Start-ups

The past two days has seen three new things happen:

1. We got our new car yesterday, finally. It's the closest I could get to my old car in Joburg and it must be the only car on the island in gun-metal grey! It's a super-duper Ford Freestyle, which is a cross-over SUV/station wagon. It's got so many features - including a DVD for the kids, that we're going to need a training workshop.
2. I finally conquered my mental block over Facebook and realised you didn't need a password. I've now spent a nerve-wracking few hours asking people to "be my friend". If you dont hear back from them, does that mean 'no'?!
3. Most importantly, Tyler baked his first batch of bread here on the island early this morning and I sold them (he was working) at the school car boot sale. Everything was sold out in just over an hour, which was rather positive market research!

We shared our table with George, who had to do a business project for Grade 2.

We are now starting to look at our new business venture seriously, and hope to be up and running by Christmas. We're actively looking for premises and T is starting to look for equipment, and I'm starting to source suppliers and the like. We will start a small line of 'goodies' such as preserves, oils, rubs and truffles over the next few months - just to get going. Luckily for us, we've already had an offer to stock them.

It's all really, really exciting. A dream long-term in the making.

A Luta Continua*

All of us looking a bit frazzled after Scrub Island

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that one of the key reasons for us moving halfway around the world was so that I could scale down and spend more time with the boys. Up until very recently, ‘mothering’ used to be something that I did when I wasn’t working. Now, it seems that working is something that I do when I’m not being a mother. The mindshift which this has required, plus the matching skillset, has made moving to a tropical island look like a complete cupcake, by comparison.

Although I spent the weekends and long holidays with the kids in South Africa (and considered myself a “hands-on” mother, as one SAHM* rather pompously informed me she was) Tyler and the nannies were their day-to-day ‘carers’ – the people who sorted out their socks, did dentist appointments, poured a million juices, clipped 80 toe & finger nails and did all the things that children require a hundred times a day, 365 days a year. I just felt like I swooped in for the glamorous stuff.

The kids don’t appear to have suffered as a result of my absences but I always felt like I did. I didn’t want the increasing list of missed birthdays, school nativity plays and other rites of passage to grow – and I was increasingly haunted by that old chestnut about how one reflects on one’s death bed about how one spent one’s time in life.

So armed with my Cath Kitson MBA kind of view on life, I jumped in, nine months ago to being (a) full time mom (b) full time housewife and (c) semi part-time worker in a trust company. I honestly thought New-York-Times-reading- Martha-Stewart- channelling- Domestic-Goddess Yummy Mummy.

Oh hahahahahahahahahha. Oh hahahahahhahaha. Ha ha ha ha. Nothing can prepare one for the endless humility and sheer selfishness which is required to do this, not to mention the torrid amount of mess that 3 little boys can generate. That kids lose their shoes ALL THE TIME, never pick up their Lego and never put the lids back on the felt-tip pens EVER! Nobody mentioned the industrial quantities of Spaghetti Bolognese which has to be cooked, the three PE schedules which have to be remembered and the 60 birthday parties per annum to be endured.

And this is all before any ‘parenting’ as such happens - the guiding of three little souls and the imparting of wisdom and knowledge which we must do as responsible, middle class parents. Most of the time one is just too exhausted for this bit. It mainly seems to boil down to “have you finished your homework/practised your scales/found your library book?” Good, goodnight then.

Mostly it’s a blur from the minute I get up (currently 5am) till I fall into bed. I'm definitely not one of those 'bright & breezy' moms who uncomplainingly makes endless peanut butter sandwiches (“there’s the bread, there’s the butter, do it yourself”) and I seem to spend a lot of time ranting at the children and often can be found muttering darkly about the cavalier qualities of a five year old, an eight year old and a 10 year old.

Like every other mother, I suspect, on the planet.

Being a bit of a novice about all of this - I try and take it as it comes and enjoy it all whilst pondering where a million socks go to die. I have to remind myself to keep my sense of humour, swear less, wait until at least 6:30pm until I have that first glass of wine and dig more sandcastles. I wouldn’t change this for anything in the world and deep in my heart I secretly enjoy being a bit of a martyr – so I clearly have the makings of a matriarch.

So here's to all the real and wonderful mothers that I know – Viva Mothers day, Viva! A luta continua!

* 'A Luta Continua' means 'The Struggle Continues' - for all you post-Eighties babes who dont know your Che Guevaro's from your Sandanistas!
*SAHM = Stay at Home Mother. Also see WAHM – Work at Home Mother

Superstar!

James being held high by the Mocco Jumbies at the rugby yesterday afternoon. Sadly BVI lost to Barbados, but no real injuries were sustained, although there will be a few bruised Council and others on Monday morning!

