Just another day in paradise...

Today was spectacular. All of you back in Canada can feel free to swear after you read this, but today Daisy and I were sitting on our balcony soaking up the sun.

Each day I have at least one moment of "holy cow - we LIVE HERE!!!" Our apartment is in quite a rural setting, so the roosters wake us each morning. We can get up and eat breakfast with a really great view of Little Sound (otherwise known as Port Royal Sound). Then Rod is off to work, and the day is mine to explore.

We went shopping at Bermuda's equivalent of Home Depot the other day. It's called Gorham's. We picked up a bookshelf, some baking dishes, some picture hanging hardware, a mailbox ('cause we don't have one for some reason) etc. etc. Then I took a taxi home with the stuff and Rod followed on the bike.

And we have living room furniture now!!! On Saturday we went to Furniture Walk and bought a sofa and chair. We got them delivered on Tuesday and picked up a few houseplants today. Our apartment is starting to feel more like home.

Rod took some time off today and we went off for a drive (okay, Rod was scouting fishing spots and I went along for the ride). We made it all the way to Dockyards at the far western end of the island. The weather was kind of windy, but the sun was shining and we were together - a perfect afternoon.

He found a couple of likely spots in Somerset parish and one of his co-workers has promised to show him some good spots - didn't take him too long to meet a fellow fishing fool. However, according to the co-worker, it's too darn cold to fish this time of year!

I found out from the taxi driver who brought me home from Gorham's that the valley our apartment is in used to be a limestone quarry. I always wondered why there were very regular horizontal cuts in the rock behind our place and now I know.

It's only been 2 1/2 weeks since we got here, so nothing feels "normal" yet but I'm looking forward to the day when it's a natural to remember my sunglasses, helmet and phone when I leave the house.

Hugs to everyone at home.

Us.

So it's been windy today. I feel like I sound like a native. It's been bloody windy - windows bowing in and huge whitecaps in the bay.

Several times today the storm shutters (which weigh a ton) were flapping in the wind gusts. It's been like a Calgary chinook (or a Saskatchewan windstorm) all day. Tomorrow is supposed to be much calmer and warmer.

We still have NOTHING to complain about. Rod's Bermudian co-workers were frozen to the bone, and Rod replied, "It's not cold until you have ice on your moustache!!"

More tomorrow.

Us.

Unrelenting rain...

Now I understand why Rod is so insistent we get a dehumidifier. The spare bedroom window looks out to a limestone cliff face and consequently doesn't get much sun. The clothing we had stored in there is now very, very mouldy . You can't see much from the picture, but the stuff that looks like dust is actually mould.

So I am washing it all (again) and have purchased these thingys called "DampRid" that pulls the water out of the air and stores in in this collection bag (I put it up two days ago and it's already got about a cup of water in it). The humidity level is currently at 94%, and the living room windows have so much fog on them I can't really see out. I think we'll shop for that dehumidifier tomorrow.

There has been relentless rain today. Daisy's being a brat - seems she doesn't get that walking in pouring rain isn't so much fun. Maybe I should grab my rubber suit and show her...

However, we took her for her first scooter ride on Sunday. I bundled her up inside my coat and climbed on the bike behind Rod and off we went. She seemed to not mind at all, being slightly squished between my front and Rod's back.

We went to Astwood Park, more than anything because there's a spot there that Rod is determined to catch something from (like a fish, perhaps). You have to walk down a path, then scramble over some rocks, then ease yourself down about three feet to a shelf. It's a little wet at high tide, depending on how rough the surf is.

Rod fished for a while and I walked Daisy around the park. She seems to really be having a ball here (and it doesn't hurt that I have all this time to take her for long walks) and gets quite demanding if I won't (in her mind, I'm sure) take her every day.

I've grabbed a picture from when we were here last April. It's astounding how really beautiful this place is, and most days I really think "how cool is this - we LIVE here" - and then it rains.

Kidding.

We don't have to shovel rain, or scrape car windows, or start cars with frozen seats before going to work. Birds of Paradise (flowers) grow outside.

There's also this place called Crystal Cave. It took a about a million years to form, but it's an underground cavern with seepage through the limestone and it forms amazing stalactites and stalagmites. The water there is so clear and still you can see more than 15 feet down. Apparently Esther Williams starred in a movie filmed here in the 1940's.

Okay, so Blogger is not cooperating at the moment, but I'll upload more pictures later. It could be our internet connection, who knows? Hope everyone at home is well.

Karen & Rod.

Here's the thing about life in Bermuda. Yesterday it was sunny and calm - a really lovely day. Today it's raining so hard I can't see the bay and there's a gale warning on the weather service for tonight. Daisy thought she wanted to go outside (until I actually took her, but first I had to put on my rubber coat and rubber shoes - thanks again for the Crocs, Jean they are really useful here) and she got soaking wet in under 2 minutes and didn't do any business. Oh well.

I'm starting to figure out the bus system a little. I can get from our apartment to Hamilton and back. However, yesterday morning on the way in I ended up sharing my seat with a cockroach - YUK! I think I'll practice on the bike a little more...

Bermuda can be a really friendly place. It's quite common for a total stranger who passes you on the street to say "good morning". It takes some getting used to, but now I'm even starting to do it myself!

We can hear a strange sound sometimes when we're in the apartment. It's a low, rumbling boom that sounds quite a bit like ice shifting on a lake in winter. It doesn't seem to happen at regular intervals, or even at any set time. It will probably turn out to be something harmless and typical, but in the meantime we're having fun coming up with theories.

And that's it for Valentine's Day from Bermuda.

We're here...

It's Wednesday - our fourth full day on the island and we're starting to settle in. I even took my first bus ride today to get home! It was a little nerve wracking to be in the bus while it barreled down the narrow, twisty roads with what looked like barely inches to spare between the limestone cliffs and the oncoming traffic. It is much more economical than taking taxis everywhere.

Rod's back at work and I'm home with the dog. We went for an hour long walk today down the historic Railway Trail. I hadn't intended to go for that long but I met two women on the trail - also walking their dogs - and walked with them past some very pretty scenery. It had been cloudy and blustery this morning, but just as we came even with Gibb's Hill lighthouse, the sun came out and made the water bright like a jewel.

It seems to be the way of the weather here. One minute it can be cloudy and cool, then the sun comes out and changes everything. I am looking forward to beach weather, though!!

As for tomorrow, I am going to try to ransom our cargo from the airport and get Rod an appointment for a physical (which he needs done before trying for his Bermudian scooter license) so we can stop renting a bike.

Our apartment is quite lovely (and it's just like I remembered - Barbie's dream house pink on the outside) and I think we'll settle in before we know it.