Woolly Hats and Rainbows part 2

And so to lack of blogging.

It’s been a funny couple of months, with friends coming on and off the Island, some on leave, others at end of contract and a few who have decided to go early. This makes to a very busy social period – dinners with friend going on leave – after all they will be away for almost 3 months, leaving do’s for those at end on contract or heading home, plus invitations for relatively new people and some that we know very well.

The working week usually finishes with meeting friends around 16.00 in either the Mule Yard or Donny’s for a well-earned end of week drink and catch-up for a couple of hours. Sometimes we grab something to eat at Get Carters (who operate on a Friday evening and Saturday – as they work elsewhere full-time in the week). However, it is important to note for newcomers – fast food isn’t – fast that is! Anywhere. No MacDonald’s. Burger King or KFC here or any other food chain. There are no speciality restaurants, apart from one Chinese in Jamestown – booking essential, or else they may not open!

A Saint was telling me yesterday that some visitors had gone out on Sunday and did not find anywhere open to eat – this is common, so be prepared.

So this last weekend, we were at Donny’s for a couple of hours on Friday after work, then back down in town for Boot Camp at 8 am Saturday morning. This was followed by a quick sandwich in Half Tree Hollow on the way home. In the afternoon, we had been invited to a BBQ and spent a very pleasant few hours in great company. On Sunday we called round to help a friend with the internet and ended up having an impromptu Sunday lunch, where we pretty much remained until the early evening. At 3pm, Andy had taken Henry to football, then collected him a few hours later. Crystal Rangers celebrated their first ever WIN, coming back from 5-1 down at half time to win 6-5 – the team were ecstatic and quite rightly so. So when Henry returned, our hosts very graciously reheated their leftovers to provide Henry with a slap up celebratory lunch – thank you Nicola and Stephen.

Whilst not every weekend is as hectic as this, it doesn’t slow down much! This coming weekend, the boys are going sea fishing on Saturday. Boot Camp will be calling me  early on Saturday and some friends have a market stall selling ‘stuff’ as they are leaving soon. The following weekend there are several ‘leaving do’s’ and a few friends are also returning after leave, so more get-togethers  to come.

Time for a rest I think and in 9 weeks we will begin our journey back to the UK for some well-earned leave 

Woolly Hats and Rainbows

It’s been a while since I blogged – too much going on both workwise and socially.

The weather has changed significantly over the last week. The temperature has dropped down to a lowly 16 degrees. As this is now my third summer, I have acclimatised to the heat and as a consequence, now need to break out the jumpers!

Other, more recent arrivals on the Island are still in shorts and a t-shirt and eye me mysteriously in my long shirt and jacket!

I did see my first woolly hat wearer of the winter (well still officially autumn until the 21^st!) on the trip to Jamestown this morning. He was huddled over wearing a woolly beany type hat and a thick jacket. My work colleague arrived complete with scarf and jacket informing me that it was cold this morning in Longwood. There is definitely a chill in the air, but I wouldn’t say it’s cold.

In fact when in the UK 16 degrees is the temperature it has to reach before I take the roof OFF my Audi A4 convertible..

And so to rainbows! I had forgotten how many rainbows the Island gets through the winter months. On Saturday morning having completed ‘Boot Camp’ at New Horizons in Jamestown from 8 am, we were sitting at Tasty Bites in Half Tree Hollow awaiting bacon sandwiches, when a rainbow emerged slowly from between two valleys. It rose up and spread out towards the sea, reminding me of how many rainbows, including double ones that I have seen through my time here. They are stunning and with the equally stunning backdrop of the Island’s rugged volcanic geography, I cannot think of more dramatic setting for rainbows anywhere in the world