Week 2 Villa

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sat 4 Apr 2020 23:57
Week Two Sleeping Indian Retreat
 
 
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Sunday the 29th of March. This mornings pile to sort out was yet another huge load off Beez. Bear brings in, I sort, this is now the norm. We stop for a loaded cappo at half ten and lunch around twelve-thirty but as today is Sunday........
 
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Brunch for two.....
 
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........perfect boiled eggs, strength for the next few hours.
 
Monday the 30th. Non-essential businesses are closing today and restaurants are becoming take-away only. I began to alter the bedroom curtains to hang in the lounge. The new bedroom curtains currently reside in a case in store in Plymouth, wonder when we will see them. “Don’t Dwell, Get On” is my new mantra.
 
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A bit of good luck (I hope that it’s in good condition), next door but two have just had a permanent pagoda built, they popped round and offered us their yellow and white striped patio roller blind for EC$500 or one hundred and fifty pounds, originally thousands, that’s why I say I hope it is in good condition. (We don’t have one, although the fittings and roof for the rolled up bit is in place). The blue roll of sun shading, on the upturned sun lounger, was going to be a temporary measure but the purchase saves Bear so much time and hassle. I will use the shade cloth as a weed preventer when I do the little front garden and a layer held off on a frame above the car port so the bougainvillea can hang on to that instead of damaging the wood – sounds like a plan just hope the plants behave themselves.
 
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Tuesday the 31st. Bear brought in lots more stuff in, then he cleaned the sensors for the log and the forward facing sonar. All afternoon he spent a long time treating the watermaker and pickling it. I did some sorting and finished hemming the lounge curtains. I had snuck a strip of material from each side sufficient to cover the dining chairs to match, an after and an original spotty one. I finished two. Why I hear you ask (when there are piles of things everywhere) should I get on with an apparently frippery job ??? The simple answer is to have something completed to give my psyche something to feed from.
 
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Wednesday the 1st of April. Bear brought all the tins came in from Beez and I sorted them into types and some sort of order. Plan to tin feed him one day and fresh / freezer him the next. I have enough tuna to keep going for some time to come......
Bear took the genoa down, folded and bagged. Next, the main came down and he fed it to me to pull over onto the patio. We folded together and then hoisted the big outboard off Baby Beez. I fed my hard worker two very nice wraps filled with a tin of tuna and kitchen sink. I have two more cans of the mix including sweetcorn, peppers, tomatoes, and other ‘not sure bits’, I added cucumber, lettuce and mayo. Happy boy accompanied it with a beer. We actually managed our very first game of backgammon (day twelve of arriving in Antigua). I needed the win as..... needed my foot, I did, a new beginning it would be wrong to lose. Huh and growling as I did beat him five two.
 
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I finished the other four dining chairs and pottered, hands quite sore now especially when I missed with the screwdriver and gouged my palm. Note to self, don’t do it again, yes, I did, but not quite as well as the first.... The dining table is a place not to look just now as it is a work in progress.
 
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As Bear changed Beez oil I made a small area of ‘done’. I lowered the coffee table on to its side, flipped the glass, added a placemat, replaced cleaned glass on top of said placemat and decorated the top.
Sitting up in bed watching the news we read that Antigua goes into lockdown for a week at midnight.  Oooo well, that explains why there was so much coming and going of yachts and dinghies along the fairway outside. Wish I had known earlier just to get some more salad and fruit. Apparently the supermarket will stay open and allow a few people in at a time. We assume we will not be moving Beez tomorrow afternoon to the fuel dock, filling her and leaving her there overnight ready to haul on Friday.......
 
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Thursday the 2nd. Breakfast on the patio, washing machine filled with jerry jug covers and returned to sit on the bed to write last weeks blog and watch the news. Well we did get up at five thirty. Bear sat beside me and after watching the headlines began to do some research on parts needed for Beez Neez. The mobile chirped at 12:10, it was the marina office saying that our haul out time would be a little earlier than 08:00, now booked for 07:15. Bear reminded the office that we were booked onto the fuel dock at half past three “Oh it closed at midday”. Mmmm, jerry jug filling then as it doesn’t reopen until eight in the morning...... We did get the go ahead that we were allowed to bimble the rubbish to the bins, so I took two trips. Bear pressure hosed the girl, I sorted some of the last piles of ‘stuff’ from Beez and did some washing.
 
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All our clothes were deposited in the spare room. Before bed I dragged them into the main bedroom and sorted winter and heavier clothes (all to be washed, dried and packed ready for the UK) and what is staying put, but only enough to fill a big, plastic box each that will fit in the overhead cupboard when we are not here. There was some gum bumping when I drew in red marker pen ‘Work’ on some of ‘is nibs’ more elderly tee shirts. Well, I thought it was a bit harsh that’s all. You are the one that pulls your tee shirts over your head by the neck until you look like a tortoise. Growling. Don’t you growl at me.
 
