Thursday, July 27, 2006
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!
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 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.
Friday, July 21, 2006
This is the door to the pump house. I think we shall need some steps putting in here.
Note the avocados on the tree in front. You can tell when these are ripe, if you shake them and can hear the stone rattling inside they are ready to pick.
If they drop off too soon you can put them in a drawer (not on a window ledge) and they will finish ripening in there.
Next the pool 'deck', as Philius insists on calling it, (the backfilled area surrounding the pool) has been covered with reinforced concrete, including the roof of the pool house.
The reinforcing bars rest on the walls of the pool house and the wooden support will be removed once it has thoroughly gone off.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Oops!
The hole around the pool is now being back-filled.
Some of the earth Philius originally dug out was saved in large piles around he hole especially for this purpose. Unfortunately he didn't save enough and he's had to have a whole load more trucked in. This is in a huge heap at the side of the road and is having to be laboriously barrowed round the pool!
He isn't very happy about this!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
These are the steps going down into the 'shallow' end.
There will be a ladder going down into the deep end, which will be 6'. I didn't want it deep enough for diving because I want my pool to be an oasis of tranquility.
Philius tells me that no hotel is now allowed to build a pool deeper than 4' in case drunken tourists fall in and drown! Don't they know you can drown in 6" of water?
There will be a ladder going down into the deep end, which will be 6'. I didn't want it deep enough for diving because I want my pool to be an oasis of tranquility.
Philius tells me that no hotel is now allowed to build a pool deeper than 4' in case drunken tourists fall in and drown! Don't they know you can drown in 6" of water?
This silvery thing is not, as someone suggested, where I keep the money I bring over from England, but the pool filter. It will live in the pump house.
It will be filled with a special kind of sand that removes particles of dirt as the water is pumped through it. Every now and again you have to clean the filter by reversing the direction of the water flow. I'm wondering how well it's going to cope with dog hairs!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Cement was then poured in to fill the gap between the two walls and create a kind of 'crown' on the top.
If I venture to wonder whether the whole thing might be a little over-engineered, Philius tells me that water is very heavy and very strong and its container needs to be man enough for the job.
Fiberglass shells can only be used for small pools, not 'hotel sized' ones like mine, it seems.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Pool Progress
The outer wall was built first and they are now in the process of building the second wall inside it.
When this is complete, shuttering will be placed all round the structure and concrete poured into the space between the two walls.
I think the pool is still going to be here for years after my house has fallen to bits!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)