I want to make something very clear. All "vet student" rants/complaints are jokes made in the fondest of fashions. My very amazing, American daughter in law was one of those "damn vet students" and if she hadnt come to school here, Jamie wouldnt have experienced one of the best days of his life.
I sincerely dont hate them...just get off my groceries! lol
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Desperado or Routine #358 or those damn vet students!
Before Randy, I had never known the pleasure of having a TV in the bedroom. In the world I came from, it was just unheard of and it took me some time to learn to go to sleep with background noise. Now, the sound- no matter what is on, is like a lullaby. So much so, that one of the first five questions I ask when we are in a hotel room is, "Does the converter have a "Sleep" setting??
Before we arrived, Scott had arranged to have one converter box set up and waiting for us. Then the first week we were here, we went to The Cable office to register and pick up our 2nd converter box for the bedroom. "Sorry, but we have a shortage of boxes and we are keeping them for first time customers." What????...how does a Cable company have a shortage of boxes?...that is their livelihood!! Dont they plan these things out?? Oh ya..this is St. Kitts. Then comes the kicker...with a new school term starting in January, there are lots of new students needing the boxes. Since when did my St. Kitts include all these kids?? Things are hard enough here, without all of the extra competition!!
So, for the first couple of weeks there has been no TV in the bedroom...no soothing voice to go to sleep by... just dead silence. Not even the sound of the ocean or breezes...because of course after the "poop" incidence, the fear of creatures entering the bedroom overrides everything- much to my chagrin. I am working on that one though! lol
Then this week my husband gets the bright idea that we will connect the T.V. without a box and see what happens- And voila! we get every channel...but just the sound...the picture is still scrambled. So now we go to sleep with the usual lullaby but I am still learning that if something peaks my interest, there is no point in turning over to look... only in St. Kitts!
Before we arrived, Scott had arranged to have one converter box set up and waiting for us. Then the first week we were here, we went to The Cable office to register and pick up our 2nd converter box for the bedroom. "Sorry, but we have a shortage of boxes and we are keeping them for first time customers." What????...how does a Cable company have a shortage of boxes?...that is their livelihood!! Dont they plan these things out?? Oh ya..this is St. Kitts. Then comes the kicker...with a new school term starting in January, there are lots of new students needing the boxes. Since when did my St. Kitts include all these kids?? Things are hard enough here, without all of the extra competition!!
So, for the first couple of weeks there has been no TV in the bedroom...no soothing voice to go to sleep by... just dead silence. Not even the sound of the ocean or breezes...because of course after the "poop" incidence, the fear of creatures entering the bedroom overrides everything- much to my chagrin. I am working on that one though! lol
Then this week my husband gets the bright idea that we will connect the T.V. without a box and see what happens- And voila! we get every channel...but just the sound...the picture is still scrambled. So now we go to sleep with the usual lullaby but I am still learning that if something peaks my interest, there is no point in turning over to look... only in St. Kitts!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sometimes you have to share your cloud
If you have noticed that I havent posted for a couple of days, it isnt because I have lost interest and it sure isnt because I have been busy lol- in fact, I was just thinking that I will have to get some baby powder or something to sooth my ass which is now sore from sitting around so much! No, I have not posted because I couldn't think of anything to say. There is definitely a big difference from being "semi-retired" in Toronto to being "retired" in St. Kitts and now that much of the "settling in" has been done, my days have taken on a certain sameness or routine. When I started this blog, I had visions of writing about all the beautiful things about St. Kitts, taking pictures from all over the island...a wealth of material. And eventually I will, but it hasnt happened yet. Sure I could write and tell you about our visit to the Carib brewing factory to get beer and cigarettes (how white trash sounding- lol) yesterday, but truth is, it was relatively uneventful.
Then Heather and Scott stopped in last night on their way out and when Heather saw that I was mindlessly playing games on the computer, she said.."I dont see you working on your blog..Missy" I told her my problem and she said, "so write about the sameness." Which in turn led me to think about the routines that creep into our lives that as we get older are harder and harder to break without becoming cranky. I came face to face with one yesterday.
