Compassion & Respect

Lots has happened recently. People stuff which I can't blog - that'll have to wait for the book with the supporting line 'this is all fiction and any resemblance etc is purely a conincidence'. I always wondered why some authors didn't use their real name.

Talking of which, well publishing, we've been featured (on why we moved) in a two page spread in the latest issue of the Caribbean Hot Property magazine. From this we've already had a booking for the Lodge, so that's good. I've also had a lot of requests for an overall update on the 'are we there yet?' theme. Must find time for that, guess folks don't just want an 'I'm here' report.

Andy's well worn Teva's go into semi-retirement from the 16th March when his project managing the house & garden completion finishes and he's whisked back into office life. Arrggghh shame hey. The second biggest shock will be to Scarlett who thought they were BFF.

Our first crop of cumbers as the kids call them

There's a funny caption in here somewhere.....

The Good Life

We'll be ok. We can grow chilli plants from tiny seedlings.
Just look at this one!
Chilli sauce, chilli jam, chilli fish, chilli stew, chilli chicken, chilli rum...
You name it we can chilli it.

Remembering who it's all about

Chloe has exams from today until next Friday. Exams at 6, wow. I had to sign a form for school to give permission for her to take them. What if I hadn't signed - would she have just sat there reading a book watching her friends?

Yesterday, the girls were asked to be bridesmaids at a family wedding in the UK in December. It's a really tough one - they would adore it - every girl's dream to dress up as a princess in a fairytale venue. I was always the (runaway) bride but never the bridesmaid. The practicalities are another matter though - flying back to the UK in December and then the logistics of getting to the remote, middle of nowhere location coupled with the overall cost. But it may be their only chance.....

Can't imagine why they didn't ask Ollie to be their pageboy.
A swallowed ring will reappear won't it?

Just because...

It's Saturday, it's sunny, I'm excited and I realised I missed Scarlett out of the last photos.

Groundhog Day - wherever you live

Before and after in the playroom. Everyday I tidy it up and then the children systematically destroy it (see they don't watch that much TV afterall). Every night I rattle on 'if you don't tidy up I will give all your toys away' to the response of:-

Chloe: Ah, that's a really nice thing to do Mummy.
Ollie: I've made my bed.
Scarlett: They are not my toys really.

To sum up, Chloe always tells me what I want to hear, Ollie's from planet Zog and Scarlett has finally worked out that all 'her' toys are just recycled ones from the other two anyway.

In Dominica they will all have their own bedrooms and no playroom - well that's outside, the ultimate green play space, fantastic! Therefore, the contents of the playroom now will be divided between their three bedrooms and each one will be responsible for keeping their own room tidy...........sorted!

In reality I'm probably just tripling my Groundhog Day scenario though.........Who's kidding who here, different country, same issues............

Some things will be the same but different

We are looking forward to going back to the amazing market in Roseau. In the meantime, there's a Sunday market in our town here which we regularly go to. It offers fruit, veg, cheese, cooked chicken, plants, fresh flowers etc. Our visitors always love it and we usually just buy the fruit and veg essentials. Today I realised I should appreciate what's on my doorstep and what I might miss so I bought like a visitor - unusual cheese and a box of dark chocolates - all for me! The children were given their usual freebies of fruit and lollies so they were happy. Andy bought himself a chilli plant..........yeah I know, coals to Newcastle..........

The moving jigsaw

My brother rang yesterday asking if we had a date yet for leaving. The logistics of a move of this size is overwhelming. Yes, I know I'm not the logistics expert in this family either but with time on my side the ball is firmly in my court. The whole process is an enormous jigsaw and slotting every piece in depends on things we can and can't control. So, to sum up, we are still waiting on the bank to authorise our loan, we then have to wait for the Shack to be completed, give notice on our house in Belgium (scary landlord) and all that that entails (paying final bills, paying off loans, selling my car), work out where we are going to stay for the 6 weeks our container is in transit and dependent on this book our flights to Dominica and find somewhere to stay there until our container is unpacked. Amidst all this Andy has to give notice at work and inform the children's school they are most likely leaving before the summer term is completed. Bring it on!