Sunday 18th July
7.30am:
The rain comes and goes, but unfortunately so far the sun only comes in short, sharp showers too, and yesterday was really disappointing, with our plan for a day on the beach in tatters. By 11am the clouds had taken over, and that was that sun-wise for the rest of the day.
We’ve realised that it seems to be hot and sunny first thing in the morning though, so we’re using the reverse jetlag to good use, and getting up just after sunrise and heading straight to the beach.
Me, Mrs Muck, and Fifi are currently sunning ourselves at the water’s edge, making the most of the crystal blue sky and matching sea. I’m fully expecting the cloud to bubble up again later, so we’re making the most of it!
Handy and Sandy are still fast asleep, and so far this holiday they haven’t roused from their pits till mid afternoon. As it gets dark just after six o clock due to our proximity to the equator, they’re not seeing much of the sun (when it is out) and Sandy is starting to display symptoms of S.A.D., looking pale, withdrawn and moody. Par for the course really. He has already found bad company out here, and seems to sniff out trouble like a bloodhound. It’s pretty embarrassing to see him strolling down the beach in his bling, looking shadier than a Barbados afternoon, muttering “ganja, cocaine” under his breath to the unsuspecting tourists on their towels. And really irritatingly, he insists on pronouncing it “co-kai-eener” like a Hispanic gangster. The red bandana and hairnet he has started sporting are the last straw.
Each evening he hangs out at the rum shop round the corner, getting progressively more wasted, attempting to speak the local pidgin English and kissing his teeth. Chaa indeed, that boy is a liability.
We had a fantastic night at the fish fry on Friday night, eating unbelievably fresh grilled tuna and marlin, drinking rum, and listening to reggae and calypso blasting out of the sound system next to us. It’s always interesting and funny to hear the local interpretation of well known songs, and it has to be said that the calypso version of “These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things” was hilarious in it’s sincerity and total lack of irony. Brilliant. The girls were bogling hard, but it was Handy who stole the show, in his black lamé leggings, bent over so far bogling that he was touching his toes. It’s not the first time he’s adopted that position though…We’ve got contingency plans today if it clouds over. There is a boardwalk that stretches a few miles along the beach to Bridgetown, the capital of the island. We’ll take a stroll there if the weather takes a turn for the worse later, but we’re coming up to 9am now and it’s still hot, sunny and cloudless. I’ve got a good feeling about today…