Jamaica, part 3

Monday 25th April, 2011.

 

 

We made an early start again so that we could have breakfast and find some chaise to lie on, on the West beach. The West beach is a lot shorter than the East beach, but it affords more shade, is quieter and is closer to the two main pools and the pool bar. Bonus! Once we had settled, Alysha, Emma and I went snorkelling, again. The rocks that stretched out into the Caribbean, from this beach, were full of a myriad variety of fish that we hadn’t seen from the other beach. Lots of photographs were taken and I spent all morning snorkelling and diving to see what else I could see. We ate lunch in the restaurant and then returned to the beach. As I was quite happily taking photos, one of the bar staff came along collecting glasses. His name was Haveron and he would look after us at the pool bar for the rest of the week. Alysha had met a young girl in the water park and they were becoming close friends, so it wasn’t a surprise that she started to spend more time with friends than with us. Throughout the rest of the day, the sun shone, the waves lapped and the drinks flowed. Sunset occurred around about 18:30 and it was after this that we normally went for dinner.

 

Tuesday 26th April, 2011.

 

Today we decided to get up very early and nab some chaise by the pool, next to the bar. Towels were laid out and then it was a walk along the beach until breakfast. By the time we had finished breakfast, most of the other chaise by the pool were taken, too. Alysha had asked for some money to get her hair braided and had disappeared off to the spa with her new friend, Kiah, while Emma and I lay in the sun or swam up to the pool to be served by Dennis or Haveron. As the other holidaymakers showed themselves up in various pool or drinking games, we just chillaxed. Alysha soon returned with her hair braided, which looked really cool, before she disappeared off again. The rest of the day was a proper relaxed affair and was much needed.

 

 

Wednesday 27th April, 2011.

 

 

Every day at the Sunset Beach Resort, just outside the restaurant, there is a chalkboard that has a list of all the events that are taking place that day and evening. This includes: Patois lessons, Soca dancing, hair braiding, craft lessons, crab racing, talent shows, karaoke, live music, beach volleyball, pool volleyball and much, much more. Alysha immediately decided to put her name down to dance in the talent show, before going off to take out a pedalo with her friend. Today, Emma and I decided to sit on the beach between the East and West beaches, beneath a tree that afforded great shade and was close to the restaurant and restaurant bar. Double Bonus!! It was while we were sitting here that we got talking to two American ladies. Naturally, they asked whereabouts in England we were from, so we told them and to our surprise one of the ladies told us that her daughter-in-law lived in St. Albans, which is only a few miles from where we live. It’s a very small world. By this time, Alysha was out in the Sea on the pedalo and I managed to get some shots of her, before I went for my daily swim and snorkel. After lunch, Emma and I went for a walk along the beach and decided to have a little exploratory of the resort. We saw the wedding gazebo, the Italian restaurant, saw some banana trees, coconut and mango trees. We then walked all around the water park and saw the sign for the nurses station. On seeing the sign, we decided that we better get a photo of Emma pointing to the sign. Click. Done. We then wandered through the water park to the main pool and into the lounge and stage area, where we stopped for a drink. After a couple of drinks we walked out back onto the beach, into glorious sunshine.  We then headed up toward the stage area and lounge bar to watch the talent show. After a couple of resort staff had done their turn, Alysha appeared on stage. I switched my camera to video, while Emma videoed with Alysha’s camera. Two-and-a-half minutes of pure dancing brilliance then followed. The cheers from the crowd were the loudest that any of the performers had received. If it had been a talent contest, Alysha would have won hands down! (Check out the video of Alysha’s Jamaican debut on my video page.)

 

To be continued...