A royal treat of a day



About 7pm yesterday

It's not often that one's birthday falls on a royal wedding day, and you get a holiday thrown in for good measure - so yesterday really was a very special day. Tyler & I were up at 5am (not difficult as the roosters are already in full cry by then, and the sky is pinky gorgeous) to set up the BBC streaming download. We connected just as The Brides Mother Left Her Hotel. I got a bit distracted and teary-eyed about it all and ended up watching until The Vows, which then made me horribly behind in the big cooking marathon that needed to happen before Noon, when all my new friends were descending for our Royal Balcony Party.

We cooked, and whipped, and swept and shoved all the junk into the black-hole we call the Study, and I put on my tiara (yes, I had a rather large choice here could you believe) and then commenced drinking buckets of bubbles, guzzling copious amounts of Coronation Chicken (which was delicious if I say so myself) and watching an awful amount of Wedding TV.

The food went down really well. The Cherry Coke Ham was delicious and the rhubarb and Pimms trifle was a good one. We even had juicy strawberries and cream, which with champagne has to be one of the ultimate 'more-ish' puddings around. The piece-de-resistance however, was the birthday cake - which I had iced at midnight the night before (after several largeish aged rums) and was made with marshmellow fondant - which was a brilliant discovery in 'Boer Maak 'n Plan-ness' - as although we had a choice of tiara's, fondant icing was a push too far, for the local shops.

The millions of children disappeared into the hens coop or up the road, or somewhere - I was blissfully unaware of them, and then they all re-appeared when it was home-time, so perfect, really.

Of course, we are now still washing up - the downside to every party in this place - but I thought I'd give the sweeping a break to quickly post this. This afternoon we are off to watch a BVI international rugby match (against Barbados) where we seem to know half the team and the average age is about 38!

The children are back at school on Monday, there is piles of work to catch-up with now that all the holidays are over - but this afternoon I think I might just watch a few re-runs of yesterday, and dream a little more!



Tired, happy boys!



West Indian Weekend

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It's been a lovely, long, lazy weekend, but I'm now rather tired of the little angels and very pleased Tyler has taken them off to fly kites at the local Easter kite flying event on the Cruise Ship dock.

It being the crazy Caribbean, we are never more than a few days away from the next party, and the Dawson's are contributing two over the next week. My birthday happens to fall on the Royal Wedding day (Friday) so we are having a Balcony Party (instead of a street party). About 30 grown-ups plus kids, drinking lots of Prosecco and eating Coronation Chicken, whilst we look at the view and the Queen's dress/coat ensemble.  We are actually hooking up the TV in honour of the event. I'm making a Pimms & Rhubarb Trifle, and Nigella's Ham in Cherry Coke, and we're kicking off with Planter's Punch - so you can see that we really are assimilating rather quickly, if our menu is anything to go by!

Next Saturday, it's James's 10th birthday party at Scrub Island. 15 X 10 year old boys eating a BBQ and playing on the water slides. Should be fun. I've also remembered Tyler & I have a grown-ups party that evening, so we do give thanks for weekends like the one just ending, in anticipation for the next two coming down the track.

Have you seen the T Mobile 'House of Love' clip yet?

For those who havn't seen this very funny Royal Wedding ad, it's brilliant and will brighten your day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mf5yqn1aw&NR=1

Happy Easter

We've just had a lovely Good Friday. T is working the whole weekend  as the hotel is busy - so we are making the most of just being here and chilling (or 'limin' as they say here). We don't intend to do too much, apart from going to the beach & seeing friends. I'm also planning for the Royal Birthday Party for next Friday (the 29th) which is our Balcony Party for the wedding and me - taira's optional! Being part of the Empire, we of course, have a holiday that day.

Late last night the Baker made some Hot Cross Buns, which we ate on the balcony this morning, for breakfast. The boys really enjoyed them:

After a lazy morning, we went off to the beach, as the weather at the moment  is quite glorious - calm, hot and so still you can see all the islands around us like St Croix and Puerto Rico, plus wakes of boats forever.

We flopped around the beach for the afternoon ( me joyfully re-acquanting myself with Nigella's Forever Summer, from which I think I'm going to be cooking from for next week)  and then off we went for to tea with friends. Later we had Fish Pie at home, The boys played on James's new laptop which he got for his birthday on Tuesday , and T and I barely moved from the balcony - it is so beautiful.



That's the boys in the sea on the left hand side!



When I unpacked all our little Easter decorations this week, the last time we had seen them was in Plett last year - where we have spent the last few years for Easter. It gave me a little squeeze of the heart as I remembered friends and happy times. Although always tinged with a sadness of missing, life is good here - as you can see - and our little family is flourishing.

So as we think of everyone across the world - we send you warm West Indian wishes for a Happy Easter and hope that you also have happy days and lots of Easter eggs!