Twenty-Six Years On

So what was I doing today, 26 years ago? Getting married to my gorgeous husband Andy! We didn’t know what the future held for us but here we are still together and happy more than a quarter of a century later with having created three boys. The fact that one of them is no longer with us is a stark reminder of how strong we have been as a family over the years. We have laughed and cried together and had each other to lean on in times of sadness.

George and Henry have grown to be strong, handsome, well-balanced young men who are both starting to forge their own ways in life and who knows what theirs will look like. As with any parent, I wish them both a long and very happy life and hope they take advantage of the opportunities that come their way.

Of course this time last year we were celebrating our Silver wedding anniversary and we had a party jointly with Deanna Woosey who turned 18 in the same week. And in a few more weeks we will have been living on this beautiful island for 2 years. It really doesn't seem possible. So in a few months’ time we will have to start looking for employment elsewhere. Who knows where that search will take us? What I do know is that we will be together wherever ‘there’ is!

Running to Catch Up

I’ve been a bit slack with the Blog over the last few weeks – not because nothing much has happened – rather that too much has happened!
The first devastating news came on 26th January when we learnt that our good friends Hazel and David were not going to be returning to the Island after all. We sort of knew when we said ‘Bon Voyage’ in late November, but it was still a shock when we had the phone call that confirmed it!

That left a house full of possessions, furniture, food etc that would need disposing of and/or packing up to be shipped back to the UK. Having agreed to take on the task for our friends, we literally spent the next three weeks driving over to Piccolo Hill every evening after work to pack their belongings into 50 boxes! We spent time there at the weekends too, so it was a relief to finalise the packing and selling in time for their belongings to be crated and sent off on the ship to Cape Town on 26th February.
The packing certainly kept us out of trouble for a few weeks, but on a Tuesday it enabled us to drop Henry off at Gareth Drabble’s house, where Gareth was helping Henry perfect his GCSE Music ensemble – Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton.

In fact we were all treated to an early performance of his exam piece when he and Gareth performed at the SPCA fund raiser – Last Night of the Proms – at Plantation House. The evening was a roaring success with well over £1,000 raised for the charity. Excellent hosting by the Governor and Mrs Capes too! A large marquee had been erected outside enabling guests to mingle in the interval with a glass of wine and a few nibbles. Here's a video of Henry and Gareth performing at Plantation House.

The following weekend we finally got around to hosting our housewarming party at Spring Knoll. My mass catering skills were put to the test as we provided supper for around 50 guests! We had also brewed our first batch of ‘hooch’ (allegedly Cabernet Sauvignon) which went down surprisingly well with our guests – so much so that I now need to do another batch!
So you can see, we have not really had much time to sit down and write, but hopefully this will make up for my tardiness!
I’ve written before about the challenges facing the Island if a medical emergency arises. This unfortunately happened for real on Friday when a 7 year old girl was taken very seriously ill. The RMS was4 days away and it wasn’t an option to wait for her to arrive. During the day the Island issued a number of SOS assistance calls, hoping to evoke a response from a closer ship. Eventually a Dutch cargo ship responded positively and altered their course in order to reach the Island in the early hours of Saturday morning. The girl was boarded along with medical personnel from the Island and the ship set off for Ascension Island where a military plane was waiting to fly her to London and Great Ormond Street Hospital. She arrived in a stable condition in the UK on Monday. The cargo ship had to go several hundred miles out of its way, but has done so free of charge to enable the young girl to receive medical treatment. Everyone on the Island is extremely grateful. I can truly say that after almost 2 years on the Island, I feel part of the community and part of the Island. As Simon Russell would say – assimilation complete Helen!
Read all about it here in the national paper

Friends All Over The World

Today is my very good friend Mandy’s birthday. It’s the second one I’ve missed since moving to St Helena Island and I am a little sad that I can’t be there to celebrate as we would have done in the past. We will make up for it when we meet up later in the year. Miss you matey x

We really do have friends everywhere these days. Friends in America, Australia, New Zealand, St Helena, Ascension to name but a few as well as good old Blighty too.
And friends who move away at the end of contract or to fulfill a work requirement. Hazel –When are you coming back?

Living so far away from many of our friends makes you realise who the true ones are. There’s some we don’t speak to for months, yet when we do speak, it’s like we’ve spoken every day. There are others who make the effort to speak to us on Skype or FaceTime occasionally and there are new friends to be made due to the constant churn of contracts starting and ending.
Gill contacted me through the Blog to find out about bringing a dog to St Helena Island. This was before she’d even got an interview. We hit it off straight away, so it was exciting to find out a few weeks later that she’d got the job. We corresponded regularly over many weeks, Gill asking questions and me trying to answer, but we got there and the container was packed up and shipped off in December arriving on Island next month after its epic journey across the North, Mid and South Atlantic. We even managed to Skype just before Xmas, giving Gill and partner Martin an insight into technology St Helena style!
In early January they began their journey to the Island, flying with the military from Brize Norton to Ascension, where the plane refuels before completing its flight to Mount Pleasant on the Falkland Islands. Spending a few days on Ascension watching turtles and socialising, before joining the RMS St Helena for the three night voyage to the Island, they were well adjusted by the time they arrived.
Arriving on a Friday morning meant it was compulsory to meet up later at Donny’s so Gill and Martin were given a whistle stop tour of the Island by Gill’s boss, Pam, introduced to their new home, given time to unpack, before meeting at Donny’s at a little after 4. So we all had a few drinks before heading off in different directions for the evening.
Gill and Martin are staying at Thompsons Hill – around 10 minutes from Spring Knoll, so we met on Saturday morning and drove into Jamestown for a tour of the shops. Andy went diving and Henry had gone to Lemon Valley with friends, so after an exciting morning ‘hunting and gathering’ AKA showing Martin the best places to buy various items, we met Andy for coffee.
Later that day Gill, Martin, Pam and Mike came round for dinner. Lovely end to a great day with new friends, watching the sun set on this beautiful island.