Let me start this one by saying that I love my children more than anything in the world. Good, bad and everything in between and they have all been that. Both Kirsty and Scott will be experiencing the beginning of this unwavering love very very soon. But I have not always been the very best parent. I will be the first to admit that I have a small, teeny tiny, little, minuscule selfish streak (ok..some people might argue with the descriptives) and as we all know, parenting and selfish can not be put in the same sentence and have it make any sense. Furthermore, I absolutely love it when my adult children come to visit. It is fun, entertaining, loving and always educational.
Anyway, back to the routine thing. When I am at home, I LOVE to be in a nightie. Some people like sweat suits, some people have napping gear, boxer shorts, gentleman's pants, whatever..mine is a nightie. Over the years, I have learned to switch up the nighties because the people you live with get tired of seeing the same outfit, day in and day out. When I was living with my kids and my sisters on Sir Raymond, I wore the same nightie everyday for about 2 years..so much so that one time when I went away some where, I came home and of course the first thing that I did was run upstairs to put on the nightgown (it was actually a cream coloured sleeveless beach cover up type thing with one big flower on it- not to be confused with the green night shirt thing that Sue wore or the long sleeve Seoul Olympics t-shirt that Cath wore for a lot more years lol) and after struggling a to get into it, discovered that my loving family had sown up the neck!
On Sunday Jamie arrived for a visit and on Monday afternoon I went upstairs to put the current night gown on and looked down. Oh my... there is something about a 51 1/2 year woman in a tank top nightie that just doesnt look so right, not that I can now imagine how it looked so right for the past 20 years! Back on went the bra and underwear. Later that night, when I went to take the garbage out, my son says, "you are going out in that?" Hello??? I have chased dogs, picked up ride less teenagers, gone to stores and done recognizance missions for suspicious girlfriends of my sister in these outfits and you were there. Now you are questioning my taking out the garbage?
Somebody is stepping on my routine and I am not taking it well! Where did these kids come from anyway?
Then Heather and Scott stopped in last night on their way out and when Heather saw that I was mindlessly playing games on the computer, she said.."I dont see you working on your blog..Missy" I told her my problem and she said, "so write about the sameness." Which in turn led me to think about the routines that creep into our lives that as we get older are harder and harder to break without becoming cranky. I came face to face with one yesterday.Let me start this one by saying that I love my children more than anything in the world. Good, bad and everything in between and they have all been that. Both Kirsty and Scott will be experiencing the beginning of this unwavering love very very soon. But I have not always been the very best parent. I will be the first to admit that I have a small, teeny tiny, little, minuscule selfish streak (ok..some people might argue with the descriptives) and as we all know, parenting and selfish can not be put in the same sentence and have it make any sense. Furthermore, I absolutely love it when my adult children come to visit. It is fun, entertaining, loving and always educational.
Anyway, back to the routine thing. When I am at home, I LOVE to be in a nightie. Some people like sweat suits, some people have napping gear, boxer shorts, gentleman's pants, whatever..mine is a nightie. Over the years, I have learned to switch up the nighties because the people you live with get tired of seeing the same outfit, day in and day out. When I was living with my kids and my sisters on Sir Raymond, I wore the same nightie everyday for about 2 years..so much so that one time when I went away some where, I came home and of course the first thing that I did was run upstairs to put on the nightgown (it was actually a cream coloured sleeveless beach cover up type thing with one big flower on it- not to be confused with the green night shirt thing that Sue wore or the long sleeve Seoul Olympics t-shirt that Cath wore for a lot more years lol) and after struggling a to get into it, discovered that my loving family had sown up the neck!
