Afternoon tea at Carcosa Seri Negara

This morning I woke up about 8.30. Around 10, I heard a knock on the back door. The contractors were here to fix the holes in the ceiling... an hour early. So I showed them what they needed to fix and they got busy. I made myself some breakfast and sat around watching TV and doing a few chores. There wasn't too much else I could do with the workmen in the house.

By about 12.30, the maintenance guy from Stonor Park, Mark, finally showed up. They were still working on fixing the holes and none of them had been completed yet. Around 2, they were still working and I knew that I had to leave soon. Our landlord's niece was supposed to have been here all day with them so that I didn't have to sit there but of course she didn't show up. When the workers said that they would be there until 5, I called her and asked her to come so that I could go out. Ross was also on his way back from Vietnam so he would be there around 3.30.

Kelly hadn't arrived before I had to leave but I left anyway about 2.30 to pick up Sonja so we could go to Carcosa Seri Negara for afternoon tea. Carcosa Seri Negara is the old Governor of Kuala Lumpur's house back in the day of British rule. I had been there once before with the netball girls and it was beautiful. It is being shut down on the 26th of December for "renovation" and no-one is quite sure what is going to happen to it so we thought we would make the most of our last opportunity to go.

We went to the building where I had had afternoon tea last time - it was deserted. So we tried the other building which I hadn't been to and sure enough that is where we were. We sat on the verandah with our tea and sandwiches and cakes chatting for a couple of hours. I did try and get us a gin and tonic but although I asked twice and the staff said yes, it seemed we were not destined to get a drink.

We left just before 5 and got stuck in traffic and completely lost but somehow we got home by 5.30. Ross was home but on his way out again when we arrived. We had a gin and tonic together with Sonja before she left to check on the apartment with Brian. Ross headed out for Christmas drinks with his work mates and I settled in for another boring night by myself.

I went to bed about 9 because there was nothing else to do. I kept reading my book until 12.30 and then finally I couldn't keep my eyes open any more. Ross must have got home some time after that.