18th November – 22nd November 2016
We finally persuaded the matron-like check in staff in Barbados that we really were going to be leaving Grenada, one day soon, by boat. It took her a phone call to Grenadian immigration and many innocent smiles from us and muttered reassurances that our 12 bags and a surfboard wouldn’t be staying in Grenada for ever. Our journey was a mere 50 minutes long in a twin-prop high winged plane. We were expecting trouble on arrival but in fact we were greeted by the most understanding immigration officer I have ever come across. He seemed to have come across other crazy boat-searching families and thought it perfectly reasonable to be here to look for a boat – Hurrah! I note that he gave us a three month limit to find one though!
Delilah was fast asleep during the flight and the whole airport experience and woke up in a daze outside the airport to find herself in a wheelchair. She looked more than a little confused by her surroundings but i reassured her that she was just asleep and not paralysed as she feared.
The moment you step out of the airport in Grenada the gentle smell of nutmeg and the sound of bottom wiggling tunes fill the air. The happiest people assisted us and a super friendly taxi driver drove us into the hills to our guest house: Grenada Gold Guest house in Westering Heights. The cars are all right hand drive which reduces the usual panic of being on the “wrong side” commonly experienced by “Brits abroad”. Our hostess at the guesthouse, Lucille, is a fun-filled and smily lady who grew up in the UK and Spain before settling back to Grenada with her Grenadian husband 20 years ago. She had kindly done a shop for us and supplied a rental car through her other business, what a star!
The first morning here I had arranged for us to view a boat at 9.30am and then the one which was the reason we came here at 12 noon. It was extremely hot and I felt so sorry for the kids who were really tired and hot. Once we had fought with a guy who was clearly aiming for the award of “Security guard of the year” to get into Spice Island Marina, we were pretty sure the first yacht was not for us. It was old, tired and needed completely refurbished and far too much of a project for us. The second was over in Prickly Bay and was not a disappointment. We continue to look at her and go through her systems to decide if she is the new home of the Rascals….
The first afternoon was spent playing at Grand Anse beach, a 2 mile stretch of white sand which is a popular hang out for locals and tourists alike. Our landlady happened to be their with her son and his friend. Momen latched on to them immediately and the football loving trio were formed. Delilah befriended three young girls and Cairo swam with Daddy. Less than 24hours in Grenada and we felt at home!
Following our “lime” on the beach we sampled one of the island’s biggest supermarkets. Like Barbados, Grenada is not a cheap place to eat or buy food. You can try to buy local but not a lot is in plentiful supply (this fact has opened our eyes to many opportunities here!). Whilst shopping i spotted Driscoll’s raspberries for a mere £7.50 sterling for a small punnet! Needless to say i settled for some cheap little onions and a bunch of green bananas!
The kids have befriended many yacht families, all different nationalities and ages and they meet every afternoon to swim and play on the beach. The kids are all super capable, driving outboard engines, paddling surf boards ashore and diving off the jetties. The three rascals have fitted in just fine and have started to form some great friendships.
Aly has been stalking the wildlife again with his camera lens. In our garden we have found blue whiptail lizards, hummingbirds and tree anoles. The project at hand is to see and snap an Armadillo….
Rascals Adventure 
loving this Rosie, seriously questioning my plans as I scribble at my essay x
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