The sun is shining:

[Tractor]

Congratulations to you both

[Delboy]

Congratulations to you both

[Josedinho]

Congratulations to you both

[jizzemm]

Congratulations to you both

[thetank]

Congratulations to you both

[Claw75]

only just seen this - congratulations!!

[maccol]

Congratulations to you both

[paulhouk03]

Congratulations to you both

con gratz mate

[barhell]

Congratulations to you both

[sovietsong]

Congratulations to you both

[taximan007]

A day in San Fernando:

Tuesday 23rd June 2009

Having now arrived back in the UK I will try and give you some sort of insight into our life in the Philippines, each day is much the same with slight variations depending on what needs doing.

Roxanne’s family name is Munar and the family own a compound an area of land which contains 6 bungalow style homes.

House No1 is home to Mum and Dad, Roxanne and her son Cean, Her sister and Husband and 3 Kids (all sleep in 1 room), her brother and Brian the ‘house boy’ a sort of adopted son who works and is repaid by being housed and fed, clothed and occasionally paid.

House No 2 is shared by 3 Aunts, Dads sisters and Grandmother; this also doubles up as the compound store where you can buy sweets, cigarettes and beer.

House No 3 is home to another Aunt her husband and 3 kids, the other 3 properties owned by another grandmother in Manila are rented out.

The day starts at 5am with Mum and Brian up and starting to prepare and cook breakfast, dad leaves for work at around 6am and the kids leave for school at 7am.
Roxanne’s sister will then go to market to buy meat fish and veg for the day, the family don’t have much but they eat very well and food is available all day long and it’s all fresh. The rest of the morning is spent cooking, washing and cleaning, kids arrive home for lunch at midday and we eat from 12-1pm when the kids return to school.

The afternoon is spent with the women of the street gathering in the compound to play Mah Jong or bet game (a version of poker) or tong its (type of rummy) all this games involve playing for money (pennies), also any of the children that are not at school will generally play cards also, if not playing it is time to sleep, usually under the mango tree, during the afternoon the compound is visited by ‘sellers’ offering such stuff as lumpia-spring rolls, rice cake, skewered grilled coconut all home made and ranging in price from 2p for a spring roll to 12p for some rice cake.

The kids arrive home from school at 4pm and get straight into a game of throwing piso coins around trying to hit and win the others, reminiscent of marbles I guess.

At 6.40pm the air is filled with the noise of crickets nesting in the trees, this is a sign that the sun is going down and the noise continues until 7pm when the sun disappears completely. It is now time for dinner, yes we eat again!! Rice, pork or chicken, fish and vegetables, usually some sort of meat or noodle soup accompanies dinner also, and remembering that NOTHING is wasted its best sometimes not to ask too much about what certain things contain. After dinner the cards continue and drinking starts, not excessive but a few beers or brandy. Mum Dad and the kids are generally in bed by 10pm and depending on who is in the compound and the games being played the day ends around midnight.......................

[taximan007]

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[taximan007]

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[taximan007]

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[trafficjam]

I have only just read this thread for the first time - you are an inspiration Taximan - what a lovely read, congratulations and good luck.