Villa Week 21
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sat 15 Aug 2020 23:57
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Week Twenty-One at Sleeping
Indian   Sunday the 9th of August.
Eggs perfection, a
breakfast delight for me. Bear had two events and a very
tall chap. We watched a film while I wrote last weeks blog, then we got
going, the start of yet another working week.
 Bear put a gloss coat on the trellis
frame. I changed the bed, laundry and ‘the beginning
of the week sort
out’.
  After lunch we had a really good tidy up and took
pictures for our next ‘Before’ and ‘After’, both really pleased with the outcome (kitchen white
not the pinky glow the lights produced). Roast pork, parsnips, potatoes with red
cabbage, mushroom gravy and as Bear had been a good boy – fresh
sprouts.......
  Monday the 10th. Six
o’clock sunrise.
   Bear put up the trellis frame
and soon the first panel was in place, the ‘happy worker’ in
action with his super drill – I had to have a go and as Bear held the
panel in place I drilled a few holes and added the screws, such fun. I
sanded and first coated front bedroom dresser. As is the norm a late dip, a few
more tourists but not many.
 Tuesday the 11th. We pottered a little
before bimbling up to Sharmone to borrow the car. After nipping to the DHL
office to pick up paperwork we headed to the airport and began the process of
clearing the box from Kate. The lovely Customs lady had a quick look and
‘overlooked’ a little Pandora bag with a box and card inside. An hour later, all
done, I handed the box down to Bear to put in the back of the car – Ooo I need
that little bag. There I sat and read my lovely card, in the gift box was the most beautiful world charm for my 60th birthday and to
commemorate our circumnavigation from the Millard boys, their families and Team
Tinson. To say I was delighted, surprised and deeply moved was an
understatement.
Back to it, we went to the hurricane roofing place to see
about the car port panels. Less of a round of shops today but a visit to the
glass place......... errr as usual Bear came back empty handed. One chap said they were ready, including the round dining table
top but another made a fuss about the delivery, until I pointed out that we had
been waiting since May and had hired four cars to come and collect...... Coming
in the morning at ten. A partial result then, now it’s fingers
crossed for them to fit.
 We have often passed a house with concrete lions sitting
on each post, of late very scruffy with peeling paint. Well, what a surprise to
see they had been spruced up, in fact I didn’t twig
it was the lions house at first and thought I was looking at pom-poms until the
penny dropped.
 Straightaway I asked Bear to do a three-point turn, pass
by and slow down so I could get pictures and feel the full impact - only in the
Caribbean. Up closer the lions had a straight line,
not the full mane. We could get used to it, but it may
take a little time as they are a tad startling. We got back at five,
filled three buckets with some of the excess chippings, put them in the back of
the car as Sharmone wants to make a little patio area in her garden, will repeat
tomorrow. Went for a dip at a quarter to six, chatted to Mel a med student stuck
awaiting her stage one exam. Chatted so long it was nearly dark by the time we
got out, half seven by the time we got in and
showered.
  Wednesday the 12th. First thing
Bear got on his bike to pop up to see Lady Ronnie to find out a few bits of info
and drop in some things we need laminated, the good lady was off with a bad
knee, Stacey was out on villa business so he had a nice chat with Lord Ron,
while he was gone I emptied the UK box putting the kettle and toaster in place –
sadly, no before and after as we are still awaiting the return of three kitchen
cupboard doors. Not to worry, so long as they come back in good order and
matching the others.
The new set of
parrot bedding came out and looks good with the blue
set of sheets. The grey set looks nice with the tropical set, in the wash they
all went to get rid of the packing creases. Out came the
bedroom curtains that we picked up from the shippers, quite pleasant and
will do the job as they are blackout.
Soon after Bear came back (we were eagerly awaiting our
glass delivery at ten), Bear complained of a sore ankle so I banned from heavy
duties. He did take a tumble on the huge camber outside the DHL office and
luckily fell against a wall. I can always find sit-down jobs so I had him take
the eyelets out of each of the eight curtains that will become two – once sewn –
for our bedroom. That done he was asked to put filler in the tops of the drawers
that looked a bit ragged post first coat on the front room dresser. I took the
opportunity to count the butterflies (now they are all together) to make the
swarm at the top of the stairs – 219 boys. Splendid. Bear tried to ring the
glass people after lunch, no reply, at four someone answered saying there had
been a power cut so tomorrow at ten. Groaning. Sharmone popped down at five for
more chippings, I took the opportunity to ask for colour advice and show her
some of our changes. We bimbled, well Bear hobbled for a dip at nearly six.
