- Updates from the Islands -

- - Dominica - -

- Cool days

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 06:17:17 -0700

Yesterday was really windy very pleasantly cool.  Jaco Ladd and I went
to Mero beach for a couple of hours and had fun watching the kids
playing in the large waves, belly surfing and ducking in and out of
the sea.  It was such a pleasure to watch the young people having such
a fun time all on their own with no adults standing by watching their
every move!  It makes us acknowlege how lucky we are to live in the
Caribbean where children can enjoy their childhood, be adventurous and
grow up without fear.

The day before yesterday I was on the way home and came upon a tree
across the road and there were these strong men chopping the tree up
so we could pass.

That is another weird thing about living in the forest we often here
the crash of trees and branches falling down.  This can happen on a
really still day and it makes us jump.  I keep my fingers crossed each
morning that when we are out exercising, a tree, coconut or bread
fruit does not decide to fall on us!!  The forest definitely has a
life of its own!

We are watching Gaston, it looks on course to swipe us all again, we hope not!

My nephew is coming to stay this weekend.  He has had enough of the
hurricane season and is looking forward to going back to Austria where
he lives.

I have posted four photo's one of the kids in the sea at Mero, the
guys with the tree and a beautiful susnset.

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- Back to normal

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 03:59:49 -0700

The weather yesterday was glorious, everything looked fresh, green, green, green and so colourful. The ocean was the only thing that had not calmed down. The waves were crashing onto Mero beach. It was seriously beautiful.

As promised, here are two photographs of the coastguard boat on the rocks. I have been told though by many of my friends that the boat was really old and needed to go to the nautical graveyard! So perhaps it was for the best!

We are still watching the African coast and there is another cannon ball coming our way, the Lesser Antilles has become a veritable magnet! Let's hope Gaston runs out of gas.

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- Earl doth wrecketh!

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:54:50 -0700

The weather seems back to normal and I am off to look at some gorgeous land today with my sky blue wellie boots and Carib fashioned stick in tow - a very necessary item for walking acres of wild land in Dominica. It also keeps me very fit.

Yesterday morning it bucketed down, loud claps of thunder and some very bright flashes of lightning. I made a great and potentilly foolish decision to go into Roseau as one of the motors on my automatic windows had gone awol and the window was being held in place with plastic clothes pegs as wedges!! With the onset of Fiona and other hurricanes maybe coming along, I felt it was a good idea to get my window fixed! I ended up having both windows done just in case!

On the way into town, I noticed that there were three craft on the sea which was extremely rough being tossed about like flotsom. I thought to myself how really irresponsible to have those boats on anchor; it only looked like only one anchor on each boat! I was just amazed. Well on my way back home I was not at all surprised to see all three boats wrecked on the shore; one of the boats appeared to be the Dominica Coastguard boat!! Just utterly unbelievable, photo to follow later.

We have heard from our friends in Antigua and they are all fine but said there was a great deal of water everywhere. Earl is still out there beating up on everything he passes.

- Calm

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:27:29 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Do hope your all safe and well. Afternoon, still a lot of grey cloud and sea still

looking rough with whitecaps rolling in. Breeze has died down to almost non excistent.

Can no longer hear the pebbles and rocks being moved around by the sea. No rain.

Mozzie explosion. Ahhgggg.

You all take care.

- Edge of Earl.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:16:24 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

Do hope all that are taking a battering by Earl are safe and well. Hopefully not

to much damage for anyone.

Being just on the edge of Earl, we here have had some pretty heavy showers,

thunder and lightening during the earlier part of the morning. Good strong breeze, with

some heavy gusts thrown in. Sky and sea are just grey. Sea looks decidedly rough. Can

hear the pebbles, rocks and stones being shifted around. Watched a yacht out with all

sails up, probably enjoying themselves, me, I think mad. Listening to the news, sounds

like part of the north of the island have been taking a battering from the sea. Sky seems

to be brightening, but still thick cloud.

We also had 2 tremors last night. It rumbled from the south of the island. 2. 7 mag.

Depth of 8 km. Felt and heard the first at 9.49pm. Not the other at 9.50pm. No reports of

injury or damage yet.

I'm off for a coffee, watch the runoff from the river. Because it is fresh water, it's the

most amazing aquamarine colour, but likely to turn that horrible brown when the mud starts

washing down. Wind picking up again. Once again, you all take care. Stay safe.

- Yellow Sky

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:07:18 -0700

We have woken up to a really weird yellow sky with white clouds surrounded by purple. It still feels as if Earl is around but leaving us.

We had a very quiet night last night there was not a lot of rain, several gusts of wind and we did not feel any earthquake here in the valley!

We actually decided to watch the movie The Perfect Storm and thought about our friends on Antigua and in the other islands.

We hope that nobody got hurt and the any damage is minimal.

The to be Fiona looks as though she has dispersed a bit, we certainly hope so.

- Hurricanes and Quakes.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:03:32 -0400

A very early good morning to everyone,

Late afternoon we had some heavy showers, thunder and lightening. A nice strong breeze.

