Don't open the door!!!!

A mucky weekend, no drying, not even worth pegging the clothes out.  So pleased I have a tumble dryer.
I had a funny day at work yesterday.  I looked at my watch and thought it was 4:30.  I closed down my computers and cleared my desk.  Then I said to Justina my boss would you like me to hoover the office.  We have no cleaner so we take it turns to hoover on a Friday.  I merry went about my hoovering, the girls all obligingly moved for me.  I finished the job put on my coat.  Then thought thats funny no one else is getting ready to leave.  Its not unusual for Justina, Sarah or Nicole to work late but I thought it was strange that no one was getting ready to leave, not even Marabelle who normally leaves about the same time as me.  I said "it is 4:30 isnt it".  How embarrasing it was only 3:30.  I said to Justina what would you have done if I had just walked out.  "She said, nothing I would have just thought you must have told me about it and I had forgot".  "Once you were gone I would have probably said to the girls where did Lindsey say she was going".  Anyway it gave us all a good laugh.
Shaun and Tanya decided to go to the pub for the last hour before closing time last night.  Shaun  opened the door and got punched straight in the chest.   He said the doorman was stopping one of the customers going out the door with a glass and the customer was getting stroppy.  The customer went to punch the doorman just as Shaun opened the door. Shaun got it right in the chest.  He was fine, said it didnt really hurt, lucky it was him that opened the door and not Tanya.
Not a lot else on.  Christopher finished the work in the kitchen in our house and has been finishing the plastering in Shaun and Tanya's house ready for Tanya to paint when she gets back on Thursday.  Shaun is away back tomorrow.  Shaun and Tanya ordered carpets for their kitchen and living room and also bought a second hand suite of furniture this week.  An expensive week for them but they pretty much have everything they need now.
I got my first pay packet, a bit disappointing it wasn't a full month and I also have income tax taken of as a second job.  All and all it looked a bit sad.  The wool cheque also came in yesterday,  very pleasing.  We sell our wool altogether so the payment comes in as one lump sum.  The wool hasn't even arrived in Prague yet!!  The only down side was we were unable to get our bellies and stained pieces away because we could not get anymore bales in the container.  We were hoping to get it in a container with someone else's wool but it didn't work out in the end.  It is worth £6,000 plus so it would have been nice to get it away but there will be chances again starting around about October time, so not too worried.

Challenge Day

Today was challenge day here in the Falkland Islands, it may have even been world wide but I'm not sure.  For those that have not heard of it it is to try and get every one to do five minutes exercise that will leave them breathless. The FIC that I work for arranged to borrow a cycling machine with the idea that the staff would all do a five minute stint.   My turn was at 9:35am and I was breathless before I even got there as I had only left myself five minutes to get from the warehouse to the store. I cycled .92 kilometres.  After me was David, I didn't realise but he looked at what I had done then went on and did .93 in his 5 minutes.  Being more then a little bit competitive I decided to go back after I finished work and do another five minutes to see if I could beat him.  The second time I managed 1.04 kilometres but my legs were a little bit jellyfied when I got off.  It was good fun but it would have been more fun with two bikes because we could have raced each other.
Not much else on, Christopher has been working on our house at Speedwell, he has moved the gas stove for me, tiled behind it and put in two cupboards.  The house leaves a lot to be desired but every little bit helps to make it better.

David, no wonder his legs felt like jelly after five minutes cycling in a padded boiletsuit.
Little does he know he is now on the web.  So funny.

Shaun finished stevedoring today and is now ready to go back to Speedwell.  Tanya has finished her weeks hairdressing but is staying in until Wednesday because she has a doctors appointment.

