Sunday, October 24, 2010

Half Term Cuba

We've just come back from an absolutely wonderful long weekend break on Cooper Island - just up the channel from us by boat. William said "Mommy. I love Cuba. Please can we come and live here"  and you almost have to agree with him - although it is a tiny tiny island with a hotel, a few yachts and not much else.

We've been there for 3 days - sleeping, reading, kayaking, snorkelling, eating, swimming. I've made a picture journal to give you some idea, but it was quintessential Caribbean, and one of our best little holidays ever.

The snorkelling was incredible - all of us swam together amongst Finding Nemo - gazillions of silvery bait fish, all being hunted by huge tarpons and barracuda (about the size of William). We saw stingrays, puffer fish and trumpet fish. Tyler swam on the back of a sea turtle.  It was dazzling and all in a few metres of water, just off the beach, although we also did some adventurous stuff with the kids on the kayaks, as well.

The resort is small and most guests come in on their boats (we got picked up by the resort).   In the evening it is buzzy with about 30 yachts moored in the bay,everyone coming in on their dinghys for drinks and dinner - although we have decided, after watching all of this from our beach loungers, that yachts are a bit  like upper-class caravans - people putter  around and then sit on them drinking lots of beer and playing poker. It really could be Mossel Bay, but just with a few million $$'s and admittedly a teensy bit more glamour. Not to say we don't want a yacht. We desperately do!


Click on the photo if you would like to see it larger version




Monday, October 18, 2010

Not the average Sunday

We had Georgie’s rescheduled partyon Saturday and here are some photo’s. Just as I’m starting to think that it’s all getting a bit humdrum (no hurricanes, floods or other dramatic events to report) you just have to look at these photo’s and admit that it's all worth it. 

We did the food – fruit skewers, bagels/Philadelphia/smoked trout (a la The Williams) and the bar did hotdogs for the kids & drinks (fruit punch with or without rum). We also had an exceptionally lurid cake, a Caribbean speciality, which meant that all the kids had blue-stained mouths and fingers.

Although we’ve always enjoyed all the kids parties before – this one by far wins hands down for Party Holder Satisfaction, because I can honestly say I wasn’t stressed for a single second. That has  got to be a first for me. Needless to say I did have a few fruit punches...
On Sunday we went exploring in T's new (old) Nissan Pathfinder. We trundled down some serious roads and eventually ended up in Rogues's Bay, which was a scene out of Robinson Crusoe - white beaches, palms, crystal sea, completely deserted. All of us went out for a snorkel along the lava flow (see above)  even little William on Tyler's back. Here is a video to give you a taste of our Sunday's - hope you can see it. 




The rest of the week has been so quiet in that I went to work for 5 mornings, the boys went to school, Tyler went shopping and nothing dramatic happened.

It is however half term this week and we are all looking forward to it. The last two months have been pretty intense, to put it mildly – and although we do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time flopping around and relaxing, there are some stress cracks appearing in all of us, as the enormity of the move sinks in.

We're thinking of getting "off-island" as they say, as Friday is a public holiday  (the BVI appears to have even more than SA) and going somewhere else - such as , urrr, another island. We were looking at places to stay tonight, and I kept saying to T  "I'm not paying $300 for something that looks like our bedroom...".

Monday, October 11, 2010

Hurricane Paula & the Sex Pistols

David Fullarton - Wish you were here
So now it's Hurricane Paula. It's becoming personal. We've had Julia (moi) Lisa (my sister-in-law) and now Paula (my niece).

Whilst we wait for the next potential bunch of thrills, we've been getting on with the more wonderful side of island life - which is having a blissful Sunday at Smuggler's Cove  - snorkelling, reading, eating Jerk Chicken rolls, snoozing on the beach loungers and swishing around the bath-temp sea. Then off to Cane Bay Garden -Tortola's equivalent of Sea Point,  for sundowners and supper with friends. Today - after work and other serious stuff - sundowners (Rum & Ting - sort of the Caribbean equivalent of brandy & coke) at 'Peg Legs', which is our local down at Nanny Cay, watching the sunset in all its pink-shimmery glory across Drakes Channel. So all in all, another tough day in paradise.

However my afore-mentioned niece Paula Mills, who is a brilliant graphic artist based in Melbourne   has sent me this awsome link from artist  David Fullarton which I completely LOVE. Not to mention that it also quotes the Sex Pistols "a cheap holiday on other people's misery, I don't wanna holiday in the sun"...

