Happy Early Spring!

Ava practices cuneiform

 Ava and I doing well here in Nevis, but missing our family and friends.  The temperature has started creeping up here, and I have been thinking of the beautiful spring-like weather being enjoyed in Raleigh...spring without the pollen!  Mangoes have come in season here, and we have been giving the Magic Bullet As Seen On TV quite a workout...with smoothies, hummus and my attempts at chutney.  I love the MB because it is powerful AND easy to wash by hand, which, as you know, is the way we roll here. 

The beach at MUA campus

Full moon bonfire

Percy (kitten) and Morie (doing yoga)

Officially Our Cat: Sidecar, Sweetest Kitty on Nevis

  Our water heater burst a week ago, and we are still waiting on the replacement.  As I write, I am adding kettles of boiling water to Ava's bathtub so her bath will be ready when she's back from her snorkel trip.  Bob took her out with a group on the dive boat after lunch today, dividends of his job at the dive shop.  He's been letting her experiment with an underwater camera.  So far lots of sand and thumbs, but I expect she'll get better.

 
The gym on campus opened--after how many years?--and it is nice!  I've been trying to work off those Indian lunch deliveries.  The calorie-counting function of the workout machines needs to be calibrated, I am sure.  A person shouldn't be able to eat more in two minutes than they can work off in half an hour, am I right?  The heart monitor is a little TMI also, if you ask me.  Watching it makes it go up--I have tested this--so it needs to be calibrated as well. 

Ava has been riding horses, swimming, snorkeling, "playing soccer" and finding little play dates with the odd assortment of kids we bump into along the way.  She chased down a sheep in the yard the other day and held it in her lap for a while.  Since we won't get her her own pet lamb or goat, she's having to make due with the two stray cats (Morie and Percy) that she's been feeding.  So far the little kitten won't let us touch her, but Morie is very friendly.  We fit in a little school here and there...and she's been reading up a STORM.  She's trying to savor Book 5 in the Percy Jackson series because she doesn't want it to end.  I can't wait to get to Ancient Greece in her world history curriculum, she is so ready for it!  She reads at least a couple books every week and will quickly go through the considerable book order I sent over via Amazon.  Then I am going to have to share my Kindle :-(

Bob's cousin and wife are coming to visit for a couple weeks at the beginning of March--and Bob won't be in Nevis one of those weeks!  I have never met this particular cousin before, so we are all in for an experience. Let's hope the water heater is in by then, or I will be going to the French Quarter in Bob's suitcase.  Or maybe in Bob's place!

If anyone remembers Shirley, the most excellent cook, housekeeper and enabler of my past roti-addiction, you'll be glad to hear she's starting back next week.  She is usually booked up during high season, so I am SO excited.  I will just have to squeeze in a few more visits to the gym.  WORTH IT!!  Happy Pseudo-spring to you all--and thank you for the Valentines!

xoxoRachel

Custard apples and Valentines

Ava's microscope class at the Ishmael's

Walking down to our car this morning.  Flip flops were not a good choice.

Custard apples.  Who knew?

Air squash?

So, another week has passed...I mentioned our road being under construction in the last post, and, two weeks later, this is a picture of that same road this morning!  Still not passable.  And every day our water is cut off as the progress continues..so we all now leap out of bed at the crack dawn to brush our teeth and flush the toilet lots of times.  Bear in mind this road is about a quarter mile long.  We just hope it's not worse than it used to be after they are finished!  Another challenge associated with the only road to our house being closed has been the lack of garbage collection.  After some major cleaning of cabinets and fridge, we have towers of rubbish on the porch making people with noses think twice about visiting.  We can't leave it in the yard because goats keep getting into the trash.  Oh, those goats.

Tuesday is market day.  We have discovered custard apples! They look like knobby green brains and have big black seeds on the inside.  The taste is amazing.  Passion fruit is in, as well as long beans (my favorite) and some nice squashes that Bob puts into soup and chili.  Thank goodness Ava isn't a picky eater--so far she has been willing to try everything.  AND she loves the food from the new Indian restaurant down the road, which is great since it has become the Wednesday night tradition.  The best garlic naan I have EVER had, and they deliver lunch to the school every Thursday and Friday.  (Since I am down to my last can of emergency smoked trout, this is all very good news.)

Tuesday is also soccer class for Ava, who was basically thrown to the wolves--these kids (mostly children of students and faculty) can all play better than Ava, who not only doesn't know how to play, but who doesn't really even "get it" yet.  I can't bear to watch--she has such a great attitude but just runs around the field chasing the ball but being careful to not ever get too close.  She took a ball to the head yesterday that seemed to impress her friends.  She told me about that later when I asked her what the best part of soccer practice was.  I'm putting this in the Character Building column.

We put some Valentines in the mail and we're off to the beach for a swim. 

Happy February!