May Ball and house renovations

Luckily for all of us the world didn't end yesterday so we live to see another day.
This week Christopher, Shaun and Tanya have all been in Stanley.  Tanya has been in for her weeks haircutting which she had planned to fit in with the May Ball which I will tell you more about later.  Christopher came in because he needed more wiring, plumbing fittings etc for their house and Shaun is in to do squidding.  Christopher is away back to Speedwell today, he was pleased to be going because it has been an expensive week buying all the little bits and pieces needed to finish the kitchen, plumbing and re-wiring.  Shaun worked from 10 yesterday morning until 10 last night stevedoring  and has just left the house to do the same again today.
My week at work has been good.  I have now started doing stock takes in the warehouse.  The initial stock take is straight forward.  I go out scan and count a particular line, on Friday it was all the biscuits.  I then get a variance report which shows the anomalies.  I then go out with either Nicole or one of the men and check that my original count is correct.  If that doesn't sort the anomaly then things get more difficult.  I then work with Sarah who is showing me the next part of the job which is to find out  why we have more or less of the product then the database says we should have.  It starts of quite straight forward with checking how many we have booked out of the warehouse to our shop the West Store.  Sometimes the problem is there.  If its not we have to look at when the goods arrived on the boat, did we receive what the database says, was it put on the database correctly.  If this doesn't work then you have to start thinking outside the box.  I'm still finding it difficult to recall all the places within the box at the moment but its coming.  I also started ordering my toiletries.  This wasn't as straight forward as it seemed because when something is out of stock you then have to start trawling through what is available to find something which you believe is similar.  The main lesson of the week was take trainers to work because its not comfortable on the top of a tall step ladder in boots with heels.
Friday night was May Ball night.  The May ball is held each year to celebrate Empire day.  It is a big occasion in the social calendar.  The event is open to everyone over the age of 15 but is primarily for our 15 and 16 year old.  Most of the 15 year old girls and some 16 and older will purchase a ball gown specially for the occasion.  Most dresses will be purchased outside the islands although some can be purchased in the islands.  The young boys will have suits for the occasion.  All those wishing to enter the competition will be given a number upon arrival.  A month before the ball dance lessons will be held so that the youngsters can learn the traditional dances of waltzes etc.  On the night they will all dance within a circle so that  the judges can see them.  At close to midnight a May queen and May princess will be chosen.  These are chosen by judges who are people who are new to the islands and do not know the girls or the families.  Prince charming and Prince charmings runner up is also chosen  but this is by popular vote.  All the women attending the event are given a voting slip upon arrival which they will then chose their Prince charming and post their vote in the voting boxes.  This year my nephew Macaulay Middleton was Prince charmings runner up so I am a very pleased auntie.

Shaun ready for his first May Ball aged 15 with his nanny and grandad May  Tiphanie our daughter was May Queen when she was 16 but I don't have any photos on this computer.  As you can see the date on the computer is wrong.

 

Macaulay Middleton taken several years ago.  I had some lovely photos of the event from facebook but it wouldn't allow me to upload them.

Lastly for the week Christopher started taking the tongue and groove out of our living room.  It was all done out like it when we purchased the house but I find the wood stain makes the room dull plus you can't do anything with it.  When everyone is away back to Speedwell I will start working on the walls getting them ready for wall papering.

I don't get it

I don't get it.  When I look at this weeks audience it says I have had 63 page views but when I look at the pages viewed it says I have only had 4 page views.  Can anyone explain how that works?????!!!!!!!

