Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

Well, by the time I was joined by wakened family the rain was just commencing and the walk did not seem appealing, so in order to maintain doing things together Alice and I spent the morning laid on the bed watching "Enemy at the Gates". We both enjoyed it, which came as a slight surprise but then I realised it had a love angle as well as the fighting. I seem to have been hit by snipers recently having also read two books about them, one fiction and one non.
But after a quick snack lunch and with improved weather we dropped Alistair back at the Condo and set off. I was pleased that he did not spend all the time on virtual games but took out the basketball and had some fun with others at the court, so far below us.

And Alice and I headed for the Botanical Gardens, parking at the main entrance and strolling up to Orchid Gardens. Alice (never one to waste money) demanded to know from the ticket seller if the display was worth it, since it had been a bit bare last time. The poor soul admitted, under Alice's pressure, that in fact he had not been into it. I could quite understand this although Alice seemed a little surprised. I had a minor disappointment based upon the fact that if I was a year older I could have paid S$1 instead of the S$5 for my ticket. Alice of course must wait quite a bit longer to benefit in this way.

Unusually I allowed myself into being persuaded to have my photo taken, but although taking some of Alice with the orchids I felt that this was a bit "girly" and stuck to a green, stream, lean and mean theme; regretably I could not manage to look lean and also had a smile hence missing out on the mean as well. Anyway we definitely found the place better than the last time we went, and came out ready for a quick cold beer (for me although Alice did have one sip) and softie. Then we walked around the swan lake, amongst other things chatting about whether being minus the youngest son was good or bad. Some years ago Alice had noted that having a child with us prevented other's thoughts dropping us into the "old westerner grabbing young Asian girlfriend" category. I still sometimes worry about this but Alice assures me that once she hit 40 she stopped thinking that way. I am duty bound not to say when that major waystation was hit (but it was very recent!). Just to remind ourselves of how it was when Alistair was young I got this shot of Alice with a statue kid catching minnows. And much as we love Alistair he is commencing the surly stage of adolescence and sometimes it is nice not to have a trailing person seemingly capable only of saying "I'm bored, I'm really bored. It's all just so boring"; which by the thirty fifth repetition or thereabouts is becoming rather boring to us also.

So we just enjoyed being together, the enormous grin for which Alice is so well known arriving, on this occasion as I asked her to stand by the lamp-post, aiming for a picture with the avenue of trees behind her. Whereupon she shot off to the nearest tree and found me standing pointing the camera in a wholly different direction. It's quite amazing how much fun I can have just being with her, but I guess that's marriage, isn't it?

So, as the Kinks said, we were able to have a splendid lazy Sunday afternoon and I look forward to the next, especially since next weekend includes, unfortunately, my alternate working Saturday .