Christmas Greetings from St Lucia

Not all dogs in St Lucia live miserable lives!

Please hold SLAPS in your thoughts over the coming year and put the squeeze on any rich friends.

Thanks.

Signed: Penny, Fifi, Lukas and Lazarus

'You can judge a nation by the way it treats its animals' . . Ghandi

Elaine said that this little fellow was the worst case she's ever seen. Just skin and bone, he was vomiting aluminium foil and chicken bones that he'd picked up whilst scavenging for food. He was brought into SLAPS last Tuesday afternoon and we nursed him through most of Wednesday but, sadly, he didn't make it.

Donations to SLAPS (via me) always welcome.

These tiny puppies were brought into SLAPS by someone who found them inside an old fridge. Sadly, the one on the right died a couple of days ago but the other two - which I have privately christened Buttercup and Daisy - seem to be making good progress. They get children's vitamins - Minadex, does anyone remember that? - every evening.

Convinced that Penny bites her feet so much as a reaction to stress, I have obtained some Dog Appeasing Pheromone spray.

It does seem to be reducing the foot-biting - and has other beneficial results too!

Lazarus and his amazing technicolour dream collar

Lazarus has a new collar. It is all colours of the rainbow, yellow and purple underneath where you can't see in the photo.

He looks like a real Caribbean puppy in it!

I was delighted that Catherine's mum joined us as I hadn't met her before.

Here she is, sitting between Catherine and George.

Julius cracked open the bottle of Scotch kindly provided by Ian.

Here are Renate and Ian chatting with George, who seems to have had rather a severe hair cut!

Catherine and her sister, Vel (pictured) insisted on having a party for Ian and Renate. The party was here but I was instructed to do absolutely nothing, they would bring everything over here.

Vel was the chief cook, providing us with gorgeous food, Catherine was in charge of the barbecue and assorted other friends turned up to join in the fun!

Hardly worth bothering with a towel!

They really enjoyed the swimming pool, going in at least once most days. This picture is blurry because it was taken in the pouring rain!

Ian and Renate's visit October 2006

It was wonderful to see Ian and Renate Mathers who came for a week 'on their way home' from a holiday in Canada and the States.

They were perfect guests, even mopping up puppy puddles if they saw them before I did and I hope complications over their journey home won't stop them coming again for longer.

I must have said something provocative just before I snapped this!

Going Upmarket

I 'splashed' out and bought some poolside furniture. This pic is actually like those estate agents' white lies as the view across from the table is of a long line of blue tarpaulin.

If we put the table at the shallow end of the pool, with a view towards Mt. Gimie, anyone sitting there would be soaked by Lukas launching himself into the pool or shaking when he comes out!

The other night Pat, Julius, Merphi and I sat out here with the pool lights on - like fairyland! I now know how to switch the lights on - thanks, Pat!

Wooden Spoon Reversal

The other day Pat decided the bottom of the pool needed scrubbing before he hoovered it. He borrowed a snorkel mask and stripped off.

He'd shut the dogs in before he went down to the pool, but I let them out again, wielding MY wooden spoon for a change!

This is Pat and Lukas having a water fight.

SLAPS BABES

Although Lukas seems to be Lazarus's role model, Fifi is a combination of playmate and surrogate Mum.

Their play sometimes looks rough but Fifi always seems to know how far to go - it isn't that long, after all, since she had pups of her own. I've never heard Laz squeal or cry during their playtimes.

He also likes to lie beside her on the front drive, soaking up the sun.

Lazarus in Lukas's bed with Lukey's tug toy. He's still quite tiny but I think he's beginning to grow at last.

On Friday he was invited to lunch at Pam's with Elaine and me but he had a dodgy tummy. He didn't want to be cuddled, unusually for him, so it didn't seem fair to lug him round with us.

He's fine again now, up to mischief as usual!

Fifi looking pensive.

Problems in pool pumphouse

I've had water dripping out of the left hand silver electrical box. Philius insisted (without coming to look at it) that I was making a fuss over nothing and it was to do with the level of water in the pool.
Eventually the electrician came and agreed with me that it should not be happening. It appears that when the pool lights were connected (by Philius) he did this incorrectly and water is leaking into the electrical boxes that shouldn't be. To correct this the electrician says we have to dig up part of the pool deck beside each light and rearrange the wiring. I'm waiting (in vain) for him to come and do this.
Philius has conveniently been on holiday in St Kitts for the past 2 weeks, he returns on Wednesday. He will have to eat humble pie over this.
He also broke my (very expensive) pool net, using it to pick avocados from my tree! He doesn't know I know this, and I wouldn't if Pat hadn't seen him do it!

Culture Vulture

Lazarus listening to Beethoven.

Just think what he would have missed if Elaine hadn't got his heart going again!

The tarps are now in place. They don't look very elegant but they'e only temporary and they do give us some privacy.

Part of the technical stuff in the pump house. I couldn't get the electrics in the picture.

'Wouldn't be surprised if you're sick later on. You don't know what they've been doing in this pool!'

