"What I miss about the BVI"

Harmony & Tyler on Tortola c1970 

My Mother-in-law, who lived on Tortola in the Sixties and Seventies, read my blog today and emailed me her list:

"Here's my list of misses:

1. I miss the warm weather
2. Wearing sandals all the time and being barefoot
3. Just having summer clothing, no winter
4. The warm sea
5. Being a hippie
6. The world passing by and not knowing it.

I know it has all changed, but I still miss it".

It was rather humbling to get this email and made me realise how grateful I am to my intrepid parents-in-law who came here in the first place and started this rolling family adventure. I'm completely in awe of my MOL Harmony, who was the island 'It' girl of her day and delivered 3 kids (all by Dr Robin Tatt, one during a hurricane) on Tortola and used to go shopping on the seaplane ("The Goose") to St Thomas.

I do love living here and it's been almost two years now. Our family is scattered around the world in outposts as far as Sligo, Melbourne, London, Cape Town, Rorkes Drift  and New Zealand as are many families. I just miss them all so much. Sometimes Facebook is not enough. I want to swop notes and things  with my nieces and ruffle my nephews hair and hug them all till they can't breathe. I miss chatting in my Mother's sitting room and I miss my friends so much that I zone it out.

I'll soon get over my sad patch and start planning new things. For now, it's comforting to see these old photos which provide some continuity to our lives here. They make me realise that this is really home for Tyler and it is a wonderful place for the boys to grow up.

Tyler, Tortola c1972