January in Bermuda part 2

This hopefully is the last January Blog from a paradoxical paradise!!!!!
I am feeling a little less enamored with Bermuda than usual, as after Ian and I checked in for our BA flight, due to leave tonight (10th January), we received an email a few hours later, to say the flight has been CANCELLED! No explanation provided!!! Rather frustrating to say the least. Yes, we have been placed on tomorrow night's flight at no extra cost and then I have been put on Friday night's flight out of Heathrow, but.......... still rather annoying. Ian is having problems confirming his flight as they are saying that the passport details are incorrect. There is a lot of deep, slow breathing happening!!! So Ian is out exploring and running and we will find other places to go to tomorrow - maybe we can do a last snorkel, though it remains cold and overcast!!! Luckily we have been able to extend the scooters for another day as well as our accommodation.

Looking back on the last week, we continued with the explorations, despite the rain and the cold snap, which everyone is complaining about, and the early evening darkness.

Because Ian has been running every day, quite often in different areas of the island, he has developed a much better sense of directions and has therefore become the lead navigator when we are out on the scooters. We have had to wrap up warmly and I have been very glad of a pair of leather gloves that I inherited from my Mom. I suspect that they are decades old but they have been wonderful. 

Whilst I was working (sitting at my desk at the hospital -though it did busy up a bit, which has become much busier this week with a few bone marrows), Ian has been finding further new routes and places to explore. On Wednesday, he ran into Hamilton and explored Fort Hamilton, which is pretty well preserved with a deep moat - now a garden and lots of tunnels and rooms within the walls

    Looking down the tunnels within the one wall

   Within the moat - really quite peaceful as the sounds of the city don't penetrate

   A look from the ramparts.

We have also been exploring a few more restaurants - even in the evenings, though I must admit that scootering home afterwards, often in the rain and definitely in the dark, has not been my idea of a restful evening out, but we have  eaten shark hash, lobster thermidor and some more rock fish.

On Saturday we went into Hamilton and did some shopping as well as visiting the National Art Gallery, which is housed in the City Hall. There was a very interesting exhibition of Stephen Fairey's work - he was responsible for the 'Hope' poster of Obama that graced the cover of Time Magazine

 There was a very interesting video on his work as well.

We then scootered to the South Shore beaches and walked along both the road overlooking the beaches, as well as along the beaches themselves. This was done is between rain showers, but we were relatively protected from the wind which was gusting along the North Shore. As usual we loved the clouds! Lunch was at the Henry VIIIth pub where we shared  soem fish chowder and I tried a mussel pie - it was curried and rather nice, though the pie crust was a sweet one, which was a little off-putting!

   Rain being dumped out to sea

   The clouds gave the beaches quite a moody feel. Needless to say there
    were very few people about, though one guy was out surfing. There was
    quite a swell but no waves!!!

    More clouds! with an interesting play of light!!

   And more!!!!!

  Then on Sunday we headed along North Shore, in the wind on a very overcast day - though there was no rain, down to the eastern-most part of the island - St David's, Clearwater Beach and Cooper's Island. This is not an area that I have been too much and not a particularly populated area either, so we had it largely to ourselves and the wind. But it was great fun as there are numerous bays and paths that give different views of the bays as well as the main island. This area was previously used by the USA as a base and airport but has largely fallen into disrepair and nature is claiming it back slowly.

  A photo of Ian showing our warm weather gear!!!

   Rocks and water abound in all sorts of combinations

  There are a number of cliffs along this coastline, which is pretty inhospitable. This was below the Fort St David's.

   A memorial ro those lost at sea over the last few centuries at Fort St David's

   One of 4 large cannon at Fort St David's - for a tiny island, there are an amazing number of fortifications stretching all across the island and over a number of centuries. According to the one guide, Bermuda saved the USA a number of times!!!!

Because of our visit on Saturday, we decided to visit Henry VIII pub again for a mellow evening of jazz and sushi - using a taxi added to the ambience!