On Sunday Jamie arrived for a visit and on Monday afternoon I went upstairs to put the current night gown on and looked down. Oh my... there is something about a 51 1/2 year woman in a tank top nightie that just doesnt look so right, not that I can now imagine how it looked so right for the past 20 years! Back on went the bra and underwear. Later that night, when I went to take the garbage out, my son says, "you are going out in that?" Hello??? I have chased dogs, picked up ride less teenagers, gone to stores and done recognizance missions for suspicious girlfriends of my sister in these outfits and you were there. Now you are questioning my taking out the garbage?
Somebody is stepping on my routine and I am not taking it well! Where did these kids come from anyway?
I'm coming, I'm coming
I started writing a Seinfeld type blog this morning - a lot about nothing- and it is taking longer than I expected.
Now I have to run to the grocery store. It is Thursday and this is the day that the shelves are stocked with new product because containers arrive on Tuesday and Wednesdays. I learned in the last week that there is a new twist to shopping in St. Kitts - not only is the produce in short supply to begin with, but I am now competing with an entire university of rich white students looking for the same things.
On Tuesday I had decided to make stuffed zucchini...but 4 supermarkets, 2 street vendors and 1 market later, I came up empty on the main ingredient. So I guess that there will be no more spur of the minute...what are we having for dinner?- let me run to the store, thing.
But fore warned is fore armed and besides the enemy are mere kids!
Now I have to run to the grocery store. It is Thursday and this is the day that the shelves are stocked with new product because containers arrive on Tuesday and Wednesdays. I learned in the last week that there is a new twist to shopping in St. Kitts - not only is the produce in short supply to begin with, but I am now competing with an entire university of rich white students looking for the same things.
On Tuesday I had decided to make stuffed zucchini...but 4 supermarkets, 2 street vendors and 1 market later, I came up empty on the main ingredient. So I guess that there will be no more spur of the minute...what are we having for dinner?- let me run to the store, thing.
But fore warned is fore armed and besides the enemy are mere kids!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Beaches-Part 2
If you are looking for a little more wave action on your beach..North Frigate Bay (beach 3) is the closest answer. It is the beach that runs along the Marriott property, south to Timothy Hill but the Marriott has built a break wall to try to limit drownings leading to law suits and although it is still much rougher than the Caribbean, their part of the beach is not as rough as the southern part. When there is a cruise ship in or when the hotel is busy the Marriott area can be busy but generally this is also a very quiet beach.
It is a beach that holds fond memories for me...my children loved to body surf on this beach when they were little and it is also where I took them when they had runny noses and I wanted to hold their heads under the water to clear out the nasal passages (I promise..no children were harmed in the making of that video! lol)! One time I brought a boogie board back from Puerto Rico for Jamie for Christmas and I had to carry it on a small LIAT plane without a seat of its own. That board and this beach provided hours and years of entertainment. When anyone comes to St. Kitts and professes an interest in surfing..this is the beach that they will receive their initiation!
Lee, Adam & Josh practice for the beach side weddingIt is also a beach just generally fulfills that elusive feeling of "belong here" in my heart and there is something about the wildness of the setting that hs always drawn me to it. I do believe that if you took a poll in our family...there has been more than 1 romance carried out on this beach..it has that allure ;_) Kirsty and Lee were going to seal that romance with a wedding on the Marriott part of the beach, then it was moved on to the property just off the beach and then it was moved inside. The unpredictability of January weather and the Atlantic Ocean!
Unfortunately progress is also taking its toll in this area with a group of developers from NFLD Canada building condos on the north side of Timothy Hill. 100's of years of vegetation is being trampled but I guess the view will be spectacular. If you look at the hill in the "pre-wedding" picture, you will see the hill before or maybe just as it started.
St. Kitts version of walruses!
When we were at this beach this day, an Englishman walked by and said.."I hope he can swim well because we have lost a few people here!" The only thing Scott seems to be losing, are his shorts!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Beaches not Restaurants-Part 1
Note..I have been trying to write this post for more than a week..so lets see if we can get through it!
