Wonderful social times.....

The month of November in Virgin Gorda and then the weeks leading up to Christmas in Europe were just wonderful. After flying back to the Caribbean from a whirlwind visit to see my Becky and AJ for their engagement I threw myself into the final weeks of work that needed attention on our cottages and main house..........it never seems to end. The upkeep is vital to keep a sea side property from decay and corrosion.........but when you get there you realise how beautiful it is and all so worth it.

I did however have some wonderful times with some of my island buddies. Elaine managed to get tickets for the "Save the Rhone" Ball (a famous shipwreck), so off we all motored to the new and dapper Scrub Island resort and had a night to remember. Her delightful friends from Scotland were in the Caribbean and joined us.

I also caught up with the dearest and loveliest couple ever; dear friends of our family, John and Nici from Montana who own a gorgeous villa just above ours, "Dos Sols". We had dinner a couple of times and had a great night out over to Saba Rock! Pic of Nici and I on the boat to Saba.......I miss their warm friendship and John's cheeky character.

Our friend Michael had his birthday on island only to find himself with his girlfriend faraway across the ocean, so I invited him out for a birthday lunch. We had a happy afternoon over delicious food at the Mineshaft Restaurant with views over the Francis Drake Channel and other neighbouring islands. The skies were clear and the air balmy!


As the days and weeks flew by, we found ourselves at "turkey day" - Thanksgiving is a wonderful tradition to be so thankful for so many things. The health of our families and friends and the wonderful lives we lead! Esther, a great family friend of my parents for years now has a great cafe near Biras Creek named the "Fat Virgin" that is famous for her good food. Esther was very happy for me to help her and the girls in the kitchen. We toiled for hours in preparations for the great feast she offers her guests. I chopped, fried, stirred and finally carved no less than 4 HUGE turkeys........Phew, what a day we had!! It was so much joy being part of it all!



Elaine, Michael and I went over to Tortola for dinner one night at a restaurant he adores and then watched a super live concert; another night was just for the gals.....darling Lynne, Elizabetha and myself went for a dinner to 'die for' at her husbands restaurant "Georgios"! Georgios is famous for an upmarket and stunning Italian cuisine!


I finally said goodbye to The Bear, my friends and to Virgin Gorda......for now!

Adios to the Caribbean once again, adios to my dear island friends until I return later this year! Adios to 'my' Bear and hello to Munich and my Dad's 84th Birthday..........

Me and The Bear!

Its been so long since my last blog I almost feel embarrassed! But, as the french say, "C'est la Vie" - we do the best we can!
My life has been pretty busy with my return journey to Virgin Gorda after Becky and AJ's engagement visit in Europe; the internet connection so weak in Germany I could only manage emails which arrived so slowly the normal post would have been faster making downloading anything important impossible; my Dad's 84th birthday, my home in Mt Eliza flooding AGAIN of course causing much stress, worry and work!
An amazing week in Rome followed Dad's birthday and then the build up to a fairytale Christmas! New Year's Eve and enter 2012! A night of crazy fireworks that lasted almost an hour and re started at 4am for another! Most of which was outside our house! We didn't go to Austria this Christmas as the snow was too high and on my own the road too hard to clear........so we enjoyed magic Munich. The new year continued with snow melting in Munich and many lovely visits and sightseeing with my friend Angie! I left Germany on the 12th Jan and headed back to France and my dear friend Philly where we almost immediately headed south for our pre planned 2 month visit into Southern Spain. We plan to check out this gorgeous area in the Andalucians with its white villages and stunning coastline and also visit Morroco - especially Marrakesh during this stay until mid March..........Phew!!

So my friends, I have a few blog posts to catch up the last 2 months! Look out in the next week for family shots, stories and photos of Rome! (Ahhhh Roma!!) I am presently in Olvera, one of the most stunning (and steep) white villages in Spain. The views are to die for, the food divine and so cheap and the people warm and friendly............SO STAY TUNED FOR SOME STUNNING PHOTOS TO COME!! Viva Espana!

I had lots of last minute work for the month of November in Virgin Gorda......the maintenance is always major on the water. The tropical sun, the wind, the salt and sea just get into everything! If you don't keep up your maintenance things just keep going wrong!! I will add some great pics of friends and social occasions......coming up!!
I left Virgin Gorda on the 1st December with tears as I said "good-bye" to The Bear. Bear is an amazing dog belonging to my dear friend Colin. I babysat both his house and the Bear whilst he was with his lovely fiancee Najia in Arizona settling in there. I want to write a tribute to Belle! Dear Colin had two dogs but Belle sadly passed away in my absence, we are pretty sure it was poisoning......something she ate when she got out! It was a shock to us all and very sad for Colin. Bear was down when I returned but soon cheered up with the extra love and attention he received from yours truly!! XXX Bear and I had such a close wonderful time. I took him everywhere...........his manners were immaculate and his big brown eyes deep enough to melt in. I believe The Bear is going back to Arizona to be with the whole family. I will miss his big doggie Ewok ears, his searching brown eyes and warmth for a long time.

Remember that song......"Me and Mrs Jones"... "we got a thing goin on", I remember Billy Paul sang it....Well! I changed the words to "Meeee and The Bear"..........I still sing that song!