Greetings to both of our avid readers (and also the rest of you with nothing better to do). Welcome to our April edition. A relatively quiet month travelwise but still plenty going on around here. I won't hold you up! Read on!!!!
Psssst! (OK, maybe I will hold you up)
If you have missed a month or two, feel free to either scroll down or just click on the relevant month over on the Archive bit... on the right... up a bit... that's it! Also, there are links to Facebook should you wish to view more photos than what we have posted here. You should be able to click on the link and that will take you to the album in question. Or if you are already a Facebooker - you may have seen them already anyway.
Traffic Update.
Readers may recall an incident a while back where a friend of ours found herself in a ‘traffic altercation’ with some local bods. She had 'alledgedly'scraped her care on theirs while trying to get up a driveway with what was thought to be no, or very little damage to the locals’ car. In fact, the mirrors did touch (and fold back) but apart from that, nothing apparent.
She has finally been called to appear in Court. There were no photo’s, no report to be seen (as yet anyway), no witnesses and she was never asked for a statement but was told by the local constabulary at the time that if she didn’t pay up, they could make things difficult for her....
So obviously she’s guilty as hell and will hang for this heinous crime. She has since submitted her own statement to the police and also learned that there is a report (which doesn't involve her statement) but she must buy a copy should she wish to see it.
Our friend is a lawyer – and now, not a very happy one. We are hoping to get ringside seats. This will be something to see!
We’ll let you know how she gets on.
Roundabout
While we are talking traffic. In an effort to ease to ongoing congestion issues around downtown Road Town, there are moves afoot to erect traffic lights on the roundabout. The Transport Department intend to place four sets of lights around the roundabout. One might have thought that they would remove the roundabout, but this isn’t to be. There will be lights at each of the entry points around it. Some of us are a little skeptical at this as half of the problems are people stopping in the middle of the roundabout to drop people off, pick them up, have a chat or just wait as pedestrians wander aimlessly across it. We will bring you the latest as it happens, right here in Blogger Land… OK we’ll tell you monthly, is that alright?
Readers may recall an incident a while back where a friend of ours found herself in a ‘traffic altercation’ with some local bods. She had 'alledgedly'scraped her care on theirs while trying to get up a driveway with what was thought to be no, or very little damage to the locals’ car. In fact, the mirrors did touch (and fold back) but apart from that, nothing apparent.
She has finally been called to appear in Court. There were no photo’s, no report to be seen (as yet anyway), no witnesses and she was never asked for a statement but was told by the local constabulary at the time that if she didn’t pay up, they could make things difficult for her....
So obviously she’s guilty as hell and will hang for this heinous crime. She has since submitted her own statement to the police and also learned that there is a report (which doesn't involve her statement) but she must buy a copy should she wish to see it.
Our friend is a lawyer – and now, not a very happy one. We are hoping to get ringside seats. This will be something to see!
We’ll let you know how she gets on.
Roundabout
While we are talking traffic. In an effort to ease to ongoing congestion issues around downtown Road Town, there are moves afoot to erect traffic lights on the roundabout. The Transport Department intend to place four sets of lights around the roundabout. One might have thought that they would remove the roundabout, but this isn’t to be. There will be lights at each of the entry points around it. Some of us are a little skeptical at this as half of the problems are people stopping in the middle of the roundabout to drop people off, pick them up, have a chat or just wait as pedestrians wander aimlessly across it. We will bring you the latest as it happens, right here in Blogger Land… OK we’ll tell you monthly, is that alright?
Oops! Bikini came adrift...
Pirates on the Willy T
The rugby club had a fundraiser (excuse for a booze up) recently on the “Willy T”. The Willy T is a floating bar just off Norman Island (http://www.williamthornton.com/ the photo section tells it all!). Funnily enough, the theme was ‘Pirates’. The club had rented a big boat for the evening to ferry everyone over and back. About 50 people took the boat. Others arrived by various boats and yachts and things. It was Dave’s turn to have a night at the Willy T since Michelle went last time. So off he went, dressed in Michelle’s Espirit top with a ferocious looking parrot attached for good measure. There were all sorts of pirates and wenches there. A lot of effort went into some outfits.
Prior to boarding the boat, the obligatory rum comes out and it’s all downhill from there. Once on the Willy T, the pirates took over and scared off a few tourists while the ‘ski shots’ (four shot glasses affixed to a ski no less) were going down, people were leaping into the sea, Swords were waving and general pirate-like mayhem was the theme of the rest of the evening. (See here for more photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20220&l=cd922&id=766998601 )
Pirates on the Willy T
Surf Report
As the season draws to a close, along comes another big swell… and another. At the time of writing, the waves at Josiah’s are big but messy and no good for surfing. In the next few days things should settle down.
Dave makes the most of his time at home to get out and get some time up on the board. He’s almost learned to steer the thing now. He narrowly missed a bunch of unsuspecting tourists the other day who just happened to be swimming in his path.