The other night I was talking to Cath & Kirsty on the telephone (you have to love VOIP) when Scott & Heather called to ask if we wanted to go try out the new Bahamian restaurant that has just opened at Port Zante (the deep water harbour built for cruise ships and named after a Greek Island). I promised to write a review of the restaurant the next day...but.. when we arrived, the restaurant was closed and so we ate at another local restaurant- Circus Grill.
I found out the next day that the Bahamian restaurant- Goombay Hut- was only open for breakfast and lunch. We walked in around noon yesterday, looked at the menu and walked out. It is nothing more than salad/sandwich shop selling North American items with Bahamian names. Tuna in salad and sandwiches, chicken in Caesar salad and sandwiches, turkey sandwiches & pasta salads and that ever delectable- steamed bologna! Small portions..big prices and not a conch (which the Bahamas is known for) in sight! I give it less than 6 months.
So instead of restaurants reviews, lets start with beaches. They arent going anywhere!
St. Kitts is not generally known for its great beaches because it is a volcanic island which produces "black sand" as opposed to coral islands which produce "white sand" beaches. What you give up in sand, you gain in mountainous terrain, overall lushness and amazing views- a fair trade any day! All of the beaches I will probably ever talk about are contained on the southern most portion of the "chicken leg" (in the green shape thing) that makes up St. Kitts.
When I lived in St. Kitts before there was no road over Timothy Hill and so any beach on what is called the South East Peninsula was only accessible by boat. Beach 4 on the map-Frigate Bay was the beach back then. It is the closest beach on the Caribbean to any of the hotels.Below is the picture of Timothy Hill and you can see the road which now cuts through.
The picture below was taken from the top of Timothy Hill. All the beaches to the left of the hill are on the Atlantic side, while the beaches to the right are on the Caribbean.
If we have some spare time in the afternoon during the week we have been going to South Friars Bay (beach 2). It is almost always a very quiet beach anchored at one end by beach bar called Shipwreck- Food- lousy except for the french fries..homemade & delicious! and if you get take out, they wrap them in a banana leaf. Patrons- drunk and Beach-stony. Watching the mongeese and the monkeys play is the activity of choice. BTW St. Kitts has no snakes thanks to a history of having the mongoose!
At the other end, they are in the process of building what is billed as a 5 star open air restaurant with a giant tropical fish pool built into the ocean, in front of it. It was supposed to open sometime this month but in typical St. Kitts fashion...I am having my doubts! lol
Progress of Carambola Restaurant. I have to tell you that my heart breaks a little bit when I see the destruction of nature taking place in the name of progress. I understand that an economy that relies on tourism needs to move forward but if the attractive thing about St. Kitts is that it is not too touristy..where's the middle ground?
In between the sublime and the ridiculous is a lovely stretch of quiet beach. The water is generally clear and the sand, although not white, still feels great between the toes! It is beach for reading a good book, walking, lazing and dreaming. As well as seeing an occasional star fish!
Your guess.
Next time..an Atlantic Beach
The other night I was talking to Cath & Kirsty on the telephone (you have to love VOIP) when Scott & Heather called to ask if we wanted to go try out the new Bahamian restaurant that has just opened at Port Zante (the deep water harbour built for cruise ships and named after a Greek Island). I promised to write a review of the restaurant the next day...but.. when we arrived, the restaurant was closed and so we ate at another local restaurant- Circus Grill.
I found out the next day that the Bahamian restaurant- Goombay Hut- was only open for breakfast and lunch. We walked in around noon yesterday, looked at the menu and walked out. It is nothing more than salad/sandwich shop selling North American items with Bahamian names. Tuna in salad and sandwiches, chicken in Caesar salad and sandwiches, turkey sandwiches & pasta salads and that ever delectable- steamed bologna! Small portions..big prices and not a conch (which the Bahamas is known for) in sight! I give it less than 6 months.
So instead of restaurants reviews, lets start with beaches. They arent going anywhere!
