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Dudley Zoo and Castle
Another day out with Shanhong's mum and dad was to Dudley Castle and Zoo. The castle sits on top of a hill, and the zoo is the bit from the bottom of the hill to the castle! This was a place my mum took me to as a child, and I have fond memories of this as one of the most open and 'friendly' zoos I know. I still like it!
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ifly
This is just the two of us, rather than the wider family - but it still counts! On Good Friday, as we had a day off school, we decided to do something different. We booked ourselves into i-fly, an indoor wind-tunnel that mimics sky-diving. The Singapore centre apparently has the largest such wind-tunnel in the world! The website for further information is http://www.iflysingapore.com.
We had lots of fun, although the time 'in the air' is very short. The three flights each have been woven into the short video below. Enjoy!
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Ironbridge, Telford
Shanhong's mum and dad came to visit us in the UK for the summer, so we had a few trips to different places - you can read more in the UK 2010 reports elsewhere on this site. However, one of the daytrips was to Ironbridge, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution where the world’s first iron bridge was erected in 1779. Very close to the Bridge is the Victorian Village which is a replica of what life was like in Victorian times. Shanhong's mum and dad were fascinated by all the Victorian machinery, as they had had similar experiences in their on industrial past in China! Enjoy the pics :-)
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Last trip with Mum
We had a visit from Shanhong's niece's husband to be, and another musical in Singapore before heading back to UK in the summer. We did get to meet the newest member of the family, Scarlett, seen here with her big sister Eden (and Shanhong) but then it was all about visiting mum who unfortunately had moved to a nursing home. She did love her days out, and so, given the season, we went to one of the rose gardens nearby.
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As you can see, it's a beautiful place when the flowers are in bloom. It was an indication of mum's dementia however, that having spent a good few hours there, when we returned two days later, mum was convinced she had never been before. Little were we to know these would be our last photos with mum as she passed away just a few weeks afterwards. -
London
Obviously we could not have Shanhong's mum and dad in the UK and not go to London - so off we went! Many pics taken from many places (don't forget there are more details in the reports section rather than this blog), but here are a few as tasters.
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On the Canals
Ever looking for new experiences, both for Shanhong's mum and dad - and their 'taste of England' but also for Shanhong, we rented a narrowboat for three nights and headed off down the canals! It was quite an experience to get through all the locks - but all worked well, and I, for one, had fun (I'm not sure about the others!).
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Warwick Castle
After Christmas, Shanhong had a friend come to stay - and so, together with Maw, we were out exploring. On the 27th we went to Warwick Castle, one of the finest castles in the UK and now beautifully restored and fitted with Mdm Taussaurd's waxworks.
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Welshpool
Having enjoyed our day out in Stratford, it was time for another day out. It was only at this point I realised that although I had taken Shanhong all the way up to Scotland, we had never crossed the much nearer border into Wales! So, knowing Shanhong loves castles, it was off to Welshpool for the day!
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West Mid Safari
We took Maw to West Midlands Safari Park, fed some giraffes and enjoyed a great day out!
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