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Up for Air

We all emerged on Friday, to resume life, with lots of mud, landslides and flood-damage all around. Don’t think I have ever seen so much rain before in my life. Honestly thought the island might just disintegrate and dissolve into the sea, but since most of it luckily, is pure rock, it just endures. The roads have gone from really bad to truly shocking, and even T had a scary road last night, which he had to do a 30-point turn on, with wheels hanging over the edge etc. Tried not to look too smug, and be sympathetic, but it was hard.

So now things are back to normal, until the next red thing I've already noticed on the Hurricane Tracker coming from the south-west hits us. Georgie went off to a bowling birthday party on Friday, the other two had various play-dates. The grown-ups went off to our first dinner party on Saturday night, which was rather eye-opening, as dinner parties on the island are clearly serious affairs. Our rather folksy Chicken Curry and Woolies House Red approach, will need to be upgraded a bit, I think.

Anyway we met some lovely new people, who we are going to go sailing with next week (and who also coincidentally own the fabulous SA wine shop) and the other couples were Cedar parents, so just like Joburg really (ie replace Cedar with Ridge). It was a lovely evening, fabulous food, bottomless Verve Cliquet, all eaten outdoors under the stars. Got out alive at 1:30am and not feeling too fragile today. Have already learnt my lesson - hangovers in the tropics are to be avoided at all costs.

We are now gearing up for Halloween. Where we live is almost Tortola’s only ‘suburb’ (ie houses on 50˚ degree slopes with semi - killer driveways) and we are clustered together in a fairly hospitable little enclave, if you want to ignore the various pitbull terriers, chiwhawhas, cows and other dangerous animals wandering around. So the Trick or Treating is held here, which means we’ll have to get the pumpkins out. No doubt these will be air-freighted in from California or Hawaii or somewhere. Honestly the island must have the world’s worst carbon footprint – a favourite game of ours is to look where everything comes from – “oooh look garlic from China”. It’s extraordinary. Anyway in order to maintain this world record, the children’s outfits are being ordered online from Wal-mart, and I’m considering buying the bumper Martha Stewart Halloween collection, but am resisting the need to perfect all of this. Am saving myself for when the container arrives. And the Pat & Carrot.
 
Yesterday morning, I tried some clothes 'shopping' in town and hit the stores - well the Tortola Department Store and Said's International Fashions, as I needed a new little slinky number for the dinner party (we are still living out of 5 cases remember, half of which are winter clothes. It was still freezing in Joburg 6 weeks ago). Anyhow, the shopping experience was a bit soul-destroying - so I'm working on a new idea to both cheer myself up and streamline the Caribbean shopping experience...

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Sitting out Otto

We have now been at home for 3 days - everything is closed - and there has been a State of Emergency declared on the island due to all the flooding and damage. Apparently there hasn't been this much rain in 30 years or something. It's pretty wild. It hasn't stopped bucketting down and we have very strong winds. Otto is working his way up to becoming a full hurricane, but has already moved up to the Turks & Caicas - we are just feeling the effects and will do so until Saturday.  Cannot believe that weather would become such a big thing in our lives. Our favourite websites now are Storm Pulse and the National Hurricane Centre. Amazing.

Luckily we have had electricity and telecoms, so apart from the very limited amount of things to do (read, play rummy, computer games, surf the internet) we are OK and not too much damage in our area, although as I write, T is outside busy chopping down banana trees. The Elevator Road is looking pretty precarious, and driving has definetly become dangerous - so looks like we wont be going anywhere soon.

Need to order lots of electricity-free activities and take up knitting, or something. Maybe when the piano arrives we will start using that for family entertainment. Anyhow, the kids are being amazing really, and nobody has injured anyone else yet, but I actually can't liken this to any other experience I've ever had before.  What is the Caribbean equivalent of 'cabin fever', which sounds like it is rather Canadian and associated with snow?

Latest NOAA Weather Update (our compulsive reading):

As of 11AM Sub-Tropical Storm Otto has been re-categorized as Tropical Storm Otto and was located near 23.8N/68.0W, or about 620 miles south-southwest of Bermuda. Otto is moving slowly to the northeast. Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph. Otto has made the transition to a fully tropical system with thunderstorm activity more concentrated near the center. Rain bands associated with Otto continue to move through the eastern Caribbean region.

 Now that Otto has become a fully tropical weather system, it has a greater chance of becoming a hurricane on Friday. By Saturday, Otto should begin to weaken as it accelerates out to sea. Although Otto’s center will remain well-away from any land areas, a large band of squalls extends from the eastern half of Otto out to 500-600 miles south and east of the center. These squalls are impacting the islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Additional heavy rainfall is expected across the islands of the northeast Caribbean today through Friday morning.  Some scattered showers could linger into Saturday. In addition to the flooding, mudslides are also possible.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tropical Depression 17




We have been holed up now since yesterday afternoon with torrential rains and storms. Not quite a hurricane yet, but lots of damage around us. The bank behind our house has slid down over the road, and now we have some new banana trees and top soil (and rocks) that we didn't have before.