Artifical insemination, Peacocks and Pizza

Yea its the weekend.  A good week at work.  Pretty certain I have got the hang of it. This week the West Store which is part of the shopping complex that I work for launched it's first web page.  It is very good but still a work in progress.  It also has a facebook page, a first for retailers in the Falklands.  Included within the complex is Peacocks this is a branch of the UK Peacocks.  It is such a treat to be able to buy your everyday clothing.  The West Store also launched there made to order pizza, hot and ready to eat.  Either order in advance or wait until it is ready.  I bought one yesterday and waited a mere 15 minutes for it to be made and heated.  It was tasty and the waiting time was reasonable.  It must be only 6 months since the new local enterprise Mama Sue's pizza was started.  This is a deliver to your door pizza service so I hope this business is not affected too much.  Stanley is very small and it doesn't take too much competition to seriously affect a business.  While on the subject of food we have also had another cafe open in the last six months.  In fact my mother and I went there for lunch yesterday.  It is also proving very popular with a good menu range.  Including, sandwiches, breakfasts, a lunch menu such as chicken and chips etc and  freshly cooked bread ready to take away.  It is the enterprise of a young St Helenian girl so it includes some St Helenian meals and also some Chilean meals.
On the islands the artificial insemination programme is finished.  We had to keep the inseminated ewes in quarantine for 4 days after the insemination because one of the required results for the semen had not been received.  We were allowed to go on with the programme because the disease the semen was getting tested for is I believe now very rare and the vets were as confident as you can be that the results would be negative.  If there had been a problem the ewes would have all had to be aborted.  Thankfully it didn't come to that.  Now we have to wait until they can be scanned to see how many of the ewes got in lamb.  With the use of frozen semen the results are only expected to be about 60%.  Those not in lamb will then be put to a Samm ram to be covered naturally.
House wise the new kitchen is now all insulated and plaster boarded.  They are now in the process of plastering.  Plastering is new to Christopher but it appears to be going okay.
This week was our daughter Tiphanie's 23rd birthday.  I really, really wanted to send her a chocolate tower but she is currently in training to represent the Falklands at the small island games on the Isle of Wight.  She will be playing badminton and has been training hard since she found out she had been selected.  I thought it would be unfair to send her chocolates as she has lost a stone in weight in preparation so instead I sent her a fruit basket.  What a shame you can't get fruit towers.
Lastly for entertainment tonight we have the Eurovision song contest.  I believe Jedwood are being tipped to come second.  Entertain they can, sing, I'm not so sure.  My favourite programme on at the moment is the Apprentice.  So many big egos.

work and advice on kissing

Nothing much new to talk about.  Another day at work and the stack of papers that I have to get ordered is still about the size of a pack of A4 paper.
Christopher, Shaun and Tanya finished plaster boarding the new kitchen.  The wiring is all in it for the plugs and sockets.  The whole house has to be re-wired before they can move in because it still has some of the old rubber wiring which has been condemned for use for a long time.  Tomorrow they will start the plastering.  Christopher took one of the windows out and put it back in.  Although it was in the hole straight it was pushed in slightly at one end so he couldn't put the surround on evenly.  It is fascinating that Christopher can not put anything away and all his sheds are just a tip but he can't stand not doing a job properly.
Concordia Bay went to Speedwell yesterday and we now have all our crab processing equipment.  The only thing we are waiting for is a special filter system for blowing the crab out of the crab legs.  Christopher has been working on the crab processing room in between helping on the house.
On Sunday, my sister Stephanie, her daughter Chelsea and son Macaulay and I went to my mums for lunch.  We got around to talking about kissing, not sure how.  Anyway mums advice to 15 year old Macaulay and 12 year old Chelsea was don't slobber and if they try to put their tongue down your throat, bite it!!!!
My new clothes arrived from LL Bean in America and Ezibuy in New Zealand this week.  Shouldn't need to get any more for a good while. 