Jazz at Henry's

That seems to be all for the moment - I need to sort out and tidy up before I hand back the reins!!!

Hope to see you soon!!!!!!!!!!

Maureen and Ian

January 2018!

I am sitting at my desk at the hospital, watching the palm fronds wave frenetically.

At least today there is some sun and the rain that has been dousing the island for the last couple of days seems to have cleared a bit. On the whole it is rather colder than expected, but then with snow being dumped in the USA, I don't think we can expect otherwise!!

The weather has curtailed some of our exploration, but we have kept busy. On Saturday, we couldn't go boating, so Ian and I explored the BUEII - the underwater exploration institute and  looked at exhibits on the Americas Cup, various shipwrecks and artefacts and were blown away by a shell collection that spanned many years.

Numerous beautiful specimens - some of which I can't even imagine being found in such perfect condition

We then treated ourselves to a fish dinner at a rather surprising little restaurant in the middle of Hamilton which not many people that I have spoken to, seem to know about! It is called "Lost in the Triangle" and is up some stairs in the busiest part of town. It is a little bit of a 'dive' with plastic table cloths and TV's plastered on the wall, but the fish was very good. I had red hind and Ian had wahoo.

Sunday dawned quite sunny so we made our way to Somerset on the scooters and joined the others on the boat. Because of the weather we launched at a different dock, within the Great Sound as it was more protected, went under the Watford Bridge into Somerset Long Bay and there snorkelled, in pretty cold shallow water as it was low tide but found numerous small fish, swam with some turtles and found some remora eels

Remora eel - it has a sucker on top of it's head and swims along with sharks. It was very partial to bits of chicken that we threw into the water

One of the direlict private jetties

A couple of rooms on stilts which were built a number of years ago as part of a hotel complex. Unfortunately the complex was badly damaged in a hurricane and the rooms have never really been used and now are occasionally used by the homeless!!!

We elected to have a quiet New Year's Eve and made some lamb and lots of veggies. Unfortunately our peace and quiet was disturbed by a couple in one of the nextdoor rooms having an extended argument, which was rather unpleasant!!!

The 'almost full moon' on the 31st - taken from our apartment

On Monday, we went down to Horseshoe Bay and joined numerous others, who were taking part in the "Polar Bear Swim". Bearing in mind that most Bermudians only swim between the 24th May and mid-Sept, this is quite a challenge!!! It was chilly but we thoroughly enjoyed our walk along the beach and then a snorkel in one of the secluded bays. Bumped into a group of 4 SA girls who had flown just flown in, via an extremely chilly NY, and were due to start there 4 month secondment with Deloitte & Touche.

A selfie before the swim

Then we scootered down to the Harrington Sound / Flatts Village area. It was a case of 'he took the high road and I took the low road, and he got there before me!!!', partly because I was following and not watching and then took a couple of wrong turns.......... but we found each other at the Aquarium, which was the plan!!! Wandered around trying to decide which fish was which and which ones we had seen already. there is also a bit of a zoo with animals and birds from the Americas and Australasia.

Looking into the water in the Flatts strait - incredibly clear. I call these fish 'zebra fish' but they are actually called ' sergeant majors'.

                                 Harrington Sound flows into the Flatt's strait at quite a rate

     A 'scarlet ibis ' - reminder of the hadeda back home.
     It was just about the same size, but very much prettier

As it was due to be a super full moon on Monday night, we decided that we would go to the Gibbs' Lighthouse, which has a 360 view of the island to watch both the sunset and the moonrise. Unfortunately the clouds moved onto the horizons and we didn't get a good sunset and certainly no moonrise. Luckily we did get home before the heavens opened, and were able to see the full moon later - high in the sky!

     The map at Gibb's Light House with Ian pointing to it's position

    The rather 'feeble' sunset!!!!!!

That is all for now
I can't believe that 2 weeks have flown by and there is only one more to go.

News from home is always welcome!!!!!

Love to all

Maureen and Ian