Had an island wide blackout, from reports on news on line, but the electric company got us up and

working again in quite a short space of time. Good work guys. Around 7pm we spotted lightening

to the north of us. Could hear no thunder though. A nice pleasant evening. Watching a film, enjoying

the contents of that long cool glass. WOW, the house is shaking. Had a quake. A strong one. Have

no details yet though, still checking news reports to find out where it occurred. So hope everyone is

safe and well. Now is the time to be aware of those slides. Started to rain, and the breeze is picking

up again.

Well I am off to get some sleep. You all take care. If your one of those who are still awake and

will be for some time, have a good night.

- First Clap of Thunder

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:27:30 -0400

We are experiencing a lot of dark clouds and rain coming from the west. At the moment it is very dark. I know, here in Dominica we are -supposedly - in the outer bounds of Hurricane Earl but earlier dices with Nature's fury has conditioned us into thinking treat ever thing as Cat 5, so the shutters are in place.

I had to go and walk an acre of interesting land this morning, a little unprepared, and got absolutely soaked to the skin within seconds.

The train from Afrrique rolleth!

Hide in a safe place.....thunder now.....!

.

- Dark & Raining.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:28:28 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

Sky very dark. Now raining. Breeze picking up. Hubby had to

make a dash from the west facing balcony, he started getting wet. L O L.

Sea very grey. Humidity not to bad.

Will give update if anything really starts to happen and while the

power lasts. We usaully lose power at some point with a good storm.

You all take care. Stay safe.

- Outer Breeze

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:55:57 -0700

We sincerely hope Antigua and Barbuda and the northern Leewards will not be hit too hard by what is now hurricane Earl!! My nephew is in Antigua at the moment and this will be his first experience of a hurricane. Hopefully Earl will not strengthen too much more, fingers crossed. Everyone in Antigua must be battening down; they really did not have much warning as Earl was meant to move more northward! We hope everyone stays safe.

We in Dominica are experiencing in the valley some blustery winds which are actually very pleasant. The sky is grey yellow and the dogs are all fast asleep.

We are now watching Fiona, canon balls seem to be coming off Africa headed for us in the Caribbean.

Good luck to all in Antigua and Barbuda.

- A Nice Day.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:33:07 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

the sat pic's I am looking at sees Earl splitting into two parts ( Looks like 2 fish kissing or is that just me )

Anyway, this splitting into 2. What does that really mean to the less well informed like me?? Good or Bad. All

looks very interesting. Just hoping he takes a swing soon and struts his stuff elsewhere. Preferably out at sea.

Another hot day here. A really nice breeze. Sky a bit overcast. Sea, more grey than blue. Horizon, very clear.

Humidity seemed high this morning, but now seems to have dropped some and feels a lot more comfy. Had some

rain in the wee hours of this morning, just enough to give the plants a drink.

Finally managed to get to the market today. Have not been for weeks. How lovely, everyone saying hello,

asking how we are and that we had been missed and pleased to see us back. Also had a good evening at the local

B.B. Q. meeting up with old and new neighbours. Just a couple of flashes of lightening, more to the south, and a few

spots of rain. Which did nothing to dampen the spirit of the night. Seems everyone had a good time.

I'm off to await our guests. A cup of coffee and check out the view. You all take care. Have a great afternoon.

- Not a cloud in the sky!

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:13:17 -0700

We have woken up to a beautiful sunny cloudless sky. The morning is cool at the moment but it looks like it is going to be a scorcher.

I have already got the washing on the line all the cushion covers; things that usually take a very long time to dry hopefully will be well dried by this evening.

When hurricanes gather out in the Atlantic and are sweeping pass us in the Caribbean, the prevailing hurricane sucks up all the air making the islands very hot and humid.

Hence the last week being so very hot and airless.

Our sometimes neighbour is new to farming, being brought up in Roseau as a boy! He is now turning his hand to organic farming which is fantastic, however, he insists that the

two guys working on the land burn every piece of weed or grass. We have had him over and explained that this is not necessary and that it is better if he piles it all up

and let it rot down to make compost to put back on the land! Every day this week we have had put up with smoke gliding over to us from the incessant fires that seem to

smoulder all night! The worse thing is that they have used tires (which are hugely odorous) to burn the grass, we also pointed out that tires are toxic and not good at all on the land!!

Jaco Ladd and I have been spoiled too much we are not used to neighbours! As time goes by so everything alters so this is just another chapter.

I so hope they take Sunday off, Praise the Lord!

We are keeping an eye on Earl he looks to be coming quite close to the islands lets hope he makes a swift turn and leaves us all alone.

- Mozzies and Bolivia.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:33:26 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

Hot, Hot, HOT. And another beautiful Caribbean day. Sky and sea, that perfect blue,

with little white fluffy clouds floating past. Nice breeze, helping, just a little, to cool things down.

Hopefully Earl is going to make a swing to the North and bypass. Looking at the sat pic's is a

bit scary.

Just had a real quick trip. A very nice, charming man rang from the Met Office to tell me

that my site was being listed somewhere in BOLIVIA. All seems to have been sorted out and

I am now back in Dominica.

