Garden

Some people have been asking about my garden so here are a few pictures.

This is the new bed which Pete started digging for me at the bottom of our front lawn. I have planted it with some broom and rowan seedlings and various hebes grown from cuttings, with some sweet williams in between.

The first bed I dug at the front of the house.

The bed under our bedroom window which I enlarged this spring.

The first rockery which John helped build.
Last Saturday was the Stanley horticultural society's gearden competition for flower gardens and polytunnels and Simon entered mine. I won first prize for my flower garden (although there were only 4 entries) and the judges were particularly impressed with the rockery.

I also won first prize for my polytunnel by default as it was the only one entered!

Simon has also entered my vegetable garden into the competition but they are not judged until 6th March so I have a bit of time to tidy up. This is part of the new patch which I have cultivated this season.

A few photos

People have been asking "where are the pictures?" so here are a few.
This pair of upland geese and their goslings were taken on a small pond near Surf Bay in mid November. The male is the white one.

For a short time in spring the ground in some places is carpeted with these pale maidens - the national flower of the Falkland Islands.

I arrived in UK early in the morning on November 21st and was met by Hannah at Brize Norton. This happened to be the day of "Wilkie Christmas" so all the family were gathered at Hannah and Simon's house to celebrate and I somehow managed to stay awake!

Of course I have to include some pictures of my new grandson Benjamin.

I really enjoyed getting to know him.

Who says babies don't smile until they are 6 weeks old?

We are still alive!

Many of you are probably wondering if we have fallen off the edge of the world as it has been so long since I last wrote. This will only be a quick update. I spent a month in UK, mostly staying with Hannah and Simon but visiting Kati most days. I think she appreciated having some extra help and support and I looked after the children for 5 days while she and Rhys had a short break together.
She is still quite poorly with severe depression and anorexia.
It was lovely spending time with all the grandchildren, and especially getting to know Ben. I was able to do some babysitting.
My flight back to the Falklands on 20th Dec was eventually confirmed and then 2 days before I was due to leave the air line which was subcontracted to do the military flights went into liquidation! However a replacement was found and with many delays, including 14 hours on Ascension Island, I got back here on 22nd.
Simon had done a great job keeping my garden going but there was plenty to catch up with when I got home. Christmas cards and letters are still in the to do list.
On Christmas Day we helped serving a meal for some of the Zimbabwian deminers who are working here at present. Several of them regularly come to our church which is encouraging for us.
Pete and Niki arrived on Boxing Day and we had a fantastic 2 weeks with them, getting out and about quite a lot and seeing more fantastic wildlife.
Since they left I have been covering for the district nurse while she has been on holiday so have been at work most days. I handed back to her this morning. Tomorrow is a day off and then I start work on the ward again on Wednesday.
Our most exciting news is that Hannah, Simon and Ben are coming to visit us, arriving on February 11th and we are looking forward to showing them some of the wildlife here.
I really will try to post some photos soon. If I can remember how!

Change of plans

Sorry blogs have been sparse and not likely to get better in the near future.
I had an appointment with the visiting gynaecologist yesterday with a view to having a hysterectomy and prolapse repair operation today. Therefore I have been concentrating on gardening, shopping, cooking etc thinking there would be plenty of time to blog post op. But, although he would have been happy to do it if I wanted he thought it might be best to leave it a bit longer.

At the moment Kati is quite poorly and in need of some support so I decided to make a trip back to UK. I am booked on the flight that leaves tomorrow morning and am waitlisted on the flight that arrives back here on Dec 21st. I really hope I get on that as Pete and Niki are due to arrive here Dec 26th!

So today has been a busy one trying to get things done and organised. The bus to the airport will pick me up at 6am. Of course the added bonus of the trip will be getting to know my new grandson Benjamin.