The rips haven’t been so good on the weekends for Jake and Sam as it has been difficult for them to get out. But as the waves get smaller over the summer, maybe they’ll still be able to have some fun. Michelle hasn’t really had too many opportunities of late either.
As the season draws to a close, along comes another big swell… and another. At the time of writing, the waves at Josiah’s are big but messy and no good for surfing. In the next few days things should settle down.
Dave makes the most of his time at home to get out and get some time up on the board. He’s almost learned to steer the thing now. He narrowly missed a bunch of unsuspecting tourists the other day who just happened to be swimming in his path.
The rips haven’t been so good on the weekends for Jake and Sam as it has been difficult for them to get out. But as the waves get smaller over the summer, maybe they’ll still be able to have some fun. Michelle hasn’t really had too many opportunities of late either.
One day we'll get a shot of a half decent wave...
Dave’s Garden
When not surfing, Dave has been excavating in the backyard. There is (was) a patch of ground covered in weeds that Dave thought he could turn into a little garden and maybe grow a few things. His only tools were a shovel and a machete. After a while he realized that the shovel wasn’t going to do much with all of the rocks that he encountered so he enlisted the help of a pick. That really helped and he ripped the place to bits. But he soon found out why the place had never been touched. He pulled out 1 x burnt mattress, two rusty machete’s, one melted cell phone, a selection of rotted and burnt shoes, a number of broken fluorescent tubes, one pot, one large pan, a watch, a screwdriver (Phillips), a stack of rusty tubing, some roofing iron, 1 x Doll, some old fly screens, some crockery, a squash racket, several tennis balls, two dumbbells (different weights) and heaps of other rubbish. All of this stuff had been burned – as if! So Dave tossed it over the bank. It took a day and a half to do that! He also dug up a mountain's worth of rocks, which are now being used for borders and retaining raised parts of the garden.
When not surfing, Dave has been excavating in the backyard. There is (was) a patch of ground covered in weeds that Dave thought he could turn into a little garden and maybe grow a few things. His only tools were a shovel and a machete. After a while he realized that the shovel wasn’t going to do much with all of the rocks that he encountered so he enlisted the help of a pick. That really helped and he ripped the place to bits. But he soon found out why the place had never been touched. He pulled out 1 x burnt mattress, two rusty machete’s, one melted cell phone, a selection of rotted and burnt shoes, a number of broken fluorescent tubes, one pot, one large pan, a watch, a screwdriver (Phillips), a stack of rusty tubing, some roofing iron, 1 x Doll, some old fly screens, some crockery, a squash racket, several tennis balls, two dumbbells (different weights) and heaps of other rubbish. All of this stuff had been burned – as if! So Dave tossed it over the bank. It took a day and a half to do that! He also dug up a mountain's worth of rocks, which are now being used for borders and retaining raised parts of the garden.
Work is ongoing and he is currently searching the environs for plants to add to the garden.
Dave's work boots.
A few rocks...
The garden is starting to take shape and there are even some things growing in it! A few squash, peppers and papayas to date. After a bit of trial and error we’ll have a good idea of what will actually grow here. (More pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20558&l=3c95f&id=766998601)
Air Show
The inaugural BVI Air Show was held here a couple of weeks back. It was a hot day (especially at the airport!) but the show was surprisingly good. After our time here to date, we have learned not to expect too much so tend to expect a lot less instead. We knew in advance that the normal flight schedule would continue thus disrupting the show, but it was quite good with the live commentary giving scores of the commercial flight’s take offs and landings. In terms of airshows it was probably quite small, but is was surprisingly well run and even exciting. The kids really enjoyed it. (Lots more pics!!!: Album #1 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20788&l=0a89e&id=766998601
Michelle had to walk out on a wing to get this shot. Awesome!
For even more shots see Airshow album # 2 - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20798&l=7d276&id=766998601
Mr Branson made an appearance... well, his plane did.
Random pic...
Fangs!
Sam lost her two bottom teeth about a year ago. Now she has just lost both front top teeth within about two weeks of each other. The first one came out in her lunch and was duly swallowed. But she did write an explanatory note to the Tooth Fairy who was in a giving mood and deposited some cash under Sam’s pillow that night.
Fangs!
Sam lost her two bottom teeth about a year ago. Now she has just lost both front top teeth within about two weeks of each other. The first one came out in her lunch and was duly swallowed. But she did write an explanatory note to the Tooth Fairy who was in a giving mood and deposited some cash under Sam’s pillow that night.
The fang!
The next one was wobbling about and threatening to dislodge itself in a friend’s swimming pool, so Dave called her over, grabbed the dangling fang and ripped it out. Sam hardly felt a thing.
Gap Girl!
SPORT
Soccer shorts
The Soccer shorts this month are going to be very brief (!). Nothing to report. We are still waiting to hear about the competition and if Dave has a team to coach or not. Maybe in May!
