8th May 2012 At precisely 9 a.m., I handed the car key to the reception desk, awaiting the grand arrival of the rental car representative. Twenty minutes later, with no sign of said representative and my patience evaporating faster than the morning dew, I left the keys with the concierge and retreated to our room.… Continue Reading

7th May 2012 Today we set out with noble intentions: to explore Kota Kinabalu and indulge in a spot of shopping. The sun blazed down, the sky was postcard-perfect, and the heat could have cooked an egg on the bonnet. I was deeply grateful for the car’s air-conditioning, something I’d entirely forgotten to request when… Continue Reading

7th May 2012 The following morning dawned bright and sunny, the sort of weather that makes you feel vaguely guilty for not doing something outdoorsy. Inspired, we set off for Kota Kinabalu, the capital, at 9:30 a.m. Barely fifteen minutes into the drive, a roadside sign advertising a seafood restaurant caught our eye. We made… Continue Reading

6th May 2012 Last night, we took a short ten-minute jaunt from the hotel to a nearby Chinese restaurant. Sadly, the mosquitoes decided Sue was the evening’s all-you-can-eat buffet. At the same time, I made do with a rather disappointing plate of “lemon” chicken that had misplaced the lemon. The language barrier stopped me from… Continue Reading

3rd May 2012 The day began with a bang, or more precisely, a rumble of thunder at 4 am. Sue, entirely unbothered, slept straight through it. My second “alarm” came at 9:50 am when I realised, with a jolt of panic, that our hire car was due to arrive at 10 am. What followed was… Continue Reading

2nd May 2012 Our Borneo adventure began with a scenic, if rather soggy, Sunday drive to Heathrow. The rain came down in sheets for most of the journey, but in a show of comic sympathy, the skies cleared just as we checked into the Holiday Inn Heathrow. After finding our room, we wandered the nearby… Continue Reading

29th April 2012 While Jamie has been basking abroad and celebrating his birthday, we’ve had relentless rain. My morning bike rides have been more “cyclo-cross” than cycling, and even when I’ve tried to find dry routes, I’ve returned looking as if I’d wrestled a hippo in a swamp. Sue and I had planned to join… Continue Reading

23rd April 2012 The moment the faceless bureaucrats at the water boards announced a hosepipe ban due to a so-called water shortage, I knew summer was doomed. True to form, the heavens have been open ever since, even today, as if the ban had summoned the clouds in a fit of bureaucratic spite. In the… Continue Reading

2nd April 2012 A few days before Mother’s Day, I set off for Thurcroft with a mission: convince Nan to move back to Harborough. Sue and I had spotted a rather charming apartment on Welland Park Road and decided it was worth showing her. House-hunting and family visiting, a two-for-one deal. Things went a bit… Continue Reading

13th March 2012 The past few weeks have been swallowed up by a special project: creating personalised video tributes for each family member. I began with Jamie, thinking it would be a quick win given his legendary aversion to cameras. Oh, the optimism. There may be hundreds of photos of him, but finding one where… Continue Reading