It’s Friday afternoon, the boys are sleeping, and Nick has finished typing a document he is going to present to the deacons. I spent most of the morning with the boys, we did life-size cutouts which they painted and we stuck them on their wall, and then we watched some of Mary Poppins.
Did some grocery shopping this morning, but it depressed me somewhat. Food is terribly expensive, and everything is all over the place, so to do shopping you park your car wherever you can find a spot, then get out and walk from one shop to another looking for what you need. It’s tiring and frustrating, and I wish I could pop over to Pick’n’Pay where everything is so much cheaper and readily accessible. So, I’m not in the best frame of mind right now. I’m homesick!!!
In answer to some questions, the following: We think homeschooling would definitely be best for Caleb, as a parent knows his/her own child best and can provide the best care and training. Education will then be tailormade for him. We also don’t want the bad language in the schools rubbing off on him as well as any other weird influences. We can also give him a good Christian education. There will be other opportunities to meet people and kids, like church and meeting up with other families on the island. The washing machine is a top loader, quite old but can take quite a big load. We had a disaster with it yesterday though – I was outside with the kids just about to blow up some balloons, when suddenly we heard this noise and discovered that the hose at the back of the machine had perished and water was spraying everwhere. The passage was half flooded by the time Nick figured out how to switch off the water supply. Thankfully we were at home, otherwise who knows what damage would have been done. I suppose it is quite funny in hindsight!! The stove is a gas cooker – four gas plates, a gas grill above the plates, and a gas oven. I’m not sure yet what petrol they use, I haven’t even seen where you go to fill up. I think there are only two pumps. They get an oil tanker every so often and we have seen the power station and place where they store it, and it presumably gets piped to the filling pumps. Not too sure about that – will let you know.
The Baptist Church has four chapels – one in Jamestown (next door to us), one in Sandy Bay, one in Knollcombes and one at Head o’Wain. From what I gather, every Sunday Nick preaches at Sandy Bay, then either at Knollcombes or Head o’Wain (they alternate Sundays), and then at Jamestown in the evening. Then once a month all the chapels combine for a 2.30 service at Jamestown. The chapels are only used by us. Other denominations have their own places of worship. There is only one Catholic Church on the island, just up the road from us. Our congregants (I also like the word) – some work, in various forms – nursing, government, teaching, and others are retired. Not really too sure what everyone does, still meeting people and trying to get their names right. It’s a bit daunting seeing new faces all the time, and of course everyone knows who we are. It’s quite funny, sometimes even in the shops people know who we are. Mostly if we introduce ourselves, or if I introduce myself and they ask if I’m here on holiday or what, and I say my husband is the new Baptist Minister, they say “Ahhhhh” knowingly. There are not many white faces around, so perhaps we are also more known because of that.
Nick has met a guy here who is an alcoholic, this afternoon he called on at the manse while Nick and the boys and I were watching “Piglet’s Heffalump Movie” (aka Humpalump) (Nick had finished his major work for the week). I had to take the boys upstairs with me while he was here, as he had been drinking. Shame, it’s quite sad. He wanted to meet me, so I had to present myself and the boys downstairs for handshaking and perusal. A bit uncomfortable, but he’s harmless.
I painted the bathroom yesterday (apple mist – a very pale green, quite fresh), and the towels are peach, brown and cream, and the blind has greens and peaches in it. Overall the effect is very good and I am pleased with the result. Still need to paint the bathroom door and all the other white bits though, but will start that next week. At least there is now one room in the house that has my stamp on it and feels homely, so if I really get depressed, I can go sit in the properly decorated room and look at the sea and I’m sure it will cheer me up.
We got some new (new to the manse) mattresses delivered this evening. The boys were sleeping on quite old foam mattresses although they didn’t mind, but the St Helena Prison had these ones going and so we got them. They are proper springy mattresses, quite new and in good condition. We are very pleased to have them.
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