I’ve been speaking this week to someone who has just been offered a job on the Island. She got in touch with me through this Blog – Fantastic as that is exactly the purpose of me wittering on giving an ex-pats honest overview of life on St Helena.
It made me review the ‘Country Notes’ which are sent to new recruits to see if anything had changed. In fact, it had been a year since I last reviewed them and changes had happened – some of them quite significant and worthy of a mention for people thinking about employment here.
There are now 15 TV channels. Please don’t get too excited, unless you love sport as half the channels are sport channels. Others are National Geographic, BBC Lifestyle, Discovery Channel, MNet (South African rebroadcast) MNet Movies – Premiere, Drama and Romance, Action. Cartoon network and Disney also feature. You can download a TV guide here http://www.sure.co.sh/page16.html
The first thing you will notice is that programmes are on at bizarre times of day and night. For example if you wanted to watch X-Factor UK (just being screened here for the first time) you would have to watch it at 8am on Saturday morning, EastEnders (3 or so weeks behind) is on at 3am and 3 pm, so you start to appreciate the importance of bringing a VCR or DVD recorder to the Island - we also brought a Media Streamer (ACRyan) on which we pre-loaded all our DVD movies before leaving the UK – we now have around 2 TB worth. The TV programmes are mercilessly repeated and are generally quite dated, with a few more up-to-date programmes interspersed. It is quite expensive too in comparison to what you can get for your pound elsewhere. As at November 2014 we pay £36.30 per month. This amount is beyond the reach of many locals who hire DVD’s cheaply from shops in town as an alternative to the TV package.
This brings us nicely on to Communications in general. Telephone line rental is cheap at £5 a month. Local calls are reasonable too. Calls to the UK are expensive, currently £0.86 per minute (£0.99 Rest of the World) Skype and FaceTime etc are possible, but do eat into your data allowance, as does the use of anything wireless.
So to internet. If you think you ever had a slow/bad connection in the UK/Rest of the World – think again! St Helena Island is reliant on one tiny satellite link for her bandwidth and at peak times it can be dire, almost resembling dial-up! You pay through the nose here too. Most ex-pats struggle to stay within the download limit of the Gold package (£97 per month for 6.5Gb max download at a maximum connection speed of 1.5Mb) and opt for Gold Plus (£190 per month for 13.25Gb max download at 1.5Mb connection) Beware of going over though. Someone recently went over their allowance on Gold by 5GB and it cost £450. Even on the top package, we have sometimes gone over a little. We tend to save our data for talking to friends and relatives, but if you have teenage children (as we have) using wireless applications on mobile phones can kill your allowance – we also turned off all automatic updates so we can control when they happen. More recently SURE has introduced unlimited downloads between 12 midnight and 6am, which helps.
Things we brought that we wouldn’t be without : Goes without saying – our dogs, but materially – I am very pleased we brought our super-king sized bed – not because I don’t like sleeping close to Andy, but because we are used to the comfort of it. And at £3,000 new it was an investment that needed to travel. We didn’t bring white goods, but I have since bought on Island a chest freezer and have shipped a tall fridge out too. Depending on the size of your household, you will refrigerate and freeze so much more than in the UK, particularly fruit and vegetables. We bought dog food with us (Bakers Complete type large sacks) You can get dog food on the Island, but it’s probably not what your dog is used to! We brought out Advocate (which ran out fast!) and is not available here although a lesser version (Fiprotec) is. We also brought things like rugs - framed pictures and things that make your home comfy too!
Other things go without saying but:
Crockery,Cutlery,Knife Block,Kitchen utensils,Saucepans,Frying pan,Baking tins and trays, microwave, slow cooker, toaster, kettle, mixer,deep fat fryer, steamer, duvet, bedding, pillows, throws, vacuum, dustpan and brush, DIY tools, etc
Other than that, I ‘Tesco shop’ on line once a quarter approximately for the things I really need (to be honest there’s not much that I can’t live without and in fact have done so quite admirably so far)
So what have I ordered? Nothing earth shattering – my favourite fabric softener, Tesco own yeast extract which I find much nicer than Marmite! Quavers, Xmas chocolates, Xmas pudding, a few bottles of wine (expensive to import, BUT you get what you like to drink.) Dog treats and a couple of breakfast cereals that we don’t see here often. It was delivered for shipping on 9th October. I am expecting it to arrive on or around 8th December with any luck. Hopefully most will still be within its sell by date! If it missed that ship, it won’t get here until sometime in January so fingers crossed.
Showing posts with label Saint Helena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saint Helena. Show all posts
Sunday, 30 November 2014
Remembrance Sunday 2014
The spring weather has been late to arrive this year and I wondered if Remembrance Sunday would be a damp squib, but on the morning the sun was shining as we made our way into Jamestown to be part of the service at the Cenotaph on the quayside.
We arrived early (required in order to find a parking space!) We were delighted to find the Coffee Shop open and sat in the sun drinking St Helena coffee and chatting with friends.
