Bill Price

Donna cam to see us for two weeks , well one week in Dhaka, and one in Nepal with Marj. So she got a few more chops on her passport, and went to Nepal for the first time. Marjorie went with her, and noted how both Kathmandu and Nagarkot have changed in the last ten years.November in the Himalayas is cold at night, but too cold in a chalet with wooden beds!They took a flip on Yeti Airlines to Everest, and got commemoration banners for the wall - lucky devils!Once back to Khatmandu Airport for the flight home, GMG Airlines (Bangladesh’s finest) cancelled the flight, and put them up in a five star hotel, the famous Yak and Yeti in Kathmandu, dinner, bed and breakfast. They got to back to Dhaka one day late, but worth it! 

One of the benefits of living in Bangladesh is that we are just round the corner (well, the other side of Myanmar) from Barry, so we can go to keep an eye on him at intervals, much to his embarrasment. The end of October saw the back of Ramadan, and the Eid festivities. The national holiday in Bangladesh gave us the opportunity to visit Barry in Bangkok. Masud at Travel Channel organized our flights, pick-ups and hotel, at a very competitive rate.

The new Bangkok International Airport is very impressive, and a lot more efficient than the old one. We had a limo take us to the Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok, the tallest hotel in Thailand at 88 floors. We were upgraded to a Junior Suite on the 48^th floor, but had to take the express lift to the restaurant on the 77^th floor for breakfast – quite an experience!

Barry came and joined us on the first evening and he looked well, but didn’t eat well. He arranged for us to go on a river cruise the next day, and would pick us up at 11.

The next day came and went. Barry had drunk one or two too many, and had not surfaced in time for the river trip. Oh to be young again! I saw him a day later, when we went for a traditional Thai massage (not too hard please!) and he seemed to have survived alcoholic poisoning.

We still got to go shopping though, in various malls and Suan Lum, the great night market. Most importantly, we got several bottles of Chang to take back to Dhaka!

* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated ** WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *Marj, Donna and I went to Southport to see Alan Jess & Chloe. The various females did something with baby clothes. Here is Chloe modelling a new frock. We then strolled down Lord Street (see Jess, Alan & Chloe with the pushchair) to a nice restaurant where the waiter said Jess could have eight potatoes because she’s a big girl – much to Jess’s fury! 

* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated ** WPG2 Plugin Not Validated * 26th May was a nice visit to Alan & Jess, and a lunch at the pub. Here’s some smiling faces from Grandad and Nana with a bemused Chloe.

May 2006 has seen a few movements, some more distant than others. On Monday 1st, Barry landed at Bangkok International Airport to start a new life. He soon got himself a new Internet Connection (that Alan code-named his life-line!) and an apartment into which he can put his computer. In addition, there have been mentions of food, booze and heavy nights, so we are all jealous.

Wednesday 10th, Linzi jetted off to the Med to join Giovanni on the Radisson Explorer for seven days of doing nothing. Marj got the job of dog and house sitting for a week, which at least gave her the chance to do some energetic housekeeping and dog-walking.

Sunday 28th marks the date when Donna and Ronny experience the advantage of having a mortgage. They move into Bentley Street, just round the corner from us.

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Here’s a photo of Chloe.

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Chloe was expected on the 12th October 2005, but Alan & Jess knew she was going to be late.
My first grandchild was to be born in the Maternity Ward at Ormskirk Hospital.
With three sets of grandparents, there was no doubt she would be spoilt; the interesting thing was what her three grandmothers would be called!
Being 10 days overdue, Jess was wheeled into the maternity ward on 22nd November to be induced. Half way through they realised that the baby had gone back to breech position, so a bit traumatic.
Chloe was born at 4.55am on Sunday 23rd October 2005.
We went to pick the three of them up early on Monday evening, and had our first bit of baby-sitting while Alan and Jess went into Tesco’s to do a bit of shopping, before taking them home. Chloe slept in her own cot very quickly. Jess’s dad had taken some pictures with his mobile phone, and had already printed them out, giving two to us. We left them with two parcels of baby clothes.
On Wednesday 26th, Alan and Jess registered the birth. Chloe now has a birth certificate in the name Chloe Autumm Lucy Price.
On Thursday evening, Marjorie, Linzi and I went back with presents and cameras. She was sleeping most of the time, but we still got our photos!