Chloe

Well boys week is over. I packed Adam back on the plane. But not without a little drama I might add. First his flight was cancelled. But worry not the airline had a later flight it just meant flying to somewhere slightly further west in the States than he had initially planned. He took off after the short delay only to get caught in a storm and then have his connecting flight delayed. He was then diverted again and had to make an extra connection somewhere… I am told he eventually got home but it sounds like it was a bit of trek.

In the meantime I tidied up the house and got down to some school work. I had three days to myself before Vic and the kids got back so I put them to good use getting the shopping in; changing the beds; cleaning and going to work.

Monday arrived and I collected my brood from the airport.

Shattered but happy to be home. We had a couple of easy days as they got over their adventures and found their feet once again before John, Natalie and Chloe arrived.

I’ve known John since my first day at university and he is James’s Godfather and I am his daughter Chloe’s Godfather. I think that makes them God-cousins or something… Anyway we are close and I have missed them while we have been here especially my Chloe (John not so much…).

As an aside here we are when Chloe was just new! A day out in Rock Cornwall. I have lost track of how many times we visited this beautiful little spot.

True to form John had spent months researching places to eat. His objective was to eat ‘authentic and local‘, you have to say this in a deep authoritarian slightly posh voice to get the full effect. So we did.

The Heritage Kitchen in West Bay and The Big Tree Bar-b-que were our favourites serving unpretentious high quality local food like rice and beans, fried fresh caught fish and jerk meat. Simple food cooked well. He was very pleased with his discoveries and obviously at having introduced us to local fare that we otherwise would never have found on our own.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it is the same food we serve everyday in the school canteen or that he did not get the chance to try a proper fish fry or swanky but he seemed happy none the less.

We took our guests sight-seeing but on the whole we had a happy week on the beach relaxing and spent the evenings cooking. John is a really good cook so it was a chance to get him to teach me some really nice vegetarian recipes for when Tamsin visits at Christmas…

We spent most of the ten days in or on the water in one form or another either at Smith’s Cove; chasing sea turtles at Spotts; snorkelling the wreck up on Seven Mile Beach; Natalie and I diving; canoeing in the mangroves or lunching at Hemmingways.

We did head over to Kaibo for the beach bar-b-que and had a wonderful evening under the stars where Chloe, despite being horrified that we grown ups all got up and danced, joined in the dancing!

A few months ago, at a loss what to get Chloe for her 16th birthday, I promised that when she came to visit I would take her for her first dive. It was time to make good. I extended the invitation to James, Poppy and Victoria who all said they would like to go too! So we all headed over to Sunset House where they all spent a couple of hours in the pool before heading out to sea for their collective maiden dive!

I tagged along to watch and see how they got on and to generally share the experience.

It was like watching ducklings. The four of them waddling around with tanks strapped to their backs it was hilarious! I half expected one of them to turn turtle at any minute and lay there on the floor with their legs kicking feebly in the air. But no they all managed to get to the sea.

I don’t mind saying being responsible for sending your children and god-daughter on their first dives is a little nerve-wracking. You know one of those things that sounds cool when you suggest it but as they all sink out of sight beneath the waves you re-evaluate!

I followed along on the surface. Given they were only going down to 40 feet they were close enough that in the event of a calamity I could reach them.

From above watching the poor dive instructor with the group it was like watching him trying to herd cats (or cat-fish at least). As he tried to keep the group together and they shot off hither and yon distracted by all the shiny fish! Unlike herding cats on land under water they can go up and down as well adding whole new dimensions to trying wrangle them!

As it turned out they had a blast.

When they all surfaced safely 45 minutes later they were babbling happily, as high as kites with the excitement of what they had just experienced! They all loved it.

Status as the cool Godfather firmly intact!

James and Poppy have asked to do their PADI qualifications on the back of it.

Oh and Poppy turned 12! So we took her out for lunch at Al Frescos. Poppy loves the lasagna there…