The parade started early and we were soon bustling through the crowds to get a good vantage point for the ceremony. Various uniformed groups marched down to the Cenotaph and soon the Acting Governor Mr Sean Burns and his wife Marina arrived to start the service.
As before, the service was respectful and moving, culminating in a parade past dignitaries who received the salute on the Court House steps! All in keeping with local tradition.
Speaking to some locals afterwards, they told me that the weather is ALWAYS perfect for Remembrance Sunday and so it was.
The most entertaining part though was the colour of ex-pat faces on Monday morning, where they had not used a strong enough factor sun cream. I advocate using Factor 30 as a minimum and I am not someone who readily burns. The sun is exceptionally strong here even when it isn’t very hot. It got to around 28◦C here on Sunday, which is not hot in comparison to summer here, but you really can’t underestimate the strength of the sun.
Anyway, lots of sunburnt faces on Monday did make me smile :-)
We arrived early (required in order to find a parking space!) We were delighted to find the Coffee Shop open and sat in the sun drinking St Helena coffee and chatting with friends.
The parade started early and we were soon bustling through the crowds to get a good vantage point for the ceremony. Various uniformed groups marched down to the Cenotaph and soon the Acting Governor Mr Sean Burns and his wife Marina arrived to start the service.
As before, the service was respectful and moving, culminating in a parade past dignitaries who received the salute on the Court House steps! All in keeping with local tradition.
Speaking to some locals afterwards, they told me that the weather is ALWAYS perfect for Remembrance Sunday and so it was.
The most entertaining part though was the colour of ex-pat faces on Monday morning, where they had not used a strong enough factor sun cream. I advocate using Factor 30 as a minimum and I am not someone who readily burns. The sun is exceptionally strong here even when it isn’t very hot. It got to around 28◦C here on Sunday, which is not hot in comparison to summer here, but you really can’t underestimate the strength of the sun.
Anyway, lots of sunburnt faces on Monday did make me smile :-)
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
Going Back to Basics Part 2 - Shopping on the Island
Hello to readers in Denmark, Ukraine, Lebanon, Australia, USA, Germany, St Helena, Egypt, Ireland, Channel Islands, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey, Chile (to name a few) as well as the good old United Kingdom! I have been amazed at the places people who read the Blog come from, but you are all very welcome and please feel free to contact me on any aspects of living on St Helena!
Over the last 8 months there have been various road resurfacing projects going on. This has proved a challenge to all affected. The first big re-surfacing project took place along the main road into Jamestown from Longwood/Levelwood/Alarm Forest areas and lasted for 8 weeks. During this time the road was closed to traffic and a long diversion was put in place, where we had to cut across the middle of the Island and enter Jamestown from the west down Ladder Hill – one of the most feared roads on the Island for many!
The diversion started at Gordon’s Post, taking us through the Dungeon, along the W road, past Francis Plain up to White Gate and St Pauls. Joining the ring road on the other side of the Island, we passed through Red Hill, Cleughs Plain dropping into Half Tree Hollow and Ladder Hill before starting the decent into Jamestown via Ladder Hill. Although the journey time (and distance) pretty much doubled for those of us on the other side of the Island, the enforced detour also yielded many positives too.
I am now a confident Ladder Hill driver; both up and down (down is way more tricky!) I discovered a number of shops I’d never visited before, which I still frequent now, several months later.
The next section of road for improvement was Gordon’s Post to Hutts Gate. Another diversion, but much shorter, lasting 6 weeks. The final section affecting Longwood residents was Hutts Gate to Longwood Gate. This was a little more troublesome. There was no diversion as there is no other road! So the road was shut during the day 9 – 3, with a rolling convoy permitted between 12-1. At all other times Longwood residents were either shut in or shut out! But people accepted that the road needed attention and there was no other choice to be made. Again there were advantages from the imposed travel times! Island exploring on a Saturday morning was one! Andy, Henry, Deanna and David dive on a Saturday morning, so Hazel and I usually meander into Jamestown around 10 for a mooch around the shops and coffee. An enforced departure at 9am meant we had a little too much time on our hands, so foraging in other areas became the norm. We became experts in shopping opportunities as well as places to eat and thought it might be something useful to share. I’ve done an earlier blog about shopping so will try not to repeat too much, but will include some details for completeness and to ensure the information is in one place (so sorry if you’ve read it before!)
Shopping – I am going to start at the waterfront (or seaside as it is known) and work up Main Street before entering ‘country’ areas
As you enter Jamestown through the Castle Gates, to the right is Cyril’s shop. Cyril is off Island at the moment so no lovely home-made sausage rolls, pasties or pizza for a while.
• Cyril’s’ is like an old fashioned ‘corner shop’ stocking a variety of everyday items such as tea, coffee, milk, snacks, tinned goods as well as a small selection of shoes and clothes. There was also a small ‘fast food’ takeaway outlet selling battered fish, fish bites, burgers etc attached. Due to Cyril being away, this has been leased to Reggie who has taken over the kitchen and offers a range of ‘fast food’ Reggie also runs a takeaway business out at Bottomwood.
