Well, the best laid plans… I was coming to Antigua to rest, relax and write. So far I’ve done very little of any of the three. Mercury must have been retrograde during the last week or so, at least since last Friday when I arrived. On landing I was unable to send texts or make anyone hear me on my little Samsung button phone that I use while I’m here. I have had it for about eight years so it doesn’t owe me anything, but it was rather inconvenient for it to pack up on arrival!
I was a little nervous about what the communications situation at Avocado Cottage might be. I had arranged for the internet to be disconnected while I was off-island to save money and I had e-mailed APUA earlier in the week confirming I was arriving on 3rd July and wanted the internet to be connected for my arrival. I had had an e-mail back confirming that it would be.
What could possibly go wrong?
On arrival at Avocado Cottage, I discovered that the phone (landline) had been disconnected. When I picked up the receiver a recorded message told me that it had been disconnected for non-payment of bills, which I knew to be rubbish as I was completely up to date. And there was no internet. Having no mobile or landline, I jumped back into the hire car and drove to APUA in Jennings village, mindful that it was late Friday afternoon and I need to get it sorted. Well, the helpful young lady was very apologetic and thought that the phone had been disconnected along with the internet ‘in error’ and that it would be reconnected immediately. That was all well and good, but as my alarm system works through the phone system, my house will have been unsecured the whole time I was away! She made a couple of phone calls only to find out that the system had been
My fabulous flamboyant
‘experiencing problems’ all day and so she was unsure whether I had no internet because it had been reconnected and then been affected by aforementioned problems, or that it had not been reconnected.
Long story short – I have had internet intermittently since Saturday afternoon. It’s on for an hour or two then goes off for six or seven hours and so on. APUA engineers have been out to look at it; I have taken my box to their Cassada Gardens offices to have it re-calibrated, but all to no avail. Impossible to have continuous internet service. My lovely neighbour S thinks that it is always worse when cruise ships are in. There was one in on Tuesday and neither of us had internet service, but that doesn’t explain the rest of the time. I have bough a new mobile so phone-wise I’m up and running. It’s just the internet. I’m writing this on Wednesday night ready to post as soon as I have a connection as it’s been off since lunchtime.
So – that explains, I hope, while there haven’t been any blogposts before this one.
My flight out was good but very full – it was the last day of reasonable fares as from 4th July the outbound fare leapt by £700! I was fortunate and very grateful to be upgraded to World Traveller Plus, although unfortunate to have been knocked senseless by the latched section on the bulkhead during the flight. My blanket had been put into an overhead locker by a crew member when I took my seat, but one that couldn’t be opened without the latch being lowered so I had done this to get my blanket out but I hadn’t secured it properly and it banged me on the bonce. The crew were helpful, giving me ice to take down the swelling – which is now a little grove as opposed to a bloody great egg at the time it happened – but the stewardess filling out the report tried to point out that the latch should only be operated by crew members. Unfortunately, the sign telling passengers of this was on the opposite side of the bulkhead, making it impossible for me to see. I certainly felt queasy and shaken for a couple of hours, though. And I was afraid to go to sleep in case I didn’t wake up again!!
Today has been my first proper writing day. I’ve spent about four hours on The Banjo and it’s finally coming alive for me and I’m keen to be racing ahead with it. My aim is to bring it out in December. Writing took place after watching Andy Murray go through to the semis at Wimbledon, though, where he meets Federer, whose arse I hope he well and truly whips! Come on, Murray!!!
It’s very hot and dry here, which for Antigua in July is unusual as it’s hurricane season and usually quite wet. Tonight I sat on the veranda at about seven o’clock and watched the rain moved up the West Coast. Huge dark grey clouds slowly drew near and then just as they got to Five Islands veered further west dropping their precious cargo of water over the Caribbean Sea!. Not a drop fell on Avocado Cottage! My garden is looking very sorry for itself. I’ve lost a couple of beautiful palms, including a gorgeous Chinese one, which really upsets me, plus one of the mango trees and the three banana palms and some crotons. My gardener, having taken umbrage that I’d called him to attention for spending over $100 EC a month on watering last year when some of the plants were new, decided not to risk another telling off and so didn’t water them at all!! How a gardener can stand by and watch plants and trees die is beyond me and I am very very unhappy about it. However….. my flamboyant, which I thought hadn’t taken very well is actually in bloom! Woo hoo! I absolutely love and adore flamboyants and was very keen to have one and I am so pleased to see the bright orange-red flowers on it, which I’m sharing with you here. Gorgeous, isn’t it?
Catching up with friends has been lovely and we had a very, very productive production meeting for Maisie and Em yesterday. It’s going to mean a lot more writing for me – don’t know how I’m going to fit it all in – but I WILL find the time! I’ve waited too long to see it all happen and I couldn’t be more excited.
One last thing to share with you…………..On a whim, I’ve thrown together the most wonderful, simple dessert. Here is the recipe for Elaine’s Antiguan Bananas.
1. Slice a banana and marinate it in a little Antiguan rum. Okay – well, a good measure of Antiguan rum, then.
2. Leave it for several hours or overnight.
3. Remove the banana, which will have absorbed much of the rum, place it in a dessert dish and cover with coconut or pineapple yogurt.
4. Pour remaining rum-marinade over the top.
5. Tuck in!
It is absolutely delicious and I can’t stop eating it. Hic!
