Some comments on the weather

Ours has been a good Sunday, certainly not the usual boring Sundays which I dislike! We left home just before 9 am, with some mild concerns that we might not have enough petrol to get us all the way to the Head o’Wain chapel, but we made there just fine. This was the first time the boys and I had been inside the chapel. It’s very small on the inside, and by the time we arrived it was already about ¾ full. I had to sit in the second row from the front. More people arrived, until the chapel was completely full, with about 40 people. Not a very good attendance for a combined service, but just as well because there would only have been standing room! A good service, followed by communion.

After church we drove to Longwood, because the only petrol pump and shop open on a Sunday is there, opposite the playground. We got £10 worth of petrol, and some supplies from the shop. Got home shortly before 12, and then I had to start lunch. I had taken out one of the tuna fillets earlier to defrost. I noticed that it was lighter in colour than tuna normally is, and when I fried it up it behaved a little differently to tuna…I eventually concluded that it was in fact, not tuna. We don’t know what kind of fish it was, but it was good.

Arrived at White Gate at 15h00 to meet Emma and Guy who arrived shortly thereafter, but we ended up only going to Rosemary Plain instead of the walk at Bluehill, because they were also low on petrol. Had a great time at the Plain though. We walked to Farm Lodge, the same hotel that Emma and I had been to previously for a look around. The owner, Steve, obliged us a look at the farmyard, and had to feed the ducks and sheep while we were there. The ducks were particularly cute the way they ran after him when he walked into their enclosure with the bucket of corn. There were about 7 sheep, and we stood right next to them, no fences or anything, while they crunched their corn. (I didn’t know sheep eat corn, but they sure do have strong teeth). They were terribly nervous, so we couldn’t touch one. There was a lamb and its mother, and although the lamb was only about 6 months old, it was already bigger than its mother. We chatted a bit to Steve, and then walked back up the road to the picnic area, had juice, biscuits, chips, plums, chocolates, and then played a bit of cricket. It was very windy, and we had a bit of light drizzle although the sky was clear overhead. It’s been a funny day for weather. I know I comment a lot about the weather, but it’s just so strange on the island – completely unpredictable, and different in Jamestown to how it was at Rosemary Plain, to how it was at Bluehill. Arriving at church this morning, after leaving a hot and dry Jamestown, we had some light drizzle and it was completely overcast and windy and a little chilly, but looking down into the valley we could see the sun shining. We saw a faint rainbow this morning.

Aaron was at his worst today, health-wise. His nose has been running since Thursday morning, but today he was coughing quite a lot and his nose streamed all day. He’s still had a bit of a temperature, and he vomited at Rosemary Plain, possibly from all the running around, or maybe he choked on some apple, or maybe he was just sick. Then he vomited again at supper time (toast and soup), bringing everything up. Poor thing. He was very neat about it though, none of Caleb’s projectile nonsense! Today I told him I love him, and he said, “You’re very special to me, mom.” (He did get this from me originally, but it was so funny to hear it repeated).

Caleb was doing a puzzle today, the 100-piece of a Bambi scene, and thought he needed some help. I told him I couldn’t, because I was making lunch, and Nick was reading or relaxing after his morning duties. Aaron told him, therefore, that he must just help himself. Caleb’s response: “Aaron, can you pick yourself up?” Aaron: “No”. Caleb: “Well, I can’t help myself either.”