Jamaica, part 2

Sunday April, 24th, 2011

For our first morning in Jamaica, we were all up before 06:00. This wasn’t planned, it just happened. After the kettle was filled and put on to boil, we all went out onto the balcony, where we found that the sun was about to rise. I quickly grabbed my camera, as Alysha grabbed hers, and we watched the sun rise above the mountains and gradually begin to illuminate Montego Bay. As it rose, so did the temperature. By 06:30 it was close to 26c. Once we were ready, we headed downstairs for breakfast. Although breakfast was predominantly a buffet style affair, there were chefs on hand cooking fresh omelettes, pancakes, etc. The choice from the buffet was incredible. It catered for all nationalities and tasted superb. We all filled up our plates and sat at a table by the window, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The waiting staff came and filled our glasses with iced water and poured our tea or coffee. They were always smiling and cheerful and couldn’t wait to be of service. After we had finished breakfast, we made our way out down to the beach, which had been freshly raked and cleared of rubbish, early that morning. For our first full day, in Jamaica, we decided to try out the East beach. We made our way along its full length and decided that this spot was perfect. As far from the beach volleyball court and water-park, so that we weren’t disturbed, but right in front of a small beach hut bar, so that drinks were never a problem. We spent the entire morning snorkelling, swimming and sunbathing. As lunchtime drew close, we left our towels on the chaise and headed back to the restaurant. Once again the food was exceptional. Again, although still a buffet, chefs were carving fresh meat at the deli counter and making fresh hamburgers at the grill. I tried everything that week. From foods that I had heard of but never tried to foods that I couldn’t even pronounce. All of it was delicious! (Except for the aubergines and the yellow courgettes!) After lunch we headed back to our spot on the beach where Alysha and Emma continued to relax and I decided to do some more snorkelling. I had walked out to where the sea came to just above my waist, and I could see lots off small fish swimming around my legs. So I put my head into the water to get a closer look. That’s when I saw it. A barracuda. It was just hanging in the sea in front of me and was between two and three feet long. I motioned to Alysha, who was still on the beach, to pass my camera and her and Emma came down to see what I had found. Once they were masked up we all put our heads under the water and looked for the barracuda. Now, barracuda are coloured in such a way that they can easily blend into the sandy seabed and the rays of sun streaming through the sea, also help them to camouflage. It only took a few seconds for our eyes to adjust before we all saw it. Still just hanging there, with its mouth slightly open, showing us its razor-sharp teeth. After hanging around for a bit, so that I could get a few pictures, it swam away. Soon after this we headed back to our room, to get ready for dinner. Before we went to dinner, we first went to the beach and watched the sunset. Once the sun had dipped below the horizon we headed off to the restaurant for dinner. Dinner was just as good as the breakfast and lunch had been, if not better. The choices on offer were myriad and the taste of each dish was incredible. Once we were finished with dinner, and dessert for Emma and Alysha, we walked along the path and onto the West beach. We then walked the length of both beaches, taking in the fresh air and serenity of the resort. Considering the amount of people staying at the resort, and the music coming from the lounge/stage area, it was remarkably quiet. We then returned to the lounge bar to grab a drink and relax and watch the evening’s entertainment. Pretty soon we were tired and headed back up to our room. All in all our first day in Jamaica had been pretty awesome and I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the week would bring.

To be continued…

Jamaica, part 1

April 23rd, 2011. (St. Georges Day)

 

 

EmJ dropped us at Gatwick Airport, just after 7:00. Once we had said our goodbyes, we went into the Terminal and through check-in. Then it was on into Passport Control and finally through into the Departure Lounge. It was here that we discovered that there was to be a two-hour delay. So, we went and got ourselves a drink at Café Nero. (One was free as I have a loyalty card.) It was then time to be patient and wait for our flight. After looking around the entire North Terminal Departure Lounge (twice), we found the perfect spot to sit and wait. After watching the aeroplanes landing and taking-off, the call went out that our aeroplane was ready to board, so we made our way to our gate. We were soon onboard and seated on Thomson Flight TOM024. Emma in 35E, Alysha in 36E and me in 37E. At 11:15 our flight took-off for Montego Bay. Because of the delay, breakfast was skipped and we were given the choice of Chicken or Beef and Ale. (I had the Beef and Ale.) During the flight I kept trying to sleep but couldn’t, so I busied myself by watching the T.V. that was imbedded in the seat in front of me. When we had been flying for what seemed like an eternity, we were offered a snack, which consisted of a roll, fruit and the choice of a tea or coffee.(To say I was starving would be an understatement!) Then we heard the Captain’s voice on the P.A. system saying that we were now flying over Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and would soon be starting our descent into Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay. As the aeroplane started to descend, I looked out of the Starboard windows and got my first glimpse of the Sunset Beach Resort. The two towers, of the resort, shone brilliantly in the afternoon sun and I remembered back to a day in September 1991, when I had last laid eyes on this place. We landed without a hitch and were soon going through immigration and Passport Control. Once we had found our transfer coach, the heat kicked in. The time was roughly 17:30, Jamaican Time and the weather was 29C. The journey to our resort took 20 minutes, as we had to drop other passengers at different hotels on the way. Checking in to our hotel, took another 10 minutes and we were soon on our way to our room, with the promise that our luggage would follow us up. We took the lift to the fourth floor and found the door to room A401. As soon as we were inside I had a distinct feeling of déjà vu. The room I now stood in was identical to the room I had stayed in nearly 20 years before. The view was identical and, for the entire week, I was 99% sure this was the same room. I still am! After our luggage arrived, we got changed and headed downstairs to explore. After a walk along the beach and a good look around, we headed inside for some dinner. After dinner we had a few drinks and then headed up to bed. We were asleep by 21:00.

