June is the start of the rainy season and the hurricane season but for the whole month we have had glorious sunshine and no rain!

The sun is setting in the bay and the skies are glowing with extraordinary colours as day makes way for night.

We haven’t had any visitors this month so have been out and about with friends we have recently met on the dock, who are staying in Marigot for the hurricane season. We took them quad biking, then to a local buffet lunch, which they enjoyed and hope to be able to take their visitors to, in the near future.

Supper on Kathy and Kennys boat, Mer Soleil.

River Swimming.

We were able to get quite a lot of work done on phase two of the garden project. A path from the lower patio now leads to a bridge crossing ‘Dead Mans Gulch’ which then has steps going to the top of the garden. Jeff has made a very attractive wooden bench out of some white cedar .It is conveniently situated at the top of the steps and I am sure it will become a place of quiet contemplation or even a place to go to if you are in the huff! I have been busy gathering cuttings to fill this cleared space as planting is to be done on a ‘no cost’ basis. It’s amazing how things want to grow here; even the saddest of twigs sprout after a few weeks and hey presto a new plant is born. I now carry my secateurs everywhere as there are loads of cutting opportunities to be had around the bay. Some would call it thieving but I prefer to think of it as relocation.

The gate is to stop the dogs yomping at speed through the garden to get to the gate for a quick bark at passers by.

The woodland bench with dappled shade and a cooling breeze - have I sold it to you yet!

There has been an outbreak of babies in Marigot bay; so much so, Doreen decided to host a party for all the new arrivals, to celebrate her newfound status as a Grandmother. It was a lovely day on which all friends and staff brought their kids along for burgers and hotdogs and us adults cooed and ahhed and drank wine to toast their health.

We also had a youngster out sailing with us. It was Liams first time on a boat and after a very short period of apprehension, found his sea legs and was off, fearless of steps, water, rigging and slippery decks. He even took his turn at the helm but seemed to be a bit bored with that part of his training. We have since found out that his sleepiness was a precursor to the onset of pneumonia and he has been in hospital for the last week.

We have also been doing some house maintenance (I use the term ‘we’ quite loosely as I am a consultant and provide encouragement from the shade of the balcony). The weather side of the house has had a lick of paint and the front wood has been sanded and re-varnished. Kenrick has made some overhangs for the balcony to take away the rain water that flows onto the wooden railings below, causing them to degrade too quickly. Once they are done I shall be called upon to sand and varnish them.

I think we may have been under a misapprehension; all the time we thought that Obie was going to be a guard dog, he was thinking that we were his guard people! Now that we have got that sorted we can all relax and accept his role in the household as purely decorative.