CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

Yesterday was the Christmas Boat Parade- I had been looking forward to seeing this event for OVER A YEAR as we were sure that we would be living on the rock at this time last year and I had heard it was an experience that should not be missed. Was it worth the wait? Sort of.....

There are estimated to be around 5,000 private boats here on the island and while the event hosts tried their best to get 100 boats to enter,there were only 53 entrants in this years parade including the Spirit of Bermuda who led things off. It takes a lot of time and effort to do up the boats and so while the parade lacked a large number of participants, those who did enter their boats did an amazing job, although there were one or two boats that we had no idea what they were supposed to be. (A for effort though- while unidentifiable,they were colorful and sparked people's imaginations as we tried to figure out what it was supposed represent.) As there is no newspaper here on Sundays I don't know how many people actually showed up to watch but there were estimates that the crowd would number 20,000 which is basically a third of the population. Certainly felt like a lot of people, especially at this time of year,as it is generally very quiet all over the island with cruise ship season having ended and very few tourists in general. [Most tourists to Bermuda come in the summer although I personally think this time of year has the nicest weather- still warm and sunny enough to spend the day at the beach with very little humidity or enjoy a round of golf without needing 10 gallons of water to cope with the heat)

Pitts Bay Road, Front Street and Harbor Road(Paget)were the best vantage points from which to watch although I expect that the views from Cavendish Heights or Bostock Hill would have been quite spectacular too. When we got to town about an hour before the parade was to start there were already tons of people camped out on their lawn chairs with takeout for dinner all along the parade route. (You can tell the parade pros from the novices like us- They have their blankets, fold out tables and chairs and have brought dinner along with them, while we just came as we were and wrongly assumed that there would be street vendors to get munchies and drinks from.) The best place to watch is from the Hamilton Princess as that is the start and finish line but we went to Albouys Point and had front row seats on the dock. It was the first really cool evening we have had since we arrived with the temperature at parade time hovering around 60 degrees and we must be acclimatized to living here now as we both wore turtleneck sweaters, jeans and jackets.(Mind you, the Onions(Bermudians) are even more bundled up in their parkas and toques although I do confess that I even wore gloves as it was chilly.) We watched most of the parade from this vantage point and while it was a perfect place to sit and watch, the crowd at Albouys Point was rather quiet and subdued. After watching 75% of the parade from Albouys we wandered further up Front Street as we were looking for a coffee to take off some of the chill and found a more festive atmosphere (seems like Albouys is more where the families hung out so maybe next time we will pick a different vantage point). I think next year we will just walk down to Harbour Road and watch from there as the boats come right by both sides of the harbour or check out the action at the Princess. The parade lasted about 2 hours( the boats went up and down the harbor twice) and ended with a huge display of fireworks which lasted about 15 minutes.

Never did find that cup of coffee-! I keep forgetting that Hamilton shuts down at 5:00 even on Saturdays and so the few coffee shops that they have here were not open unless you count the Tigermart at the Esso station on Richmond Road ! We came home after the parade and had coffee at home although it sounds like the Tigermart may have been a busy place as we met some American tourists today who ended up there for a cuppa joe after the parade last night.]I actually eat at the Tigermart quite often. Believe it or not the Esso station makes some of the best muffins and scones and they are hot out of the oven when I stop in on my way to work. They also make pizza and sandwiches, etc so its not as odd as it sounds to end up at the gas station- the food and coffee are quite good, but if you want ambiance, best to go elsewhere.

(Just so you don't think Hamilton is a ghost town at night, its not- Restaurants and bars are open in the evenings, its just the shops that close up which includes the coffee shops- if there are any open at night I have not found them yet and normally its not a big deal as mainly I only go to Hamilton to work )

On another note we had a Tsunami scare yesterday. Bermuda really is another world and while I knew that we had to worry about Hurricanes and the odd tornado, never thought we even got tidal waves here. This one turned out to be a false alarm but caused quite a stir. If you want to view the article go to bermudasun.org and click on the headline" Panic grips island over tidal wave rumour" or check out the Monday edition of the Royal Gazette



Funny thing is we never knew a thing about it until today- we were up on the east end yesterday at St. Davids and St. Georges and by the time we came back everything was back to normal. We have had some very funky lightening storms here a few nights ago and it was like nothing we have ever seen before. Instead of coming down like daggers,it was like someone turned on and off the lights every few seconds lighting up the entire sky. The thunder was bizarre too as it was just a continuous. We were joking that this is the Bermuda triangle weather and wondered if any ships or planes went missing.The waves were very high and the sea was grey and angry looking on Friday but Saturday it was back to its beautiful shades of turquoise and seemed pretty calm. Bizzare!

ANSWER TO BURNING QUESTION.....

I have received a few emails asking about the Web Cam link and how to use it- first off I should tell you that as we are on Atlantic time there may be a significant time difference (Example- it is pitch black here now at 6:00 pm so if you click on the webcam at night during this time of year, there is not much to see!)

Every email I have had so far on the webcam says "I don't see a thing- there must be something wrong!"
Actually there is nothing wrong, its just in ID10T error! and you just have to do a few things to activate it.

First you would click on the control icon across the top. Then go over to the left hand side and click on View size- I usually select 640x480 but choose whatever size works best for you. The arrows are to move around. The other drop down menu below that usually comes up as blank but if you select it there are a number of locations to select- IE: Airport, Gibbs Hill lighthouse etc. Pick one and VOILA- live shots of Bermuda!

Enjoy!

THANKSGIVING DAY..

Well today was American Thanksgiving and I had the day off. Its a funny day for a holiday but I'm not complaining as its always nice to sleep in and just let the day unfold. In Canada Thanksgiving is always on a Monday so we always had a long weekend and I think if we were in the states that they turn it into a four day weekend.