Next shop is Serena’s Gift shop on your left as you wander up Main Street.
• Serena’s is an Aladdin’s cave of items ranging from artificial flowers, make-up, jewellery and torches to St Helena souvenirs such as T-shirts, mugs etc. Well worth a look for something unusual! If you are looking for a torch or a scarf call in.
• Chad’s is next up on the left, next to Essex House and run by Tracy. Chad’s is another small grocery store stocking some more ‘unusual’ items such as Tesco diet coke (500ml bottles) Walkers Quavers (Bags of 12) and today she had Bavaria non-alcoholic lager that I used to drink occasionally in the UK – I’ve not seen it here before. She also has a small selection of clothes and shoes and sometimes has things you just can’t get elsewhere – Like potatoes when there was a recent famine. She also has ‘special offers’ each week which are always good to buy. It is also the cheapest place I’ve found for White Lion rum. Another recent discovery is that through Tracy, I was able to book a taxi home for my son and his friends after midnight. (The availability of taxi’s after 12 at night is a bit of an issue, which I’ll cover another time)
For ease of identification, I’ll continue up the left hand side of Main Street!
• Baseline is next, sharing an entrance to their basement premises (and that of Essence Hair and Beauty Salon) Baseline stocks a range of groceries and fresh fruit and vegetables shortly after the ship has been in. She also sometimes has eggs and often has cans of diet coke (usually cheaper than others)
• The Emporium is next, just after the Consulate Hotel. It’s part of the Thorpe group of shops and I’d describe it as akin to an old ironmongers in the UK – So stocks engine oil, tyres, picture frames, cards (greetings and playing!) stationery, light bulbs, pet care and bathrooms! Meanwhile upstairs you’ll find a range of crockery, glasses and cooking essentials as well as curtains, duvets, material, haberdashery items and shoes. You really do have to go and poke about!
• Sure South Atlantic are next. It’s primarily here where you go to sign up for your (very expensive) internet, TV and/or phone packages. You can find out more about them here www.sure.co.sh . The small shop also stocks some novelty phones and some android tablets. You can also purchase your digital TV box here.
• Moonbeams is a high quality gift shop with a range of locally produced items and souvenirs. The also offer a personalisation service for many products as well as cards and quality gift wrap. More information here www.moonbeamsforall.com
Be prepared for a steepish climb up Napoleon Street until you find the Queen Mary on the left – one of my favourite places for a number of reasons –
• Queen Mary and its sister shop Victoria’s are owned and run by Greg. In a survey I conducted as part of my Master’s degree, they came first for customer service! This is by far the best place on the Island to buy cheese. Whilst not all types are continually available, Greg usually stocks mild, mature and vintage cheddar. It’s not uncommon for Stilton and Gouda to be available too along with Mozarella, so if you like your cheese, make a B-line for either store! They also seasonally have runner beans, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes etc, so always a good place to have a nose around. Apart from that the store (Queen Mary) stocks a range of household goods, stationery, garden and car bits, such as hosepipes, machetes, paint, exhaust repair kits. A good range of tins and packet food such as noodle, rice, soup can be found along with wine, beer, soft drinks and frozen foods.
• Adrian’s is next – we have taken a sharp right down Nosegay Lane and Adrian’s is on the left. Again this is a typical corner shop, offering a range of goods and a great place to get things when others have run out. He often has for example Rose’s Lime Cordial and lemon juice when others don’t and is the cheapest place to buy the 5 litre fruit juice boxes!
As we join Market Street and continue left the first shop is the Bazaar.
• The Bazaar, part of the Solomon’s chain here, is a dedicated shoe store. Don’t get too excited though! Whilst there is a reasonable range, sizing is tricky and the common sizes quickly sell out. If you are desperate though you’ll likely find something that fits!
The Bank of St Helena is next door and somewhere that everyone has to frequent way too often! Living in a cash society has its advantages, such as no unexpected credit card bills, but also means if you run out of money after 3pm on a Friday, it’s a long wait until Monday! The bank has just launched on-line banking and I must say that initially I was quite excited. However, given that the bank want to charge ME to use it - £2.50 a month just to view my statement, plus another £2.50 per month if I want to transfer money locally, plus a setting up fee and to top it all because there are no ATM’s I’d still have to go to the bank to get cash out the advantage to me, the customer, is a big fat zero! So until ATM’s arrive negating the queuing at the bank at least once a week to withdraw cash, I won’t be signing up. It’s also hard to believe that there is a charge at all. Elsewhere in the world the introduction of such exciting technology (which I truly believe in and support) would never attract a charge as the idea is that the Bank saves money through customers self-serving. I worked for Nat West Bank in the good old days and witnessed at first hand the incredible reduction in staffing that was possible once the notion took hold. Perhaps it will be free of charge in the future, but in order to maximise potential savings and improvements, customers need to be persuaded to join with a carrot, not a stick! Rant over…
Last shop on this side of the street that I’ll talk about today is Tinker’s.
