Signing up for internet, phone and TV was one of the first things I did when I arrived last Friday - it's very expensive £108 a month for a 1Mb connection and that is NOT a misprint! I also have a very low data usage allowance and I am on the Gold (top) package. Having parted with an extortionate amount of money, the really helpful girl at CW told me my phone would be switched on later that day, which it was around 4 and my modem and welcome pack would be delivered to the Castle on Tuesday. No set-top boxes though. The Government have loaned me a TV until my container arrives on the Island, but the Blu-ray player and discs are also on the container so I haven't been able to watch anything.
The modem arrived on Monday - a day ahead of schedule - very excited with the prospect of being back in touch with the UK! As soon as I got home, i set about getting it up and running. Almost immediately, my heart sunk as I realised the telephone/internet socket and the power socket were about 6 feet apart and the cable on the modem about 2 feet! Just before I sank into depression, I remembered seeing another telephone socket in the 2nd bedroom. Hooray! The phone socket was next to power so the 2nd bedroom is now an office! It was great to be able to email friends and family - particularly my lovely husband - we were in danger of clocking up a mortgage sized phone bill.....
Then, totally out of the blue I got a phone call from CW on Friday evening informing me that I had reached the top of the waiting list and a set-top box was ready for collection! (and payment - naturally!)
It's not that I have particularly missed any TV as such, but it is nice to have the option and to have it on in the background (although I have an IPOD mini Hi-Fi system that Andy insisted I bring - thank you darling - you were right!) But I miss the company of being with my lovely husband watching something - anything but being together - This is hard!
The box can't be collected until Monday though - Businesses here are generally open from 9 to 5 Mon - Fri - except for early closing (lunch-time) on Wednesday - remember that in the UK? Most shops open on Saturday morning 9-12. Nobody opens on a Sunday apart from a couple of pubs and restaurants!
One item not loaned as part of my 'transit kit' is a dustbin - which in sub-tropical climates is a must - rubbish starts to smell pretty quickly here - even in winter - which it is coming in to now. So Fridays question was 'Where would I go if I wanted to buy a dustbin?' Various places were suggested including the Emporium, Solomons DIY. Neither had a black bin like at home. Another ex-pat Hazel suggested Maisie's DIY.
Maisies is located in someones garage, as are many local stores here, so not actually expecting much, I visited Maisies where a black dustbin was purchased for £20! Maisie also stocks paint, fridges, freezers, BBQ's and all manner of odds and sods - as do most stores LOL.
I bump into David, Hazel and their daughter Deanna in town and David has also had a phone call from CW allocating him a set-top box - he's waited since January for his though so my 1 week wait is something of a record.. There's going to be a queue at the CW offices on Monday lunchtime....
If you are interested in the TV programmes on offer, take a look here!http://www.cwi.sh/
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