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.