Vici & Paul's Blog

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeee! (cont'd...)

2006-08-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Although it was a gorgeous morning to be out at sea, we weren't very lucky on the fishing side of things, they just weren't biting. Instead, seeing as it was my birthday, I decided to act my age and, while Lisa took a nap, made Brett pose for photos he had absolutely no idea would be so........... suggestive - smile!! Great shot.

Just as we were about to head back to shore we caught our one and only fish, a barracuda - look at those gnashers!!

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeee!

2006-08-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday on the 17th and yet again Donna Lorraine was there to help us celebrate. She set sail very early at 6am and it was one of the most beautiful mornings we've ever seen. The sea was like oil it was so flat and calm - what a wonderful, wonderful day to go fishing.... or so we thought!

Captain Jeremy and Captain Steve up at Head O'Bay were busy preparing the lines and setting us in the right direction to catch our dinner.....

... we were all full of beans and raring to go, ready to catch loads of tuna and dolphin for our sushi party that night.

World Crap 2006

2006-08-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

We all know the outcome to this year's sad World Cup, so I'll keep the narrative to a minimum. I just wanted to show you the pictures of us (1) anticipating a glorious win for England, (2) preparing for/enjoying the games (while they lasted) and (3) drowning our sorrows after Rooney dashed all our hopes.....

After we lost miserably to Portugal, we decided to continue our drinking session with friends, Heidi & Richard, on their gazebo by the sea.

Paul and Richard showing their brute strength (amazing what a few JD's can do for you!)

Finally, Paul has forgotten about the football.....

Head o' Bay Rules

2006-06-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

We have met some great people here on Little Cayman, but the guys at Head o' Bay really do exceed all expectations. Yet again they took us fishing and we had a really great time. I was extremely disappointed at first that I'd have to get up at 5.00 a.m. to leave the dock at 5.30 a.m., but it wasn't long until I realised just why it was so important to leave so early.......

The sunrise was stunning as you can see, and was made even better by getting the chance to sit back and watch it while the guys got down to the nitty gritty of setting up the rods 'n' bait 'n' all that stuff. It didn't take long before the fish started to bite and I succeeded in reeling in my first tuna!!!

I know I look pretty rattled, but those suckers really do know how to flip out!! We couldn't keep it still for longer than a few seconds and alright, its pretty small, but it had some force on it!! There was no way I wanted to try holding it, Jeremy was doing pretty well on his own so I let him join me in my victory picture instead.

It wasn't long until everyone was at it and we succeeded in catching 4 very tasty tuna.

We were actually out for a special occassion which was Brett's birthday and last day on the island, and what a successful day he had. He managed to pull in a beautiful dolphin and I got the pictures to prove it. Don't freak, I don't mean dolphin as in Flipper, I mean as in....... well, you can see for yourself from the photos.

I know its not the best of pictures, but if I thought the Tuna was fast, this one was amazing!!

So once all the fun was over, it was time to make dinner, and boy was it good!! Jeremy cutting up the fish was a piece of art in itself. If you don't like blood, look away now....

AND THAT'S WHAT I CALL FRESH SUSHI!!!

One, two, three, four, five

2006-03-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

So they all went off fishing for the afternoon and I had to stay at work :o( Still, it was great to see and hear what a great time they all had. Ben succeeded in catching the first Marlin of the year - 150lbs!!!

After listening to Ben tell stories of how he caught the Marlin (over and over and over and over again - it had grown to a massive 250lbs by the time the night was over), we decided the only chance of shutting him up for longer than 5 mins was to feed him. Paul on the other hand had other ideas, it all got a bit too much for him.....

Sports Day

2006-03-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

So there really are other things to do on LC than just drink and dive (not in that order of course!)

The boys are let out to play....

.... but had a fall out (bad losers) and Mark was stood in the corner for bad behaviour.

They soon made up and Paul did a leap of delight at their success!!

The girls didn't miss out on all the fun. We went on a little sailing trip - my very first time at sailing alone (well, without someone who knows what they're doing!). As Jodi put it my sailing is great, but my parking leaves a bit to be desired!!!

After a few beers and plenty of sunshine all afternoon, the journey home was even more dramatic. Not only did we think we had the sun in the palm of our hands.....