They do not observe Thanksgiving here in Bermuda but because I work for an American company we get today off as well as the fourth of July so it was a good day to go to town as everything was open,unlike official holidays when NOTHING is open. It was pretty quiet which was great- not too many tourists around this week- I think the cruise ship season is pretty much over and with all the exempt companies off today it was nice to walk around without tripping all over tons of people.

It was a day of giving thanks as WE BOUGHT A CAR!! Its a sign of how much our lives have changed that we are actually excited to be the PROUD owners of a 2006 KIA Picanto! (We would not have been caught dead in a car like this in Canada but the prices are obscene here and we actually bought this car at an estate sale for a very good price.) It only has 420 K on it so it has not even been broken in yet and we get it Friday so this weekened will see us exploring parts of the island we have not yet seen yet. The photo is off the net but the one we bought is "Diamond Blue" which is sort of a blue/grey color. When we first saw it I had doubts that there would be enough headroom but it is surprisingly roomy and as it is a Class A car, it is the cheapest to license- you pay an annual fee based on how long the car is- for this car, our annual license fee is 276.00- the bigger the car, the more it costs and some cars are over 1400 a year for PLATES- we are not talking insurance here! It has air, JVC stereo system and has airbags and ABS(you need that here as the roads get slick when it rains- I always thought it was just necessary for driving in snow and ice!) The estate sales are held here weekly by the Good Riddance Girl and so we also picked up some nice furniture. Just have to arrange for delivery of that and we are pretty much all set up with everything we need.( Emoo is great for stuff too and we have picked up a few things off that site too)

We have changed our minds regarding the golf course we are going to join- Initially we were going to join Belmont Hills but Riddells Bay has a more flexible arrangement for guest workers in that they offer a 3 year membership which if we end up staying longer than that we can covert to a full membership. None of the other clubs currently offer term memberships and as these are not equity memberships it makes more sense to go this route. One of the nice things too about Riddells is their affiliation with the Fairmont Southampton- We will have privileges at their course as well as full use of their beach club and discounts at the restaurants and spa.

Once the car is transferred, the rest of the furniture is delivered and the golf club membership is approved we are totally set!

HOME SWEET HOME

Well, we have been in our new home for a few weeks now and the first 10 days were a bit of a challenge as our stuff was sitting on the docks. Even though our landlady left us dishes,cutlery and linens, we had very limited cooking abilities as she left a very small frying pan so could only make one burger at a time kind of thing. We did not have any pots or pans so could not really use the oven or stove until our stuff arrived. We had some TV Dinners and microwaveable kraft dinner( surprisingly tasty!) November 9th the truck pulled up with all our goodies. It was like Christmas as we had not seen our stuff since July and were not even sure what we brought with us! I was so worried about my tea set being in pieces ( I inherited it from my mom and it is irreplaceable) so that was the first box I opened and BIG SIGH of relief- it was in perfect condition. Actually everything was, even the lightbulbs, all our artwork and my crystal animals are all OK.

Now that we have unpacked it all, we realize we need a few things like bookcases and some display cabinets or the like. We have lots of storage space but the one thing this place does not have is any shelving or counterspace although there is tons in the kitchen. (Like we need that!) My bathroom is tiny and there is no counterspace at all: just a pedestal sink, no medicine cabinet or anything and so its been fun doing my hair and makeup- no where to store the stuff and no where to put it while trying to get ready,although I must say it is nice to have my hair dryer back.

Gorhams(one of the hardware stores- sort of Bermuda's answer to Canadian Tire but on a smaller scale)has all kinds of storage solutions and I saw 2 things there last week that I may get- one is a vanity on a pole kind of thing- it has a place to store your hairdryer, a little round makeup table that wraps around the pole [it kind of reminds me of old fashioned floor lamp], a mirror and it stands about 6 feet high. The other thing is a storage unit that goes over the toilet and is about the same height with shelves to put towels etc. I had sold my vanity set because I didn't think we would have room for it here but we do have the room in the second bedroom which is going to end up being an office for the most part. Right now its just a place to put everything that needs to go on a shelf or in a display case! We had to throw out all our hangars that we brought as for the most part they were wire and you cannot use them here as they rust. Has to be plastic or wood and even plastic hangars cost an arm and a leg here! Basically a buck a piece for crappy ones and they go up quite a bit from there,especially the pant and skirt hangars. We also learned why every closet in the house has a light-I thought it was to see what was in there but they are not walk-ins so it seemed kind of silly. Apparently you are supposed to leave them on all the time as it helps keep down the mold and mildew. Today I learned how quickly things get mildewed or moldy (not sure which but my green suede jacket is now pinkish so tomorrow its time to go buy the closet heater- from normal to moldy in 10 days- I still cannot believe it. I never heard of closet heaters before but apparently we really need them.( Fortunately that particular jacket is machine washable suede but it remains to be seen if you can actually get that crap off!
Probably going to be very sorry I kept my suede and leather stuff as the rest of it is not machine washable.) Other things we have learned: You have to turn your dark stuff inside out so it doesn't fade because of the light being on all the time. We have a great book that is basically a survival guide for living here -Its called Tea With Tracey and its full of great information- Who knew you would have to put cork behind all your artwork so it doesn't get moldy? Or that you have to buy closet heaters (in addition to leaving the lights on) I never knew half the stuff we are using here even existed- Here its all about dehumidifying, in Calgary it was the opposite- trying to put enough moisture in the air. ( On the plus side I have not had to moisturize 2x a day to keep my skin nice, I don't moisturize at all anymore)

Then there are all the tips one must know to keep your home bug free- all the drains in the sinks and tub need to be kept closed or you get disgusting centipedes and the biggest F"ing spiders I have ever seen. My love affair with Bermuda went down a notch the day that I saw my first cockroach in the kitchen. After I finished freaking out, the can of Baygone came out and as I had no idea where the little bastard went, I sprayed everywhere. Apparently this stuff is toxic to bugs and people and is to be used sparingly (As my hairdress says- these guys can survive nuclear reactions but they cannot survive Baygone so it has to be pretty harmful.) We also hear that windex is a good bug killer and to get rid of ants we just put pennies down and they run like hell. Everything goes in the fridge and I mean everything. No food goes in the cupboards unless you want to have an infestation of something and every crumb is picked up or swept away the second it hits the ground. I am afraid to take out the garbage at night as we have a central place to put it and I have visions of bugs everywhere in the little garbage room, although I must admit that have never seen any in it during the day.