We've got in all the supplies (water, chocolate, parrafin oil for lamps, wine) and luckily we still have electricity, but we're all expecting this to go out soon.  Until then we watch DVD's, play rummy, eat.

Being cooped up with 3 little boys  has its challenges - T has retreated upstairs and closed the door to read his book and I've been reading all the meterology websites.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Missing

We are all  missing friends, family (and Woolworths). Not sure what it is about the One Month In Thing, just know it is biting deep. Has also been kicked up a notch with me sending out our new contact details, and the respondent lovely emails, all of which are so appreciated, and make us smile and whimper at the same time.

Here's what I'm really missing, right now, bar the above:

1. 5FM/Classic FM

I cannot abide the crappy radio stations here and since we cannot seem to get the new CD to work (Error 6) I switch relentlessly between Sunny FM (Peter Gabriel/Cold Play/Fleetstone Mac - O.M.G)  BVI Radio (ads and reggae) or St T Rock Station - which plays a lot of Van Halen  (I thougt they were dead). I am about to implode on the music radio front. We spend a lot of time driving here and so I need lots of (1) calming music and (2) motivational stuff to get up all the hills.

2. Dudu

Tyler finally had to swing the mop today and tackle a hell-load of washing/cleaning/dusting - as this place was going feral. I so miss Dudu. I know I'm being a pathetic White SA madam. But I am. My house is always dirty now, and we live in perpetual squalor. We do try, but I get a bit bored by it all. Do Domestic Goddesses actually do housework, or do they just pretend and then go off quietly and get a Fillipino? I'm confused.

3. Emails

This has to be said, but I was expecting more. Very few people write and my mind-reading skills seem to have watered down now that I am a few oceans away from SA (ie you may think that I know that you are OK, but I actually don't).  Please stay in touch!

4.  Jeans

We live in shorts/vests/very little/nothing. It is so hot you dont even want to think about clothes. Make-up melts off your face.  I'd happily  totter around in a bikini if I could, but aesthetics and taste rules out. My wardrobe is very short on both shorts and vests, so I need to shop in whatever the place it is that stylish Caribbean girls go to shop to look goodish in nothing (but without the bling, which is very big here).

5 Daily newspapers

As much as I love the internet, I could do with a daily newspaper. But to be perfectly frank, I've been missing those for the past 12 years, so nothing new really...

This place is amazing. You have lots of time to do nothing. I need to solve this riddle.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Birthdays and Book Clubs

We’ve all been busy, busy, busy.

Thursday was book club, which I really enjoyed, but as per usual, had problems with the driveway. Even low ratio did not magic it away. The babysitter thought I had done a runner, when I finally pitched up home, an hour late.
Yesterday was Georgie’s 8th Birthday. Can you believe this gorgeous child is getting so big? He went off to school with 22 doughnuts for his class and Dad was despatched to St Thomas to go shopping. The requisite Lego and other pressies were duly handed over and we had divine tuna and saffron rice for dinner, prepared by the resident chef. The party is actually next week – a snorkelling affair at Brewers Bay, with drinks (parents) and hotdogs (kids) at the little bar on the beach - with a snorkelling-themed ice cream cake - which is maybe a bit high risk.

Tyler finished up on Thursday, for the month and I started work on Friday. Before I had barely blinked, and said “off-shore trusts” I’d finished my half day and was off for lunch at ‘Charlies’ – because, of course, it was Friday, and traditions have to be upheld.

I have also spent the past 72 hours devouring news and ordering magazines on line. I  sent a (reggae) singing birthday
card to New Zealand and generally caught up with the world. Bliss. 

Tyler came staggering back from his US shopping trip with telephones, Wi-fi routers, kettles, towels, kids lunch boxes and a multitude of other things necessary fore island life. It is a slight case of Extreme Shopping, lets be honest - but now I can hardly wait for Puerto Rico - which is the real deal. St T is just KMart & Home Depot.

William was meant to be going to St Thomas this morning with his friend Sammy to go to ‘Coral World’ – again fairly extreme to let your 4 year old go to another country – on a boat – for a birthday party, but unfortunately Sammy has got the dreaded 'Bug" which is going around the island, so I suspect we will just hang around the beach today and recover from our hectic week! We have diving tables to learn and gardening to do, but mainly we need to do some sweeping and mopping - the house is a "bladdy tip".