After three lovely years, it's time to say goodbye to Toa Payoh!

We have definitely been blessed with that apartment. It's been a great place to live, a great neighborhood, a great place to have friends over, and for the most part our relationship with the owners has been smooth. But, our lease was up July 1 and our owners have sold the unit, so it was time for us to go. We would have preferred to stay until it was time to leave Singapore, but now we have one last opportunity to explore a new area instead.

Kyle (as usual) did an amazing job of organizing and arranging everything for the move. He also did 95% of the packing. On Saturday morning, everything was pretty much ready to go.


One of us always seems to be pretty indisposed when it comes to moving. When we left Boston, Kyle was mid-thesis writing. When we arrived in Singapore, I didn't get a break from work. And now we have a Hamish to care for (which tends to tie up at least one of our four hands).

But as in Boston, we have been blessed with very good friends. Lots of them took things that needed new homes, and James and Germaine, Amanda and Reuben, and Jon came on Saturday morning. The boys helped load and unload the lorry. Amanda, who is expecting, held Hamish and made sure she was happy. And Germaine helped make sure I didn't forget anything, and acquired a car seat so Hamish and I could ride with her to the new place. That's Hamish's first car seat ride, in case you were keeping count. She was unsure, but some finger-sucking helped.



Our new place is across town near Haw Par Villa. In fact, we can see the blue-haired Buddha from our flat. In the other direction, we can see the sea. After three years of living on a fairly small island we finally have an ocean view! (Of course, the ocean in view is full of tankers, but that is just how it is in Singapore.)

Last night we went for a walk and found an Indian restaurant that is sure to become a staple and an ice cream place that deserves further investigation. We've also got big exploration plans for the weekend.

There are definitely some things I'll miss about our old neighborhood (1. the library!) but things are looking pretty good here. For her part, Hamish finds it very peaceful.


Now, we can only hope and pray that the next move (halfway around the globe) goes as smoothly!