... but we also thought we could sail home with no wind whatsoever! "Let's hear it for the boys"! who had to tow us back instead ;o)

You gotta feel sorry for Little Cayman

2006-03-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

So, as most of you will know, 3 of our "well good mates" turned up out of the blue about 3 weeks ago and surprised us here on Little Cayman. Paul and I promptly took the afternoon off work, grabbed a cooler of ice and took them down to Point of Sands for an aftertoon of beer drinking (would of been rude not to).

It didn't take long for them to settle in, and before we knew it, karaoke night was upon us and Simon and Ben became Simon & Garfunkel with their rendition of...... just about anything they could sing, and I...... well, the picture says it all.

. Much to Ben's disappointment, not a single note could be rung out of Paul, however it was a totally different story the following week when he'd a wee bit too much to drink before we even got there and we couldn't shut him up!

Just a couple of gooden's from the same night - I can only wonder at what Simon was doing to Paul!

Jamaica bums

2006-03-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

So, we had our 4 night trip to Jamaica finally planned after hours of trying to arrange accommodation and flights and at last we were on our way..... of course, Air Jamaica had other ideas!! After waiting in Grand Cayman for 4 hours for our connecting flight, the bloody thing was cancelled and we had to stay in Grand for the night. After much arguing with head office (well done Paul for being your sneaky little self and stealing the number off ground staff's mobile!), we managed to get vouchers not only for accommodation but for food and drink as well.

When we did at last arrive in Ocho Rios we were frozen to death (neither of us having much meat on our bones to keep us warm)! After living in the Carribbean for the last 5 months you'd think we would know by now that the weather can be a little unpredictable, and would of brought at least 1 long sleeve top with us but no, we made the typical English mistake of bringing shorts and bikinis only!! The heavens opened and we spent the afternoon drinking free vodka with the free towels wrapped tightly around us whilst sitting by the pool (it was warmer than sitting inside with the air conditioning) getting wet, and you know how much Paul HATES to get wet.

Still, we obviously did something right because the next day after fighting off the women trying to brade my hair in all sorts of wonderful styles and making it to the shops to buy a sweatshirt, the sun finally came out and burnt Paul to a crisp!! ha, ha, ha

We had a brilliant time and din't want to come home. The hotel was enormous and had 5 swimming pools (of course we didn't get in - too cold) and 2 hot tubs (yes, we spent most of our time in there, you know how Paul loves the bath). Food and drink was all inclusive, so we made the most of that every day.

Unfortunately we didn't get to see Dunn's River (thanks Air Jamaica), but we did go horse riding on the beach!! Absolutely wicked. You'll see some of the photos below..... I think I'm a natural. xxx

It's Party Time...... again!

2006-02-11T06:15:00.000-08:00

So, I thought it was about time I updated the blog. There's really not that much to say about the photos, they're quite self-explanatory - basically me and Paul partying whenever we're not doing some kind of watersports.

Andrew the pretend paramedic, Vici and Rob.

Paul trying to woo the ladies again!!

Me doing what I do best; above - the beginning of the night with Elin, and below..... somewhere near the end with Elisa.

And finally, I'd like to say this was sunrise on New Year's Day but unfortunately its not. Gorgeous though, and just a few steps from our house..... see, we do appreciate more than just the alcohol here on Little Cayman ;o)

Xmas 2006

2005-12-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Well, we woke up and opened our presents......... can you guess what I got???????????

Vici got something nice as well - if you look closely you can see her bracelet that she's been going on about for the last month. She's pining for the matching pendant and ring but I think they'll of been sold by next Christmas!!

Once we cracked it on the couch, we headed off to sea. Only problem was, we got scared by the birds which looked quite upset that we was in the process of cooking there mate for dinner.

I made it look cool with my new board. Vici did very well and was the most improved player out there due to the fact that she spends most of her time reading up on wakeboarding tips and tricks on the net.