Nannie's 85th

Friday 25th February, 2011.

Emma, Alysha and I got to Watford Junction to catch the 14:01 train. The train was on time and we were on our way. A few stops later and we arrived at Queens Park where we crossed the platform and got straight onto a Bakerloo Line train headed for Paddington Station. We arrived at Paddington and had to wait for nearly 20 minutes for our third train. When it arrived we made our way to our reserved seats and relaxed. Alysha was over the moon that each seat had a TV, and after she sent a £1.50 text, she had full access to the content. So, she watched 'Outnumbered', 'The Simpson's' and various other programmes, until we arrived at Bristol Parkway. Another 15 minute wait for our fourth and final train, which would take us to Torquay. We arrived at Torquay Station at 18:45 and only had to wait a few minutes before Uncle Barry and Auntie Francesca arrived to take us to the hotel.  Barry and Francesca dropped us at the Toorak hotel and then drove off to see Nannie. So, the three of us went to reception and checked in. The receptionist issued us with a room key and gave us directions to our room. Our room was on the ground floor and was spacious and clean and it contained a double bed, two single beds, TV, kettle, safe, shower and plenty of storage. The view looked toward the sea, which you could just make out. Once Alysha had picked which of the single beds she was having and things were unpacked, we headed off to find my family. Francesca had told us that they were in the Aztec Bar, so we headed back towards reception where we were given more directions. It turns out that the hotel is actually four hotels, all linked together, so that no matter what hotel you stay in, you can use all the facilities of all the hotels. So we left followed the corridor and went into the Derwent hotel and then into the Carlton where we finally found them. My cousin Katherine was sitting at a table with her husband, as was Amanda's husband Dan and Joshua and his partner Tanya. Sean and Amanda were at the bar, so the three of us queued behind them until I was recognised. It didn't take long. Hugs and introductions were soon followed by drinks. My Auntie Maureen was also with us and she was charged with keeping us behaved and sober. She did this by drinking all the wine, as did Katherine, while Joshua and I drank some Guinness. We all stayed together until the early hours, before making our way back to our rooms. 

Saturday 26th february, 2011.