We still do not have a car and hopefully that will change very soon. Friends of ours have a car and so they are nice enough to come pick us up to go out to dinner and the like. I am sure if we had asked they would have driven us to town the day we got our ironging board but we took the bus in and cabbed it back. There is nothing quite so frustrating as going to the hardware store in town (Hamilton) and buying an ironing board, garbage cans and the like and then having to schlep it for blocks until you find a taxi to take it all home. Even grocery shopping is a pain in the ass- you only buy 2 bags worth of stuff at a time as it is a hilly walk back to our house. Last weekend was Rememberance Day so nothing was open on Saturday and nothing is ever open on Sundsays. I had Monday off in lieu so we went to the car dealership and it was closed then too- they observed Rememberance Day on both the actual day and the Monday so we will try again next weekend unless we find something on emoo before that. Today we actually decided that since we needed beer, wine and diet coke in addition to food, that we would do a big shop and take a cab home. We had about 8 bags for 300 bucks and there is no fresh fruit or vegetables to be found in that. I broke down and brought some fresh fruit recently and paid 5 bucks for a handful of grapes. I would not mind paying the high prices if the quality was decent but by the time the stuff gets here, gets through customs, off the docks and into the store its awful (moldy, mushy or both) We are now just buying canned or frozen fruit which I don't much care for but at least its fruit. Cannot seem to find fresh carrots here at all and usually get my veggies when we eat out.

We were off island this week in New York and we were actually supposed to be in Boston too but our flight was cancelled twice on Thursday night so there was no point going Friday as my meetings there were in the morning and I would have missed them. We had planned to come home on Sunday but came back last night instead as dealing with the wonderful staff at Delta was a nightmare- Surly, growly customer service agents who don't seem to know how to rebook a reservation ( Our flight back to Bermuda was on American Airlines and their service is far superior.)

This was one of those times I was glad that I was on company business as our room for the extra night in New York was $555.56 US. As the IROP was weather Delta didn't do anything for us and all the hotels near JFK were sold out. We ended up checking back into the same hotel we had checked out of earlier in the day (Same rate per night for the previous couple of days- I keep thinking of my WestJet days whenever I travel for business and wonder how much more could be added to the bottom line if we actually had to stay in reasonably priced accomodations.) While we never made it to Boston, our luggage is still there. When the flight was cancelled, we went to the baggage claim area and were told it would be 4 hours before the bags were off the plane due to all the other cancellations and that we could just come back in the morning and get them. Well we did and they were not there! Today we were expecting them on the 12:30 flight from Boston to Bermuda but they were not on it- apparently whoever did our claim file did not finish the file so the message to retrieve the bags never went though- maybe tomorrow... I sure hope they arrive as we did some shopping and all our new clothes and drugstore stuff is in those bags. ( I love Century 21!!!) I paid the duty on everything so hopefully we will see it all again someday.

We did mangage to have some fun in between work while we were in New York and went to see Spamalot. It was hilarious! I am NOT a Monty Python fan but I loved it. We had the most amazing meal in Little Italy at a place called Grotto Azurra. It was the best meal I have had in a long time- we both had the fixed price menu so we were not expecting the portions to be so big- For 19.00 you get to choose a pasta dish and an entree- I had baked ziti and a skirt steak (still not sure what cut that is- going to have to look that up but it was excellent) Hubby had spagetti and meatballs and chicken parmesana and we both had the BEST cannollis we have ever had. We recently had some in Bermuda and until we discovered this place in New York, those were the best but now the ones at Portofino rank in as number 2.
Also went to Stage Door Deli again as they have outstanding corned beef sandwiches. Had some nice business lunches too but cannot remember the names- lots of great restuarants in the financial district.

Thats it for this update- we are heading off to the beach for some rays. New York was grey and gloomy the whole time we were there so need to spend some time in the sun.

MOVING DAY IS FAST APPROACHING

Today was an exciting day for us- We got the keys to our condo and can start moving in (all our worldly goods that are on island amount to 6 pieces of luggage) so we will hop into a cab Monday and finally be in our own place !

We are staying at the corporate apartment til then as our new TV and the cable guy are not coming til Tuesday so we figured we might as well enjoy the amenities here til then plus our landlady is doing some finishing touches like resealing the hardwood floors and repainting today. Then thankfully no more moving for at least 3 years as that is how long our lease is. I had arranged for our goods to arrive on the 30th as I knew it would take only a day or two to clear customs but what I did not know was that it will take up to another 3 weeks for the stevedores to strip the container and then our crate gets delivered to us. So moving day will actually take place in 2 parts and its part 2 that I am really looking forward to. I cannot wait to be reunited with my blowdryer and my favorite pillow! Its been so long since we have seen our stuff that it will be a big surprise to see what we actually kept. Our landlady is a real doll and has left us with additional things to tide us over til our crate arrives including a coffee pot, dishes, pots and pans and the like. I am hoping that I actually kept a warm jacket of some kind as I am back in New York and Boston from the 14th-19th and its going to feel cold after being here. We are still wandering around in short sleeve shirts and shorts although its a lot cooler than it was as we are now sitting in the mid-high 70's.

It was a different kind of moving day for us too as my hubby passed his road test so we can buy a car and move ourselves around in our own time, instead of waiting for the bus, ferry or taxi to come. YAY!!! I decided to wait as I am too freaked out to drive here at the moment -my learners permit is good for 6 months so I have time to overcome my fears.

