Several ‘summer false starts’…but I think we might just have spring!

I wrote this last weekend but never got round to posting it…..

So it’s now April, Happy Hours have started and we still haven’t got any sign of the summer. Even the Bermudian’s are complaining it’s been a long winter – so it’s not just me folks! 🙂

Last weekend had the trappings of a summer weekend…

It was Easter weekend so we had 3 days off work and a packed schedule. Kite Flying on Horseshoe beach on the Friday, Whale Watching all day on the Saturday and Easter Brunch on the Sunday. A busy schedule is a sign of summer! And better than that, some people couldn’t make certain aspects because they were DOUBLE BOOKED! (We’d obviously have preferred it if they could make it though!) This is it – summer!

However, by the Friday the weather wasn’t looking great and while we grabbed the kites and set off, it didn’t quite have the same feel as last year with the bright blue skies, bikini and suntan lotion on, picnic for the afternoon packed. As Toby pointed out, we didn’t have the same expectation! We sat on the beach in jeans and hoodies and patiently waited while not one, not two but three showers passed. Mmmmm, this isn’t what we signed up for! However, the sun did eventually come out, our crew came together and it was certainly fun! The wind wasn’t quite strong and consistent enough but as you can see Toby got the kite quite high.

Spectators required jeans and hoodies!

Here you’ll see Toby’s little kite dwarfed by the kite owned by someone with something to prove! 😉 Although not caught on camera, Toby managed to clip the edge of the big kite and take it down!!!!

Saturday was whale watching with Ninjo. The weather looked as if it would be cancelled for sure. 7-11ft waves outside the reef is not ideal. We weren’t expecting to go and indeed hadn’t bought any picnic ingrediants. Then at 9am we got a call to say it was on, we were to meet at 10:30am. Mixed feelings at this – whale watching was a highlight of last year so a chance to go out again was exciting….but the weather didn’t seem ideal! So we got ourselves ready, arrived, boarded and set off. The whales tend to congregate around Challenger Bank, so that’s where we set off too. Through the waves! The boys braved the back of the boat for a bit…

But soon returned when the spray was more than the seat was worth!!

Anyway, battling to Challenger Bank proved too much of a challenge. Black clouds were approaching from multiple angles and there were no other boats out. We opted for a lap of the island which was never going to be a great route for whale spotting. Disappointing. The only cool thing were did was drop a microphone into the water so we could ‘hear’ them! Good, but not $170 and a day of our life good!

Next up was Easter Brunch. This was never going to fail! We’ve had a Lido brunch for both the Christmases we’ve been here and they know how to feed us well! Having none of the several bottles of Christmas champagne there was no swimming in the sea and rorcous laughing….we did have a great time though and the sun even came out to allow us chance to enjoy a cocktail in the sun after. It felt like the start of summer….

Of course the following week was only ‘OK’ and this weekend is stormy again!!! Arrghh!

………So ended last weeks post…..

And now we’re another week on, I’m daring to think it might be spring! Yesterday was lovely (if windy at times) and we got out to the driving range and then a surprise birthday party for Katie and today I’ve been sat outside having lunch with the girlies and have got a little sunburned despite the suntan lotion….. What will next week hold? Dare we hope for spring?!

Good Friday Kite Flying

‘Kite making’ has been a topic of discussion for the past week.  I very much hope I didn’t offend by not getting involved, but when Dorcas says “we hate every minute and every year wonder why we do it” it does leave you wondering whether it’s a hobby you should take up!  The actual reason I didn’t get involved was because I hadn’t fully appreciated what we were building up to.  By the time we got to the beach to fly kites, Dorcas was exclaiming this was her 2nd favorite holiday in Bermuda and the scene was set!

(Unfortunately I should add at this point Toby and I were very disorganised and turned up with a shop bought kite – will do better next year I promise!)

I’ll start by taking a step back.  In Bermuda, it’s tradition on a Good Friday to fly kites, particularly at Horseshoe or Elbow beach.  Having done a little research, I believe it’s meant to symbolise Christ’s ascent but as with many festivals and celebrations now, I’m not sure how many people were thinking about that on Friday.  That said, it was a wonderful atmosphere with people of all ages descending to the beach for fun, a kite competition as long as your arm (biggest kite, smallest kite, longest tail, ugliest kite, highest kite….), a constant supply of music from DJ’s and local acts and even some games.  Another great community event from Bermuda.  (Emma – how had you heard about this in the UK?!  Good work!)

So Toby and I set ourselves up on the beach (first there of our friends, we obviously sensed something good was about to happen!) and we hadn’t even got ourselves sorted with a drink when the familiar drumming sign signaled the Gombeys were coming!

And of course no Good-Friday-Kite-Flying-with-Gombey-dancing-at-the-beach wouldn’t be complete with out the Easter Bunny!!!

Before long, everyone was dancing!

Liz and I were very much getting into the spirit of things and feeling a little giddy on the atmosphere.  Toby humored us and waited with a camera while we queued up with the kids for a photo with the Easter Bunny….

It was finally time to let our kites take to the sky and it was a whole load of fun.  You don’t need to be a kid – fact!

It was pretty windy, which you think would be good but it was a challenge for the poor little $5 kite.  Whether it was the strain of the wind or the crash landing, we ended up with some snapped balsa wood and we returned to camp.  In some ways, it was a relief, it’s quite a stressful experience with all those people, kites strings and unpredictable winds.  (I personally nearly hit several people…)

By this time Tia, Tim and family had arrived so Toby and I turned Willow into a mermaid.

I’d already been splashing through the waves with Willow and got her quite wet so the sand stuck to her very well…when we’re parent’s, people like Toby and me will really irritate me I’m sure!  We just create mess!

We got back to relaxing and checking out the kites.  One guy had turned a palm frond into a kite – brilliant!  Another had modified a boat kite and was flying that.  Some homemade ones got ridiculously high.  As a Bermudian, Stuart was full of kite knowledge and was sharing his tips for tails and weight and all other technical detail to get a stable kite.  We were impressed and Toby was itching to get back out there.  Thankfully kite doctor Liz had come prepared

Armed with wood glue, tape, spare tissue paper and more, we had enough for repairs and Kite-Toby was back!

I tried from many angles to show how high he got it but it just wasn’t that easy.  It was high.  We were out of string.  Hidden talents this one! 🙂

Unfortunately shortly after this photo was taken, Toby entered mid-air combat and another kite came flying across his path and sliced through our string, setting the kite free!  This time we were permantently out of action!

I tried to take a picture of the sky to show how many kites there were.  Zoom in and I promise you’ll find lots of specs!!!