typical day

Everything seems to collapse into place. Can't get in touch with pool man, run into him in the village. Looking for our building contractor...run into him while on our way for a spontaneous visit to the Botanical Gardens. Can't find a tree surgeon...one just happens to be recommended. Thinking of Beeman...run into him at Cafe des Arts. Maybe it's because all the other stuff doesn't get in the way and the path from you to someone else is unhindered.

Don't fret and it will work out. It's the Nevis way.

dem Bats

Bats are our friends. No, really. It is inevitable that a bat will find its way into a house here. When we first bought Butler's, we slept and wee'd with the bats. They did check in before we did so rather than try and kick them out of the bedroom, we moved the rickety homemade beds into the living room. Last night we had a first close encounter ourselves. It was just sitting on the floor near our bedroom door. "Di," i heard...it was an agitated Tim announcing its arrival ."Get something." Gave him a a rug. Where is it? "I don't know, I don't know...stuck." Here's a spatula.
Tim glided the spatula under the rug to hook the bat. Didn't work. The bat started doing its thing and batted its wings. Using a wastepaper basket, we captured the bat, moving it outside for release. it was scared still, unable to move from the bottom of the basket. By next morning it had rejoined its family.

Bats consume hundreds of thousands of insects nightly. They are our friends. I think we'll get a net for future capture and release moments.

Ahhhh. We're Back

Sitting here on the front terrace...the crickets are serving as backup to Bruce--move over E Street Band...we're enjoying our first cavalier rum and cokes and getting ready to whip up a little something for dinner. So good to be back. The gardens are flourishing. Cactus have reached skyscraper heights. Lost a beautiful tree in last week's freak storm but other than that the gardens have been left unscathed.

Last night we sat at the front of the boat coming over from St Kitts. Nothing like it. Stars were twinkling in the Caribbean sky. Gentle warm breeze. And, in the distance calling us from Nevis...the rhythms of Charlestown on Saturday night. What a welcome.

Next Stop: Nevis

(Written on Friday)...It's a typical autumn day in England...overcast, dark skies with nighttime falling at 430PM. Off to Nevis tomorrow for 3 weeks. Just cannot wait to step off the boat into Charlestown. Tazel will have the Jeep waiting. We'll pop into Bestbuy for some groceries and then to Bernice's for our keys. It'll be dark but Bernice always leaves the lights on for us.



We have a list of jobs to do: install some additional lights, enclose the kitchen garden, clear and tidy the cellar and carriage house in preparation for their conversion into bedrooms and bathroom, create a two track road up our drive (with Mr Lescott).

There's so much exploring to do. Must make time to do more...