I am still having trouble with knowing what side of the road I should be walking, never mind driving on, on so for now the world is a safer place. Don't like those frikken roundabouts either and probably the thing that freaks me out the most is the bikes overtaking on both sides of the car and the narrowness of the roads as my depth perception is very poor. We have narrowed down our desired car to a Nissan March which looks a lot like a VW Beetle, a Dhiatsu Terios or a Suzuki Ignis (Both little SUV's) but that may change as we have not actually been in them yet and how much headroom we have remains to be seen. There are a lot of nice Peugot models here but think they are going to be way too small with the roof up (Peugot 206cc and Peugot 306 cc) and I really like the Rover MGTF but again think headroom is going to be an issue. We are going to the dealer next week and the choice will boil down to what we fit in! We also need a point of reference for pricing as there are tons of used cars for sale here but the prices are all over the place, so we figured lets get pricing on the new models and decide from there.

We went to the Crystal Caves (www.crystalcaves.bm) Photo above is of some people we met there.

Check out their website as our pictures did not do them any justice and they are absolutely spectacular. These caves are millions of years old and have amazing formations of stalacmites and stalagtites made of limestone. It takes 100 years for 1 inch to form so when you see the size of these things you can't help but be overwhelmed with how old they are. Two young boys discovered them by accident back in the 20's. They were playing cricket and lost their ball down a hole. They wanted the ball back so got a rope and a flashlight and eventually descended more than 120 feet into the ground.

We have also been checking out more of the beaches- there are tons of them but we decided to do Horseshoe Bay as its Bermuda's most famous and most photographed beach. It is famous for its pink sand and its as fine as baby powder. This is one of the more touristy beaches we have been too but it was gorgous and we had a nice day there

Going golfing tomorrow on the executive par 3 course at the Fairmont Southampton- I got a set of clubs today and want to try my hand on one of the easier courses here before I try out Belmont. There is a huge second hand market here due to the comings and goings of all the expats so I got a nice set of ladies clubs and a bag pretty cheap.

As I sit writing this, night has fallen and the whistling frogs have begun to sing. They will sing all night long and they are very loud especially when you realize that they are about the size of a thumbprint. Its like an orchestra playing all night long, although for some reason they don't sing once the temperature falls below 70- so far it has still been in the 70's at night so we have always been serenaded since we arrived.Unlike most amphibians, the Whistling Frog doesn't lay its eggs in ponds, choosing instead the small pockets of water that are trapped at the base of such large-leafed plants as the banana. These moisture-loving amphibians seek out damp spots under stones or in plant debris to avoid water loss through their porous skin during the heat of the day. I have never seen the little guys but they have little round pads on their feet instead of webs as they are tree climbers, not swimmers. What I have seen both dead and alive is the giant toad which is also known as spring chicken in some countries. They are the most frequent road kill I have seen here so far and while they are big and ugly, they were brought to Bermuda to control the cockroaches so I am glad that they are here.

ALMOST LEGAL......

Almost legal for us to drive here. We both got our learners permits on Thursday (YAY!!!) I was really nervous even though I studied hard for this test-the first question threw me a bit as the terminology on some of the questions is very British so it took a minute to figure out what the question meant in English ( I see JP cringing over that comment!) Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to flunk after having your first learners permit almost 30 years ago? Thankfully we can now move on to the driving lessons next week- Hopefully by the time we move, we will have wheels. You really do not need them but its just more convenient especiallyfor doing things like groceries. Now that we are in a condo and have full facilities at our disposal we are buying groceries in small amounts as walking home with a lot of bags in the heat is not much fun and if its raining like it was this past week, you only have one free hand as the other one you need for the umbrella. We had some bizarre weather Thursday and Friday with a big front that blew in and apparently there was a tornado watch or warning on Friday morning. There was some pretty wicked thunder and lightening and then just after lunch it turned into a Bermudaful day. (Hot and sunny) One thing that I really like here is that even when it is raining its still hot out, the temperature doesn't seem to change at all, its just wet!

We moved again yesterday to the executive apartment that the company owns for a 2 week stay until our home is ready Nov 1st. For the first time in months we have a real place to stay that has furniture other than a bed to sit on!. It is really close to the office so I can sleep in for the next two weeks til 7:30, get cleaned up and still be at work by 8:00 ( I can see the office out the window, although its down the hill about 2 blocks) Its a pretty nice condo and has all the bells and whistles you would expect a place to have- All the latest gizmos and appliances and is quite nicely furnished. There is a convection oven and convection microwave too but I have no idea how to use them- good thing that I don't do the cooking because I have no idea where to start. We had a few blonde/senior moments yesterday when we wanted to go out and could not for the life of either of us figure out how to lock the freakin door!. We gave up and left the place unlocked and finally figured it out this morning. You wouldn't think that you would need an instruction manual to close the doors but you do! Then it took the 2 of us to figure out how to work the remote control for the airconditioners. Maybe we were just having a bad day but it was ludicrous how long that took! This place normally sits empty about 3 weeks out of 4 as it is only used by my big boss from London and he just left and won't be back til after we take possession of our condo. (For the total rent we are going to pay over the terms of the lease, you would have thought we were buying it and not renting it as the rent will cost more than what we paid for our condo in Calgary)

We picked up our wireless home phone and wireless internet device so even though we are not in our home yet, our home phone is working already-its like a cell phone in some respects as if the battery is charged you can take it anywhere on the island and it would work but its as big as a normal house phone with a stand so not a cell phone substitute. The internet device is pretty cool- its something called EVDO and its basically a USB key - install the software on your computer and hit connect and voila- internet connection without cables, phones etc. It was the quickest way for us to get the internet and the wireless phone was our first choice because we did not have to go with the Bermuda telephone company- it takes weeks or months from what we are told to get a home phone line with BTC- the wireless home phone is with cellularone and all you do is take it out of the box, plug it in and you are can make phone calls. I am looking into something called SKYPE for long distance over the internet as my neice in Taiwan uses it and calls Canada for 2 cents a minute but my brother just told me about it yesterday so have to do some research- I have no idea how it works but it sounds pretty cool.

