Winter's day at Surf Bay

Had a great day today at Surf Bay which is just outside Stanley.  We went to help plant the Tussock grass that was collected yesterday from Kidney Island.  My daughter and I lasted about 5 minutes, our hair was blowing in our eyes and something, maybe dust or soil was blowing up from the peat as we tried to dig into it.  We had our waterproofs on and I had so many layers that I fitted easily into my husband's coat.  I looked ridiculous.  We left my husband and son to it and headed off to the beach instead.

My daughter and I met the three legged dog on the beach that we had heard about and watched Dolphins swimming in the sea. Our dog was brave enough to go into the water.  She also rolled in something disgusting and now stinks.  My husband suggested giving her a bath but that really did raise my blood pressure.  No way, she would shake herself all over the bathroom and I cleaned it yesterday.

Our car with the dodgy clutch made it to Stanley and back.  We saw a defender just like ours upside down in the ditch.  The Stanley road and the ditches on either side are just not funny. The only disappointment was that The Pink Shop was closed.  This is a shop that is Pink on the outside and sells a basket full of wool for felting.  Last night Florence my felted fish got lucky and met Fred.  They are getting very friendly.

Another tin of pilchards last night on toast washed down with Chilean rose wine at £3.  I know how to push the boat out. Here is good website

http://www.glenryck.co.uk/pages/pilchard-recipes.htm

All for a bunch of grapes

Today we woke up to sun shining and no wind. On Friday the weather had been so bad it is hard to describe. There was a blizzard in the morning before school that made all the windows in the house covered with snow that looked like icing sugar. The wind howled and the house rattled. We made a run for it to get to school while there was a break in the weather. I live constantly on a knife edge here!

I then decided that I needed a bunch of grapes and had to take the car. I have driven in the car once since I arrived here in 4 weeks and then I decide on the worst day possible that I have to get in the car. I HAD to get grapes. I do not know what possessed me.

First of all none of the doors would open. The temperature was -14 with the wind chill and all the doors were frozen apart from the back door. I climbed in over the back seats and started the car. Then I realised the windscreen wipers were too frozen to work. I had no ice scraper. I went back into the house and improvised with the plastic shovel to scrape the windows and windscreen.

As I got back into the car the wind blew the car door onto my leg and it really hurt. It is a major problem here with car doors blowing off and I am completely serious. I am constantly on my guard for car doors flying through the air. Then outside the car while trying to scrape the ice the wind blew the shovel out of my hand and it blew under the car out of my reach. I decided at that point to get into the car and let it warm up. Twenty boring, cold minutes later things were starting to defrost.

I got to the shop to discover there were no grapes but there was wine so I bought several bottles of grape juice instead and a bar of Dairy Milk. I deserved it after my ordeal and would celebrate if I made it home safely. Outside the shop on the way back I forgot that when driving the car the first and only time I was unable to get the car in reverse. Stupid gearstick, stupid car. A passer-by had to stop and help me. While stationary the car was actually moving in the wind from side to side.

Humming and baking

I actually caught myself humming happily while baking banana bread last night.  Whas has happened to me? I was totally contented.  What a freak.   I even managed to successfully bake the bread without using scales (they are still on ship somewhere on the Atlantic) and without a recipe book, also on ship.

The four bananas cost £3.60 and were brown when bought and really nearly rotten inside and the children refused to eat them but they cost nearly £4 so waste not want not and all that. It could be weeks before I see bananas again.  The cake tin did cost £10, probably would have been about £4 in Tesco or even buy one get one free. I am missing out on a lot of Tesco clubpoints. The concept of BOGOF has not reached The Falklands.  The generous helpings of sugar and butter will probably not have done my diet any good.

My son said my baking smelt delicious.  He is a happy little soul. Oh the pleasure of cutting it up this morning for my children and lovingly wrapping it in cling film was indescribable.  What a good wholesome mother I am. Maybe I will start wearing an apron around the house and get a feather duster. (I wonder how long I am going to last in this phase).

My two are not used to smelling home-made food, no Greggs the bakers here or Sainsbury's finest and do not even get me started on Marks and Spencers.

My beloved husband is a complete bird watcher and has turned our washing line into a bird feeder. There are bags of nuts hanging from all 4 sides.  As if there were not enough birds around to torture me.  I could see them twittering to each other.  It will be all around the Falklands that my garden has free food.  I now have my own Aviary.  Oh dear, I am humming as I type this. 

Sheep skulls

My son and daughter saw their first sheep skull on Saturday.  In fact they saw a whole decaying sheep.  we had a funeral and said some prayers at the request of my son.  I think there will be quite a few sheep skulls to see in our time here. The turkey vultures had made a good job of tidying things up.

I have spent the morning at the gym.  I should never had stood on the scales.  It was far worse than I thought.  The weight I thought I was dated back to 2001 when I last weighed myself. Things have gradually got a bit worse since then.  Sort of like the British economy, cuts are going to have to be made and they are long overdue.  I, like the labour government have been in serious denial for a long time about how bad things really are.  I have been watching Sky news for the last half an hour, I am quite depressed and maybe I should stop doing so much internet shopping.

There is something here called the Falklands Stone.  It could be something to do with all the frozen food you end up eating - potato waffles, fish fingers, chicken kievs, hash browns, oven chips, all deep fried in oil no doubt. Then there are the very convenient vending machines selling crisps, chocolate, pringles, sandwiches.  Then there is the great cafe selling freshly baked home-made cakes.  I am starving, have to go it is time for lunch.

Time warp

I am in a time warp.  Went to the cafe yesterday, we go there every day, lovely home made cakes and paninis.  All the newspapers are from Mid May.  Even magazines on sale are in May.  Maybe it is May here and not June?

You can only get UHT milk, no fresh milk here at all. I might invest in a yoghurt maker.  I have resorted to buying coffeemate to put in coffee.

Internet access is also limited.  Big charges if you go over a set amount of downloading/surfing.  I might have to start writing letters.

Good news is that I am no longer being stalked by the Turkey Vulture.  It has lost interest.  Now I have more to worry about.  A security dog has been on the loose now for 5 days. 

A whole new world of tinned and frozen food

In The Falklands Iceland food is really popular.  I don't think I have ever been inside an Iceland shop in Scotland. I am turning into Kerry Katona. "Only smart Mum's go to Iceland" now has meaning.  There is also frozen Waitrose food although it is expensive.  A few more month's here and £14 for a frozen Waitrose fish pie will seem like a bargain. 

We have also being going through tinned food like never before.  Heinz steaming (I mean steamed, I have got to go easy on the cheap Chilean Wine) puddings are quite nice.  I might have to start buying tinned fruit.  The fresh fruit is interesting.  Carrots are a weird shape in an organic sort of way. I know, carrots are not fruit. 

Out of date food here is not a problem, totally acceptable, no-one would dare complain, if you don't want to buy it, you starve.  It really is that simple.  It is not marked down unless it is really old.

I have decided that I may have to become a vegetarian.  I saw very juicy looking cow's tongues for sale in the supermarket in Stanley yesterday.