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Friday the 3rd. Up early, we left our dock at 06:50 for a slow spuddle to the haul out – Oh, there was a yacht in the slings so we parked next to the fuel dock, hoping the lads would be slightly after eight so we could fuel up. No such luck – they were ready for us at 07:50. Beez was lifted with ease and her haul out has her own blog. One of the men told me of the new system at the supermarket. “If you join the queue now you may be out by ten thirty”. Off I went leaving the men to it. I was standing in the queue by 08:20 and got through the door at 09:50, during my time in line a lady came along giving those without a number one of those that you pull off at some meat counters and pharmacies. Mine was 022, the current number was 82, only forty folk to wait through. The shop security guard let five people in at a time after he had assessed how many were queuing at the tills. No sooner than I had reached the fruit and veg than he was nagging shoppers to hurry up as the waiting line was long and the shop had to close at midday. Bear was waiting outside for half an hour (he wasn’t allowed in to help me at the till) and as I had his wallet the lady wouldn’t let me use his credit card (have done for years and years....). Off we went with the trolley, lady came running after us, “not allowed, I’ll lose my job if I let you.” Well, my little sholley was groaning, Bear had Coke and a big washing liquid...... a kindly workman stopped “where are you going Mammy, hop in.” Bear got in beside our angel, I sat in the pick-up, sholley wedged between legs. He would not accept any payment for the five minute ride but took two Cokes from the fridge and he promises to pick up the spare canopy cover from the drive. How wonderful was that, we were both pretty tired by then. I don’t do very well standing, OK bimbling and being busy but not standing still, so back aching, Bear poured me a stiff one and we settled on the patio for an early lunch. We both felt uncomfortably sticky so long showers it was. I carried on with the ‘to UK’ washing and Bear put clean Beez bedding in the loft. He found me some bubble wrap so I can start on important trinkets that must go home.
 
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After supper, I put a little message on as I saw Rod (State of Mind) was on line, he immediately video called and we chatted to Brenda and Rod for the next forty minutes. No sooner than we had started with that call than Mark put a message on asking if we were available for a call. We closed with Rod and Brenda and video called Mark and Kate. Lovely to catch up and they will call on Sunday so we can see the boys. Looking forward to that very much. We had a bit of a sunset tonight.
 
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Saturday the 4th. Started at 05:30 with a plan to do as much sorting as possible. Washing machine on for my clothes UK bound. For something a little different I have done before, that is, first thing this morning and when we knocked off at 18:00. Lounge before and after. Sewing pile outside ready for the morrow. Early on I asked Bear if he fancied two days of chicken stew or tuna pasta bake, he chose the later and I rustled it up as I get too tired to do it at supper time.
 
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Kitchen before and after, still a way to go but as soon as Bear has shelved the little garage the booze crate can move out, the ironing pile can go and more sorting of course. Sail covers washed and hung out ready for repair on the morrow. Bear’s back was sore this morning, hardly surprising with all the lifting and carrying whilst unloading Beez and loading the attic. Anyhoo, I settled him on the patio with the enormous collection of things ‘medical’ to sit and sort through. One or two very ‘off’ coloured tablets..... All neatly bagged and put in a big, plastic storage box, labeled and put in the top cupboard in the bedroom. I did the sane with our smellies – just eight tubes of toothpaste, four shaving foam and twelve underarms each........well they won’t go off, just as well they could last us a very long time.
 
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Second bedroom before, after and my case has a bit of room yet. Washed and dried all my UK clothes and our Peruvian tablecloth, must find a few more soft things and then it can join the finished pile. During a break Chris (in Plymouth) went through our post, it was great to have a virtual experience, cannot thank her enough. I also had a typing chat with a nice young man called Josh who will get us a quote on shipping ‘stuff’ to the UK, otherwise we we be ferretting it back for years to come.
 
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Our bedroom before and after. Final bits sorted this afternoon, then I settled to organising my ‘office’. Middle bedside drawer now mimics the office desk from Beez, box standing beside the bed as a filing cabinet with the photocopier beside it – not ideal but needs must. I got so fed up ‘playing’ unsuccessful tunes on the four switches in the kitchen and six in the lounge, I printed sticky labels. Bear changed a light bulb and then fancied supper a bit earlier than usual because the aroma wafted from the oven. We settled on the patio but I retreated as the mossies attacked. Sadly, the fogging has not happened this week, we guess that is not seen as essential.
 
 
ALL IN ALL CANNOT BELIEVE TWO WEEKS HAVE FLOWN BY
                     BUSY, BUSY BUT GOOD TO KEEP GOING