This weekend we went to the King Edward VII Gold Cup which is a sailing competition and got to check out the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club- its normally closed to the public but they opened it up for this event which lasted all week. They had a variety of matches and the finals were today. We were surprised that there were very few specatators for the finals, especially as Bermuda made it to the finals but there were only a handful of people there today. There were quite a few boats out on the water watching the event but still it seemed that the only people who were watching knew the competitors. (Sailors from all over the world compete in this event.) It was a beautiful day and even when there are no events like this taking place, we can sit down by the harbour for hours and just look out to sea. Haven't been to the beach for about two weeks as we have been too busy but think we will go next weekend and we will be going to the caves too. I am still looking at getting tickets to the grillin and chillin event at the aquarium for later in the month but am still trying to justify the price of tickets for that.

We went up to Blu's the other day at Belmont Hills Golf course. We have decided that this is the club we are going to join and it is gorgeous! The course is in immaculate condition and the restaurant (Blu's) was excellent. We had a table with an ocean view and ate dinner while the sun was setting. I can definitely see us spending a lot of time there, whether it be to eat, golf or just go for a drink there.

BACK TO WORK I GO

Reality set back in at 6:30 Monday morning when the alarm clock went off and I had to go to work- I wish that I had won the lotto 6-49 before we left Canada as I really have enjoyed not working and could live the life of Riley for a very long time and not be bored, however I guess that its time to start earning a paycheque again! To live the life of Riley here in Bermuda, one definitely requires a good source of cash inflow every now and then.

First day was the usual blurr of meeting a lot of new people and not being able to remember more than 25% of their names. I have been immersed in a low cost culture for so many years now that it is such a novelty to me: Every morning I come to work and have a newspaper waiting on my desk, 2 on Fridays as the Mid Ocean News only comes out once a week. Then there is free coffee and juice all day (starbucks coffee beans!) and free soft drinks as well. They probably feed us too but I just have not found out about that yet. I am sure that my colleagues think I am a bit strange as I was all excited to get NEW stuff for my office. They take it for granted but it is such a change not to get hand me down office equipment. My first day I got my blackberry, a brand new printer in my office, new laptop, new adding machine, new hole punch etc. It felt like Christmas!!

My days start late here, largely due to us being on Atlantic time here and needing to be in touch with NY and Boston as well as London and Dublin during business hours so we work from 8:45 to 4:45 with an hour for lunch. I get in around 8:00 to beat the traffic and am really enjoying my ferry rides. I may start working out before work starts as we have a gym onsite(free!) and showers so could get a quick workout in. Right now I am just doing a lot of walking as my exercise.

We are getting very anxious to move to our new digs and have started to buy a few things we will need to tide us over until our stuff arrives. (Sheets, towels, a few dishes and things like that.) We shipped all that kind of stuff but it won't be here before Nov 1st . We are actually moving again next Saturday for 2 weeks to an apartment as my employer has an apartment that the execs use when the come to town and it will be vacant until the World Rugby Classic in November. This will be our 3rd place to stay since we got here but it will be the best place of them all as it will be just like having a home- living room, kitchen, etc. Hotels are great for a while but we have been living in them since July 18th and have had enough for a while.

This week was a quiet week as far as exploring goes. Hubby has been out doing a lot of exploring but after almost getting creamed a few times out walking we are taking it easy today and just hanging by the pool. (Lots of places there are no sidewalks and a lot of blind corners and the roads are very narrow.) He has found himself pressed up against a wall trying to make himself very small with trucks coming within an inch of clipping him and we are starting to understand why we never see anyone going for walks here, except on the railway trail ( kind of like the bike paths in Calgary)

Friday night we went out for a steak and I don't think I will be having another one anytime soon. It was cooked fine, good angus beef that was seasoned great but the texture is kinda mushy, not like Alberta beef. At 35 bucks for a steak I really wanted to enjoy it more- There is a place that specializes in steaks here so may give it another try sometime but I suspect it will likely be the same texture unless they buy it from a different supplier. (Its all imported from the states and I am told its because they corn feed their cattle, while Alberta beef is grain fed. It makes a difference as the beef here has the texture of TUNA- YUCK!) Saturday was just running a bunch of errands in Hamilton and today we are taking it easy and just hanging by the pool. When we first arrived we were trying to cram it all in at once, the way you do when you are on vacation and now we feel like we have all the time in the world to see everything so we will let it all unfold gradually.

Next week we are writing our learners permits (Thursday afternoon) and so we are both studying for that as the rules here are different and somethings are just new to us like round abouts and learning what the different signs all mean. I am sure that we will both get a learners permit but think that only one of us will end up passing the road test (not me!) If we get our learners we can book driving lessons- We have been told that if you don't book them and call for an appointment for a road test that it will take 6 or more months before an appointment is available, but if you do take them (even just 1) you can get a road test appointment the next day! As you cannot rent a car here, you have to pay to use an instructors car for your road test (60 bucks) plus the lessons are 50 bucks each per person. Will keep you posted on the success or failure of that!

Not much more to tell this week- just settling into a bit of a routine and enjoying the fabulous weather and scenery. We got tickets to see Beauty and the Beast which will be playing here for 2 weeks and are also getting tickets to the World Rugby Classic in November. There is a big sailing regatta OCtober 16-23 so we are definitely going to check that out and there is also a culinary festival here and I want to get tickets for that (www.bermudagourmetgetaway.com) Its full of celebrity chefs and great eats. The event I want to go to is called grillin and chillin and it is being held at the acquarium. There is a ton of stuff to do here so its going to be great checking it all out.

ONE MORE MONTH IN HOTELS....

