Three months has flown past since the last blog. We have had great weather leading up to the rainy season. Our windows are now water proof and the guttering has been repaired to stop the rainwater overflowing and pouring into the downstairs loo, so all should be well for the up and coming hurricane season - fingers crossed!
The garden continues to be a full time occupation. Whilst I was back in UK Jeff completed a circular path all around the lower garden so there is now easy access to all the fruit trees and of course has opened my eyes to a few more areas that require cultivation – Jeff calls this garden creep. This path has changed my life! Dramatic, I know, but for several months of the year the lower garden was out of bounds as it was so slippery and had even claimed a few broken bones (Jill’s wrist) and sore bums. Now I skip down the path twice a day coming back with exciting news of flowering fruit trees and outbreaks of pink mealy bug (can be devastating to coconuts and hibiscus and is not to be tolerated).
and nights in Chateau Mygo listening to the band with a didgeridoo accompaniment.
I went back to UK with them to see Fi through her second hip operation (different side). We spent a week in Lincolnshire, where the operation was done and then we came down to Oxfordshire where she recuperated for the next four weeks. We hired a wheel chair from the Red Cross, which gave us such freedom. We shopped, visited wild life parks, went to country pubs and socialised. It was great to spend such a length of time with her and family, especially as the weather was so good. Jeff joined us towards the end, which coincided with the closing down ceremonies at Lyneham. He went to a huge hanger party and met up with lots of old friends, stories were told and good times re-visited. He also went to the formal closing ceremony with Princess Anne in attendance. It was all very poignant, the end of an era that has been such a great part of our lives.
Dancing with crutches is a whole new art form.
Cigars and port to seal the engagement.
We were all able to celebrate John and Victoria’s engagement, which had taken place on the same day as the Royal Wedding. We spent the weekend with them and went out for a lovely meal followed by a small party on their patio. My memory of this is a little hazy. They plan to be married next year, here in St Lucia! It’s all so exciting but of course with a beach wedding there is not much to organise .The date and beach have been chosen and Chateau Mygo will be the venue for the post wedding party- job done!
Another job done whilst I was away was the construction of a front porch and the building of a raised step to keep the doormat dry. It’s worked very well and looks smart.
Once back we quickly got back into the swing of things. I’ve been river swimming with Doreen and her grandson in a beautiful part of the Island. She also introduced us to breadnuts, the Caribbean equivalent of chestnuts. We gorged ourselves on them one evening, dunking them into garlic butter but unbeknownst to us, they also have a powerful side effect of producing copious amounts of gas; guy ropes would have been necessary on the duvet – if we had one!
We have had our first pineapple harvest. It must have been the smallest pineapple ever but the taste was sweet and juicy, in fact I think pineapples should be that size as one never eats a whole one and then the other bits lurk in the fridge and eventually get thrown out.
We have just enjoyed our 30th wedding anniversary. A big meal and romantic trip in a water taxi was planned and paid for by John and Fiona (great kids!) But unfortunately I was a bit crook and then once I was better Jeff wrestled with an old tree (the tree won) and injured his leg so the romance has been put on hold until we are both fit enough to cope with it.
Below is the first of the torch lillies we have grown , this ones head was 9" tall!
Thank goodness the ups and downs of life in the Caribbean continue to amuse us in our old age.
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