Well what can I say ..... Our time has come to an end and this last post is me just reflecting on what a wonderful and amazing experience we have had spending the last 7 months on a tiny island ....
On arriving in Bermuda, back in November, after the whirlwind of selling our home, packing up our belongings and embarking on a new adventure, it's hard to even remember how stressful it was to even get out of Surrey, let alone get on the aeroplane!
We were nervous about living in a different country, mixing with lots of new people who we had never met before and also the daunting fact of living in two bedrooms for 7 months in a hotel with very limited facilities - eek!
I remember the first day being really nervous about stepping out of the hotel. Neil had gone off to work first thing in the morning and I was left with two children, no food and not really knowing my way around the island. I remember that first morning walking to the Supermarket and looking around at how I was going to prepare meals in the hotel room with just a microwave. Well, the first week we lived on packet pasta, jacket potatoes and cooked chicken and salad! Then walking to the local laundrette - Quickie Lickie - was a nightmare as the wet washing was so heavy to walk back with (dryers were 75c per minute!) and then drying it on the balcony - we got told off!!
Thankfully after the cottage was ready (3 weeks in to our stay) we were able to buy 'proper' food and actually cook meals, albeit still very basic and quick. Although the community cottage was very basic and you didn't want to hang about cooking full on 3-course meals at least we had washing and drying facilities and no more having to pop to the laundrette!
Once our boxes arrived it was nice to have some home comforts around us .... although I have to admit I should have packed more dried foods and not so much entertainment for the children! The price of food out here is extortionate and you really have to shop around to find a bargain! After a couple of months though we soon forgot about the £ and just had to think $$$$'s!! It did mean that we didn't eat out as often and kept it as a treat on Neil's day off.
Settling in and acclimatising to the local way was very easy. Everyone was very welcoming and so helpful. In fact all the people, especially all the staff at the Hamilton Princess could not have done more for us. After 7 months it was just like being a part of a family and leaving was really hard and very sad. We also met some lovely locals and again they were so welcoming and couldn't have done more for us. So a massive shout out and thank you to Carol and Eric Bell and to Marc and Kathryn and their really cool children, Millie and Adam - it's not goodbye, just farewell for now and can't wait until we are reunited again.
Everyone asked what will we do with our days and how will we fill our time? Well, I can honestly say not once were we bored. The children and I explored nearly every inch of the Island and when Neil had a day off we explored lots more. Before Christmas I bought a Month's pass and made sure we got out every day that it wasn't raining to explore the museums and places of interest.
Once the children started school in January my time was filled by going to the gym every morning (I actually dropped two dress sizes so reached my goal of getting back in to my size 12 jeans - YEAH!!), then each day was either taken up with food shopping - which took an eternity to walk down to the supermarket and walk back, and then to do a big cook of several meals to save time in the evenings!! Washing/tumble dryer would take an age and then the constant tidying up of the two rooms ... Eleanor wasn't the tidiest! Then of course there was the compulsory socialising with the community. Supporting each other was really important as we didn't have our families around. If someone was having a dip day then each of us would be there to pick the other person up - no one was felt to feel they had to sit in their room and have a cry!! A good cup of tea made it all better :-)
So .... dip days .... there were a few! Living in a hotel on a beautiful island was supposed to be the pinnacle of luxury .... with Sun, Sea and Sand. When we arrived before Christmas it was still warm and lured us in to a false sense of paradise. Christmas was hard as I didn't have my family and friends around us. So feeling homesick kicked in :-( Then January to March was cold, wet and miserable .... and in Bermuda there is absolutely NOTHING to do when it's raining.
It was reported that January had the most rainfall in history and March was the coldest ever recorded. Not good when you didn't pack many warm clothes or a coat!! So Neil who had a purpose each day by going to work and the children going to school to keep them entertained left me in the hotel room staring at four walls! Thank goodness for FaceTime - talking to family and friends back home kept me sane! Most days I did keep myself busy but naturally I had the odd day where I would just sit and stare at my computer missing home, friends and family.
When Spring came (thank god) life became all a bit sunnier and rosy ... it meant that we could get out and about more and with the months whizzing by we made sure we visited all the places that we wanted to get to. There were lots of events as well leading in to Bermuda's summer. Bermuda Day was a favourite for me .... it showed how the island is so vibrant and colourful and the people have such a love for life - and really know how to party.
The children had two terms of being at school before the racing started. It was really intense for both of them being in the same class and also in a class of only 5. The children were all different ages and socially was great for them to mix but at the same time was also tricky for them to socially understand that they were all going to differ greatly. It was a good experience for both Patrick and Eleanor and I have to say they both, Eleanor especially, thrived in a small class. Patrick took his SATS and exceeded 'above average' and we are both very proud of him and how he looked after all of the younger children. Eleanor we are also super proud of and she showed great maturity in looking out for all the other children and absolutely loved looking after and playing with all the babies and toddlers.
Once the racing started I did however pull them out of school as I wanted them to experience what we were actually here for .... The America's Cup.
Each day for the racing we joined Neil at The Base. We were allowed to sit in the Hospitality lounge for families and also had access to the Race Village. It was great to watch the children be involved in something their Daddy was working on and actually have a good understanding of what was going on. We had lots of flag waving and cheering the Sailors off the dock each day that BAR went out to race. They were desperate for BAR to win the Cup and actually got very emotional when we were loosing. So when we were knocked out of the Cup it as a very sad day in the Wise house :-(
Once knocked out it was all hands on deck to get packed up. Our room had to be packed up in 4 days and Neil had 5 days left at work to pack up the Base, well as much as they could as from the outside the team weren't supposed to be seen to be packing up! One by one people left and it was really sad saying goodbye to people who had become our friends .... and for the children to say goodbye to their friends that they have spent the last 7 months in each others pockets.
One bonus was that we were allowed to leave Bermuda earlier than planned to start our Road Trip to America .....
Before I finish the end of Bermuda's part of the blog I also want to give a big shout out to some very special friends that I have made and who were a great support - The Nudings, The Carrs and The Arkell's - there were some sticky patches that you helped me through and I am eternally grateful. Thank you and we really look forward to catching up with you when we get back. I also thank my Gym Buddies, Kirsty D and Bianca and of course Kelly for putting together the program that made a huge difference to me getting on track to getting in to shape. Kirsty and Georgie were also a great support when I ran in to a little difficulty and always made sure we were ok - so again I thank you from the bottom of my heart 💗
So to sum up and say goodbye to an island that we have fallen in love with I look back at the 7 months in Bermuda and can honestly say it's been an amazing journey. It's been eventful, full of excitement and a lot of happy memories made with some amazing people. Every corner of the island has stunning beaches full of pink sand, the water is so turquoise on clear days you can virtually see all the coral and beautiful parrot fish, and sometimes the bottom of the sea bed. The friendliness of the people was warming and I have got in to a habit of saying hello and how are you to everyone. We have a lot of amazing photos and I hope that the blog for Bermuda has kept you updated and entertained as well.
The rest of the family sum up in a few words .....
Neil: "Amazing memories, stunning views and crystal waters"
Patrick: "Sunny, beach filled fun"
Eleanor: "At the pool having fun in the sunshine"
Signing off in Bermuda
lots of love The Wise Old Owls xxxx