November 1st is moving day! We found a really cute condo in Paget which seems to have two of everything. It's a 2 storey, 2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, 2 patios (one off the master bedroom, the other off the living room). We have air conditioning in every room with reverse heat for the winter???

It is in immaculate condition as our landllord has been living in til now and is moving to a new house. Its like a showhome and has great hardwood floors, wooden blinds and is very tastefully decorated and has tons of closet space. The rooms are all a nice size too. The landlord was initially planning to sell all the furniture giving us first dibs on it, and now has graciously decided to leave it all and rent to us our new place fully furnished, at no additional charge which is terrific. We also have a swimming pool and all appliances including a washer and dryer. I can hardly wait to do laundry at home again- we have been going to laundramats since July and/or doing laundry in the bathtub. We also have an assessment number so when one or both of us get our drivers license we can buy a car. (Only allowed one car per household and that is only if the landlord allows you to use the assessment number) We have heard rumours that the government is planning to ban the sale of used cars so we want to get our license fast and buy used while we can. There is a huge second hand market for everything here as people come and go all the time when their work permits expire so you can get anything you want in almost new condition for a lot less than buying new. Cars especially are expensive here with the 25% import duty on them and most used cars do not have a lot of miles on them as its an island, 21 square miles. Really you don't even need a vehicle here for the most part but we plan to use it mostly on the weekend to explore.

Scooter is out of the question for us, due to the large number of accidents we have seen and /or heard about through people we have met. We are old and our bones don't heal as quick! Scooters are great but the people driving them here are darting in and out all the time to get out of the traffic jams and even driving a car is going to be a wild experience watching out for the scooters all the time. Before we arrived we were sure that we would get one but now neither of us really wants to take our lives into our hands. When you are stuck in traffic and moving at a snails pace or not moving at all, I can understand why they do it but its annoying and dangerous. We may rent a scooter ( don't need a license to rent one, only to buy one as the rentals are 50CC, the ones you buy are up to 125cc) Another reason its scary- all the new residents and all the tourists who have never driven on the left before are let loose on the streets of Bermuda without licenses- just have to be over 18 I think and you need not have a valid license from the country you came from.

We will be going for our learners permit in another 2 weeks or so and then not sure how long it will take to do our driving lessons and get booked in for the road test. First we have to get a doctor to certify that we are healthy enough to drive. Even if I pass my test I am taking the ferry to work- it is 1KM walk from our new home to Darryls Wharf where I will catch the ferry. A pass that is good for unlimited ferry and bus rides is 55.00 per month and new residents who are working get a three month pass for free by showing your work permit and applying for it down at the Ferry Terminal. (3 months pass is normally 135.00) Right now where we are staying I have a bus stop right out the front door so its the bus in the morning and take the ferry home. ( Its about a 15 minute walk to the ferry from here and if its really hot, I plan to take the bus so I still look half assed fresh when I get to work! Also there are not a lot of sidewalks to walk on and if its dark I may get creamed) With the bus I have maybe 2 blocks to the office. Traffic is horrendous here in the morning and afternoon rush hour. I still can't believe it but its true- I am told that if I leave for work anytime after 8:00 I might not get there for 8:45 and I am less than 10K from Hamilton- probably more like 6 or 7K. I catch the bus at 7:30 and when I arrive in Hamilton 20 minutes later, go to my favorite coffee place, have breakfast and read the paper before heading to the office. Rush hour here looks like rush hour in any major centre, maybe worse and one thing I have noticed and its the same in Calgary is that every one who is in a car is by themselves- no one seems to car pool which adds to the congestion. By leaving earlier I get there faster and still have time to relax.

Once we get moved in and our stuff arrives by ship we will post some pictures of the new digs.

SPIRIT OF BERMUDA

Today the Spirit of Bermuda sloop arrived home to Bermuda from its maiden voyage.

It was quite the event down at Point Pleasant Park full of dignitaries, live bands and speeches. Tons of people showed up to watch her arrive and take part in all the festivities.It was a spectacular sight to see the sloop enter Hamilton Harbour with a flotilla of escorts ranging from tiny little boats that the kids learn to sail in to some pretty amazing yachts. The coolest part for me ,was the tug boat with the hose spray creating an archway for the Sloop. ( Very much like when the 200's were retired at WestJet and the fire department came out with the hose, only this is in the sea instead of on land).

All the ships in the harbour sounded their horns in welcome and I just kept thinking how lucky we are to be living here and being able to take part in stuff like this.

FIRST TRIP TO THE GROCERY STORE.......

All along I have known that fruit and veggies were really expensive here and thought I was well prepared for it. After all, I checked out all the prices in the supermarkets here when I came for my interview. I have been reading the paper on-line and check in regularly with Bermuda-online.org which has the latest cost of living data. Thing is its one thing to know how much its going to cost but another thing completely when you actually really want to buy the stuff and have to pay for it. Some examples of prices I saw today- of course all are quoted to you in USD.

Strawberries- 1 pound = 12.99
Peaches- $3.25 per peach
Bananas 1.39 a pound ( that was at the cheaper supermarket)

Green peppers 11.99 a pound

Iceberg lettuce 6.00 a pound ( not sure about that one, might have been less)

Apparently apples were on sale today as you could get 6 apples for 5.69- normally they go for 1.50 each.

Bread- A loaf of bread runs between 2.85-6 bucks.

There were some bargains in other areas like Presidents Choice diet coke for 6 bucks a case vs 12 for a case for Diet Coke- its really weird to see Presidents Choice brands here but they are definitely less. Bought some PC "Woolite" to do some laundry in the tub- It was 6.71 Vs 9.75 for Woolite. Bleach (small, small container) was 3.79- the big jugs are over 11 bucks. Some things like cheese and coldcuts are actually cheaper here and today we just went to get a few things to eat in the room as we are sick of eating out.

PINCH ME- WE ARE FINALLY HERE!!!

