Thursday, August 11, 2005
August is here . . .
. . . and with it the cold and the rain (just like England, really). I’ve finally had to don a coat.
We've – at last - bought the house, the powers that be having eventually decided that not only was I fit to manage £26m of the island's wealth, but I could also probably look after £60,000 worth of breeze-blocks. All I have to do now is persuade PW&SD to connect the electricity and water, and various builders to re-design the house to Catherine's requirements (I have decided that women treat new houses like they do new husbands - as raw material to be re-modelled into something usable).
We've adopted another cat (total now is 5, i.e. about 1 per month since we arrived). We found him injured in the middle of the road, having (presumably) been hit by a car. He's recovering well, but we can't find an owner so we have decided he is ours. We've named him 'Bollard'.
Now you're up to date.
We've – at last - bought the house, the powers that be having eventually decided that not only was I fit to manage £26m of the island's wealth, but I could also probably look after £60,000 worth of breeze-blocks. All I have to do now is persuade PW&SD to connect the electricity and water, and various builders to re-design the house to Catherine's requirements (I have decided that women treat new houses like they do new husbands - as raw material to be re-modelled into something usable).
We've adopted another cat (total now is 5, i.e. about 1 per month since we arrived). We found him injured in the middle of the road, having (presumably) been hit by a car. He's recovering well, but we can't find an owner so we have decided he is ours. We've named him 'Bollard'.
Now you're up to date.
Monday, August 01, 2005
No ICE in St. Helena
No, not an item on the weather (which is wet and windy today) but a reference to the new ICE initiative in the UK.
The idea is that you store the word
In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. It's so simple that everyone can do it.
For more than one contact name, store ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.
Of course, as there are no mobile ‘phones in St. Helena, we have our own system.
If someone were to fall down unconscious in the street, or be unlucky enough get hit by a car travelling fast enough to do some harm, the first person on the scene would immediately contact the unfortunate individual’s entire family, knowing from personal knowledge who they are, where they live and work, when their birthday is, what their favourite colour is, what sort of music they like (probably Country & Western), etc.
This is one of the advantages of living in a small community ….
Still, for those of you that do not live in such an intimate environment, the ICE idea seems like a very good one and I thoroughly recommend it.
The idea is that you store the word
ICEin your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted
In Case of Emergency.
In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. It's so simple that everyone can do it.
For more than one contact name, store ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.
Of course, as there are no mobile ‘phones in St. Helena, we have our own system.
If someone were to fall down unconscious in the street, or be unlucky enough get hit by a car travelling fast enough to do some harm, the first person on the scene would immediately contact the unfortunate individual’s entire family, knowing from personal knowledge who they are, where they live and work, when their birthday is, what their favourite colour is, what sort of music they like (probably Country & Western), etc.
This is one of the advantages of living in a small community ….
Still, for those of you that do not live in such an intimate environment, the ICE idea seems like a very good one and I thoroughly recommend it.