Back to the mozzies. Seems Martinique and Guadeloupe have real problems from a

report in one of our weekly papers. We have been giving the mozzie problem some thought.

Hubby came up with gun holsters and small cans of spay on each hip. ( Just like the wild west

gunslingers ).

Well I'm off. Got to get ready for the local community B. B. Q. Will be wearing something

long and swishy for obvious reasons. Good fun and we get the chance to meet up with the

neighbours we rarely see. You all take care. Have a good evening and a great day tomorrow.

- Cool Evening.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:11:21 -0400

Good evening everyone,

we have had some thunder and lightening, with a really good downpour of

rain this evening. Feels quite cool out there on the balcony. Kind of evening to go

find a cardie, just to keep the chill at bay. Although the stuff that goes in that long

cool glass helps keep me warm.

Danielle is moving along nicely now. Hopefully she will take a turn to the North

and swish that tail of hers out to sea.

You all have a great evening. Take care.

P. S. Thanks for the card Mr & Mrs C. We are doing our best with the smiles.

- House of Dengue.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:29:22 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Well what can I say, been so ill Hurricane Walter and his marching band of Thunder

and Lightening could have tapped danced across the roof and I would not have known, or

cared very much. Luckily we haven't got to Walter yet, But see Danielle is making her play.

This is the first day I have felt well enough to get on the keyboard. Read Anne is having

problems with the Mozzies, well take care, because that old Dengue is not very nice and I

can safely vouch for that. This has been the house of Dengue for the last 3 weeks, Hopefully,

we are now all on the mend and feeling lot's better. Only real problem left now is paranoia, when

we feel something brush our skin. Out come the sprays, candles, coils, plug- ins. Anything.

Even gave some thought to making myself a net burka. Anything to keep the vampires at bay.

So then, this morning. Well the sea is a very dark blue and looks just a little rough out

there. Sky, started out a nice bright shade of blue, but is now darkening, with some pretty

big dark heavy looking clouds. Good breeze, (which helps keep the mozzies away for a bit. )

No dust, horizon nice and clear. Humidity feels up. Looks very much like we have some rain

on the way.

The garden could do with a drink. Lost some of my seedlings and cuttings, due to Dengue.

Oh well never mind, give me something to do,replacing them.

I'm off to have that other coffee, enjoy my view. You all take care. Have a great day.

It's started to rain and heavy. Whiteout conditions.

- Heavy hitting rain

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:50:14 -0700

All night we had heavy rain on and off it sounded like we were under several waterfalls. The weather today is messy, it is hot, though we are having a bit of breeze! The sun peeps out with the rainbow attached then the rain cascades. One of those Sundays to chill out at home. I have a miserable cold which has decided to come out over the weekend. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring a good day with no snivels.

It looks very, unsettled off the African coast with huge weather, we hope this dissapates and that the promised hurricane does not go up to Bermuda. What should I say bring on the Sahara dust.

I hope you all have a great Sunday, I am going into have some great fluids, put my feet up and kill off this blocked up heady thing ! Jaco Ladd is at hand with a soothing massage..... way to go.

- Heat, Hot, Hot

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:36:13 -0700

Over the last week we have had a mixed bag of weather. The temperature has been interesting as in the day time it is very hot up in the 90's yet at night it is becoming beautifully cool! It reminds me of Autumnal weather in the UK. It is though the middle of our summer!

We have had a lot of thunder, lightning and rain over the last three days, it has been refreshing. Today is breezy and sunny. Is it the lull before the storm!? Jaco Ladd keeps telling me that there will be some very nasty weather coming our way at some time during this hurricane season, that we have to be prepared to batten down and be ready which of course we try to be.

I feel though that this season will not be as bad as predicted it is a gut feeling that I have and I totally hope I am right.

- SUNSHINE

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 10:01:46 -0400

Saturday was the most perfect day, beautiful sunshine a cool breeze
the light was fantastic so I took photo's of our garden which is
flourishing in this weather.  Sunday was a wet windy day but still
really fresh and nice!  I have just heard a big thump and a little
thump!  The big thump was a breadfruit dropping from the tree and the
little thump an avocado dropping from - yes, you're right - another
tree!  We are surrounded by fruits from all over the place.  There is
nothing better than taking a fresh avocado from the tree, splitting it
open and eating it the taste is just so amazing and avocados are so
good for us.  The size of our avocado pears here are amazing, the size
of two and a half apples, enough for a meal on it's own.

We are very lucky at the moment with the weather.  Pakistan is having
the most terrible time with floods, it does cross my mind that in the
past when that part of the world is having bad weather our side of the
world seems to have an easier time!  We feel so sad for all those
people affected by the flooding they now are saying that the amount of
people affected are many more than in the Tsunami and Haiti.  What on
earth is happening to our planet!?

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- Perfect

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 20:14:48 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Just had one of those beautiful Caribbean days. Brilliant blue sky, with little wispy

white clouds. Sea, not quite so blue and looking just a tiny bit rougher than normal.