At long last we have arrived to our island paradise and things could not possibly be any better. The people are fabulous and welcoming, we are staying in some pretty nice digs until we find our own accomodation and we are behaving like tourists seeing all the sights. We keep forgetting we get to stay for the next few years and have to stop buying Bermuda souveniers! Of course we realize that we are in the honeymoon stage here where everything is new and thrilling but I can't even begin to tell you how great a lifestyle change this is for us. We are spending so much more time out of doors and walking our butts off exploring these beautiful Bermuda islands.

Everything has been going very smoothly. now that we have arrived. Even our initial entry into the country- We had heard horror stories about how much time it would take to get through immigration as first time residents and had pretty much resigned ourselves to spending 6 hours at the airport- Well, including paying duty on our goods that we brought with us, we were in and out in about an hour and both the immigration and customs officials were friendly and helpful. We were met at the aiport by a welcoming committee of my new coworkers and whisked away to a nice dinner to get acquainted. They are a great bunch of people ( To my former colleagues who might be reading this: Of course they are not anywhere near as nice as you guys.......)

Since we arrived we have been doing a lot of sightseeing, going to all the places you never would bother with when you live somewhere a long time. We have been to St. Georges on the east end of the island where we watched a re-enactment of old time punishment for gossiping- the dunking stool if you are a gossip or a nag. For the men, there was the whipping pole if you were a drunkard or for worse crimes, the stocks and pillory. St Georges is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was established in 1612- it has some amazing architecture and if you like history this place has it. It is the oldest continually inhabited English settlement in the New World with twisting alleys and colonial buildings. There are old fortresses and cannons everywhere. One of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen (so far) is on St Georges Island, called Tobacco Bay Beach- The town square has cobblestone streets and lots of cute little shops.

Another day we spent on the west end of the island at the Dockyards (Somerset parish- Sandys which is prounounced Sands)- its a 20 minute ferry ride or an hour on the bus ( Yes to my amazement it really does take an hour to get to the other end of the island due to the 21 mile per hour speed limit and the narrow, narrow roads. ) We have not yet gotten up the courage to rent a moped, having seen several car vs.moped accidents the last few days. It seems like you are really taking your life into your hands on a moped here and I think I will stick to the ferry for now ! The Royal Naval Dockyards is another area frequented mostly by tourists it seems, although there is a good pub there that the locals frequent as well as the tourists called The Frog and Onion - it is owned by a Frenchman (the frog) and an Onion ( Bermudian). This is another place steeped in history- its a former naval base that commenced construction in 1810, built primarily by British convicts (nearly 10,000 of them were sent to Bermduda to construct the naval base over a period of almost 50 years). Today its a shopping area for tourists as well as the home of Dolphin Quest where you can swim with the dolphins or go snorkeling at the Bermuda Snorkel Park which is pretty cool as the park sits beneath towering fortress walls and the water contains a few cannons that apparently were shoved over the ramparts when they were found to be defective. (Plus all the amazing fish like butterfly fish, coral chopping fish and turquoise wrasses!)

Hamilton is where we are currently based out of and where I will be working but we are not sure where we want to live. The rental agent taking us around is showing us all the different parishes and hopefully we will find something that meets all the items on our "wish list". Hamilton is a nice town, day time the population is in the thousands- this is where all the insurance companies and commerce is done. It overflows with cruise ship passengers during the week as well for days at a time until the end of October when the cruising season is over. Only about 1,100 people actually live in Hamilton so after five its like a ghost town almost. Its a really pretty city, lots of parks and charming buildings. We went to our first Harbour Night on Wednesday- the shops stay open late ( normally the close at 5 or 5:30 during the week, closed on Sundays) . Front Street is blocked off to all vehicle traffic- its kind of like the Lilac Festival with live bands, artisans selling their wares, all kinds of street food and was a lot of fun.) That goes from spring to the end of tourist season too.

Of course bargain queen that I am, I am already learning the ropes- today we spent the day at the beach at the Southampton Princess - I had been there before and knew that if I ordered lunch at the beach bar from the bartender that it was twice the price of getting off my bar stool, walking 20 feet and ordering it at the lunch counter and then bringing it back to my bar stool to eat (saved 12 bucks!) Eating out is pretty expensive here in general so if you can save a few bucks....... We are still experiencing sticker shock even though we were expecting it, it makes you think twice about what you are going to order for dinner. They have a lot of happy hour fridays here at the pubs and hotels with half price drinks and free appetizers at a lot of them, so those are a lot of fun and attract tons of people.- Free food- Count me in!

Examples of some prices so far- Add 15% tip that is automatic to all prices( you have to pay the tip whether the service is awful or excellent) So far we have seen a mixture of both although overall its been not too bad.

Diet coke- $ 3.50 is the best price so far in a pub, no refills to as high as $5.00. Beer is not too bad- between 6- 6.50 for a pint of Guiness or Samual Adams, Dark and Stormy is around 6 bucks too. (Rum and Ginger Beer- the national drink of Bermuda along with a rum swizzle.) Coffee is another story- Paying anywhere from 3.50-5.50 for a large coffee ( just a regular cuppa joe, nothing fancy at a coffee shop, about the same in a restaurant although sometimes you get refills, sometime you don't)- You see a theme here- its expensive for my bad habits, reasonable for my hubby!

Burgers seem to run anywhere from 12 and up, fish and chips about 15 bucks, house salad $8-12 depending on where you go. Lasagna- 15.95-18.95, steak sandwich starts at 20 and up. Keep in mind that we have been eating in pubs so far, no fancy restaurants where you can add a few bucks or more to those prices. Mostly eating fish so far as a lot of it is local and very fresh. ( Learning to like fish- had something called a Bonita or maybe its a bonito fish the other day- it was actually very tasty but its not all the cheap either) Breakfast has been running about 15 bucks which is not too bad. I haven't seen a steak dinner under $33 yet and actually have not had any beef or chicken yet,(usually around 25 bucks for a chicken meal) although I had some amazing lasagna the other day and cannolli for dessert that was better than any I have had anywhere else in my travels. One thing I will say though is that we haven't had a bad meal yet and the portions are very large so you do get pretty good value for the price.

