Cable - yippeeee!

After five months of waiting, our camera cable has arrived. Certainly I am learning patience through living on this island! Not only did we get the cable, but we were on our way to the docks this morning to collect a parcel which was sent to us from Ascension, when we were flagged down by a stranger who asked if Nick is the Baptist Minister, and on confirmation, handed us a package of biscuits, which were actually addressed to the previous pastor, but since there is not much we can do with them otherwise, we had to just accept them. Collected our package from the customs hall (third time lucky, actually – I went early this morning but not all the goods had been unloaded off the ship yet, then Nick and the boys came back with me a little later, but still nothing. We must have looked a little desperate). We are now fully stocked up again with chocolates, chips, biscuits, puddings, hot chocolates…not that we are complaining, but how is one supposed to exercise self-control in a house with so much edible stuff?! Collecting things from the docks is really funny, there is basically no security there, but everything is safe. We’ve collected someone else’s parcels on a few occasions, and no one checks whether we are trustworthy and if we are actually going to pass it on to its rightful owner – we just take it. Anyone could do the same with our things, but I think there is a certain element of trust among the islanders. I went to the post office after 3pm, when they had finished sorting the 83 bags of mail which came from Ascension, and had to collect two parcels at the counter. One was the cable, which is now a highly treasured possession, and the other was a SonLight Cook Book. SonLight is the company that produces the homeschooling curriculum I will be using. Well, the curriculum hasn’t arrived yet, but since this free gift of a recipe book has made its way to the island, I’m sure the rest will follow within a month or two. We also received a letter and photos from Nick’s grandparents in Scotland, posted in November. It’s interesting that much of our mail has arrived via Ascension, and so late!

I took the boys into the schoolroom this morning and we did some painting. Actually we made wrapping paper by blowing paint through straws on brown paper. It was fun though I think the boys were nearly passing out from all their blowing. Then I started tidying out the Good News Club cupboard which was a mess and filled with junk. Sorted through crayons, felt tip pens, pencils, paints, paper and loads of other stuff. Didn’t throw away too much, but just reorganized and now the doors can even close.

Caleb is getting very good in the pool – he can now do a somersault into the water, and nearly drowned himself trying to do a backwards somersault with his armbands on. He got his head under water, but then didn’t know what to do with the rest of his body, and it took him a while to get orientated. Quite funny though. Aaron is happy to drift around in the pool with his armbands on, but doesn’t like to be thrown around as much as Caleb does.