Who: The founder of resort-wear brand Rica London, Briton Frederica Waddilove Bristow, 33, is an Essex native who has been living in Singapore for more than six years. She is married to foreign exchange options broker James Bristow, 44, and they have two children, Jack, six, and Naomi, 22 months.
“My weekend starts on Fridays with a blow-dry by my lovely hairdresser Dawson Soh from Miracle Hair Studio in Tanglin Mall. He has been coming to my home for over two years now, and his blow-drys last the entire weekend even in the humidity. It never fails to get me in the Friday spirit.
I then pick up my son from the school bus and we rush to get to swimming lessons in our condo pool. The sessions are always a joy to watch.
We live in Grange Road and are very lucky to have a wonderful condo community. Many of us have lived here since it was built in 2016, so we share many memories together and watch one another’s children grow up.
By 5pm, I normally head up to my apartment, open a bottle of wine and prepare dinner for the kids. My go-to is carbonara – I can cook that with a blindfold on.
My girlfriends normally pop over for a glass of wine or two to get the weekend started and, often, our husbands join in once they’ve finished work. We open the balcony doors, put the music on and catch up while the sun sets. The night can often end in singing to showtunes and Frank Sinatra classics.
Saturday mornings start pretty early. I am a morning person and am up by 6am to feed my toddler. I love the serenity early mornings bring. The roads are quiet and the air is cool, so I can soak in the peace with my daughter before I head to my 6.30am boxing session at Prithiv Boxing Club, a boxing gym in Circular Road.
I have been boxing for years now. It’s something I got into in Singapore, because it doesn’t just work your body, but also your mind. I always feel a sense of clarity and calm during boxing lessons, plus I have a good laugh with my trainers Pradeep and Prithiv, so I always leave smiling.
After breakfast, we head over to the Singapore Cricket Club in Connaught Drive for my son’s tennis lesson. We love it there because it’s a very old-school colonial club with a lot of history and has an incredible view of the National Gallery Singapore and Marina Bay Sands. We sit and enjoy a coffee together and catch up with our friends while Jack plays tennis.
The rest of Saturday afternoon is normally our family chill time. Naomi has to be home for her afternoon nap, so we take the opportunity to lie by the pool even when it is raining. James will be listening to his football podcast and I will read the paper, mainly the design and arts sections. I don’t get the time to do so during the week, so it feels like a treat to lie back, read and unwind.
Saturday evenings are always different. Depending on the weather, we will take a walk to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, head to a museum exhibition or simply take a stroll down Orchard Road and mooch around the shops.
Occasionally, my husband and I will have a date night. We are both creatures of habit and tend to stick to the same spots like Luke’s Oyster Bar & Chop House in Gemmill Lane or Culina in Dempsey. Nobu, Claudine and Corduroy Palace also have some of the best cocktails and vibes in Singapore.
Sunday mornings are always pretty lazy. I normally get my children’s art box out and we sit around in our pyjamas until 9am, drawing and listening to English radio presenter Jamie Cullum’s jazz show or Desert Island Discs on BBC.
Then, we will head out to do grocery shopping in Culina in Dempsey or Little Farms in Tanglin Mall if we are making a Sunday roast. When we don’t fancy cooking, we love to go to Lucali BYGB, a Brooklyn pizza joint in Kampong Bugis. It does a great family-friendly brunch – the kids love the oversized pizzas and ice cream sprinkle cones. Another Sunday spot of ours is FOC in Sentosa. On a nice day, it’s lovely to be by the sea for some tapas and fun.
We like to get the children to bed early on a Sunday night, so I can have a bath and watch a series with my husband. We are finishing The Sopranos – an oldie but a goodie – and will get into bed by 9pm.
We are very much looking forward to the summer. My husband and I are heading to Italy and southern Spain. I love going to Europe for long summers, but nothing beats the feeling of landing back at Changi Airport and making our way back to our lovely home in Singapore.”