Few white caps out there today. Nice light cooling breeze. Humidity comfy.

The fat foot is going down nicely. Have enjoyed my few days of rest. Hubby doing

all the odd jobs to keep me off the foot.

We are having a lovely Caribbean evening. Breeze has died down. The sky is clear.

A very light shower off rain just went across. So light I had to go check that it was rain I

was hearing. Perfect day, perfect evening.

I'm off to search out that glass. You all take care. Have a good night and a really

great day tomorrow.

- Rain & Resting.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 10:25:24 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Around 9.30pm last evening spotted lightening way over to our north. It eventually

made its way over to us and around 11pm we had a couple of real good flashes of sheet

lightening. We could hear thunder way of in the distance. Just a very low growl. Had plenty

of rain throughout the night and in the early hours of this morning it became really heavy.

Pounding on the roof for all its worth.

This morning it is still raining on and off. Grey sky, with the sun making the odd attempt

to get through. Breeze so light its hardly there. Humidity comfy.Sea a sort of steel blue. There

is also a warning out for small craft and bathers. So you guys go with care out there.

Me, well I'm just gonna relax, take it easy again. Friends are on their way up to see us.

You all take care and have a great day.

- Raining Cats and Dogs

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 05:22:10 -0700

What a night thunder, lightning, heavy rain, rain and more rain! It was an extremely rough night; our deck - which as a rule is fairly dry when it rains - really got a drenching. Luckily for the dogs their rug is in the one place that never gets wet! The dogs are definitely spoiled, this is OK because they look after us.

Yesterday we went to Mero in the afternoon, a Bank Holiday Monday, what a party was going on, we have never seen the beach so full of people. There were also a lot of very large speed boats cruising up and down the beach which made us think twice about going in the sea to swim! Lots of music, entertainment, plenty of fresh barbecued food to eat and Kubuli beer to drink. It definitely was party time!

It was good to wake up this morning to see that the now TS Colin was well on his way far away from us, again we hope it stays like this for the whole of the rest of the hurricane season!

- Intense Thunderstorm activity!

By Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 20:40:58 -0700 (PDT)

Greetings everyone, 
                
Wow! -Currently the North East of the Nature ISLE is really being walloped by 
severe Thunderstorm activity. It has been quite a wild show of Lightning, 
driving rain, and booming thunder for at least the last couple of hours.
A truly stormy end to today's National holiday (August
Monday) -Emancipation day; which was otherwise a mix of sun and some showers, 
which was not too bad.

I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT A FORETASTE OF ANYTHING
 TO COME...WITH PRE-COLIN already LURKING TO OUR EAST.
 
 I wish everyone a Safe and a Blessed Night and even more
 Grace and Blessings for the rest of this Hurricane season!

- Rain & a Fat Foot.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 20:25:24 -0400

Good evening everyone,

The day started out really lovely, with deep blue sky and sea. not a lot in the way of breeze.

Humidity comfy. Gradual change over came us from late morning. Humidity started to creep up.

Hubby seem to be feeling it the most today. Breeze kicked in with a few hefty gusts thrown in for

good measure. Rain and lots of it. On and off most of the afternoon, with some heavy showers.

No thunder and lightening.

After my fall, curtsy of the algae, I now have a fat foot. Think I managed to sprain it, still I

can walk on it so I guess that's something. Hub's has cleaned off the rest of the paths around

the house today. So I have been laying around and taking life easy.

I'm off. Find that glass. You all have a good night and a great day tomorrow. Take care.

- SLIPPING AND SLIDING

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2010 11:35:05 -0700

What amazing weather we have been having; a great deal of rain with the odd splattering of sunshine!! We are definitely having valley rain at the moment! Our water tanks are full to the brim with clean, clear beautiful water. One spectacular portion of bamboo, with a girthof 6.5 inches, is growing a foot a day - I kid you not - one shoot we monitored came through the surface 11/07 and today it's 19.7ft tall...let's not quibble!

We had a night of thunder and lightning on Wednesday and for the first time slept like a baby through most of it!! I am working really hard at the moment and as Jackie said - our correspondent living in Wallhouse - I am very busy with my business www.acecaribbeanrealestate.com This is all the more reason that I follow www.stormcarib.com everyday to get my weather update as to what I should do with visiting clients or not!!

So far today we have had really heavy showers although there is nothing significant showing on the Stormcarib site, so it must be ordinary Dominica valley weather. I am, after pandering to the masses, going to watch one of my favourite movies "Dirty Dancing" with Patrick Swayze - oh how he is missed, what an amazing dancer and actor!

We hope Jackie is feeling OK after slipping over in her property. Thanks for reminding; us Jaco Ladd is spraying the napalm on our path as I write, sorry caustic crystals.

We are keeping our eyes on the incoming potential storm Colin, we hope he will end up being a pussycat. How's that Tom?

- Hmmmm, Algae.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:26:51 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Well, we have had a perfect Caribbean day. Blue sky, blue sea, hardly any breeze,

humidity way down. Perfect.