Up nice and early so that we could get breakfast. A few green faces from some family members but, apart from that, a great start to the day. Since Maureen had made an itinerary of what was happening and when, it turned out that we had most of the day to do as we wanted. So, we asked Alysha what she wanted to do, to which she said she wanted to stay at the hotel and spend some time with all the new cousins and family. We agreed and left her some money for the machines and lunch, etc., and then Emma and I disappeared off into Torquay. Directly opposite our hotel is Torre Abbey, so we walked through the gardens and I took some photos, before we continued down to the beach. We then walked along the marina wall and all around the sea wall before deciding to go into 'Living coasts'. It is kind of a Zoo that had penguins, seals, Inca terns, Fish, Rays and lots more. We must have spent a good hour-or-so going round, taking pictures before we sat down for a coffee. We then headed into Torquay itself, walking up the High Street and finally finding something to eat. We then headed back to the hotel. We found Alysha in the Kids Zone iwth Katherine and her kids and then Amanda, Dan and their kids arrived and they all had a game of ten-pin-bowling. I watched some of the rugby, before we headed to our room to get ready. Once we were ready, we made our way to the bar and awaited the arrival of Nannie. Considering her apartment overlooks the hotel complex, she had no idea that we were all here, apart from Maureen, Francesca, Barry and Diedre. Once she was seated in the Buckingham Room, Uncle Doug kept coming in to take different groups to see her. Daughters first followed by Katherine and her family, Sean and his, then Me and mine, then Amanda and hers followed by Joshua and Tanya. Then finally by Roisin and Aoife. Nannie seemed genuinely happy, but she also looked very old. We then made our way to the bar, where a professional photographer was on hand to take photographs of everyone. A group shot. One of Nannie with her children. Nannie with her grand and great grand children. Nannie with Francesca and her family. Etcetera, Etcetera. Then we had a photograph taken of the five cousins together. This was, after all, the first time all five of us had been together for nearly 28 years!!! So, the first shot was us sitting nicely, before the last shot of us all with a drink in our hands. Not entirely sure that some of the family were impressed with the last shot, but it had to be done! Then it was off to dinner. Not the best timing in the world, as John and myself wanted to watch the end of the England Rugby match. Thank God, for internet on the mobile! Dinner was a set starter followed by a selection of different main courses. Then dessert which I gave to Alysha. Katherine made a speech, in which I was singled out for a few jokes, in which she also thanked Auntie Maureen for organising the entire weekend, Nannie's friend stood up to make a speech. She obviously knows my Nan very well and I was a little upset when my Dad was mentioned, as I think Nannie misses him, too. After the coffee was served we all made our way back to the bar. Barry, Sean, John and myself went out onto the patio and each had a Cuban cigar to celebrate. The beer continued to flow, until it dawned on us that Joshua and myself had drunk the hotel out of Guinness! So, we switched to lager. The bar eventually closed, but we managed to get the night porter to reopen it a little later.

Sunday 27th February, 2011.

Another early start so that we could catch breakfast and see some more green faces. After breakfast Alysha went swimming with the other kids for an hour or so, while Emma and I sat with Amanda and Dan and caught up. Then we went to see Katherine and caught up with her, before heading back to our room to pack our things. We checked out of our room at 11:00 and left our things with reception, before heading to the bar for brunch with Nannie and her friends. After a few drinks it was time for us to leave to catch a taxi to the station. Plenty of hugs, kisses and handshakes as we said our goodbyes to Nannie and my family. Then we were off. The train to Exeter arrived on time (13:56) and we were on our way. The ticket inspector checked our tickets and when he saw that we were headed to Watford, we had a nice little chat. (Turns out he is from St. Albans!) A slight delay in our connecting train to Clapham Junction but the driver made up time, so that we arrived in time for our connecting train to Watford. We finally made it home for 20:00. All in all a great weekend with family. Hopefully it won't be too long until I see them all again!

Until next time...

May it be well with you!

Haiku: Snow

Winters evening

Cascading Heavenly vaults

White carpets abound

Painting, 6 Nations & A Proposal

Tuesday 1st February

Emma and I had booked the week off work, so that we could decorate the house. So, we up and into town early to get the paint and accessories that we needed. A quick trip to B&Q and a spot of lunch and then a taxi home. We moved all the furniture towards the centre of the room and began painting. We started with the two smaller walls, as these were going to be a 'dark teal' compared to the rest of the house, which was going to be a light 'gold' colour, similar to what was already in the house. By the end of the day, the two smaller walls were painted and one of the large walls had a coat of paint on it. I then popped out for a quick drink. On my return I went straight upstairs to Alysha's room as I needed to talk to her about something important. After our chat, we both went downstairs to where Emma was sitting on the sofa. It was then that I asked her to give me back her engagement ring. She didn't seem too happy about it, but she gave it back. I then told her that she could have it back on the condition that we had to be married by the end of March 2012. She agreed, so I gave her the ring back and she replaced it on her finger.

 

Wednesday 2nd

Up nice and early so that we could get a whole days painting done. Emma started touching up the 'dark teal' where we had missed a few bits and then started glossing. I carried on with painting the 'gold' on all the other walls, including upstairs. By the end of the day we had broken the back of it.

 

Thursday 3rd

Another earlyish start. Emma went into town for some shopping, while I went to my Uncle's house to help him put a new aerial in his loft. He then took me to B&Q to get another tin of gloss paint. (Our house has a lot of woodwork!) On my return home, Emma was busy glossing away and I carried on with the painting and touching up. By late afternoon we were almost done!