• Tinker’s is the place for cut meat. Pretty much the only place to get a selection of meats! The range varies from week to week but typically includes a couple of types of ham, chopped pork, chicken and chilli loaf, pepperoni, salami, streaky and back bacon. All can be purchased by the slice. They also have some cheese available and sometimes eggs. They have freezer foods – mainly meat, but also make and sell frozen Cordon Bleu chicken, pork rib steaklets and chicken nuggets. They also have a reasonable range of ice-cream.
Going Back to Basics Part 3 will cover the other side of the street down to the seafront! I didn’t realise how many shops there actually are!
Over the last 8 months there have been various road resurfacing projects going on. This has proved a challenge to all affected. The first big re-surfacing project took place along the main road into Jamestown from Longwood/Levelwood/Alarm Forest areas and lasted for 8 weeks. During this time the road was closed to traffic and a long diversion was put in place, where we had to cut across the middle of the Island and enter Jamestown from the west down Ladder Hill – one of the most feared roads on the Island for many!
The diversion started at Gordon’s Post, taking us through the Dungeon, along the W road, past Francis Plain up to White Gate and St Pauls. Joining the ring road on the other side of the Island, we passed through Red Hill, Cleughs Plain dropping into Half Tree Hollow and Ladder Hill before starting the decent into Jamestown via Ladder Hill. Although the journey time (and distance) pretty much doubled for those of us on the other side of the Island, the enforced detour also yielded many positives too.
I am now a confident Ladder Hill driver; both up and down (down is way more tricky!) I discovered a number of shops I’d never visited before, which I still frequent now, several months later.
The next section of road for improvement was Gordon’s Post to Hutts Gate. Another diversion, but much shorter, lasting 6 weeks. The final section affecting Longwood residents was Hutts Gate to Longwood Gate. This was a little more troublesome. There was no diversion as there is no other road! So the road was shut during the day 9 – 3, with a rolling convoy permitted between 12-1. At all other times Longwood residents were either shut in or shut out! But people accepted that the road needed attention and there was no other choice to be made. Again there were advantages from the imposed travel times! Island exploring on a Saturday morning was one! Andy, Henry, Deanna and David dive on a Saturday morning, so Hazel and I usually meander into Jamestown around 10 for a mooch around the shops and coffee. An enforced departure at 9am meant we had a little too much time on our hands, so foraging in other areas became the norm. We became experts in shopping opportunities as well as places to eat and thought it might be something useful to share. I’ve done an earlier blog about shopping so will try not to repeat too much, but will include some details for completeness and to ensure the information is in one place (so sorry if you’ve read it before!)
Shopping – I am going to start at the waterfront (or seaside as it is known) and work up Main Street before entering ‘country’ areas
As you enter Jamestown through the Castle Gates, to the right is Cyril’s shop. Cyril is off Island at the moment so no lovely home-made sausage rolls, pasties or pizza for a while.
• Cyril’s’ is like an old fashioned ‘corner shop’ stocking a variety of everyday items such as tea, coffee, milk, snacks, tinned goods as well as a small selection of shoes and clothes. There was also a small ‘fast food’ takeaway outlet selling battered fish, fish bites, burgers etc attached. Due to Cyril being away, this has been leased to Reggie who has taken over the kitchen and offers a range of ‘fast food’ Reggie also runs a takeaway business out at Bottomwood.
Next shop is Serena’s Gift shop on your left as you wander up Main Street.
• Serena’s is an Aladdin’s cave of items ranging from artificial flowers, make-up, jewellery and torches to St Helena souvenirs such as T-shirts, mugs etc. Well worth a look for something unusual! If you are looking for a torch or a scarf call in.
• Chad’s is next up on the left, next to Essex House and run by Tracy. Chad’s is another small grocery store stocking some more ‘unusual’ items such as Tesco diet coke (500ml bottles) Walkers Quavers (Bags of 12) and today she had Bavaria non-alcoholic lager that I used to drink occasionally in the UK – I’ve not seen it here before. She also has a small selection of clothes and shoes and sometimes has things you just can’t get elsewhere – Like potatoes when there was a recent famine. She also has ‘special offers’ each week which are always good to buy. It is also the cheapest place I’ve found for White Lion rum. Another recent discovery is that through Tracy, I was able to book a taxi home for my son and his friends after midnight. (The availability of taxi’s after 12 at night is a bit of an issue, which I’ll cover another time)
For ease of identification, I’ll continue up the left hand side of Main Street!
• Baseline is next, sharing an entrance to their basement premises (and that of Essence Hair and Beauty Salon) Baseline stocks a range of groceries and fresh fruit and vegetables shortly after the ship has been in. She also sometimes has eggs and often has cans of diet coke (usually cheaper than others)
• The Emporium is next, just after the Consulate Hotel. It’s part of the Thorpe group of shops and I’d describe it as akin to an old ironmongers in the UK – So stocks engine oil, tyres, picture frames, cards (greetings and playing!) stationery, light bulbs, pet care and bathrooms! Meanwhile upstairs you’ll find a range of crockery, glasses and cooking essentials as well as curtains, duvets, material, haberdashery items and shoes. You really do have to go and poke about!