Finally caught up with a job I have been meaning to do for ages. Had a rude reminder

on Friday morning putting out the garbage. Coming back into the house I managed to find

myself flat on my back with my legs in the air, ( not a pretty sight ) looking something like an

overturned turtle trying to right itself. Just glad it was early morning and none of my neighbours,

or the garbage guy's, spotted me laying there struggling to get back up ( well I don't think so anyway,

nobodies mentioned it ) So today was spent cleaning up the algae on the path. Just one of those

things you forget about till it gets wet. And wet it has been with more to come by the look of the

sat. pic's. Anyway I now know I can walk the path safely. So if it's one of those jobs that you have

been meaning to do before the H. season started, guess it might be wise to get it done now.

This evening is one of those lovely Caribbean evenings. Not much breeze. Warm. Frogs

singing their little hearts out. Bless em. Clear sky, with a thousand twinkly stars. Yep, one of

those evenings you know why you're here, even though there is something wicked this way comes.

You all take care. Clean those paths. Have a great day tomorrow. I'm off to find that glass.

Need it after all that work today.

- Interesting Night

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:11:03 -0400

Good evening everyone,

We are under all those pretty colours somewhere. Looks a bit messy out there,

with more to follow. So then, what an interesting night last night. A great topic of

conversation today. Everyone asking everyone else if they had a good nights sleep.

Thunder so loud, it actually woke me up and nothing wakes me. Sheet lightening so

bright it was almost like daylight. Rain pounding on the roof. The hole in the garden

(which I dug and still refilling ) full to the top and overflowing. Although it was just a

little overcast and humidity high we did have quite a nice day today. Sun came out,

everything dried out nicely. Comfy in town, normally we try to get in and out of town

fast. Not a lot in the way of breeze. Rivers running fast.

Had a very pleasant visit to town today. Think we managed to bump into almost

everyone of our neighbours, who all wanted to know if we were o k and did we have

any damage done to the property last night. Also on a visit to the Gov't building we met

a really pleasant, friendly, helpful, polite lady. That really made the day. Spoke to Lisette

(Jacolass ) who apologies for no reports, but is just soooo busy.

This evening the noseeums and mozzies are having fun and are out partying. Especially

on poor hubby's ankles. Have had a couple of light showers, still not much in the way of

breeze. Sky looks heavy with more rain. Humidity up. Lets see what the rest of the evening brings.

I'm off to find that wayward glass. You all take care. Stay safe. Don't forget those

slides and bouncing boulders. Spotted a couple in the road on our way back from town today

which were not there when we went out. Have a good evening and a great day tomorrow.

- Sun, now Rain.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:11:18 -0400

Good evening everyone,

We have had two perfect days. Sun shining in a picture perfect blue sky. Little

white fluffy clouds floating on bye. Not much in the way of breeze. Sea, back to

that lovely blue and looking pretty calm out there.

And the rain is back. Started about two hours ago. Been on and off for most

of the evening. Fairly heavy at times. Still not much in the breeze department.

Humidity creeping up. After today which was hot the plants are enjoying it.

You all take care. I'm off to refill the glass. Have a great day tomorrow.

- Pretty Wet Now.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:25:05 -0400

Good evening everyone,

And down came the rain. From my last posting just after noon it has not stopped.

Had some complete whiteouts. Watched my neighbour who was out on his balcony

make a hasty retreat into the house. Still not much in the way of wind / breeze.

Humidity now down and a lot more comfy. One low growl of thunder on this peice of the

island. Nothing I have noticed in the way of lightening. Looks like we are in for a wet night.

You all take care. I'm off to search out that glass. Have a great evening.

- Wet and occasionally windy

By Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:23:27 -0700 (PDT)

Greetings from the Nature Isle,

This last squall line was really one to chase even the bravest indoors...winds 
must have gusted to at least 35Kts and the rain has been wind driven coming 
sideways at the buildings for at least an hour. 
Raging white caps can be seen on the Atlantic Ocean here on the East coast.

     The rainfall rate seemed at times to be at least on the 3-4 inch an hour 
total. Tomorrow's reading of the rain gauge will reveal definitively what the 
day's overall accumulation really is.
 
Right now it looks like another round of storms is about to hit... A loud 
thunder peal has just sounded so it might be pretty ominous. We may have a wet/ 
wild night ahead.

Our Prayers go out to those who have had more than their fair share of the 
liquid gold in the Leeward islands...

God's Blessings to us all!

- Wet & Grey Still.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:09:14 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

for all those under that huge blob, stay safe.

We here, are not quite so wet as some of you. Nothing like being ankle/waist deep.

We have been getting on / off rain for a couple days. Some of it fairly heavy. Not a

lot in the way of wind / breeze. Very calm really. Humidity fairly high. Which helps

bring out the no seeums and little vampires. Which have been driving us nuts. Especially

poor hubby. Hmmm, for some reason they love his ankles.

Sky and sea, well they are both still that lovely shade of grey. Although from our

vantage point the sea looks calm, there is a warning out for small craft and bathers. So

be carefull. Breeze picking up a little now. Nice gust just blew through the house. Had

some thunder and lightening also. Just get a couple of loud rolls of thunder and flashes

of sheet lightening, then nothing. Raining now. Coming down pretty heavy.