Benjamin Daniel Hughes

We have a new grandson! Benjamin arrived two weeks early, on November 2nd, weighing 6lbs 8oz. Hannah had been having contractions all over the weekend so was quite tired by the time he was born.
He has been very reluctant to learn to feed so they have been in hospital until today and Hannah hasn't had much sleep. Hopefully now they are home it will be a bit more relaxing and he will really get the hang of things.It is at times like this that I do feel far away and would love to be able to give him a cuddle.
I only have 1 shift next week so will try to blog some more then. Yesterday I planted some plants in the garden and cut the grass wearing sandals and T shirt. Then within a couple of hours the wind swung round to the south and we had a heavy snowstorm. The weekend before last we visited Bleaker Island for our wedding anniversary. The weather was a bit bleak but the cottage very cosy and the birds fantastic.

Home or home?

Well, we did get to fly out and reached Ascension Island about 2.30am. Will blog about our 4 days there another time. Then on to UK and spent 4 weeks visiting family, shopping, tackling Hannah's garden, travelling alot and relaxing a little.

It was lovely seeing all the family but I found the traffic, shops and general busyness of everything hard to cope with. I think I was considered at least strange and probably insane when I spoke to strangers in shops.
I was thrilled when Amelie, our youngest grandaughter, ran up and gave me a big hug as soon as she saw me. I was afraid she would have forgotten who we were. We had some fun times with all three of them.Time went very quickly and Hannah was soon taking us back to the airport to fly back out here. Had we been home or were we coming home? When we arrived back in the Falklands it certainly felt as if we were coming home.

So, what has been happening since and why haven't I blogged for so long? Well, I have worked a lot, at first on the district and then back on the ward. We do now have several new nurses so I am getting rather less shifts.
I have also continued to work in my garden extending my vegetable patch. This has involved digging out several tons of rock, stone and clay so the rockery has been considerably extended again and there is a large ammount waiting to be transported to the tip. The original rockery is beginning to look quite colourful. I have also collected several loads of horse manure from the common which I am gradually digging in. I have lots of seedlings growing on windowsills and in the polytunnel and the earwig population is multiplying again.
On 12th September there was a fur seal on the beach at Surf Bay but it looked very skinny and was probably not well. These are much less common than the elephant seals and sea lions and are usually quite shy.
On 18th September we saw the first penguins returned to Gypsy Cove and felt as if spring is here. It is strange seeing the seasons coming round for the second time. It was a calm evening and a beautiful sunset over the harbour as we drove home.
On 26th September I saw an elephant seal at Surf Bay but am not sure if it was a female or a young male.
September's ramble took us to Wall Mountain and one of the Two Sisters. Both these hills have large rock slabs along their summit ridges.
On Simon's birthday (30th Sept.) we drove out to Gypsy Cove again to see the penguins, and lots more had arrived by then. It was blowing a gale and hard to stand up. As we drove back past the Lady Liz the waves were crashing against her.

The weather continues to be very variable. Sunday we rambled in Tee shirts in brilliant sunshine and no wind. Yesterday saw snow driving horizontally!

To fly or not to fly? - that is the question

Heavy snow showers have continued over the past few days, although there have been some intervals of thawing leading to avalanches of snow sliding off roofs.
The airbridge flight due in this afternoon apparently took off from Ascension Island this morning but because of bad weather later turned back. The passengers who have been waiting on Ascension for the past 3 days must have been wondering if they would ever get here!
Anyway the latest news is that it is coming but won't be here until late tonight Our flight which should have left early tomorrow morning will now leave mid-afternoon. (At least that is what they are saying at the moment. You never can be certain). We are catching the bus which goes up to the airport and should be picked up about 11am. At least we don't have to be ready for 5:30am now but it will be very late by the time we get to Ascension.
As our steps were completely buried I decided to clear them this morning to make it a bit easier to get down with our cases and bags. Wherever I exposed a few blades of grass the geese have been busy pulling them out. I guess they have got quite hungry this week.
In fact we have had some nice sunny spells during the day and quite a bit of the snow has melted, although there is still plenty.