothes, stuffing with teddies and using every available inch! We were quoted £525 for every cubic metre exceeding our entitlement so space is money!

This will be Woozles' fifth house in five years so it is fair to say we are used to moving, however that doesn't mean that I enjoy it any the more. There are lots of perks to being an army spouse, but frequent moves is not one of them. This blog notes some of the lighter aspects of being a military spouse Ten signs you are married to the military.

Selamat Hari Raya

So this month Bruneians have been observing Ramadhan, and as mentioned in one of my previous posts, Syriah law has been tightened up here* so this year no eating in public during daylight hours was allowed by any citizen and all restaurants could only serve takeaway food. This has had quite an impact on our activities as you can imagine I am not much for staying up late at the moment! Apparently nursing mothers and children are exempt but I still panicked when I momentarily forgot and was scoffing chocolate peanuts outside the Naafi (got to eat when you can with a growing baby boy who dislikes being put down). The end of Ramadhan is marked by a public holiday known as Hari Raya, when we were invited to an open house. The custom is to turn up and eat lots of confectionery - Woozles was even provided with a tupperware box of goodies on departure (cakeaway!) and another red envelope similar to Chinese New Year.

Passports are now returned from the UK so we can have our last trip away next month before all our possessions are shipped once more around the world (and for the last time?!). As part of Woozles school holiday and our staycation we have enjoyed a few outings and had a day in Miri last week buying souvenirs and seeing the sights.

We have also been introducing Fly South Jr to the water and he seems to enjoy it!

* I did mention in an earlier post that there were likely to be changes to the dress code. So far no specific guidance has been issued other than to show the customary respect at mosques so we have not had to change our typical attire as yet.

Second baby: in summary

This blog post is a neat summary of what happens when you have your second child.

The most poignant part for me is this ~

'The first child: I wanted to hold her all the time, she was my first.

The next one: I want to hold her all the time, she is my last. '

Two kids, two cats and only two hands

Well it seemed like a good idea at the time! Only kidding, Fly South Jr is now seven weeks old and we are starting to settle into our happy new and busier life with 'one of each', both human and feline. Cat jealousy and vet treatment aside, things are going reasonably well. The heat of the tropics is a real boon for settling baby into his naps and the slow pace of life means I haven't had to rush around when I should be resting.

Here is the little monkey in his jungle chair at 5 weeks old

We were told our fate this week: we return to the UK in October after almost 4 years overseas. While this is a very welcome new posting and we will be supremely happy to be amongst family and friends again, I for one will be a little sad to leave our warm and comfortable life here; the small community with safe outdoor play spaces between the houses, minimal crime, blue skies, tropical fruits and abundant travel opportunities not to mention the excellent school and frequent swimming sessions for Woozles.

Time to enjoy the last few months of our peaceful life before we head back to the rat race. Whether we get any more holidays before we go is in the hands of the UK Passport Agency, as although we sent off Junior's form (and photo!) as soon as we could after birth, the recent news of colossal backlogs is not very heartening!