• Sure South Atlantic are next. It’s primarily here where you go to sign up for your (very expensive) internet, TV and/or phone packages. You can find out more about them here www.sure.co.sh . The small shop also stocks some novelty phones and some android tablets. You can also purchase your digital TV box here.
• Moonbeams is a high quality gift shop with a range of locally produced items and souvenirs. The also offer a personalisation service for many products as well as cards and quality gift wrap. More information here www.moonbeamsforall.com
Be prepared for a steepish climb up Napoleon Street until you find the Queen Mary on the left – one of my favourite places for a number of reasons –
• Queen Mary and its sister shop Victoria’s are owned and run by Greg. In a survey I conducted as part of my Master’s degree, they came first for customer service! This is by far the best place on the Island to buy cheese. Whilst not all types are continually available, Greg usually stocks mild, mature and vintage cheddar. It’s not uncommon for Stilton and Gouda to be available too along with Mozarella, so if you like your cheese, make a B-line for either store! They also seasonally have runner beans, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes etc, so always a good place to have a nose around. Apart from that the store (Queen Mary) stocks a range of household goods, stationery, garden and car bits, such as hosepipes, machetes, paint, exhaust repair kits. A good range of tins and packet food such as noodle, rice, soup can be found along with wine, beer, soft drinks and frozen foods.
• Adrian’s is next – we have taken a sharp right down Nosegay Lane and Adrian’s is on the left. Again this is a typical corner shop, offering a range of goods and a great place to get things when others have run out. He often has for example Rose’s Lime Cordial and lemon juice when others don’t and is the cheapest place to buy the 5 litre fruit juice boxes!
As we join Market Street and continue left the first shop is the Bazaar.
• The Bazaar, part of the Solomon’s chain here, is a dedicated shoe store. Don’t get too excited though! Whilst there is a reasonable range, sizing is tricky and the common sizes quickly sell out. If you are desperate though you’ll likely find something that fits!
The Bank of St Helena is next door and somewhere that everyone has to frequent way too often! Living in a cash society has its advantages, such as no unexpected credit card bills, but also means if you run out of money after 3pm on a Friday, it’s a long wait until Monday! The bank has just launched on-line banking and I must say that initially I was quite excited. However, given that the bank want to charge ME to use it - £2.50 a month just to view my statement, plus another £2.50 per month if I want to transfer money locally, plus a setting up fee and to top it all because there are no ATM’s I’d still have to go to the bank to get cash out the advantage to me, the customer, is a big fat zero! So until ATM’s arrive negating the queuing at the bank at least once a week to withdraw cash, I won’t be signing up. It’s also hard to believe that there is a charge at all. Elsewhere in the world the introduction of such exciting technology (which I truly believe in and support) would never attract a charge as the idea is that the Bank saves money through customers self-serving. I worked for Nat West Bank in the good old days and witnessed at first hand the incredible reduction in staffing that was possible once the notion took hold. Perhaps it will be free of charge in the future, but in order to maximise potential savings and improvements, customers need to be persuaded to join with a carrot, not a stick! Rant over…
Last shop on this side of the street that I’ll talk about today is Tinker’s.
• Tinker’s is the place for cut meat. Pretty much the only place to get a selection of meats! The range varies from week to week but typically includes a couple of types of ham, chopped pork, chicken and chilli loaf, pepperoni, salami, streaky and back bacon. All can be purchased by the slice. They also have some cheese available and sometimes eggs. They have freezer foods – mainly meat, but also make and sell frozen Cordon Bleu chicken, pork rib steaklets and chicken nuggets. They also have a reasonable range of ice-cream.
Going Back to Basics Part 3 will cover the other side of the street down to the seafront! I didn’t realise how many shops there actually are!
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
A Year On
I left the UK on Sunday 26th May 2013. The time has gone by really quickly. By the time I get back to the UK in early August for my ‘mid-term leave’ I will have been away for just over 14 months – It’s also a long time to go without a holiday, so really looking forward to the break – 6 weeks! A chance to catch up with my Mum, my eldest (George) as well as Andy’s family and our friends. It’s our eldest nephew’s 21st too so will be looking forward to the fabulous party that I know Jill will deliver.
So to Island life…
We spent a lovely late afternoon and evening on Friday after work just chilling at Donny’s Bar. There were people wake boarding in the Bay and it was great to spend some time just people watching. Henry had taken one of his AS papers in the morning – 2 down, 2 to go. As usual the boys went diving on Saturday and in the afternoon Henry debuted as Crystal Rangers goal-keeper. He had a great time and for the first time in ages Crystal Rangers only lost by one goal (it’s usually double figures – LOL)
The Jeep Wrangler is finally up and running – new clutch fitted and tested – although had to wait for various parts to arrive from the UK. Andy often sends me into the shops to ask for different car parts – I swear he’s just having a laugh!
