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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Serendip Road Trip

We just got back from our roadtrip to Srilanka and it was the first real family holiday just the 3 of us. The trip was short, only 6 but packed with activities and new firsts for the little boy.

First elephant at a temple in Colombo;
First picnic
First picnic at sunset on the Galle Fort ramparts;
First time sleeping in his travel cot and soundly too (Thanks to Aunty Z);
First visit to the site of Lanka Project yay !

Looking back, I haven't actually been back to SL for more than a year now and noticed plenty of change. Since the war ended, the military presence on the streets of Colombo has diminished almost entirely. The city is undergoing a major makeover and new roads have sprung up. The highway that cuts through the island will be completed in a few months which will reduce our driving time by 50%.

An air taxi service has started to the highlands and down south and J who tried it for the first time said it was definitely worth it. He flew from Colombo to Dickwella lake which would normally take 5 hours on the road but only took 45 minutes.

Here are his photos.




J was the only guy on the flight and when he tried to sit in the front row, he was told to sit in the middle of the plane to even the weight distribution. Hmmmm. The plane is only little, and will take no more than 15 passengers at any go.



Here's the plane approaching Tangalle and it landed about 5 minutes after he took this pic.

We spent the first couple of nights at a house nearby called Kurumba and it was very sweet. We had a Srilankan mother and daughter team who made delicious meals and made our stay very comfortable.






We spent most of our time at the site, surveying the work and talking to the contractors. T and J had plenty of questions while I took Z around for a stroll.



I don't have the photo but there was a local farmer who brought his herd of water buffalos to graze on the land every Monday. Quite wonderful.

Anyway, the brick walls are only 30% done and we are another 6 months away from completion which is much longer than we anticipated. Still, we are hoping it will be done before Christmas. Fingers crossed.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

For a smile

I saw this today on Design Fetish and need to repost it. Made me smile.



The originals came from a blog called Little Things and was created just for that purpose. Nice eh?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

New Rule

It's time for the inner child in me to break free once we move house. I fully intend to spend time designing and decorating a playroom cum bedroom for my little Z.

Time to leave this tiny apartment and find somewhere with more space especially storage. I am getting tired of stuffing things in corners of the house or under beds. My living room looks like a childcare center and that has got to change.


My little bunny is turning 7 months and by the summer when we move, he should be crawling and need more space. I plan to make a playroom just for that purpose so I am seeking inspiration on the blogspheres and getting rather excited at the prospects.

Wouldn't this be a scream ?

( via swiss-miss)

A Legowall ! Of course it is excessive but I could do a small section of the wall up to a metre high. 

Or this totally unreal and gorgeous Floating bench by satoshi itasaka and takuto usami via here.


Just dreaming of course.

Peter Bristol's Training Dresser is insanely cute.


Or these skyscraper dressers from Kast Van Een Huis, so darling.





When I was a kid and I am sure many of you did too, drape blankets over our parents furniture to build secret alcoves or tents for play. I think Z would love a teepee for the same reason and when he gets older, sleep in it.

These one are quite classy without being too kiddy.


I found someone in Doha who will make one for me at QR500, personalized too so I get to pick fabrics and decide on design appliques for each panel.

These cardboard toys are amazing and would be so much fun to put together and decorate.



Too bad it's quite heavy so shipping costs will kill me. The toys alone are not expensive, this rocket is only GBP 33.