I'm off for my coffee. Once again you all take care. Watch for those slides and boulders.

Have a good afternoon and a great evening.

- Just Wet.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:46:07 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

My those sat. pic's look pretty colourful. Went into town yesterday morning and it was sweltering.

Got back to the house a little after 1pm and approx an hour later it started to rain. Kept going all through

the afternoon. Nice steady downpour, which lasted into, and through, the night. Nothing much in the way

of thunder and lightening. Hardly any breeze.

Still getting some heavy showers of rain on and off today. Breeze almost, but not quite, non existent.

Haze seems to have cleared. The horizon is clearer today. Sky and sea both that lovely shade of battleship

grey. Humidity up. Local river running fast, can see lots of fresh water, and mud, stretching way out to sea.

Our friends from Holland have just had themselves a fairly big storm, with winds blowing at 125mph.

They usually come over for the diving well after the H. season, so have never had the pleasure of experiencing

an H. They have told us that what they just experienced was really scary, and now know roughly what it must

be like to get caught up in a Hurricane. Think they will keep to waiting for the H. season to pass. Wussies.

I'm off to find Hubby, who is making himself a desk, see if he would like to join me and a nice cold Kubili.

Do birds fly. ??? You all take care. Watch for those slides with all this rain. Have a great day.

- Update

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:19:55 -0400

Good morning everyone,

A pretty good day yesterday, fairly sunny most of the day. no rain and

a light breeze. It just got hotter as the day went on.

This morning is a little overcast. Not much in the way of breeze.

Horizon a bit hazy, no clear distinct line. Humidity comfy for now. Good

gardening day.

Sad news from the east coast. Two teenagers swept off the beach by a

freak wave. The sea does get extremely rough over there. Also very strong

undercurrents and rip tides. Please go with care if your anywhere near the

sea, regardless of which side of the island your on. Have great respect for it.

Sun is making a feeble attempt, and humidity feels like it is creeping up.

You all take care. Have a great day.

- Itassi’s Rainfall Records

By Conan Shillingford <nichs at hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:36:35 +0000

Good evening,

Well, as promised here is a detailed posting of Itassi’s (Vieille Case Catholic Presbytery) Rainfall Records (North Dominica)-Latter June to Mid July(2010):

*June 19^th -91.3mm ,20^th - 35.0mm,21^st - 1.2mm,22^nd -1.8mm ,23^rd - 22.8mm,24^th - 12.5mm,25^th -25.0mm ,26^th - 5.9mm,27^th -19.0mm ,28^th -1.0mm ,29^th - 6.9mm,30^th -19.5mm

July 1^st - 8.0mm,2^nd - 13.5mm,3^rd -0.5mm ,4^th - 0.5mm,5^th - 24.4mm,6^th - 41.2mm,7^th - 1.0mm,8^th - 0.6mm,9^th - 0.5mm,10^th - 7.5mm,11^th - 8.9mm,12^th - 35.3mm,13^th - 4.0mm,*14^th -49.1mm

Of course, the two most notable rainfall totals are those of June 19^th from the ominous Invest 92/93L -which we now know was definitely Pre-Alex, and today’s rainfall accumulations from last night’s 'blobette' which was complete with even a minor wind reversal. No doubt there were other parts of the island that received much higher rainfall totals; after-all this is Nature’s very own little island- the Nature Island of the Caribbean…

The observation hour for Rainfall records has been at 7:00a.m. daily.

A Blessed night to All!

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- Hectic Times

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:05:32 -0700

We have not posted lately as we are having hectic times!

The weather in the valley has been fantastic for us. A good wind, plenty of sunshine and showers here and there, the sublime temperature is just right.

Last night we went for a meal at East Carib Dive which is located on Salisbury beach; the proprietors of this establishment are open to the public every Tuesday night. It is a very pleasant location with the dining area right on the sandy shoreline. The west coast has glorious sunsets so it is lovely to go there before the sun disappears and enjoy the pure beauty of the glorious colours in the sky. Last night though we had rain, lightning and thunder so had to make our way with plates and glasses in hand to the safety and cover of the restaurant. (Jaco Ladd pointed out to me that lightning always comes before thunder so why do we all say thunder and lightning when theoretically it should be the other way around!!)

This morning we woke up to grey skies, a fabulous wind and the howl in the distance of our dogs!! We are used to the dogs hunting in the 3sq. miles of forest behind the house and often hear their yelps of delight as they are terrorizing some poor creature running throught the bush. This morning was different as there were intermittent howls; after half an hour Jaco Ladd and I decided we had better go into the forest and find the dogs. I donned my Woodstock wellies and got a stick; JL got booted up and armed with a machete we set out on our intrepid expedition. We were taken way up the hill at the back of us shouting the dogs names - first the puppy Tippy arrived followed fast by daddy Sinbad and then bursting forth the mother dog Mindy who had obviously got stuck down a hole. We got them home, they were caked in mud and we went to town with the hose washing each dog. Mindy had obviously got stuck by her collar in the hole and had managed to bite and dig herself free, she has lost half a tooth and had heavy roots wedged in her teeth which we removed. These miscreants are now lying at my feet fast asleep Just another day in Paradiso right?