The sales assistants look at me like I am mad, then suggest a different shop to go to. So to anyone who is bringing a car = also bring brake pads, service parts (filters etc) don’t expect to find the ‘right’ part for your car here – generic things like oil are available and we did get wiper blades, but I asked for copper grease and there was silence.. ‘Won’t get that here’ was the response. BUT we did get it after much foraging around! I also wanted a trolley jack – I didn’t get a trolley jack, but did get a bottle jack – not quite what I was looking for, but it will do
We woke up on Sunday morning to a very low water pressure, then a short while later, no water at all. No 1 Piccolo Hill had sprung a leak! Fortunately due to the eagle eyes of John at No 4, the fault was reported and fixing within a few hours. So by lunchtime, we had brown water. A short time later we had white foaming water – it looked like milk it was that dense! Figured if I boiled it, it would be ok..
We’ve taken to walking the Muppies down at Millennium Forest/Horse Point – overlooking the airport site. It’s quiet and Pippy seems to like it – Smudge can go off the lead so long as she keeps away from the edge. Like pretty much everywhere on the Island, the views are spectacular.
We had a bank holiday on Wednesday last week – in aid of St Helena Day (anniversary of the Island’s discovery in 1502) And again, unlike the UK we have 2 bank holidays in June, on the 9th and the 16th, so looking forward to that
So to Island life…
We spent a lovely late afternoon and evening on Friday after work just chilling at Donny’s Bar. There were people wake boarding in the Bay and it was great to spend some time just people watching. Henry had taken one of his AS papers in the morning – 2 down, 2 to go. As usual the boys went diving on Saturday and in the afternoon Henry debuted as Crystal Rangers goal-keeper. He had a great time and for the first time in ages Crystal Rangers only lost by one goal (it’s usually double figures – LOL)
The Jeep Wrangler is finally up and running – new clutch fitted and tested – although had to wait for various parts to arrive from the UK. Andy often sends me into the shops to ask for different car parts – I swear he’s just having a laugh!
The sales assistants look at me like I am mad, then suggest a different shop to go to. So to anyone who is bringing a car = also bring brake pads, service parts (filters etc) don’t expect to find the ‘right’ part for your car here – generic things like oil are available and we did get wiper blades, but I asked for copper grease and there was silence.. ‘Won’t get that here’ was the response. BUT we did get it after much foraging around! I also wanted a trolley jack – I didn’t get a trolley jack, but did get a bottle jack – not quite what I was looking for, but it will do
We woke up on Sunday morning to a very low water pressure, then a short while later, no water at all. No 1 Piccolo Hill had sprung a leak! Fortunately due to the eagle eyes of John at No 4, the fault was reported and fixing within a few hours. So by lunchtime, we had brown water. A short time later we had white foaming water – it looked like milk it was that dense! Figured if I boiled it, it would be ok..
We’ve taken to walking the Muppies down at Millennium Forest/Horse Point – overlooking the airport site. It’s quiet and Pippy seems to like it – Smudge can go off the lead so long as she keeps away from the edge. Like pretty much everywhere on the Island, the views are spectacular.
We had a bank holiday on Wednesday last week – in aid of St Helena Day (anniversary of the Island’s discovery in 1502) And again, unlike the UK we have 2 bank holidays in June, on the 9th and the 16th, so looking forward to that
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Do walks get any more spectacular?
I don’t think so! Although every time we go somewhere new the landscape literally takes my breath away. This weekend’s adventure was a walk to Sharks Valley!
We arrived at the agreed rendezvous and were met by David Pryce (AKA ‘Bug Man’) in his land rover. He works for the St Helena National Trust and had offered to drive us ‘off road’ to a starting point lower down the valley. We all piled in and set off on a fairly scary white knuckle ride down to the start of the Mango Groves.
Setting off through the Groves was amazing and so dark. The foliage is very dense so a torch is recommended particularly for negotiating the natural streams that run through! The walk is pretty much downhill there, which of course means uphill back. Once out of the Mango Groves the walk is mainly along narrow ledges – not my favourite, but en-route we pass a spectacular waterfall and overhanging rocks and boulders.
After about an hour and a half we could see the beach and the sea.
The only way down was to scramble down a steep rock face with loose stones underfoot. I am not sure how we all made it down without injury, but we did. After a bite to eat and drink we set off back the way we had come, slipping and scrambling up to meet the path. The walk back was harder. The sun had increased in intensity and the ground underfoot was difficult to walk on. I lost my footing at one point and crashed to my knees luckily falling on the rocky path and not falling down the steep slope on the left! I wasn’t the only one. By the time we got back to the land rover, several of us were nursing cuts and bruises. Just the white knuckle ride back to the starting point remained. We arrived back safe and well, just in time to have a quick shower and head down to Donny’s Bar in Jamestown, where we had been invited to a wine tasting afternoon - what better way could there possibly be to recover from a mornings walking….
We arrived at the agreed rendezvous and were met by David Pryce (AKA ‘Bug Man’) in his land rover. He works for the St Helena National Trust and had offered to drive us ‘off road’ to a starting point lower down the valley. We all piled in and set off on a fairly scary white knuckle ride down to the start of the Mango Groves.
