UK in Autumn

JIt has been quite a welcome contrast weather wise in that the temperatures have dropped into the teens and I do better in the cold! Heavy rain has been forecast but has not occurred and our forays haven't been dampened by the occasional showers. Our plans have changed numerous times but it has been fun.

I have been staying with Carol, my cousin, twice removed! ( my paternal grandmother and her maternal grandmother were sisters!). Carol moved to the UK 30 years ago and has settled in The Daventry area, which is probably one of the most central points in the UK with Northampton being the biggest city about 10 miles away. We have used her flat as a base and have taken trips out every day through  and to the various small villages scattered around the countryside.

Arriving at Gatwick for me wasn't too strenuous though there was a little excitement at the Bermuda airport as the fire alarm kept going off - the airport was being evacuated as I arrived and then we were hurried out of departures! The flight over was very empty so I had 3 seats to sleep on, so got a little sleep. However Carol had decided to fetch me from Gatwick. Her trip down went well until they closed the motorway so her trip trebled in time and she only collected me at 10h. We worked out that I probably flew less than she drove, in time!!!!

By the time we made our way back, the roads were less congested and the promised rain had not materialised. We made our way to the local pub next to the canal and enjoyed brunch next to the canal. I decided to have an English Ale but didn't appreciate that it was at room temperature! 

We spent a quiet evening, catching up and then on Friday went wandering through some of the local villages, there is probably one every 3 miles, each seem to have a pub and a church but are beautifully peaceful, in rolling green fields with masses of trees and along very narrow, twisting roads, with even narrower bridges! Very quaint!

Carol has a bird feeder which I sat and watched and tried to photo but without much luck!

We stopped at a 'Capability' Brown laid landscape with the man-made lake, copses of trees and rolling grasslands. This sheep decided to make friends and wouldn't leave till I scratched it's head! The swans were not quite as friendly and I made a hasty dash for the car.

We stopped at "The Granary" for lunch. It is very much a destination wedding venue, with the chapel above the tearoom. There were some fun teapots on display

Next stop was the pub in Ashby St Ledgers. The Gin and Tonic was a lot better than the ale. I rather liked the tonic bottle. The heads  on the wall were made of basket weave.

On Saturday we set off for the Cotswolds and stopped at the Slaughters villages and enjoyed a wander through an art display and the village.

Then it was on to Bourton on the Water where we wandered around the model village of the village, which has another model village within it, all made of the local stone.

The model village ........

With the miniature within the miniature!

We found a number of fun shops and Carol bought quite a few Christmas presents and I got some stuff for home and then found another tea shop with yet some more teapots, hanging from just about everywhere and placed on all available surfaces!

We had planned to sleep out but decided that as we were less than an hour from home, to head back to our own beds!

Sunday, we set off for Blenheim Palace, not realising that there was a half marathon there, so the place was packed. Luckily we arrived as most of the runners were leaving and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours wondering through the rooms and exhibits. It is an amazing place on a huge scale with gardens that stretch for miles!

A row of oaks dropping their autumn leaves

The gates to the palace - we went in through the back entrance!

Carol on the parade grounds in front of the main doorway leading into the palace!

Looking up into the portico of the main doorway - these eyes look down on you!

Monday and Tuesday were spent visiting Hobbycraft in Northampton and then wandering in Leamington Spa. We also had breakfast at Skylark, where the hens could truly be called free range, as the picture below shows - and this was only a very small percent of the hens wandering around clucking very happily. Apart from chickens and eggs, the farm also hosts weddings, has a restaurant and grows Christmas trees, which the hens seemed to be roosting in as well!

I have now joined Ian in Cambridge, which is very much more suburban! We are catching up, going to explore Cambridge and London together as he has taken a couple of days leave and will take in a few shows. We will also be planning our time in Bermuda over Christmas.

Writing the blog on an iPad is not quite as easy as on a computer as it is impossible to move things, but it is done!

Go well

Next one may be quite delayed!

Bermuda - final week

We are still here.
While the Caribbean is being bashed around, on Friday morning, we had almost no wind so the reflections on my way to work were impressive.

Reflections!!!!!

Some more clouds - at sunset!!!!

On Friday it was "Mad Hair Day" on the island. PALS, which is the palliative care service is the charity that was 'sponsoring' it and getting the donations. The lab as you can see, from the photos below, really got into the mood. A couple of people did their hair-piece at home with ribbons and wigs and such, and the rest of us had our hair spray painted. The really fabulous idea - was to use pipe cleaners and wrap the hair around it. The one girl looked like a Dr Seuss character. Much fun was had by all!! Oh, and of course, being pathology, there was a feast afterwards!!!!

At least half the laboratory participated - didn't see any evidence of participation in the rest of the hospital, which was a bit sad -  we have a rather enthusiastic crew!!!!! 

First thing on Saturday, I had to come to the hospital to sort out a patient. I had been woken at about midnight, with a blood transfusion problem and eventually decided to contact the doctor in casualty myself. I asked the tech for the name, and he struggled, eventually stating' the doctor is a foreigner'!!! This from the Philippino  tech to the South African doctor on the island of Bermuda!!!!