- Water & Weeds.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:39:15 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Well the garden has been well and truly watered. It's been raining on and off

here since my last posting. And it's still coming down. Canefield airport reported a

rainfall of 240.0mm for the whole of the month of June. For this month so far they

are reporting a rainfall of 200.5mm. And we still have just over 2 weeks to go before

the end of the month.

Yesterday evening we had only one very large flash of lightening, that lit the

whole sky, then a very loud clap of thunder. Then nothing, apart from a lot more rain.

This morning is looking pretty much the same. Patchy blue / grey sky. The

sun is making a very determined effort though. Sea, grey and looking a just a little

rough. Go with care out there. Nice gentle, cooling breeze. Humidity down. Everything

looking lush and green. Even the weeds. Which reminds me, I was once told, many

years ago now, that there is no such thing as a weed. They are all just uncultivated

flowers and bushes. Hmmmm, will try to keep it in mind, in future, when I'm breaking

my back pulling the blighters out.

I'm off to finish that other coffee. Check out the grey view. You all take care.

Watch for those slides and boulders. Have a great day.

- Stormy Night...

By Conan Shillingford <nichs at hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 01:41:07 +0000

Greetings!

We’ve just experienced what has to be one of the most intense thunderstorm lines that the Nature Island of the Caribbean has experienced so far this rainy season- or at least for the northern portion of Dominica. Of course it was a wet and wild ordeal, but it did have the kind of powerful lightning flashes that one can still ‘see’ even with eyes tight shut. That’s exactly the kind of Lightning that Lisette speaks of disliking with such a passion -and of course to say nothing of the thunder…that’s another story entirely.

Moderate rain is still falling as I type. I’m sure this latest advance of storms has dumped a few more inches of the ‘liquid gold’ upon us in this Nature Isle. I’ll have to see what the rain gauge records tomorrow morning God Willing, and then give a detailed posting. Hopefully the rest of the night will not prove too eventful weather-wise.

P.S. (A little rumble of thunder has just made its faint boom...)

May Our Lord Jesus Christ continue to grant us all his protection this season, and sufficient grace, blessings and courage for whatever weather eventualities may come our way during this season of storms.

Pleasant night to all.

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- Rain & Footie.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:22:10 -0400

Good evening everyone,

A beautiful morning here on the west coast. Nice light breeze, sun shining, blue sky,

blue sea, humidity up.

The afternoon bought showers and grey sky. Humidity went even higher.

This evening humidity still up, but not so bad. Seems to be a lot of cloud cover up

there. Just checked from both the front and back balconies and no stars to be seen.

Had a really nice day yesterday with friends. Found the most popular hotel on the

island showing the footie, we thought they would. At a guess about 50 people were there.

So we parked our backsides there. The hotel also very kindly supplied nibbles for us, which

which we thought was very good of them. They were really nice nibbles. And we all had a

nice time regardless of win or loose.Regarding the nibbles, would love the chef to show me

how to make those meat patties. They were just soooo Yummy.

Well its raining again. Hubby says this is all my fault because I complained that we had

no rain from the blob. I don't care, my garden is being watered.

I'm off to find the glass. Have a good evening and a great day tomorrow. You all take care.

- The Blob Returns ???

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:23:01 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Wellll, a tiny little piece of the blob must have got left behind. Rain's hammered down

most of the night and it's still hammering down. Just had a quick peek at the sat pic's, and

yep there it is. right over us. Hubby's blaming me again for this. A very large clap of

thunder right over the house. No breeze at all though. Humidity down and feeling comfy.

Can see some tiny specks of blue sky to the south. Over us it's just grey. Sea, Grey.

Getting a lot of runoff from one of the local rivers. It's making the sea look smooth

like glass. Rains eased for a bit. But I'm sure more is to come.

I'm off to finish my coffee. Check out that grey view. You all take care. Have a great

day. For all those interested in the footie, Hope your team wins. We hopefully are going to

be watching too. That's if we can find somewhere showing it. Not much in the way of

advertising it here. Doesn't seem to be lot of excitement for it going on.

Watch for those landslides and bouncing boulders.

Another roll of thunder. Sky getting darker.

- What Rain and Wind ???

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:27:08 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Not sure what happened to the blob ? It just fizzled out on us here.

Had some rain from it, but was expecting a lot more. Couple of rolls of thunder

and only two flashes of lightening. Even the light breeze died down to non

existent. Then nothing for the rest of the evening.

We have had a really lovely day here today. Bit hazy. Blue sky. Sea,

more grey than blue. Very light breeze. Humidity up. Also had a couple of

light showers of rain. For which the garden is extremely grateful.

The new plants have taken and seem to be holding their own. Have

already had some roses bloom. Most pleasing. My neighbour has given me

what I think is a cutting from a frangipani. Not to sure on that one. Still

whatever it is I'm sure it will be lovely. So that is going in tomorrow.