St. Kitts is not generally known for its great beaches because it is a volcanic island which produces "black sand" as opposed to coral islands which produce "white sand" beaches. What you give up in sand, you gain in mountainous terrain, overall lushness and amazing views- a fair trade any day! All of the beaches I will probably ever talk about are contained on the southern most portion of the "chicken leg" (in the green shape thing) that makes up St. Kitts.
When I lived in St. Kitts before there was no road over Timothy Hill and so any beach on what is called the South East Peninsula was only accessible by boat. Beach 4 on the map-Frigate Bay was the beach back then. It is the closest beach on the Caribbean to any of the hotels.Below is the picture of Timothy Hill and you can see the road which now cuts through.
The picture below was taken from the top of Timothy Hill. All the beaches to the left of the hill are on the Atlantic side, while the beaches to the right are on the Caribbean.
If we have some spare time in the afternoon during the week we have been going to South Friars Bay (beach 2). It is almost always a very quiet beach anchored at one end by beach bar called Shipwreck- Food- lousy except for the french fries..homemade & delicious! and if you get take out, they wrap them in a banana leaf. Patrons- drunk and Beach-stony. Watching the mongeese and the monkeys play is the activity of choice. BTW St. Kitts has no snakes thanks to a history of having the mongoose!
At the other end, they are in the process of building what is billed as a 5 star open air restaurant with a giant tropical fish pool built into the ocean, in front of it. It was supposed to open sometime this month but in typical St. Kitts fashion...I am having my doubts! lol
Progress of Carambola Restaurant. I have to tell you that my heart breaks a little bit when I see the destruction of nature taking place in the name of progress. I understand that an economy that relies on tourism needs to move forward but if the attractive thing about St. Kitts is that it is not too touristy..where's the middle ground?
In between the sublime and the ridiculous is a lovely stretch of quiet beach. The water is generally clear and the sand, although not white, still feels great between the toes! It is beach for reading a good book, walking, lazing and dreaming. As well as seeing an occasional star fish!
Your guess.
Next time..an Atlantic Beach
Friday, January 11, 2008
Betty or the Beast
I was going to get my hair trimmed before I left Canada but with time being tight and the hair not quite in my eyes, it just seemed better to leave it. Two weeks later I had no choice. There are a few options for hair dressers here but I figured that with my gorgeous (ha!) "white peoples" hair I would bite the bullet and pay the price for a trim at the Marriott.
Well... Jacqueline was very very nice and she gave a good wash but not since my father stopped taking me to Bruno's barber shop and my mother pulled out the yellow bowl have I had such "round" hair! You know me... even though I was the paying customer...I felt bad for her and couldnt say anything to have her correct it. Heck, I even tipped her for the pleasure!
The first thing Scott said was...she cut your hair like a "black chick's" and yes she had spent an inordinate amount of time, pulling and straightening like I had started with a full head of tight curls....but she was an older lady, well about my age) and did I mention very nice???
One look in the mirror and I knew that further Bettification had taken place! Please no Rosie O'Donnell jokes here. How did she get that role anyway??
All I need is the bone for the back of my hair and the cave woman dress and I am there!
But at least my ankles are back!...Eat your hearts out girls! :-)
Well... Jacqueline was very very nice and she gave a good wash but not since my father stopped taking me to Bruno's barber shop and my mother pulled out the yellow bowl have I had such "round" hair! You know me... even though I was the paying customer...I felt bad for her and couldnt say anything to have her correct it. Heck, I even tipped her for the pleasure!
The first thing Scott said was...she cut your hair like a "black chick's" and yes she had spent an inordinate amount of time, pulling and straightening like I had started with a full head of tight curls....but she was an older lady, well about my age) and did I mention very nice???
One look in the mirror and I knew that further Bettification had taken place! Please no Rosie O'Donnell jokes here. How did she get that role anyway??
All I need is the bone for the back of my hair and the cave woman dress and I am there!
But at least my ankles are back!...Eat your hearts out girls! :-)
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