After about an hour and a half we could see the beach and the sea.
Thursday, 30 January 2014
Well, Well, Well
Or ‘Welly’ as Wellington, the Governor’s dog is affectionately known. Welly moved in with us for his Xmas break on December 22nd. Although we had met him out and about, walking in Plantation Forest etc, we weren’t sure how our girls, Smudge and Pippy, would react to ‘the new kid on the block’!
Initial signs were good and he and Smudge played together pretty much all the time. He was unsure of Pippy – he couldn’t understand why she didn’t interact in the same way and he often just went gently up to her without her knowing and watched her in wonderment. A couple of times when Pip was in her spinning mode Welly received a bang to the head! Smudge knows to stay out of the way, but I think Welly hadn’t quite grasped that Pip can’t see. They have all been sleeping in the same room together and they seem to have got on fine – they do set each other off though and Welly has a deep throaty bark – opposite to Pippy’s quite high pitched chirp, so we’ve had a couple of early rises!
We are lucky to have a large fenced garden so they can all play outside – Smudge and Welly have quite a rough and tumble, but they keep each other in their place if it gets too rough for either one. Pippy joins in sometimes too and Welly, now more accustomed to her odd ways, plays gently with her too.
The Governor is back this week and Welly will be returning to grander surroundings at Plantation House. I think he will miss the friendship that has developed between them – particularly Smudge. He and Smudge often lay together on the floor, just touching with the odd playful nip thrown in. He is also expert at getting between us on the sofa and he has no concept of 'there's no room' choosing to lay on top of us or Smudge just to get in with us!
I am sure he will also miss his breakfast – Cereal and milk which he has grown used to having with the girls every morning. He has also enjoyed Bakers Complete, rather than Wagg.
He needs a firm hand and we have tried very hard with him – he’s better than when he first arrived – he doesn’t jump all the time now, but he has a deep rooted distrust of strangers – he doesn’t like anyone new visiting and he makes his feelings very clear! But he can also be very loving and likes to be the centre of attention – not sure who’s made him like that, but I can guess!
It’s been hard work having 3 but I am sure we will miss him when he returns to the Governor’s residence later in the week.
Anecdotally - I have heard from Plantation that he is much better behaved now - Let's hope he keeps it up!
We are lucky to have a large fenced garden so they can all play outside – Smudge and Welly have quite a rough and tumble, but they keep each other in their place if it gets too rough for either one. Pippy joins in sometimes too and Welly, now more accustomed to her odd ways, plays gently with her too.
The Governor is back this week and Welly will be returning to grander surroundings at Plantation House. I think he will miss the friendship that has developed between them – particularly Smudge. He and Smudge often lay together on the floor, just touching with the odd playful nip thrown in. He is also expert at getting between us on the sofa and he has no concept of 'there's no room' choosing to lay on top of us or Smudge just to get in with us!
I am sure he will also miss his breakfast – Cereal and milk which he has grown used to having with the girls every morning. He has also enjoyed Bakers Complete, rather than Wagg.
He needs a firm hand and we have tried very hard with him – he’s better than when he first arrived – he doesn’t jump all the time now, but he has a deep rooted distrust of strangers – he doesn’t like anyone new visiting and he makes his feelings very clear! But he can also be very loving and likes to be the centre of attention – not sure who’s made him like that, but I can guess!
Anecdotally - I have heard from Plantation that he is much better behaved now - Let's hope he keeps it up!
Looking back over 2013 – The Highs and the Lows
2013 has drawn to a close and an eventful year it has been. Even though I consider us far too young to start losing friends, at least 2 have been taken from us far too early.
Steve Waughman – A lovely, polite, gentleman who I had the honour and privilege to know and work with for 7 years. Although, as Steve’s Head of Service, we didn’t always share the same views and opinions, we were always able to share banter and a joke during the working day. Following the relocation of our offices to a single site, I often sat at the desk next to Steve and on that tragic day, that was exactly where I was, although Steve was working from home. A couple of months earlier Steve had learnt of my impeding departure to the middle of nowhere (St Helena Island) and he had been fascinated by the prospect of me upping roots and trekking half way around the world. It did stimulate much interest and discussion and Steve often came up with previously unknown facts about my new home! Steve was a very keen (and talented) photographer, so I had intended to send him photos of the stunning landscape and rare birds/plants etc. He would have been in his element. But it wasn’t to be. My colleague Phil took a phone call that afternoon informing us that Steve had been rushed to hospital following a suspected coronary. A couple of days later, the life support machine was switched off and a life was lost far too early. A few weeks later, just before I was to leave the UK, a friend of Andy’s, Mark Stretton, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Surgery was attempted, but he never recovered and he died a few days later. I was unable to attend Mark’s funeral as I had already left the UK. Andy undertook this sad last tribute on our behalf. It certainly makes you think about life. This was the first complete year since my Dad passed away and this time of year always reminds us of our eldest son whom we sadly lost too.
