Week Twenty-Eight

23.05.17

Straight after school we jumped on a ferry to Dockyard to do some shopping.  As the racing starts at the end of the week and I haven't bought any presents yet we thought it best to make a start!  Oh and also have a bit of fun too ....

The big cruise ships are docked .... which meant all the shops were super busy

Also some of the super yachts are starting to arrive as they've come to watch the America's Cup

24.05.17

Bermuda Day

This morning is the Half Marathon and we all dashed out to cheer Philippa Hutton on who had run from St George's at 7.15am.  It was so hot by 10.45am even we were sweltering so I have no idea how she managed to run to Hamilton!  Any way she did so well and we met her at the end to congratulate her.

On the way home we found this stunning mural ... it was a shame there was a car in the way but you get the gist of what we were trying to achieve :-)

Live a Legacy of Love 💓

Bermuda Day Parade:  After lunch we headed back out for the parade.  We camped on the edge of town to see all the Harley Davison's drive off.  They were loud but fun .....

Realising that we weren't going to get a very good view for the rest of the parade we headed off on to one of the streets.  Tradition in Bermuda is that each family has a pitch.  A couple of days before they put tape down with their family name along the curb as to where they are going to pitch their gazebo.  Then early in the morning they get all their tables and chairs set up ready for the marathon.  They come out and cheer the runners on, go home for a bit and then all head back out in readiness for the parade.  It was heaving!  As we couldn't find out friend who had invited us to sit under her gazebo we camped on a corner .....

Kelly having a chat with a few of the local children

Miss Bermuda

It was way too hot where we were standing so once again we were on the move.  We ended up in front of the big Church on Church Road in between two gazebos that we think was the same family.  They took pity on the fact that the children were melting so were allowed to sit on the curb and watch the parade .....

Marching band ....

Kim chatting up a policeman!

Dancers ....

This little girl looked so tired and hot .... the whole route of the parade was for quite a long way and took about 4 hours for them to get round ....

Some of the floats were amazing ....

Bermudians certainly know how to party .... dancing in the street

.... more dancers

... more dancers in the street, these guys were dancing behind a float and were having a ball

This float was amazing .... the bikes were pedalling on their own

Patrick is bored .... the gaps in between each float was about 5-10 minutes .... so it was slow

.... and more dancers

Cool float ... it has all the America's Cup boats .....

.... and now Eleanor is bored!

.... it's hot and humid

... someone else is hot and fed up

Time to move on again and find Renee ....

Her family were having a 'party' it was so much fun.  They had 5 gazebos pitched up, one specifically for the food, and were dancing in the street.

Here come the Gombey's ....

Renee and her husband ....

Gombey's from each district come to dance through the parade.  I think in the end there was about 5 groups .... I absolutely love these dancers and the music - it's vibrant, colourful and full of life.

25.05.17

Off to Georgie's coffee morning on Helen's rib .... the rain came in sooner than expected, typical!  Soaked before we even got there ....

26.05.17

The America's Cup was supposed to start today .... so still as planned I took the children out of school to miss Golden Time and instead we dashed down to the BUEI (Bermuda's Underwater Exploration Institute) for a School Trip.  They were both set with Clipboards and on each exhibit had to write down one important fact from each section ....

... a little bit of grinding

There was an interactive screen where we were able to type in our postcode and the satellite took us straight to our homes ....

.... this is our old home in Frimley.  It's so up to date it shows our new extension and landscaped garden....

Here is where Kim grew up in Buckingham Mews.  Her father used to be the Chauffeur for the Queen and Prince Phillip .....

... and this is my parents house which we will be moving in to when we return to the UK

27.05.17

America's Cup Racing has arrived.  We are chartered on to the Venetian for the day to watch the racing on the water.  We are very excited as this is what we have been here for and have been waiting six months to start ..... what better way to start than with some Bubbles ....

Marc, Kathryn, Millie and Adam have joined us today as well ....

The beautiful Marion with her boys, Lucas and Tristan.....

The Gang, Eleanor, Dylan, Mason (in front) - Patrick, Adam and Millie (back)

Kim, Me and Kirsty ....

Kate & Peta ....

So it had to happen to one of my children .... Patrick had a flip flop fail and it went overboard!  Luckily a kind crew member got a pole and fished it out for us ....

The racing has started .....

We had a good day today, we won against France but lost against Japan (this was due to a collision which slowed our boat down) ...

The entrance to the America's Cup Village and we are now attending the Opening Ceremony

.... watching another beautiful sunset as we wait for the Ceremony to start

.... the crowds are gathering

The music was amazing, the Gombey's and Marching Band all came out to party as well and we had a fantastic time. 

As we were on the boat during the day we missed the Dockout Show ... These were the boys on stage before they were set to get on the water .....

The fireworks were awesome too ....

In our second race against Japan we had a collision .... and there was a lot of damage to the hull.  So the Shore Team's Boat Builders has to pull an all-nighter to fix Rita so that she was ready to sail tomorrow ....

28.05.17

Day 2 of the racing and we have two races again today.  The boat is fixed and we are ready to go.  So on to the AC Ferry we go to get across to Dockyard as soon as we can to see off our boys.

Here in time ..... Phew!

Our little fans are starting to group with their flags .....

Sir Ben getting ready to leave ....

The fans wave off Rita and the boys ....

Our view of the Village from the Base .....

The Hospitality area where we are allowed to stay and watch the racing ....

We chose to watch the racing on the outskirts of the Village so that we could see the boats out on the water as well .... and more importantly see them come across the finish line ...

Tina ... enjoying some food and bubbles ....

After an exciting day .... unfortunately two losses though :-( we are heading home ...

Some photos of us in front of Rita that were kindly taken by Kim earlier in the day.  We are having such an adventure and watching the racing is so intense.  The children are really getting in to it as well which I am pleased about and also very proud.  They are supporting Ben and his team with a lot of enthusiasm ....

We are so grateful to be a part of this experience and are having a ball :-)

lots of love The Wise Old Owls xxxx