Friday 21st May St Helena Day

St Helena Day naturally enough is a public holiday and it is combined with the Whitsun Monday Holiday this year to produce a welcome 4-day weekend.
 

The weekend did not start well for me. I had been busy for the preceding days and on Thursday night after enjoying a few end of week sundowners at Donny’s a small group of us had retired to Ann’s Place for a meal and a few more beers. We had finished eating when a lady at the table behind me collapsed over her meal. Although not on call I had no choice but to respond and escort her to the hospital in the ambulance, she appeared to have had a heart attack but fortunately this proved not to be the case. Nevertheless it was 3 am before I finally got to bed.

The weather the following morning was perfect clear sky,

bright sun and a fresh breeze. After checking on the condition of my patient of the night before I  met up with Ann,  Mike and Derrian (the newly weds) on the quay  with whom I had planned a day sailing before the St Helena Day Parade. Although the shops were shut the town was crowded with people preparing for the days events. RMS St Helena was in the bay and loading in preparation for an early departure on the Saturday. 

Also in the bay was the RFA Black Rover paying a courtesy visit to the island.

We enjoyed a wonderful few hours on the water, it is great to be able to get off the island once in a while and look back at it. Even more important is the opportunity to talk about the difficulties and frustrations of island life with trusted friends and not worry about being who else might be listening. The presence of two large ships also gave more purpose to our sailing, we were able to sail around them rather than just sail in circles. 

From the sea we could clearly hear the sound of music from the festivities ashore. There are only 4000 people on the island but most of them seemed to be on the waterfront.





We returned shortly after the parade arrived on the quayside and made our way back to our favourite haunt – Donny’s to enjoy a few more beers and watch the sun go down behind the Black Rover to mark the end of a perfect day.

Saturday and Sunday I have been on-call at the hospital but fortunately not too busy, today I have been one of the “Hares” for the Hash and been out setting the trail for the “Hounds” in the Hash run later this afternoon.

The Hash is developing a good following and we have attracted a number of families with young children so we have set a double course, a fairly demanding run for the enthusiasts and a fun run for the families. Today’s course is on the eastern end of the island where there are barren dry volcanic mud slopes with sparse vegetation consisting mainly of Tungi cactus. Fortunately the weather remained dry, had it rained there would have been some very muddy runners.

After the run there will of course be a few more beers then a party.
Back to work tomorrow but at least its only a 4 day week.

An Island Wedding

Steph and I met Mike and Derrian last year on the RMS when we sailed back to the UK. They had been working on the island for a couple of years and had decided to get married on the island on their return.  I met Mike again soon after I returned to the island in February and we have become good friends and together with Neil who was Best Man for the Stag Night and who was to give Derrian away we have enjoyed several walking and sailing trips together and of course the odd beer.

The build up to the wedding began two weeks ago when Derrian was due to arrive back on St Helena. Neil, Mike, I and Anne sailed out in her boat to meet the RMS carrying a large banner welcoming Derrian back to the island.

Last weekend was the stag night when a large group of Mike’s friends, islanders and ex-pats joined in a pub crawl taking in nearly all of the island pubs.

Sadly I was on-call for Maternity that night and had to follow with a personal supply of non-alcoholic beer. Fortunately the only lady due to deliver in the next 6 weeks had delivered that morning so I was not tied too closely to the hospital.

The evening included the usual rituals of drinking games, rugby songs etc. and ended with a BBQ and a bun fight in the rain.  Wisely Neil had arranged a minibus to ensure that everyone arrived home safely.











The wedding was delightful. The service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral and conducted by the Bishop of the S Atlantic. Bishop John as he is better known is a familiar face and frequently joins us on Friday nights at Donny’s Bar.

Not surprisingly none of Mike or Derrian’s family had been able to come over from the UK so Neil switched roles, having been Best Man for the Stag Night and took on the role of bride’s father. The church congregation consisted of a large gathering of friends and islanders who all knew one another well. The service although held in the cathedral and conducted by Bishop John in the full regalia of his office was a wonderfully relaxed and informal.

The reception was held at the Consulate Hotel in the centre of Jamestown

and lasted well into the evening. Once again I was on-call for Maternity fortunately it was another  quiet day but I had to be content with non-alcoholic champagne.

Sadly both Mike and Derrian have now completed their contracts on the island and will be packing their bags for a honeymoon and a return to the UK. They will both be greatly missed.

And finally  ...   we have potatoes again.  After nearly three months the RMS has arrived with 13 tons of fresh potatoes. There not in the shops yet but I've seen them on the quay so hopefully tomorrow!