The Eagle Has Landed!!!

I’m standing on the quayside at James Bay looking out to where the RMS St Helena has weighed anchor. It’s warm and sunny at 8am –exactly the weather I’d ordered for Andy and Henry’s arrival on the Island! I was up early this morning, with the radio announcing the arrival of the ship at 7 am – usually the top news story on SAMS Radio 1.. A quick breakfast and a 25 minute drive down to ‘town’ leaves me squinting across the water searching for signs that the tender has started disembarkation. I spot my boss, Susan, also waiting on the Quay. Her nephew is coming in on the same ship! She tells me she nearly rang me this morning when she saw the RMS arrive earlier. In fact she heard it too – it’s amazingly noisy when it comes in and out of the Bay. We stand chatting for a bit, then spot the bus leaving the ‘steps’ (where passengers come on land) and heading down the quay. It’s like being on a first date! My stomach is turning and I have high levels of anxiety. As Andy and Henry were under strict instructions to be on the first tender, I am hopeful that they will also be on the very first bus transfer to Customs and Immigration! I find myself standing next to Beverley (Deputy Director of Education). We pass the time of day – as everyone does on St Helena – she spots some ‘non Saints’ waving madly from the bus and tells me they must be mine, because she doesn’t recognise them – everyone knows everyone here, literally. I catch a glimpse of Andy and Henry getting off the bus and going into the immigration building – my first view of them for 10 weeks! Moving back from the barrier, I return to my previous, pole position, spot at the entrance to the bridge. Beverley has gone over the bridge into the building. She comes back and waves me forward to join her! So now I am looking into the customs area and can see Andy and Henry searching for their bags, they don’t know I am just the other side of the doors, until they walk through and see me standing there. Re-united at last! We hug and walk to the car which is parked just along the seafront. Then we all have a proper cuddle out of sight of inquisitive locals! First order of the day is to take Andy to the Police Station. He needs to register his driving licence so he can drive on the Island. Hold baggage is not usually released for a couple of hours, so I drive them up the mountain via Side Path, Two Gun Saddle (repeated hairpins) Tomb Road (Napoleon’s burial site) past Hutts Gate, Alarm Forest until we reach Longwood. Through Longwood gate, past the school, Pub Paradise AKA KJ’s, past Longwood Store and petrol station (think 1950’s western!) Past Longwood House, Napoleon’s residence, and Basil Read Airport Construction offices and there on the left lies Piccolo Hill - -Home for the next 2 years.