Sunday March 18th

We were expecting company so the house had to be cleaned. Yes Shawn, we actually do some house cleaning although I do try to keep it to a minimum!
There was still some time for playing in the new half-painted planters... but all the hard work got the better of the man!
It started with drinks by the pool with Liv and Dave,
and ended much later with a rather motley looking crew, most of whom I had never even seen before! A fun Sunday, new friends, some great food and everyone exhausted from another busy weekend.

Saturday Swim

Finally a swim, after all were back from piano classes, gymnastics, and lunch with Aunt Shir Shir; and daddy and Nana painted the railings with their primer, reconnected the guttering, re-organized the porch and cleaned some windows. A deserved swim I would say!

Happy Birthday to Jenn!

I came home from work to find the pool full of kids!
Jenn is 24 today and the love of her life surprised her by flying in from Florida! All the kids stayed for birthday cake and helped blow out the candles!

Weekend in a nutshell

Playing football under the lights and enjoying BarBQ Friday night at Old Man Bay playing field...
Lost as usual exploring Sunday morning... where the heck are those blasted caves!
Rum Point Sunday afternoon...Nice Sunday afternoon for a swim...
Me and Aunt Theresa...
Finally home with Rex Sunday evening.

More Horse Riding...

Three more pictures from the horse riding yesterday. Big weekend for all concerned so off to bed early on a lonely, windy Monday night.

Weekend

Hayley at Gymnastics...
Hunter at gymnastics...
lunch with Katherine after gymnastics...
horse riding on the beach (L-R: Starri, Hayley, Aaliyah, Katherine)
Aunt Tinnie walks along the riders...
finally dinner at the Reid's! More pic's tomorrow. Too much for one day.

Tropical Life

Life in the tropics has its challenges. Here, our brave au pair risks life and limb to remove this Woodslave (nocturnal lizard) from the kitchen! We had seen signs of him for days but only caught sight of him late this evening. I was in favour of leaving him alone (he would keep the bugs away) but Jenn wouldn't be able to sleep knowing he was there, vicious beast that he is! Alas, he is safely back in the woods where he belongs.
Life in the tropics also has its advantages. After school this is our alternative to shoveling snow, although it obviously is not as much fun!

Birthday Morning

It's official, Hayley is nine years old! She and Hunter posed by the pool as they waited for the school bus this morning. Visible in the background is their Dad's railing project which should be nearing completion next weekend. Mostly a quiet day on Sunday. I hiked the mastic in the morning while Nana and Jenn babysat, then we had company most of the rest of the day but still managed to get lots of swimming and even a little work in. By bedtime everyone was ready for a good night of sleep. Already huge plans for next weekend... but we'll tell you about those later!

Hayley's Birthday Party

The Birthday cake with Hayley and Rex on it!
Cupcake with Granny.
Swinging at the Pinata...
...while the crowd patiently waits!

Hayley celebrated birthday number nine today at her party at the Orchid Village pool organized by Aunt ShirShir, Granny and Jenn. Sarted the morning as usual with piano lessons, gymnastics, lunch and then the party. So a very busy day. So late that she didn't finish opening all her gifts and was still in bed after nine! Hunter had passed out on the drive home. I will hike in the morning with some work associates, then continue work on the deck railings. Hopefully a reasonably restful Sunday at home.

Ash Wednesday

Not quite sure why, but Ash Wednesday is a holiday here and we always go to the big Agricultural Show.Here Jenn, Hayley, Katherine and Hunter (hidden) enjoy some equestrian events. There are always thousands of people here and today was no exception. And it was hot too. We left before noon and headed over to visit Granny and Grandaddy.

Too cool for the pool

It has been a chilly windy but busy weekend as usual. H&H spent most of Saturday with Aunt Shir Shir while daddy worked doing a tour all afternoon. I then gave in and let them sleepover and took the opportunity to have a night on the town. We all met at Uncle Gary's for fresh lobster this morning then returned home early afternoon for fun in the pool with Starri and Skye. So far Rex has not jumped in. Maybe it is too cold for even him! The Kramers (from across the street) visited this evening for a glass of wine; they are down for a week.

Surprises!

I was surprised to find four people enjoying a swim when I returned from work yesterday.

Then another surprise to find the kids playing in the park at my office this afternoon! The legs in the background are Jenn's, Granny's and mine; the picture was taken by Starri!

Happenings...

Family and friends relaxing on the beach Sunday afternoon.
Bouganvillia along Boggy Sand Rd. (specially for Norma!)
The pool early Tuesday morning. Scheduled to be finished today.

Pool Progress

Pool is now tiled and the concrete coping completed around the edge. Concrete decking around it to be done on Monday, so coming right along! Usual Saturday activities and now getting ready for a well-deserved rest.

The Pool

The Pool is in and may be finished by weekend so way ahead of schedule. I am still doubtful. This view is looking North with the wall in the back being about 8 feet high. They will pour the columns for the railing tomorrow, tile the rim and finish the leveling. Should be ready for Hayley's birthday on the 26th.

Who says girls don't like superbowl?

Some of the partiers at Aunt Tinny's superbowl party! Hunter was one of three males at the party, so who says girls don't like football? Or was it the great food?

A Day with a Prince

Sunday morning I toured the island with Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. Why couldn't it have been a PRINCESS!???

Sunny Saturday

With the kids gone for the day, and whilst suffering the ill effects of an evening on the town, I finally guilt-tripped myself into doing something constructive. So I did some photography then went snorkelling across the street and got three nice conchs which I then cleaned and marinated for dinner. After snorkelling I goofed around with Dave and Kathy (over a beer) while I dripped off for the ride home making use of the new improved barbell. Saw three barracudas and lots of other fish while snorkelling, now I am going back over to fish for a snapper over a glass of wine. Kids are in town and sleeping over with Katherine. More tomorrow.

What to do on a harsh winter day?

Cover yourself up of course! Or have a friend cover you up!

Art@Govs

Thanks Ann for this picture of the three muskateers enjoying the rythms at Art@Governors on Friday!

Quiet Sunday

Despite near-perfect weather, we had a quiet day around the house mostly. I worked in the yard dismantling the old shed while H&H had a relaxing time watching TV. We visited Jima and Susan for a dip in the frigid pool, then stopped by Dave and Kathy's where Hunter and hayley tried some weight lifting with a unique barbell (coconut tree trunks!). Late in the evening Hunter and I trimmed out the road, then a relaxing dinner and a visit from Nana.

Science Fair Thursday night

Hayley and teammate prepare their demonstration as Starri's mom and Jen supervise.
Hayley explains her team's creation to a judge at the science competition. Not very effective but very artistic! They recieved a special round of applause from the judges because they were the only two from their team who showed up and they still competed.