What you've put it on facebook!!!!! beetle & i-tunes

It was only meant for the rest of the world.  Got up today  and put on the computer to check facebook before work and right at the top is a link to my blog.  Thanks to my sister Susan I have been too embarrassed to go out today.  Well at least it got 16 views today which is about twelve more then usual.
Apparently she misses them when I don't blog so here is a quick up date from over the weekend.
Friday night, me, my mum, my sister Stephanie and my niece Chelsea went to a beetle drive.  It was a fun evening with beetle drives obviously and music quizzes etc.  My sister is so competitive that she gets annoyed if someone on her table drops the dice on the floor.  I have to remind her that we are playing against children as young as 7 and she probably should throw the dice on the floor to give them a chance.  Not a chance!!!!
Today is my 5th day in my new job.  I think I've got it now but you know what they say. "you don't know what you don't know", so true.  It amuses me a bit.  I am currently ordering for  a shipment which will arrive on the 31st July and which needs to last until the 09th October.  It is totally bizarre as I finish on the 31st August.  I have visions of the warehouse either been over full or empty!!!
On Sunday I at last found a way to download i-tunes in the Falklands.  I downloaded 21 songs.  I used 300 megabytes, a third of my allocation.  Christopher said it would have been cheaper to buy the singles and fly them in.
Christopher, Shaun and Tanya carried on working on the house at Speedwell.  Christopher said Tanya cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  The house is obviously getting pretty grotty with dust and wood shavings.  In turn Christopher sniffed and sneezed his way through the day.
Lastly for today a war memory.  As the war in the Falklands intensified the people in Stanley were advised to move out of their houses and into "safe houses", safe houses were generally stone, our house was of a timber construction.  We moved into the West Store a large brick building.  To start with we only went to sleep there. This was necessary because of the curfew.  If shelling started during the night you couldn't go out so it was decided we would go before the curfew.  My dad and I wasn't that keen on it and we would be the first ones out in the morning.  This one particular morning we slipped out at about 3 minutes to 8.  We were walking home and was nearly there when a large British plane flew up the harbour, it wasn't that low thankfully.  I think it must have been the day the airstrip was bombed but I can't be sure. Suddenly there was bullet tracer everywhere.  Ever soldier that had a gun (and they all had guns and there were lots of them) was shooting at it.  There was no hope they were going to hit it I wouldn't think because it was too high.  The air was just full of tracer.  We were only the width of an alleyway and the length of our fence from the gate but we couldn't get there. The only thing close to shelter beside was our car which was parked on the drive.  That taught us for leaving early. 

Artificail insemination and brain strain

Still quite busy out on Speedwell.  Tomorrow sees the insemination of 200 ewes with Samm (South African Mutton Merino) semen.  As I previously said we sourced the semen ourselves and it has proved to be quite difficult.  Everything appeared to be going well the rams went into quarantine in Australia in plenty of time, the semen was then collected in plenty of time but then something went wrong.  It is difficult to say who is to blame for the problem but all the tests on the semen were not completed in time.  Fortunately for us and the suppliers we were given dispensation to bring it in and it was held at the agriculture department while waiting for the results.  As it goes we still had to put the insemination off for 2 days.  It could have been far worse however because we also purchased genetics for other farms and naturally if the programme hadnt been able to go ahead they would have been looking for their money back, as would we and that is never a straight forward situation.
Today Christopher, Shaun and Tanya have been instructed in collecting fresh semen and doing artificial insemination.  The plan is to buy the equipment required and to do some artifical insemination with fresh semen in the future.  They have been taught by the australian vet that comes down to implant the frozen semen and in some cases embryos.
The miniature ponies have both been castrated today.  Lets hope it calms them down a bit, I doubt it.
I started work in Stanley yesterday.  It is a different job to what I usually do.  This winter I am working for the FIC (the biggest retailers in the Falklands).  My job is to help with the ordering of non food products i.e, cleaning products, toiletries, baby products and pet food.  It is quite a task to get your head around because of the time products take to arrive from the UK.  For instance at the moment the ordering we are doing is for the period 31/07 until the 09/10.  You have to take into account what stock you have, how long it will last, what is already ordered to arrive on the May boat and what is ordered to come on the July boat.  Im sure I will get it but it has severly strained the grey matter. I have two more days training.  I enjoy a challenge and I will now work until the end of August.  Then Christopher and I will go to Chile for a week.  Yea.

A sandstone dogs head (found in this state naturally)

A magical dragons head in the sand stone (again this was how it was found)

Sandstone mini caves, we believe this erosion is started by the Jackass penguins who burrow into the ground.  The wind then wears it away until eventually they collapse.

I also have a new follower, is it my sister Susan or another Susan.