Water Babes

2005-11-19T04:10:00.000-08:00

As promised, some photos of us.... well, me really, learning to kite surf. This was only my first day so had Dave (our ass. manager) holding on to the harness to make sure the strong winds didn't blow me away - as you can see, Paul is nowhere to be seen!!! ;o)

Couldn't believe how strong the wind was, I needed someone hanging on to me as I'm sure the kite the would of dragged me face first through the sand without someone holding me down - very glamorous! As you can see from the next photo, sometimes 2 people works better than 1!! This is Dave and his wife, Elisa, holding on to Anna (our next door neighbour) while she has her first lesson......

God knows how I pulled this shot off - but what a cracker!!

And finally, of course he's never far away keeping an eye on me.

And we don't only kite surf you know!! Oh no, we have a whole range of water skills these days. This is the pair of us wakeboarding. We tried it in Koh Tao and loved it and now we get to do it for free whenever the weather allows, so if its flat enough we're out there.

And last but not least, me being my streamlined self under the sea with the fishes. No sign of Paul in this one, but his new camera should arrive any day now so no doubt there'll be lots of him (and his excellent "fishy" shots) to see soon.

spooky, spooky, very, very spooky

2005-11-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

As you can probably gather, this is halloween night! It's a really big thing in the States and everyone dresses up - not just as ghosts and ghouls, but as anything!!! Paul was a cowboy (obviously) and I was a genie. There was also a devil and vampire (typically) and a 60's "Charleston" girl, a guest dressed up as a mad cow (and won the competition - a big bottle of rum). There was a pumpkin, marilyn and also a 70's hippy chick. Had loads of fun and Paul had a go at "bobbin apples". Anyway, enjoy the piccies and I'll keep them updated. "Water babes" is soon to follow!!!

The Chamber Wedding

2005-11-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, most of you guys out there (at least from the Rock) know Sarah and Jamie from the Chamber and these are some photos of their wedding. It was a wicked day and they both grinned from ear to ear the entire time. Paul and I were witnesses and also turned out to be Best Man and "Bridesmaid" which was totally cool - when we went to sign the certificate, the Vicar asked how old I was and said I had to be over 18 - I thought Paul was gonna fall over - I of course loved it!!!

Yesterday's diving

2005-10-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

The weather was pretty damn poo yesterday but still decided go diving otherwise I wont get another chance till my next day off which isn't until next week. Ended up being pretty cool, although I was on the freezing side, rather than the cool side. In Thailand the water temperature was around 29 degrees, here its 30 - 31 and you don't usually need a wetsuit, but wish I had one with me yesterday. Anyway, below are some of the cool things I saw. For you divers out there - check out the vis. It's like that EVERY day!!!!

Pretty obvious who this little fella is. The turtles here are tiny!! This one's shell was probably only about 2ft wide. They're mainly hawksbill, but they occassionally get Green turtles. There's a lot of preservation going on which is great. Some of the girls walk the beach and look for nests and then keep an eye on the babies when they hatch and make a run for the water as there are loads of poachers on the island, Brac, nearby.

This is a Bearded Fireworm apparently! Just looks like a hairy caterpillar. Cool 'cos I've never seen one before.

And finally , a Spotted Spiny Lobster (upside down). This one was pretty small, but there are normal lobsters that are huge!! Paul reckons one nearly took off his arm - nothing changes eh!!

our new home!!

2005-10-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

If you look close enough you can see the look of horror on my face at the size of the plane we had to get on to to fly to Little Cayman from Grand Cayman. I was starving and actually thought we'd get a little meal like you do from Bangkok to Samui. What a joke. The flight was probably one of the best I've had though as you don't fly as high as you do in a big plane and the weather was gorgeous so had some great views as you'll see from the next picture.

The little island in the middle of the ocean is a kayak ride from the resort and called Owen Island. The staff sometimes go over and have little parties there, but we haven't been yet.

You can obviously take a pretty good guess at what this photo is - our new little abode. The house behind belongs to Anna who we work with. From this point, as you are looking at the house, when you turn around you see..............

Just to to the right of the hammocks, about 200 yards away is where we work, Reef Divers, Little Cayman Beach Resort.

That's all the photos for now. I'll put some new ones on when we have some. xxx

our engagement!!

2005-10-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

At last some piccies of our engagement. They are pretty self explanatory, but the one of us together, Paul got a random stranger to take. If you don't already know the story, its in the park where we had our first kiss at the ages of 9 and 11. My ring is just as gorgeous as it looks!!!