Philippines British Friendship Day

On Friday it was the highlight of Philippine British Friendship week at the British school. All week the kids have been doing fun things like riding in Jeepneys and an imported London black cab and Phia's loved every minute of it. She was so excited as on Friday as all the kids had to go into school in national costume. We tossed a coin to see if she'd go British or Filipino and Fil won!

Return to the UK

We're loving life in the Philippines, Paul is back where he grew up, surrounded by family and his oldest friends and for me and the girls every day is an adventure.

However... we always knew our stay here wouldn't be forever and we've decided to return to the UK in April. We've booked our flights and started to tell all our friends. We're so lucky to be able to have lived in several countries but It's very bittersweet as we feel torn every time we leave somewhere. We have also made some fantastic friends in Manila that we will be GUTTED to leave, and now the challenge is on to enjoy every last minute we have in the city - knowing us that shouldn't be too hard ;-)

Boracay

Boracay - My favourite Place in the world

Some people are addicited to cigarettes or drugs, me i'm addicited to Boracay, it's paradise on earth. Ever since we arrived in the Phillipines in July we've been trying to organise a trip there, we finall got our act together in Jan and as it was my dad was in the Philippines for his birthday we took my parents there for a few days on the beach, we all loved every minute of it, her are a few pics...
Paul and Phia on the beach

View from the sun lounger

After swimming with the fish on the reef we bought Sophia an ice cream from a passing boat
Coming back from reef swimming

White Beach


Phia and her grandparetns

me and my baby doll partying on the beach

Paradise...
Mum and Dad on their hote balcony

Paul haing a beer outside our room

Beats Bognor...
View from our hotel window

New Year Eve & Talee's Baptism

New Year - Manila Style!

New Year went with a bang, literally! as in Manila it's traditional to celbrate the New Year with lots of firecrackers (Brit speak = Bangers) and fireworks.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

In the Philippines it's traditional to spend New Years Eve with family and every year we all gather at Nanay's house and set off fireworks before a midnight feast. Unfortunatly my dad wasn't feeling too well and chose to stay at home in bed to sleep his bug/jetlag off but the rest of us headed over to Nanay's house to meet up wiht the rest of the family. It was great fun and midnight was magical, I stood there with Paul, Phia, Talee and my mum and all my Filipino relatives; surrounded by the bangs and acrid smoke of all the fireworks in the hot tropical air, wondering what 2008 would bring.

It's also traditional to wear spots to bring luck and wealth, and red and white spots are especially lucky - check out my dress, 2008 should be my year!

TALEE'S BAPTISM

New Year was really special this year as my parents had flown in from the UK to join us and we also decided to get Talee baptised while they were here. We had the baptism at lunch time on New Years Eve as we figured it was a great excuse to get the party started and so after the service at Holy Trinity Church the wine was flowing freely at the reception at one of our favourite restaurants, Good Earth in Fort Bonafacio. My parents had brought over the Bastide family christening robe (over 100 years old and originally my great grandfathers) so Talee wore that for the service and then changed into a traditional Filipino robe for the reception. Sadly not all the god parents could be there as most live abroad (Saff in NZ, Sam in UK, Cindy and Merisa in the USA) in addition Amy was vacation from Manila in the States but the 3 that were there more than made up for it. Melissa was the most glamorous Godmother ever in the cutest yellow dress, and Parick and Jordi make great Godfathers.

BUYING FIREWORKS

We'd gone to Bulucan a few days before New Year's Eve to buy our fireworks and firecrackers as this is where most of the factories are located so they're half the price of those sold on the streets in Manila so we figured this way we could get twice as many!