What else can I tell you at this early stage- we love it, the weather has been outstanding- every day is a carbon copy of the day before as far as the weather goes and we were fortunate enough to miss Hurricane Florence and barely felt the effects of Helene as she went by the other day. Its around 82 in the day time and goes down to about 76 at night- not much difference between them. The golf courses are in excellent shape and as I write this I have just come home from the beach and am waiting for my hubby to come home from the golf course where he is thinking of getting a membership. No immediate plans to get a moped or a car- the public transit system here is fantastic and you can take both the bus and ferry for 55.00 a month and that gets you anywhere you want to go - I love taking the ferry. We have so many things we want to see and do - we are going to explore all the parishes and see what each has to offer, we plan to spend a lot of time on the railway trail, which is a walking path that goes from one end of the island to the other, the aquarium, the caves and of course do a lot of sailing and golfing. We have a couple guides for exploring the island and hope to have a blast.

GETTING CLOSER..........

We are getting closer to arrival in Bermuda. Having quit my job and sold pretty much all our worldly possessions, we are now down to the finish line or the start line depending on how you look at this! We just spent the last two weeks in Jamaica for a well earnedvacation whose primary purpose was to help us become acclimatized to the heat and humidity as well as to de-stress. We also got the best tans we have ever had in our lives -we are SO BROWN!This was the first time in years that we have been able to take two consecutive weeks off from work to just chill- it was so nice to realize that it was month-end and I was NOT drafting financial statements for the first time in my career. I did have a fleeting moment while I was lying on the beach drinking my strawberry daquiri when I was wondering how Karen was making out for her first solo month end but it passed quickly and I have no doubt she came threw with flying colors!) We went to Sandals Ochos Rios and it was FANTASTIC! We have done the gamut of all inclusive vacations over the years but Sandals does it BEST!

If we ever do another one it would be at another Sandals as we have been ruined for any other resort. Imagine an all inclusive where the meals are actually something to look forward to because the food is outstanding, where all your watersports are included with no limitations, (even waterskiing at Dunns River), free golf and golf lessons (unlimited), free DIVING (2 dives a day, all equipment included at no additional charge)- it truly is the ultra all inclusive and deal finder that I am, it was relatively inexpensive and well worth even twice the price. Even the spa, which is extra was reasonably priced and I loved my hot stone massage and manicure and pedicure. It was so much nicer than Oasis or Eveline Charles. Some snapshots are uploaded- we took tons of pictures but have not yet downloaded most of them so these are but a glimpse- there is one of me as I have to show off my tan!)We had a big scare the day our house sale was supposed to close as at the last minute the buyers were ready to walk away from the deal. In the end it all worked out but the two weeks before we left were madness with selling the car (the day before we left!,the rest of our furniture, packing and cleaning and fighting with the lawyers over the sale agreement! - I thought we were going to both have heart attacks- by the time we left for Jamaica we sure needed some R&R.

So what about Bermuda you ask? We were supposed to fly there today, however, those who know the story o this point in time will not be surprised to hear that Yes, there is another!%$@## delay and so instead of boarding a flight to Bermuda at 8:05 this morning, we boarded a shuttle bus that took us to Enterprise Rent a Car just a few minutes away from YYZ and as I write this, I am sitting in a lovely hotel room called the Fireside Inn in Kingston, Ontario instead of my guesthouse in Bermuda. We have been informed (last night when we landed in Toronto if you can believe it) that it will be a week from Friday before all the paperwork is resolved so we are touring around Ontario for a day or two. Big plans like doing laundry, catching up on email and paying some bills. After that is all looked after, we are likely going to do another shorter vacation for a week as it is cheaper to leave Canada while we wait........... I now have free internet access so my next plan of action after I update this blog is to scour the web looking for deals to somewhere.(The resort in Jamaica did not have cheap internet access which is normally not a concern as I have never in my life taken my laptop with me when I travelled, but being homeless I did not have a lot of choice and also needed to stay in touch with Bermuda) My new employer keeps telling me not to worry about these delays, they are going to look after me once we arrive...reimbursing us for our additional expenses, having me on salary even though am not yet working (downside is that until we get there, cannot access our Bermuda bank account as we have to pickup our debit cards in person at the Bank of Bermuda - cannot even do online transfers without having the debit card numbers and so we are laying out cash, trusting that when we arrive all will be well.

STILL NOT THERE YET!

It has been one gong show after another with immigration but it looks like in the end that it will work out for the better! After waiting for months to hear about my work permit, we got the sad news that it was declined early in the new year. Immigration felt the job should have gone to a local candidate. The employer did not want to hire this person and re advertised the job, so I reapplied and once again was successful in landing it. Having been disappointed once already with the immigration authorities we were not nearly as excited as when I got the offer the first time. In the meantime while I was waiting to hear if I would land the job for a second time, I had been interviewing with other Bermuda employers and as luck would have it, ended up with the original job offer and a far superior offer within days of each other. The new job which I have accepted is with a very reputable insurance firm that is considered a good corporate citizen and they assure me that they have a very good relationship with the immigration folks and that there will be no issues such as I encountered my first go round. They wanted to fast track this application however, due to our previous experience we were very hesitant to do so- We do not want to end up selling everything we own and leaving a great job when it’s still not a sure thing in our minds until that little permit is in our hot little hands .

They say everything happens for a reason and while we certainly did not understand it at the time, the way things have turned out we couldn't be happier. I will be in a job that will fully utilize my education and experience, rather than being slightly underemployed in the other job (but we would be in Bermuda which was the primary goal so that was not a big issue) working for an employer that has outstanding benefits. If all goes according to schedule we will be out of here by the end of May at which time we will start posting on the adventure of living in Bermuda