Diamond Sunday

 The thing I will miss most about our time here in our house.  I love it.  I love having people over and well there is probably not another time I will be able to say we live on a beach in The Bahamas.  And like most things, you do not know what you have until it is gone.  This year it is still hot in December and we are still very much enjoying our beach.  Sunday we had one of Sebastian's friends who we have not seen in months.  It was a perfect day. 

A perfect day turned into a very entertaining evening with Kendal and Terry.  I am definitely going to miss a lot of people when we go.  

Saturday Flying Fish Dinner

 I am so far behind in my posts!  Getting ready for travel is not easy these days and the rules seem to change all the time.  I have also been so busy with marking and getting ready for the end of term at school.  So Saturday night dinner out was much needed for everyone.  As an added bonus we ran into Megan and Chris who joined us for a delicious dinner.

They are also off to the UK this weekend so we were able to swap tips and suggestions about best PCR test etc.  We are all anxiously watching the news in hopes there are no further restrictions until at least the 19th of December.

Bye Bye Bruce

 This morning Bruce came for breakfast before we started our day as he is currently on a plane to Florida.  He is going to visit his son and grandchildren and then well he is not really sure.  But he knows he needs a break from here and Covid willing, a new adventure.   When we arrived here in Grand Bahama, Bruce was only passing through but over the last year and a half has become a very important member of our family.  I hope that he gets to travel and see all the things that Covid has stopped him from doing, but I (we) are going to miss him tremendously.  It is funny how children can just sense things, the last three days Sebastian has wanted to be with Bruce all day.  He has dragged him to the supermarket, for chocolate, to the park and last night we all went out for dinner.

Safe travels Bruce and we will see you back here in 2022 or Bangkok!

Sebastian and Axel Day

Luis was out on a boat all day Saturday and it meant we had the day together.  It was a beautiful day and we spent it largely with his best buddy Axel.  We will really miss them next year, they play so well together and every time it just gets better and better.

We spent the morning at the Garden of the Groves and had lunch together.

Then we headed to Port Lucaya and the lighting of the Christmas Tree.  It was a great evening, Sebastian and Axel danced all night and it really made me feel excited for Christmas.  A lovely day together.

Chris and Kerry

 The worst thing about getting a new job in November is that you do not start it until August.  It is not that we are in a hurry to leave it is just hard not to start to feel disconnected.  Often people do not try as hard as they know you will be leaving.  I try never to do that, one of the closest friends I made in Phuket was in our last eight months.  Aloni was and still is a huge part of my life.  So it felt really nice when Chris and Kerry invited us over for dinner when hearing our news.  They are very keen to make sure we spend loads of time together before we leave which is lovely.  They also live in Simon and Alison's old house and I was keen to have a nose around to see the changes.

Just before we headed over Gladys gave Sebastian a small gift.  He loves his new Elf legs and it made me feel a bit of the Christmas spirit.

We then headed out for a lovely night and delicious meal.  The house looks the same except for a lot fewer pictures.  Alison had it looking like they had lived there 20 years, it was quite impressive.  I quite liked to see other teachers like us who do not decorate too much, as we are always on the go.

Bangkok Here we Come

 It has been said that I am very competitive and I think it is usually not meant as a compliment.  I think it is generally seen as negative when associated with women.  I could write a whole book on what I see in schools and how it is seen as a positive trait in boys and not so much in girls.  But actually, this post has little to do with that and I will reserve all that chat for another post or maybe even an eventual book.  Back to the point.  When we left Thailand almost two years ago I had 12 000 Baht (about 400US) with me for some reason and when it became clear we were not going back Luis kept wanting me to change it.  It is impossible to change here and Luis calls it my Monopoly money.  But I hate losing on currency exchange and swore I would one day spend it again.  And now the connection, we are moving back to Thailand in July!  Now is it totally to prove to Luis that I was going to be able to spend that money again.  No, not really, but I do enjoy the fact that I will be able to.  In all seriousness, we cannot be happier to return to Thailand and the great city (which also begins with B), Bangkok.  Seven more months of the beach house and big city here we come.

Leaving Party to End all Leaving Parties

 He came, he went and he left a big mark on the community.  Matt had two great weeks here and has decided to come back in January to hang out with his new crew.  His leaving party was pretty epic for someone who had only been here two weeks. I am quite positive the Sand Bar has not been like that for years.

After a night, literally on the bar, it was wonderful to wake up to a stunning day.

Matt took us to brunch and then we chilled on our beach for a bit.

Then he was off.  I think this picture captures the love that was created between these two.  It was lovely to have him and I am so happy he loved it so much.