1st Year Anniversary

Thank you to everyone who has reminded me we have been here a year - yesterday!

So, my observations are:-

Time really does fly, even on Caribbean time, as it were.

Anything you want must be preceded by 'Gimme'. Just forget 'please may I have' - you might as well be speaking Chinese.

There is no fresh bread first thing.

Everyone knows more about your child's safety than you. Just accept it and be grateful.

Nothing is mine, Tom, Dick or Harry's. It is mine own, Tom's own, Dick's own etc.

The news channel frequently shows news from 5+ years ago.

It is impossible to tell which bottle has tonic, soda or lemonade in as they
are all marked Quenchi.

Sell by dates mean nothing.

No-one uses their real name.

Everyone is related.

The most popular dance consists of allowing any man to gyrate his hips against yours even though you haven't a clue who it is behind you. Sometimes it is a pleasant surprise and sometimes....

If you don't eat chicken you better go vegetarian.

Anything nice and new in the supermarket, (ok, chocolate and unusual biscuits) will be sold out in a few days. Panic buy.

The Fort Young Hotel uses tinned pineapple to make Pina Coladas.

Everyone knows your salary - don't forget everyone is related - even in the bank.

The cost of buying a small fish & chips is the same as buying small fish & chips with an extra of fish on the side, which is really big fish and chips but if you ask for that it costs more. Confused, you will be.

Education should be added to the dinner party 'no go' topics of religion & politics - all of which are discussed at length by those who know the least.

Pretty much everyone looks out for you, I think.

You don't go 'to' somewhere, you go 'by' somewhere.

Cheese triangles (because of their shape funnily enough) are called cheese cubes.

Having the same meal at the same restaurant will rarely ever cost the same.

Everyone's whites are always spotless whites. Persil should really just run all their advertising campaigns from here.

No-one will iron in the rain.

Transport is the word used for car, bike, motorbike, truck etc, so it could be a BMW or a moped coming to pick you up.

The cost of duty for parcels in the Post Office bears no reality whatsoever to the value of the item. The cashier never has any change either.

The loo seat is never freezing cold.

Yes, you can live without buying any new clothes for anyone for a whole year.

Getting up at 6am is easy peasy Japaneasy when it's warm.

The beauty of the place never fails to take your breath away and neither do the sunsets.

Everyone will eventually turn up and if they don't it's because some relation is sick or has died.

An avocado is called a pear - pronounced 'peeeer'.

Cheese puffs are corn curls.

Bleach rules. Wise to get shares in Clorox.

The Chinese restaurants are real Chinese. Fab.

The merits and demerits and cost of buying something in a shop are often discussed at length but result in 'we don't have that though/we can't sell the last one in stock/suggest you try down the road'.

The dustbin men are saints - think stinking, rotten, hot, mouldy, dog chewed piles of waste.

All pulses are called peas.

Always give way to the buses on the mountain.

Wave to everyone and never admit you don't know anyone when clearly they have met you several times.

No-one likes to get their hair wet.

Hair and nail styles change practically daily.

The word 'respect' is part of most confrontations.

The breeze is warm and pleasant.

The views are undescribable.

The beaches are magnificent.

My friends are great!



Yeah, we're there.
So, come on, what (are) you waiting for?