 

Friday 4th

A bit of a lie-in, before we got up and finished the painting. Everything was done with the exception of the radiators. They could wait a couple of days. So, after a spot of lunch we got all the furniture bak into its rightful places and chilled out. That evening we went to the Oddfellows to watch the opening match of the RBS 6 Nations Championship 2011, between Wales and England. Not the best of opening matches and not the start that Wales were looking for.

 

Saturday 5th

Another trip to the Oddfellows to watch Italy v Ireland and Scotland v France. Emma and I were joined by Len and Emma Jayne and Abigail from work. Emma and Abigail weren't staying for the whole afternoon as they were heading to their friend Kirsty's for a meal and drinks. Emma Jayne only stayed for the Ireland match before heading home, leaving me with an upset Len. Ireland didn't perform to their best and narrowly beat Italy. I was more shocked that I predicted the entire match to some friends before the match started. Right down to who would score and when. Spooky. Len, on the other hand, had been concentrating more on the Arsenal match. He was seriously upset when Arsenal, having been winning 4-0, drew the match. My Mum, who had been at the Emirates to watch the match, agreed with Len that the referee had obviously been bribed and should be shot at dawn! So, Len and I watched the Scotland v France match, with me still celebrating from the Irish win and Len still drowning his sorrows from the Arsenal draw.

 

All in all it was an eventful week.

 

Until my next blog...

 

May it be well with you.

January, 2011

New Year Weekend

Well, New Year came and went as normal. We didn't go out New Year's Eve, although Alysha did go to a friends, so we stayed in and watched the TV and waited until midnight to watch the fireworks, which were fairly impressive this year. Then it was off to bed. Emma was up early, as she had to work, where as I don't work weekends or bank holidays, so I stayed in bed for a bit. When I did get up I went for a wander, before returning home to watch some DVD's that I had received for Christmas. (Star Trek the Original series, all remastered). After that I just chillaxed for the remainder of the day. Sunday was spent watchin gmore episodes while Emma went to work, again. That is pretty much how I spent the whole of the New Year weekend.

 

Swany's Birthday

Swany ended up going out the night before his Birthday (11th) with some friends from work. They played pool and got drunk, before he ended up in the pond in Watford High Street... twice!! I popped round to his flat on the Wednesday (12th) to see how he was. He wasn't well at all, throwing up a couple of times while I was there. Then he asked me to take him to A+E as his foot hurt, from when he had fallen in the pond. So, I took him to A+E. A quick X-ray and it was discovered that his foot was just bruised. I then helped him back to his flat, where he proceeded to throw up, again. He wouldn't stop throwing up until four in the afternoon.

 

Five Fold Kiss

Saturday 12th January saw Five Fold Kiss perform their first Saturday night at The Horns. Steve B, Len, Emma Jayne, Swany, Pete, Adam and a few others all hit the pub at about eight-thirty, and waited for the band to start. Some more friends that I had told about Five Fold Kiss turned up, too. Helen and Russell, Valentina, Jenny and Anita. What a night! The band rocked and eveybody had a fantastic time. Ofcourse, my camera was their to capture the atmosphere of the night. After the band had finished, Len, Emma Jayne, Steve B, Swany, Pete and myself all went to Modello's for some more drinks. Then we all said our goodbyes and made our merry ways home. Steve B came back to mine as it was easier than trying to get back to Northwood.

 

Sunday 23rd January

Alysha was up early as she had a dance competition to go to. This wouold be her first of the year and she was really looking forward to it. (Alysha had only found out about it the afternoon before, when Bobby, her dance instructor, told her about it). So, off she went. Emma and I decided to just chill-out for the day, so we did. When Alysha finally arrived back, she had her arms full of trophies. It turns out that Alysha got a 3rd in couples, 3rd in Line Dance, 1st in Solos and qualified for the Nationals, in October!!! How proud am I?!

 

Sunday 30th January

Alysha was up early as she had her second dance competition of the year. As it turned out it wasn't her best performance, only getting a 4th place medal, but I am still proud of her.

 

Monday 31st January

Today would have been my Dad's 60th Birthday. It was also the first day of my week off work. We didn't get up to much, just relaxed and took it easy all day, as we had plans to decorate the house for the rest of the week.

 

Until my next blog...

 

May it be well with you.