beloved bel

Most of us hear about Lapland in Finland being Santa Claus' village but a few months ago, we found out there is a closer one to us - about 1h 15min drive away - tucked away in a forest in Ascot, Berkshire.  Considering the difficult year we have been through, and are still going through, I suggested to K that we bring the kids there for a day out.  Bring out the kids in us too. There were a lot of emotions involved on the days leading up to the visit to UKLapland.  Firstly we had another nationwide lockdown for a month, which ended on 2 Dec, and our trip was meant for 7 Dec.  There were rumours about it being extended.  Thankfully the lockdown did end on 2 Dec, and they then classified London as Tier 2 which thankfully was the same as Berkshire, which finally meant we could go ahead.  There were so many customers who were in Tier 3 who had to seek refunds.  And our friends who were meant to go at the end of November couldn't do so since we were on a lo...

Dear Isabelle, our Christmas baby, Wow it's taken mummy a pretty long time to pen another letter to you.  As you can see, mummy and daddy are both so busy everyday with our hands full, and we barely have time for anything else. You have grown so much by now, you will turn THREE in two weeks' time!  This year you understand it a bit more, but I think you struggle to understand that Christmas and your birthday both fall on the same day for you.  We brought you to see Father Christmas just this week with a magical journey through UK Lapland, and you were excited and for the first time, you didn't cry when we met Father Christmas!  You even talked to him much to our surprise.  We do remind you from time to time that it is also your birthday on Christmas Day, and you just break out into birthday song there and then. Speech wise, we are now constantly amused and in awe of what you are able to say and articulate your feelings and wants.  We hold steady conversatio...

Dear Gabriel, Happy 11 months old to my baby!  One more month and you will be one year old!   Where has the time gone, you may ask?  Mostly spent in lockdown I say lol.  It's true and I feel so bad for you.  The good thing is that you will not remember this bad episode that is called 2020.  If life were normal, mummy would have signed you up for Baby Sing & Sign and swimming classes, like what we did with Isabelle.  But thanks to Covid, nope we didn't do any of these.  Instead we experienced a lockdown in the UK, then "fled" back to Singapore for 5 months.  Came back to London thinking the situation had stabilised, only to find we flew back into the second wave and so we had yet another nationwide lockdown which just ended yesterday.  (Although honestly speaking this second UK lockdown hasn't been much of one; people still go out and life has been per normal..) Back to you... Gabriel, you are our chilled out and smiley baby who loves...