Breakfast with the ponies

One of the main joys of not drinking is that you can get up on the crack of dawn at the weekend and you don’t feel like it’s a ridiculous decision. Well, that’s what I think – I can’t say that Nick agrees with me, but I am sure he’ll come around to my way of thinking eventually.

This weekend we decided to breakfast at one of my favourite spots in Singapore, Riders Café. A casual but gorgeous colonial style restaurant in the middle of the countryside, this is nestled in amongst a riding school that used to serve as the main stables for the old turf club, but now homes a number of privately owned ponies who get mucked out and kitted up in full gymkhana style kit even for a little jaunt around the fields. It seems that even in the tropics people are willing to wear knee-high black riding boots, fitted jackets and cravats to take their horses out for a quick loop around the park. They may be crazy, but it makes for a lovely view while we drink coffee and scoff breakfast eggs.

While enjoying watching the crazy people hose off their horses and practise jumping in the neighbouring fields Nick and I met up with our friends Nick, Jing and their one year old Kate, who kept us entertained with her endless appetite and chubby little legs while we had a long and lazy breakfast.

            After an hour or so Kate called time on our catch up, and we will be seeing them in Thailand in a couple of week's time anyway so we allowed her to send us all home. We took our time bidding farewell to the ponies and flagging down a taxi (which always takes an age when you are out in the sticks) before heading back into town to stop off at Raffles on our way home.

The World Press Photographer Competition currently on show at Raffles, so making the most of a sprightly, hangover-free Saturday we took a turn around the art, some of which was heart warming, some heart breaking, but all of it really incredible to see. Nick made a quick stop off at a tailor in the middle of Raffles to see how much they might charge to make him a tailored waistcoat for our wedding, and then it was time to wander home in the amazing breeze that has currently settled in Singapore ready for a nice little afternoon nap. What a great way to spend a lazy weekend day!