Sunday, January 27, 2008
Family Time
When Lewis first showed me Aberystwyth in the summer, I thought what a wonderful place to live in! It was the place where my husband was born and bred. He grew up in this rustic little coastal town of Mid-Wales where everybody knew everyone, but eventually he left for new pastures. Aberystwyth was the sort of place that was not too touristy but still has a nice sort of buzz. It's a university town with enough shops and pubs. There's the Arts Centre at the top of the campus, often lined up with lots of activities - from theatre to plays, cinema, exhibitions, galleries etc.
Halfway down the campus stands the monumental National Library of Wales with its austere collection of books and manuscripts. In fact Morgan's tad-cu had been a long-serving dedicated member of staff of the library for 37 years and was mainly in charge of the printed books section. Like my own father, it was his first and last job.
Along the coast, there's a couple of restaurants and "gwesty" (or hotel in Welsh) with an amazing view of the pier especially at sunset. From the top of Aberystwyth Castle, one can look out to the long beach stretching out north towards Pen Dinas and south towards Constitution Hill.
When I asked Lewis why he wouldn't like to live in Aberystwyth, he didn't think I asked the right question. He'd love to live in Aberystwyth if only he wasn't born there. I think I roughly knew what he meant. I get the same thing when I tell people I left Singapore to live in the UK. They stared at me with those eyes saying 'you must be mad!' sort of expression. We can only be thankful that Lewis's parents living here meant that our frequent family trips to Aberystwyth are necessary. Quite often, we take walks after meals along the coast, have a chat, eat ice-cream, watch the sunset, then go home. Morgan especially loves to be by the beach picking stones and watching birds. It's simple but nice quality time together. There's no stress, no pressure. I don't mean to say that I don't spend any kind of time with my family in Singapore, but it's just done differently. # posted by Morgan & mummy @ 9:54 pm 