I'm going to do what the big dogs do!

What big teeth you have, Grandma!

Guess Who' s Come To Dinner!

This is Laz. He's come to us on a trial basis to see how he gets on with my big dogs but if the first 24 hours are anything to go by he'll be staying.

We've had an outbreak of Parvo up at SLAPS and this little chap was very sick so Elaine took him home to nurse him. A couple of days later he was so ill that she considered just letting him slip quietly away but decided to keep going a bit longer. He very nearly died so we've called him Lazarus.

Elaine has four cats of her own and has just taken four kittens, so small that they can't see yet, to bottle feed because their mum died. It was all getting too much for her big cats (and for Elaine!) so I said I'd take him and see what happened.

Penny seems fine with him, she doesn't growl or curl her lip up in a silent snarl the way she does with Fifi. Lukas had to establish who was boss but, that done, he's fine too. The only one who seems a bit peeved is Fifi because Lazarus hero-worships Lukas and follows him everywhere.

As they say, you don't have to be crazy to live here but it helps!

This is a funny kind of ball. It tastes just like avocado!

Look, there's a puppy in the oven!

First wee in the garden. Good boy!

Pool filling Day 2

After everyone had gone home I took this pic from my balcony. The water is green because it's dirty - it'll be blue once the pump and filter are working and all the mud has been cleaned out. I didn't notice the reflections of the palm trees until I looked at the picture on the computer. Very enticing!

Lukas, who plunges fearlessly into the sea after a thrown toy, riding the breakers like a surfer, was strangely reluctant to go in the pool. We think he didn't like the steps after the smooth slope of the beach. Eventually, though, he plucked up the courage and here he is retrieving an empty plastic water bottle from the middle of the pool..

Once the water was in, I just had to have a swim. So in I went, clothes and all - you soon dry off if the sun's shining!

Look! It's covered the third step!

This afternoon the rest of the water went in. Merphi was here again, with several cousins in tow as well as Shadee.

Here's Merphi acting as hosemaster.

An exciting day!

And here she is with uncle Meraius who took most of the pictures.

Dab hand with a camera, isn't he?

When all the water had gone in, it was about 3' deep at the deep end.

Shadee thought it was wonderful and cried when it was time to go home!

Lukas looks on with interest.

Mothers's meeting

This is Malicia, Merphi and Meraius's sister and Shadee's mum, and me, having what looks like a very earnest conversation.

Everyone wanted to paddle. Here's 2 year old Shadee waving to uncle Meraius who took the picture.

Some of my neighbours saw the water truck arrive and came to join in the fun.

Here's Merphi with Teddy and Creatchie who came as well.

The Baptism

On Saturday the first water went in - just enough to cover the bottom to stop the Diamond Brite cracking. The rest should be coming today.

It was an exciting moment!

. . . . . . . and looks like this when it's finished

You can see the hint of blue in it which Philius says will make the water seem blue when the pool is full.

They are also putting the fence back up, thank goodness.

The Diamond Brite lining goes on . . . . .

It all has to go on in one day.

The answer is . . . . . . . . . . .

For anyone who isn't on my newsletter circulation list, the fruit in the picture below is a cashew. The prize was won by Sefton.

What's This?

If anyone who's coming out here can tell me what this is, I'll make a contribution to their air fare.

If anyone else knows.......we'll have to come to some arrangement!

Answer in my next newsletter.

Two views from my balcony

Although there is a lot of cloud, it is quite high and you can still see a long way into the distance.

During a torrential rainstorm nothing can be seen beyond the foreground.

(Compare these pics to the one at the beginning of my blog, taken under different weather conditions.)

More on the pool's progress

We now have a row of beautiful blue tiles along the top of the pool walls and coping stones to round it off nicely.

Here's a closer view.

Here is the tiler, whose name is Sun, cutting one of the coping stones into exactly the right shape.

I was particularly impressed with the way he tiled around the curves in the pool walls.

Au Revoir Reverend Torchon

Last Sunday saw the last service in Forestiere of our wonderful minister, Marcus Torchon. A collection had been taken for him and his family (my contribution was a cheque drawn on my English bank account) and during the service members of the congregation queued up to offer personal gifts and tokens of appreciation.

He is being sent to England - to the Wirral - and, knowing the difficulties I found in adapting to the way of life here, I am concerned that he will find the British people cold and unfriendly. He asked me if he were likely to encounter racism and I had to say yes. However he also told me that his new parish contains a large number of West Indians, so he will be among friends.

He has promised to come back to St Lucia, and asked us all to keep a spare bedroom ready for him and his family when they return. No problem there!

In her speech of thanks, Congregational Steward Christine commented on how much Reverend enjoys socialising with his parishioners.

In his response, Reverend told us that he has no time for what he called 'pulpit ministers'.

'People don't remember sermons', he said, 'People remember friendships.'

I'm not sure about not remembering sermons - he's an excellent teacher and I've learned loads from him - but it's his kindness, his welcome, and his recognition of me as a person, a valued member of his congregation, that I shall never forget.