No longer in the windies

The last few weeks has sped by without leaving me much time to think, which is good as I am a thinker if nothing else. Sometimes I think so much I actually end up not doing, but only sometimes and then only very occasionally!!!

We have left Trinidad, and so the Island Life in the Windies have come to an end. There was much to organise and do before we left. We had to pack, decide what we were shipping to Canada, what we were giving to charity, what we were taking back to UK, what we were leaving at Claire's in Toronto.... sell the Matrix, tell school we were leaving, look for somewhere to live in Toronto, find the kids a school there..... the list goes o and on..... seemed endless...I was in denial, mostly ignoring it all and burying myself in scrabble and bejewelled!

Our time in Trinidad was cut short by 13 months, my time was thieved away! The kids were happy to leave, Dave too was happy to leave, pastures new awaiting us in Canada. I was sad to leave, I had made many good friends in Trinidad and was not ready to leave them all behind. I have often thought that the dust that had just settled was being blown up again, by another storm. Our lives in Trini was just moving along nicely, nice social life for me and Dave, the kids having made a friendship base, that too was true for me. I had my friends from the Asian Ladies Club, my wonderful neighbours, who were so helpful when I was trying to sort out the Matrix and was without a car for several days, Tricia, a fellow ex-pat wife, who had come to Trini the same time as me, a wonderful friend and who was also leaving to go back to Glasgow with her kids. Not to mention all my other trini friends that weren't neighbours. I felt like I belonged and I haven't felt like that for a long time.

Selling the car was a hoot in the end. It was getting close, it was our last week in Trini and we still hadn't sold the blooming thing. In the end I rang some numbers that I had got of a local newspaper. I disregarded the first call as I could hardly understand the man at the end of the line and he was asking me why I was selling the car if there wasn't anything wrong with it! Told him I was leaving the country. The 2nd number lead me to Frank who said he would pay TT30000, which was a bit lower than what we wanted but thought we had better get rid when we could, taking our money and running as it were.

Anyway, off we drove towards Couva to meet Kev, plan to meet in Point Lisas at 9 am. We were early and so went for a coffee at Rituals and breakfast. Dave had rung Nigel, one of the drivers to see if we could get a lift home should we sell the car. He said to call MP to confirm this. Anyhow, time was moving on, 9 am came and went and we were wondering where Kev was. Dave called him up and asked him where he was. He replied that he was at the bank!!! We were both incredulous, what was he doing at the bank??? He said he had some banking to do and would be with us. Dave said, well, be here by 9.30 or we would not wait. The reply was , oh? ok in a rather confused voice. Dave then had a thought, he quickly looked back at the call log only to discover that he had rung Nigel up and not Kev, no wonder he was at the bank, he was running company errands!! And was not coming to buy our car! Dave then rang the right number and Kev said he's be with us shortly... next was Nigel, Dave apologised for the tone he had used with him and Nigel said, I did wonder what on earth was happening and thought he had forgotten something!!!

To cut a long story short, we went to the bank, got the managers check, then went off to deposit the check to be told it would be 4 days before it cleared, when we had already left!! So, back to issuing bank to get cheque cashed, but we did not have the right ID , so back home and then back to bank to get cash out!!! We did get our money in the end.....

Our departure was uneventful, had to pay some excess baggage and the flight uneventful.... to Toronto.....

Thus comes to the end of our island life in the windies... and on the a new blog.... not sure what it will be called yet......