2011: A year of parties, bruises and housework

I'm not too sad to see the back of 2011 - it's been a long year in all respects. We've now spent one whole year in the Caribbean, we've survived it and now we're ready to move on....

Firstly for a Taurean who dislikes change as much as I do, moving from one side of the world with 3 children, a geriatric cat, a parrot and a 40 foot container has its moments.

Secondly, this has to have been the year of living dangerously or more specifically weird accidents. In March I wrote the car off and 'did something' to my neck. In May I managed to tip a roasting pan just out of the oven (with chicken) all over my back sustaining 2 & 3rd degree burns. In August, whilst trying to rescue our boat which had drifted during the night and was headed out to sea - via rocks - whilst we were camping on a deserted island, I managed to crunch my leg on the transom (?) and still have the bruises and now finally, just to finish off the year in style - a large barbell rolled off a table on Boxing Day and bounced on my foot, crushing my big toe. All deeply glamourous, not. All deeply freaking painful. I'm a bladdy cripple.

The past few days have been quiet (nursing the swollen toe) and we've been home a lot. Tonight we are packing up a picnic and taking it to the beach to toast marshmellows by moonlight. We may go off to Trellis Bay Fireball Party. [Postscript: We did head off and it was a lovely evening. Spectacular fireworks and Caribbean razzmatazz].

Trellis Bay Fireball New years Eve 2011 and Moco Jumbies

We are very focused on setting up the bakery now and are speaking weeks and no longer months. It's going to be tough for the next few months whilst we both work 2 jobs and keep the show on the road - but we're preparing ourselves for the marathon. One of our key projects is still to get a good website up and running as our main marketing/shop-front for the first few months, which I'll link to this blog.

Speaking of which - I've enjoyed writing the blog. It's quite cathartic sometimes and I can mull over things and get a bit of perspective on life. I'm conscious that I seem to whitter on about the same old crap most of the time (housework, sailing, taxi driver) but it's still Shock of the New.  Soon I'll be going on and on about how exhausting it is to run your own business or whatever, but in the meantime thank you for reading my ramblings and for all your lovely comments.

We've made some wonderful friends on the island and we've taken to the close-knit community. We've had incredible acts of friendship and generosity, for which we are truly grateful. The support and goodwill for our new business has also been heartfelt and appreciated.

We have family in Ireland, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia and so we will raise a toast to absent freinds and family tonight, wherever you are. We wish you peace and prosperity for 2012.

Our our love
The Dawson Windies
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