I needed to come in to try and sort out a plan of action! I then scootered into town for some more wool as I have finished my blankets, oh, and some food!!!

Clearwater beach looking towards St David's and the light house. The water was amazingly clear, but interestingly, is definitely colder than when I arrived!

I then was taken down to Clearwater Beach and Cooper's Island, by Nicole, who is in charge of the venesection squad. This is one of her favourite spots on the island and I soon understood why. For a long time this area, on the east side of the island, was 'occupied' by the American army and there was even a NASA tracking station, but many of the buildings are now direlict - not used by the Bermudan government, as they weren't built to the local code. The area also for a long time has been a nature reserve so it has not been over-commercialised or heavily built up

                  On Cooper's Island looking out to the South Shore - the sea was quite churned up.

                              Captured in front of one of carved out rocks!

I unfortunately forgot my snorkel, but there was quite a current and the water was a little murky - it just means that I will have to go back again!!! We had a few lovely swims, in between lazing on the sand and then realised that the weather was changing as this rather threatening cloud arrived!!

Of course, we ended up at the ice cream parlour on the way home - interesting eating ice cream in the heat  - had forgotten how quick one needs to be!

On Sunday, I awoke with the gastro bug that is doing the rounds, so spent a very quiet morning, catching up with household chores, such as washing, plus, of course, started baby blanket no 3!!!

I had to go down to Horseshoe Bay in the afternoon, on the scooter, for my last swim. The ride down was great, and I even managed  to pass my first scooter!!!!! but the water was very choppy and the wind was whipping up the sand, but I got in and had a swim. I then, rather sadly, delivered the scooter back to the rental company, though, I did pass an accident on my way there, so possibly not a moment too soon!!! We will make further use of scooters, Ian and I when we return to the island over Christmas!!!

This was Monday's sunrise - spectacular!! I am going to miss my present morning ritual of coffee on my patio looking out to the south-east of the island, watching the birds and the sunrise.

My last day of work is tomorrow, I handover at 4pm and then catch the plane to Gatwick at 8pm and then my UK holiday starts! I will be spending the first week with my cousin, Carol and we will be exploring! Not quite sure where, but it will be fun. I then join Ian in Cambridge on the 4th and we spend my birthday weekend together - probably taking in a few shows........ and then home. I arrive on 9th October.
I am not sure whether I will blog in the UK! If not, I am sure I will have some more Bermuda adventures to report over Christmas.
I will have wifi intermittently, so please keep your news coming.

Bermuda week 5

We are still here!

Despite Jose's attempts, there is very little damage to the island. The eye of the storm seems to have passed us, and is now heading up the west coast of USA, quite far out to sea. According to the weather channels, they are likely to experience increased rain, wind and storm surge, which appears to be more than we have had.

Sunday night was very windy, with gusts above 50km/h and numerous heavy downpours. Monday remains overcast and windy with fairly heavy squalls and thunderstorms predicted for later. Despite all that, the temperature still stays in the high 20's and humidity in the 70's, so we are still in short sleeves.
Definitely a day to be at work and then curled up with crochet later!!!!

I am pleased to report that my social life didn't suffer with the storm! I went out for cocktails and supper on Thursday night. Irene (a NZ psychiatric nurse who I met at Chatajack) and I walked into town and found a pub offering Happy Hour drinks and enjoyed a mojito and then moved on to "Onion Jack's" where we could sit on the balcony overlooking Front Street and share flatbread and calamari, watch the sun go down and then people watch!!!! Very pleasant.

Then on Friday, Monica (who I met 10 years ago, when I did my first locum!!!!!!) and I went to the Pink Beach Hotel. Monica is a GP on the island, and has been here from Canada for many years, though did have a break a few years ago, when she went to work in the Cayman Islands! (She is shorter than I am!!!!!!!!!!!)

The surf was already being churned up and there was a pretty strong wind. The Hotel has recently been rebuilt and so is very popular. There was in fact a "Mom's Night Out" on Friday night and I enjoyed the fashions on display. We started the evening with a cocktail which I think was called "Sex on the Pink Beach" though it could also have been called"Pink Sex on the Beach"!!!????
Even the tap water came in a pink bottle

Monica and I doing a selfie in the wind!!!!!

The cocktail!!! Behind us are see-through blinds which protected us from the spray and wind but were still light enough to see the sea!

Dinner was very pleasant, though I was extremely pleased I was paying in Bermuda dollars!!!!

Saturday: The weather was quite threatening. There was high cloud all day and it was quite windy. I climbed on the scooter, and set off for the west side of the island - the Dockyards, which I haven't explored at all this trip. My trip this time was much improved, I am getting the hang of it and am getting up a little bit of speed - even went 50km - downhill with the wind, but as soon as I realised it, I throttled back to a respectable 35km, which is actually the speed limit. No buses chasing me, and I did pass a pedal-bike, only to have him pass me again when I was meandering through the dockyards! 

Bearing in mind, that the America's Cup was held in this area less than 3 months ago, there is very little evidence that it was ever here. I have heard that the Village, was packed up and transported as a whole to South Korea for the Winter Olympics. There are still some of the ' very large hangers' but very little else. Oh, except for the merchandise that is marked down drastically!

