“I Can’t Help Myself” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Got up yesterday morning feeling like I could tackle anything and succeed . Obviously at my age I can’t but its great to feel that way. Decided though to take a slow build up. Why rush things?

So, I did what I do best. Made (Made? Water in kettle, kettle on, coffee in a mug, wait for the water to boil, and then pour in to mug. It’s not rocket science!) my first coffee of the day, grabbed my iPad and headed for the veranda. Time of reaching favoured position ? Around 04.15 hours. I think. I think because in all honesty I didn’t look at a clock.

Straight to The Times on-line to read about all that I am missing in England. Not a great deal actually apart from being able to go and watch Arsenal . Oh, and my and Rose’s family. Whoops. And my friends of course.

Once I had finished reading the ‘paper’ I turned my attention to assembling yesterday’s edition and this took me around an hour. If you read it I can understand you being puzzled as to why it should have taken that long. But it did. Perhaps I allow my mind to wander too much instead of focusing on the task at hand?

After I had pressed the publish button I showered, shaved, got dressed – which pair of shorts and T shirt do I wear?- had breakfast and then knuckled down to try and get the stuff we have shipped from the UK on the move from Belize City (it has been ‘sitting’ there since 11 September) to our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

An email from Excess International Movers (the company we used in the UK) that I had been copied in on sought confirmation from Belize Logistics Services Limited that Customs would be inspecting our consignment today and that our stuff would then be with us by Saturday.

It was looking good. Or was it? No. There was no email of confirmation from Belize Logistics Services Limited. So I sent an email to our shipping company in the UK asking for clarification. Very soon after I received a telephone call from the UK asking if I was ‘OK’ for a three-way telephone call – Jose Gomez (of Belize Logistics Services Limited), him and me. Obviously I agreed.

Within minutes we were conducting a three way conversation and it got even better (or so I thought at the time) when Jose said that he would contact me later in the day to let me know what time the inspection by Customs would take place the next day. It was looking good.

Optimism turned to immense frustration when around an hour later later Excess International Movers and myself received an email from Jose advising us that Eurocaribe (the company used by our UK shipping agent to move our stuff from Miami to Belize City) would not release our consignment until an invoice for the sum of BZ$ 334.51 is settled.

Contact with the UK (again) revealed that as far as they are concerned all costs have been paid and that they will resolve the matter. The bottom line is though that it is hugely unlikely that our stuff will be inspected today.

I am sure that shipping stuff in to Belize is not normally ( I will have a comparator when we ship stuff from Miami very soon) as troublesome as this. It has been (and still is) an immensely frustrating experience. Not helped by the fact that I can’t help myself.

Accepting that we could do no more Rose and I had lunch and then set off to visit our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize stopping on the way to visit the bank (another withdrawal I am sorry to say) and to the offices of Coral Cable to organise installation (a fee of BZ$ 205) for our new home.

We got to our lot shortly after 15.15 hours and went straight to the Store Room/Garage on the Ground Floor to check if the fluorescent light had been fitted (we’ll need this when our stuff from the UK eventually arrives!). It had.

And it works.

In front of the house Edgar (the granite man) was on the final stages of the countertop for the breakfast bar on the First Floor.

A study of concentration!

Not too far away we saw that work had begun for the railings for the left-hand side (going up) of the first flight of stairs.

Time to visit the upper levels of the house. So, stepping carefully around Victor (the welder) and his son who were working on the railings

Victor.

Victor’s son.

we entered the house to find that Alfredo had been busy varnishing doors.

Door to the Utility Room.

Hall closet (our Mud Room).

Door for the Powder Room.

Up the scaffolding to the Second Floor where I found Moses cleaning up after he had fitted the locks for our bedroom and bathroom doors.

Door to bedroom. This has another lock to be fitted yet.

Door for my walk-in closet/bathroom.

A walk outside on to the veranda/roof terrace ( I always like to take a look at the views when I am on the Second Floor) revealed that the guys (I suspect Angel) had started on the snagging by painting over the dirty marks and scratches on the exterior walls.

Northern wall. Ladder and paint tray not removed yet.

Southern wall.

Whilst up on the roof terrace I was able to get a good view of how the land fill for our adjacent lot is going.

Still a lot to do but a good start.

On the way out of house Victor told us that he hoped to finish the railings by Friday and taking a look as we headed to our ‘cart we could see why.

Railings nearly complete.

The headline for today’s edition is based on the single released in 1965 by the Four Tops which reached number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number ten in the UK Singles Chart.

STOP PRESS
Matthew Klinck and Horacio Louis Guerrero , producers of Las Isla Bonita, San Pedro’s first telenovela, have just confirmed that the first in the series ( around an hour long) will be filmed during the last week of this month and then shown initially at the Paradise Theatre but subsequently on TV.

I mentioned this project in an edition in September but things are now really moving at a pace and this morning they announced (on Reef TV) the first five people chosen to act in the first show. They also gave an insight in to the storyline – a church scene involving a bride being stood up at the altar.

There are still a few roles for males and females between the ages of 18 to 27 that need to be filled and if you are interested just let the producers know via their Facebook page. Oh , and if you do, good luck.