I left family, friends and beloved pets behind when I set off at the end of May 2013. Andy and Henry due to follow in July, when the dogs would be dog sat by Simon and Dawn until their ever changing departure date, which finally came around in September. Leaving my son, George, behind was hard too, but I know it was an opportunity for him to take charge of his life rather than being reliant on us.
And so to the highs – what a fantastic Island St Helena is! We have been to places we’d never ever imagine – made some great new friends, settled into Island life, seen Whale Sharks in their natural habitat. Andy and Henry have been learning to scuba dive – Henry’s now qualified and Andy is not far behind, now his plaster is off! I’ve been completing my Masters in Strategic Change it. It’s been hard work at times, but very rewarding – I am looking forward to whatever 2014 brings us
Whale Sharks and Fishing
Andy and Henry were invited to go fishing at the weekend – an early start – picked up from the wharf steps at 06.30. Sun cream, pizza and beers were packed, along with hats and swimming gear the night before – the weather looked good and there had been lots of Wahoo and Tuna caught recently too. After motoring out towards Lemon Valley, they watched the sun come up over the Island before settling into some serious fishing. The fish had other ideas though and bites were slow. David caught a 20lb Tuna and some others caught Congers and smaller fish (including Henry) but it was the incredible sight of Whale Sharks accompanying the boat and dolphins swimming alongside that really made the trip. Unfortunately the photos don’t really do it justice, but 4 huge Whale Sharks swam just a few meters from the boat.
Tired and hot, the intrepid fishermen returned home some 5 hours later. Andy offered to help David with the Tuna. I am not sure what observers would have thought to Andy and me leaving David and Hazel’s house with a cleaver along a blood splattered path…. Ando so to the next social event – Sundowners on Friday – a boat is hired and copious amounts of food and alcohol are taken on board for consumption whilst the boat bobs around whilst watching the sun go down.
Steve Waughman – A lovely, polite, gentleman who I had the honour and privilege to know and work with for 7 years. Although, as Steve’s Head of Service, we didn’t always share the same views and opinions, we were always able to share banter and a joke during the working day. Following the relocation of our offices to a single site, I often sat at the desk next to Steve and on that tragic day, that was exactly where I was, although Steve was working from home. A couple of months earlier Steve had learnt of my impeding departure to the middle of nowhere (St Helena Island) and he had been fascinated by the prospect of me upping roots and trekking half way around the world. It did stimulate much interest and discussion and Steve often came up with previously unknown facts about my new home! Steve was a very keen (and talented) photographer, so I had intended to send him photos of the stunning landscape and rare birds/plants etc. He would have been in his element. But it wasn’t to be. My colleague Phil took a phone call that afternoon informing us that Steve had been rushed to hospital following a suspected coronary. A couple of days later, the life support machine was switched off and a life was lost far too early. A few weeks later, just before I was to leave the UK, a friend of Andy’s, Mark Stretton, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Surgery was attempted, but he never recovered and he died a few days later. I was unable to attend Mark’s funeral as I had already left the UK. Andy undertook this sad last tribute on our behalf. It certainly makes you think about life. This was the first complete year since my Dad passed away and this time of year always reminds us of our eldest son whom we sadly lost too.
I left family, friends and beloved pets behind when I set off at the end of May 2013. Andy and Henry due to follow in July, when the dogs would be dog sat by Simon and Dawn until their ever changing departure date, which finally came around in September. Leaving my son, George, behind was hard too, but I know it was an opportunity for him to take charge of his life rather than being reliant on us.
And so to the highs – what a fantastic Island St Helena is! We have been to places we’d never ever imagine – made some great new friends, settled into Island life, seen Whale Sharks in their natural habitat. Andy and Henry have been learning to scuba dive – Henry’s now qualified and Andy is not far behind, now his plaster is off! I’ve been completing my Masters in Strategic Change it. It’s been hard work at times, but very rewarding – I am looking forward to whatever 2014 brings us
Whale Sharks and Fishing
Andy and Henry were invited to go fishing at the weekend – an early start – picked up from the wharf steps at 06.30. Sun cream, pizza and beers were packed, along with hats and swimming gear the night before – the weather looked good and there had been lots of Wahoo and Tuna caught recently too. After motoring out towards Lemon Valley, they watched the sun come up over the Island before settling into some serious fishing. The fish had other ideas though and bites were slow. David caught a 20lb Tuna and some others caught Congers and smaller fish (including Henry) but it was the incredible sight of Whale Sharks accompanying the boat and dolphins swimming alongside that really made the trip. Unfortunately the photos don’t really do it justice, but 4 huge Whale Sharks swam just a few meters from the boat.
Tired and hot, the intrepid fishermen returned home some 5 hours later. Andy offered to help David with the Tuna. I am not sure what observers would have thought to Andy and me leaving David and Hazel’s house with a cleaver along a blood splattered path…. Ando so to the next social event – Sundowners on Friday – a boat is hired and copious amounts of food and alcohol are taken on board for consumption whilst the boat bobs around whilst watching the sun go down.
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