  Showers, supper in bed and I pinned the curtain tape to
one of the curtains to judge the length. Guess who pinned it
to the side......I sat and hemmed the edge that Bear had removed the
eyelets from and once the tape is in the correct place will be the correct
length. Watching me go up and down the stepladder muttering oaths and growling
caused huge laughter in the invalid. I got my own back with a Heath Robinson bandage made out of a strip of curtain
trimming and a piece of dust sheet to hold a vapour poultice in place on the
good mans ankle. Heath Robinson, make that an acquaintance of Robinson Crusoe.
Couple of Gotham’s and another day has sped by.
  Thursday the 13th. I finished the front bedroom dresser, once dry it can park under the two finished bedside units. They sit showing the new
curtains and decorative bits. Bear was once again forbidden any standing or
heavy jobs that involved ladder work. He spent his time researching ‘stuff’. The
gardeners came to cut all the overgrown bushes down our cul-de-sac and we made
sure they had plenty of iced water. Within a jiffy things began to look really
smart. They kindly took off an errant branch from the front milkwood cactus and
genuinely thought our garden “looks sweet”. We played games after lunch and a
few more sit-down jobs were done.
  Our glass arrived at ten to four, the bookcase piece a
bit ragged and if you run your finger around the dining table piece it feels
like a wiggly line, polished and covered with the table cloth we both looked at
each other and said “Island time and quality” and shrugged. Bear once again
hobbled for a dip as he finds it eases his aches and pains. The team working on
the villas along to our left are making a good job,
neat now the plastering is ongoing. They will soon look like the two finished at the end of our road (on the opposite side –
the one on the left still to be done). Thirty-three villas in all became vacant
some years ago and look very shabby through neglect, when a time-share business
went bust. All have been purchased and will be renovated as staff quarters by a
well-known (to Antigua) billionaire.
  Friday the 14th. Bear was allowed light
duties this morning and chose to finish the second panel of
trellis. Done and looking really neat, well
done to my Gwapo. The trellis has lots of duties - a support for the
bougainvillea to grow against without the need for them doing damage to the car
port, hide the air con units and give privacy to the outside
shower.
 Next job was to secure the
ladies (San Diego, pink and Miss Alice White, guess the
colour).
  Then for a fun job, Bear sat and directed placing the
mirror chaps that came in our UK box. A set flying from the
curtain to the painting and a group flying from the kitchen larder toward the air con
unit. That done we decided to go for a swim. Upstairs getting changed we
happened to look out of the window.......... oh
my..........
 The three dots to the right of the green marker buoy are
three youngsters, well actually crazy numpties to be swimming in the main channel with all the dangers – holiday
makers on jet skis, the chap on the foil wind surfer who beats through at huge
speed, dinghies, boats, fishermen and dive boats, any number could miss them. We
counted thirty-three people along the two-mile beach tonight, the biggest number
yet.
  So delighted to see the couple who married last week
return in their wedding clothes, the photographer pulled up but we had the
chance to congratulate them. They were returning to London and this was their
last chance for the romantic sunset pictures they had
wanted. So pleased for them.
 Saturday the 15th. Bear did some sanding
and filling before setting out the string to place the drill at the correct
angle for the upper staircase grommets, yet another ‘happy
worker’ smile. I put out all the dust sheets (old towels and sheets) to
completely cover the stairs, out came my extending roller holder and off I went.
Riding such an unwieldy object was fun, messy and tiring but soon the first coat
was on the upper stair walls. Bear took over with the brush selotaped to the
extending rod and he did the ceiling for me. Too overcast and windy to go for a
swim, we kept busy until we played. I lost miserably five nil at backgammon. The
first two rounds of Mex Train were equally crushing. Showers and a takeaway
Indian, two episodes of Gotham and another week has come to an
end.
ALL IN ALL BUSY AND SOME FORWARD MOTION
LOTS TO SHOW THIS
WEEK |