Life has been busy in our Caribbean paradise as we prepare for the Christmas break. We enjoyed a special treat last Friday night. Our British friend Judith and her husband Paul invited us, along with all of their friends, on a sunset cruise to celebrate her 50th birthday.
We all boarded a catamaran and sailed along the shoreline from the Castries Harbour to almost Rodney Bay and back for about two and a half hours. 
We got to see, from the water, all of the places we've been discovering on foot. There was lots of food, drink and music. It was a great time. Near the end, the Unicorn, AKA the "Pearl" in Pirates of the Caribbean sailed by with its sails lit up. What a beautiful sight.
Later that night, back at home, Dale took out his guitar and we sang some songs together. We googled the lyrics on the laptop so that everyone could follow along and when that was over, went for a late night dip in the pool. Ah life is rough down here.
Saturday was market day. It was a tough time for Norm because we couldn't buy as much produce as we have been since we're leaving at the end of the week. But he did get to visit his favourite grapefruit lady and picked up a backpack full to bring home. For weeks this grapefruit lady wouldn't say a word. She would just hold up four fingers to indicate 4 EC dollars for 5 grapefruit. But now she smiles and her face lights up whenever she sees Norm. And she always gives him an extra grapefruit. She even wished us a Merry Christmas.
After the market we visited our favourite cheese and yogurt place. They import different kinds of cheese and it's the cheapest place we've found for yogurt. Their yogurt is processed so it can stay on the shelf for months without refrigeration so it's really convenient. The only problem is they haven't had any for about three weeks. Knowing we've got company coming over the next couple of months, we stocked up and bought 7 cases. The coconut yogurt is absolutely yummy! For lunch we went to Josephine's, an interesting restaurant we found in an old section of Castries. It's not much to look at from the outside but they barbecue fresh chicken and pork on Saturdays and the food is good and very, very reasonably priced.
In the afternoon, the three women (Sue, Wanda and I) went to a book launch at a local park. It was a book by popular artist, Llewelyn Xavier. At first we felt out of place because we were under the impression there would also be an art exhibit. But the champagne and shrimp they served put us at ease.
Sunday Norm and I took a long walk along the beach. The waves were too high to swim but it was a beautiful day. At night we went to a concert at Kalalu, the St. Lucia World Music Festival. The four groups were from Zaire, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. There was quite a diverse mix of colour and sound. The group from Zaire had three African dancers. And man, were there were ever a lot of pelvic thrusts and shaking booties when they felt the beat of the music.
After the market we visited our favourite cheese and yogurt place. They import different kinds of cheese and it's the cheapest place we've found for yogurt. Their yogurt is processed so it can stay on the shelf for months without refrigeration so it's really convenient. The only problem is they haven't had any for about three weeks. Knowing we've got company coming over the next couple of months, we stocked up and bought 7 cases. The coconut yogurt is absolutely yummy! For lunch we went to Josephine's, an interesting restaurant we found in an old section of Castries. It's not much to look at from the outside but they barbecue fresh chicken and pork on Saturdays and the food is good and very, very reasonably priced.
In the afternoon, the three women (Sue, Wanda and I) went to a book launch at a local park. It was a book by popular artist, Llewelyn Xavier. At first we felt out of place because we were under the impression there would also be an art exhibit. But the champagne and shrimp they served put us at ease.
Sunday Norm and I took a long walk along the beach. The waves were too high to swim but it was a beautiful day. At night we went to a concert at Kalalu, the St. Lucia World Music Festival. The four groups were from Zaire, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. There was quite a diverse mix of colour and sound. The group from Zaire had three African dancers. And man, were there were ever a lot of pelvic thrusts and shaking booties when they felt the beat of the music.
And if all of the above wasn’t enough excitement between Catamaran rides, market, book launching and all the other, Tuesday was a school outing to the rain forest for some zip lining. I went along to help chaperone Sue's grade 7 class and got to see the forest from the top of the trees.
Tonight, our last night here, we're doing a ham supper at the house to have a Christmas meal together and then it's off to the airport tomorrow to fly home. We're looking forward to seeing the kids, the dogs and to spend time in our house and the cottage. We'll definitely miss the weather, the early morning and late evening swims and the walks along the beach. Norm will be back in three weeks. I'll return in four. I've got a couple of weeks of work at the CBC before my official retirement on December 31st. I guess I will have to take a break from my life of leisure.
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