And we`re off.......

I have rarely felt so little excitement about leaving for a trip. There are a few reasons for this; my next door neighbour is rapidly being consumed by her lung cancer which the day before I left made the final trip up to her brain rendering her unusually vague and confused. Less than a week I thought knowing I was to leave the next day and not being able to be there to support John through this last stage. At least the son appeared, summoned by our other neighbours for her swansong.

Then there is the fearful anticipation of the job itself and not being up to the challenge, together with the absolute certainty of being bitten viciously despite all my anti-bug sprays. And the guilt of abandoning Snowbelle (sigh). And just to complicate matters there is a REALLY tight connection time at Houston between my flights which could knacker everything if it does not come off.

So even whilst I am accelerating down the runway leaving England`s green and pleasant land I am still morose, that is until I watch Blades of Glory....man that is a funny film! And I start to lighten up (thank god I hear you cry!) so by the time I get to Houston (having eaten a bizarre interpretation of a chicken tikka massala) I am mentally prepared to push and cajole my way through the system to get my flight....which I do only after being sent the wrong way twice and sprinting through the terminals to make the gate by seconds (phew). And my luggage made it too - incredible.

The air here in Belize has no smell, unlike Africa but is like a warm sweaty blanket enveloping everything...its gonna take some getting used to. Nobody to meet me....not that it matters, two locals check who I`m meeting and Marilyn ( whose sister was married to Mr Roe`s brother for a while) rings them at home to summon them to pick me up - now that`s a small town! Roz plus Viv (one of the quads) appear in a screech of dust and whisk me about quarter of a mile back to their fantastic pad where I meet the others (Nicole also dark haired like Viv, and Lou & Andrea the blond quads). I am relocated swiftly to the Manatee club for a few beers and great Lebanese food (go figure...) and introduced to some of their friends and relatives (who it appears live in the same enclosure as Roz and co.) But my 8.30pm local time (3.20am home time) I am bushed and need bed. I still wake up at 6am - how does that work?!