Tennis Racket (yep, that’s right, racket).
Sam is doing well in her elevated ‘Thursday’ group. This group is smaller and the kids get more actual coaching in this class. They are attempting to learn how to serve at the moment – with mixed results. It’s lucky that the coach has a good supply of tennis balls.
Soccer shorts
The Soccer shorts this month are going to be very brief (!). Nothing to report. We are still waiting to hear about the competition and if Dave has a team to coach or not. Maybe in May!
Tennis Racket (yep, that’s right, racket).
Sam is doing well in her elevated ‘Thursday’ group. This group is smaller and the kids get more actual coaching in this class. They are attempting to learn how to serve at the moment – with mixed results. It’s lucky that the coach has a good supply of tennis balls.
Some on-court doubles action
Jake’s Friday session continues. It’s been cut back to 30 mins as the attention span of this lot late on a Friday afternoon isn’t quite the best. Jake looks to be able to do everything asked of him, but he’s got a way to go before graduating to Thursdays. Dave enjoys the end of the week at the tennis club as he sits up in the clubhouse on the deck with a beer in hand surveying the goings-on on court. And Michelle often comes down to go to the gym after work or at least a drink so it’s a good excuse for Dave to have another beer and the kids to have their well-earned lemonade.
Jake and Dave on the lawn at the Sports club after tennis.
Rugby….
There has been no progress regarding our proposed ‘Tri-nations’ to date. We live in hope… or is that live and hope?
Kids Tournament.
The club ran a kids tournament for the locals last Saturday afternoon. The turnout wasn’t as good as expected but was sufficient to have a good time. We all went down for the afternoon. Michelle and Dave to assist, with Sam and Jake taking part. There was plenty of running around and various rugby-related games so everyone was kept busy. At the end, we all went to Village Cay (Hotel) for a few drinks and a swim. The kids had a great time in the pool with some of the other club members thrashing about with them in the water (pronounced “waahhta”).
There has been no progress regarding our proposed ‘Tri-nations’ to date. We live in hope… or is that live and hope?
Kids Tournament.
The club ran a kids tournament for the locals last Saturday afternoon. The turnout wasn’t as good as expected but was sufficient to have a good time. We all went down for the afternoon. Michelle and Dave to assist, with Sam and Jake taking part. There was plenty of running around and various rugby-related games so everyone was kept busy. At the end, we all went to Village Cay (Hotel) for a few drinks and a swim. The kids had a great time in the pool with some of the other club members thrashing about with them in the water (pronounced “waahhta”).
Some strange looking kids...
Touch
Tuesday nights is ‘Mens night’ where they do a few skill sessions and conditioning activities in preparation for any upcoming games.
Wednesdays is ‘Girls’ night where they do mainly touch with a few conditioning and skills variations thrown in.
Thursdays is now open to all so the whole family trundles down. Michelle and Dave play while the kids run around with whoever else’s kids are there. Michelle thinks she's pretty good now as she is regularly scoring tries or making decisive breaks... and that's against the blokes. Her and Dave often play in the same side and form a pretty good combination to hoodwink some unsuspecting poms or lazy saffers. Then its off to Bomba’s for a quick beer (or two) before heading home. If, for some reason the kids don’t come on a Thursday, Dave seems to take a little longer getting home. Not sure why that is.
Weather Watch
Well, it’s definitely getting warmer now. A constant 25/26 this week, which isn’t too bad really. Some days when there is no breeze, the temperature creeps up on you and smacks you in the back of the head. Dave is hoping that this so-called ‘rainy season’ will actually produce some rain, otherwise his garden might fry.
Beerly Good Enough!
A few weeks ago Dave popped in to Caribbean Wholesalers to pick up a case of Carib (at $19.50) and was told there was none left on the island. "Aaaaaarrrrggghhhh! How can that be?" exclaimed Dave.
Anyway, once he had got back to his feet and the Paramedics had stopped administering oxygen, he was told that they did have cans available (for $17). "Cans'll be fine!" Especially at that price for two dozen!
It wasn't until he got home to load them into the fridge when he learned that they were 290ml cans. Midget cans! But luckily a ship came in with the real Caribs onboard and the fridge is back to normal.
Check out Dave's beer compared to Michelle's cider...
This is at Lambert Beach - just along from Josiah's.
Next month...
Hmmm, next month we May have a little bit of this and we May have a little bit of that. To be perfectly honest we haven't got a clue about what we are up to. Although we could go to the Rugby Club's Wine Tasting event (starts at 3pm on a saturday... hmmmmm.....) or we could travel somewhere instead. Not sure yet!
We should have the Surf Wrap - because surely the waves will be gone by then! The Soccer Shorts might get a little bigger! The Tennis Racket louder! The Garden might even look like a garden by then!
Does anyone have any questions?