The flags of the representatives are still present, flying in the stiff breeze

I have spent a lot of time looking into the water and have been fascinated by the number of fry - those greeny-blue lines in this photo and in the bottom left there are a couple of zebra fish! When chased the fry, tend to jump out of the water in unison in a fountain-like formation with the  hunting fish plopping in and out of the water behind them in an almost comical way!!!

One of the new additions to the island, probably as a result of the America's Cup, are these small electric cars that can be rented. They appear to be based at the main hotels where they can be re-charged and take 2 people - riding in tandem. This one is a Renault Twizzer but there is another make - called Cur-rent - which is rather clever. These are the only cars that can be rented, otherwise it is scooters and pedal-bikes! 

Sunday, I again hopped on the bike. I hoped to get in some snorkelling at Church Bay, but soon realised that the water was not going to be conducive as it was very choppy and unpleasant with poor visibility.
I headed back to Horseshoe Bay and this cove which is usually very pleasant, but even it was churned up. Though I did see a midnight blue parrot fish hiding in the rocks!

I was rather taken with the sand castles on top of this rock - they would withstand the high tides which were expected - the chairs that usually live on the beach above the high water line, were being moved off, but probably washed off with the rain!!!!

The rather threatening sky and choppy waves didn't put too many people off as it is still hot and humid!!!!

If you use your imagination, you can see the pink particles that give the beaches their name! On the left is very clear water and on the right the beach.

I had to fill up the scooter, so despite not using it quite as much as I had hoped to, I have still used a tank of petrol and still have the weekend ahead to explore.

I have finally finished the rainbow blanket. This will be posted to Meg's grand daughter in the UK when I get there next week.

Tuesday: Last night we had quite a bit of wind and regular downpours, so much so, that my walk to work this morning was very wet! Luckily I could use an umbrella with a poncho rain coat, as the wind wasn't too bad. The biggest problem though, is getting wet as the cars pass and kick up the water from the puddles!!! So I was a little more damp and bedraggled than usual on my arrival! but soon dried out.

Work remains quiet! I have another full week before I leave for the UK and proper holiday next Wednesday!

Keep well and keep the news rolling in.

Bermuda Week 4

First up - the weather report! Bermuda is fine, We are not in the path of any hurricanes, at present, though Jose is being watched carefully! We have had some minor affects in that we have had stronger winds, rougher seas with small craft warnings and we have been under a bit more cloud and rain, but this is due to move away later in the week. It was quite scary watching the constant hurricane weather channels and watching the battering which occurred down south, so I am pleased not to be in the thick of things!!!!!

Saturday here was a beautiful day, and it was spent on and near the water! Alick, Helen, Barbara and I set off for Castle Harbour, which is on the east side of the island - near the airport, and were kitted out for kayaking. Helen and I were in the one kayak and we ended up, in both directions, always going to the right, so zig-zagged our way across to a very small beach next to the main causeway, leading to the airport, but more importantly near the 'blue hole'. This area of the island has numerous inland ponds which are fed by the sea with the water travelling both above ground and underground through a series of caves. The commercial caves are Crystal Caves and Fantasy Cave which are major tourist attractions, but we concentrated, on Saturday, on some minor caves that are located in 'Tom Moore's Jungle'. The Blue Hole is a large pool between the sea and the caves, which in the old days was used to house the dolphins in captivity. There are still dolphins but the whole experience is down at the dockyards on the west side of the island.

The intrepid explorers, just before we hid the oars, so no-one could steal the kayaks - and then set off into the jungle!!!!

Swimming in the blue hole was great, but even better was jumping off a cliff next to it. Luckily the tide was high, otherwise I don't think I could have done it, as it still felt a long way down. However I couldn't let the side down, as we all jumped!!!

The achievement!!!!!!! It took a few count downs before I made it in!!!!

Walking through Tom Moore's Jungle to the caves. The rocks are really quite amazing

At the Blue Hole, we picked up an American cardiologist who was holidaying on the island with his wife and baby - his parents moved to USA from Johannesburg in the 80's!!!! He kindly took this photo of us swimming in the cave. It was a little weird having stalactites and -mites around! 

We then had to row back, which was quite tough as the wind and swell had come up a bit, plus we had our rowing-to-the-right problem, but our zig-zags seemed to be better controlled!

We lunched at the Grotto Bay Hotel and had this view! This is looking east towards the airport.

The next stop was at the Cathedral Cave which is on the property of Grotto Bay Hotel, where I met my next SA connection - Megan has been on the Island for 4 years and was at school at the same time as Ian and David and mixed in the same crowd - small world!!!! I persuaded her that even though the water in this cave was pretty cold, it was still warmer than Camps Bay! It was a far more enclosed cave than the first one we swam in and the water was beautifully clear.

Our last stop of the day was the icecream parlour - which  was everyone else's stop too. I had a lovely ginger icecream - yum!

Back to work during the week!!! It has kept me quite busy the last few days. Can't wait for the next weekend and further watery adventures!!!


Keep well