I'm off to find that glass. You all take care. Have a good evening and

a really great day tomorrow.

- Thunder now

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 17:32:54 -0400

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Sky really grey and dark. Looks looks like winter in England. Breezy, but

not really bad, Yet. Fair amount of showers. Some heavy. Gardens loving it. It

was in need again. Roll of thunder, but well into to the distance.

- Is It the Blob ???

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 14:49:27 -0400

Good Afternoon Everyone,

We think that BLOB that's out there has finally reached us.

Have had some real nice get in the garden days. Now we have torrential rain.

Gusty wind, which is nice anyway. Very cooling. Grey sky, grey sea. Looking

out from the back balcony ( facing west ) it is a total whiteout. No thunder or

lightening yet.

Watch for those landslides, they love this weather. You all take care.

Have a great evening.

- Raining now.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 09:36:15 -0400

Hi, me again,

What was that I said about getting into the garden. The rain has come with

vengenance. It is now thundering down. Have a total whiteout.

Lets see what the rest of the day brings.

- Back to Grey.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 09:08:52 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Grey sky, grey sea and sea looking a little rough out there. Breeze picking

up nicely. Couple of very light showers. It looks like England in November out there

this morning. The plus side is, it's still nice and warm. Humidity up.

Did have some flashes of lightening last night. No thunder and only one short

sharp shower of rain around 10. 30pm.

Hubby is blaming me for this, because I insisted on the garden being watered.

Sorry. Still if the rain holds off like it seems to be doing, looks like a good day to get

out in the garden. Plenty of shade this morning.

I'm off to have that other coffee. Look at that very grey view and think about

getting out in the garden. You all take care. watch out for those boulders and slides.

Have a great day.

- Perfect Days

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2010 19:52:59 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Have had two fantastic beautiful days here on the west coast. Hot, Hot, Hot.

Sky and sea that lovely shade of blue. Light breeze helping to keep things just a little

cool. Humidity comfortable. Looking round at the surroundings, everything that grows

is some sort of shade of green. Perfect.

Unfortunately from the peek at the sat pic's it looks very much like it's about to change.

Breeze, which was nice and gentle is picking up. Still nice and warm this evening. Temp

on the balcony is 82f. Had a couple of spots of rain, but that's probably due to me asking

hubby to water the garden. Reckons it always rains when he gives the plants a drink or

the guy across the road washes his car.

I'm off to sort out that tall, cool glass. You all take care. Have a great evening and an

even better day tomorrow.

- Hurricane Louis 1995

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 05:33:05 -0700

Dave this morning has reminded everyone about hurricane Louis. He forgot that this hurricane had a catastrophic affect on Antigua as well as St. Martyn and the British Vigin Islands. We will never forget that hurricane! We were in our home from 6.30 p.m. on Monday evening and did not get out of our home until 9.30 a.m. on the Wednesday. The hurricane was 600 miles wide and a forward speed of 7 miles an hour; it hit the island with winds of 145 miles per hour gusting to c200 miles an hour!! Antigua was devastated, there was no electricity on some parts of the island for 3 months. The structual damage was island wide, leaving many houses without roofs. The insurance companies descended on the island, big style - what a headache for everyone. We so hope this does not happen to any islands this year. We feel very sorry for the people who have suffered Alex in Monterrey Mexico.

Today is a bright sunny day; it is a bit hazy probably from the Saraha dust; there is no breeze it is still. We are off to get some citrus trees to plant this morning. We hope everyone has a good weekend.

- Stormy weather

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 07:35:23 -0700

The last couple of days have been very stormy. Heavy rainfall cascading on the roof, thunder and lightning has luckily been sporadic! The really good thing is the temperature in the valley is very cool and extremely pleasant. The sun is trying to burst through the clouds so hopefully we could end up with a fairly dry day! All we have to say is we are green, green, green. It is quite hazy we think this must be all the Sahara dust that is flying around at the moment.

- Still Grey and Wet.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 07:41:31 -0500

Good morning everyone,

Had plenty of rain, wind, thunder and 2 really good flashes of lightening last night. About 11.30pm

we had this almighty deluge of rain. No warning, with that little pitter patter on the roof first. It just came

crashing down. Then stopped. Nothing. Zilch. Gone. It sounded real weird, this thunderous noise then

silence. Spooky stuff.

This morning is wellll Grey. Grey sky. Grey sea. Humidity up, but not uncomfortable. Light to almost

non existent breeze. Sea from my vantage point looks fairly calm, but the local meteorological site does say

above normal sea swell. So go with care out there.

Plenty of mozzies about, little blighters. Doesn't seem to matter how much I spray, how many plugs

in's I put in. One always manages to slip past into the bedroom. Just dozing off, and there he is, Zing Zing

in you ear. Well the dogs are all going nuts out there, guess the garbage guys are around.

Sun is making an attempt, but I don't think its going to win just yet. Feel sorry for the tourists, wait all

the year for that annual couple of weeks in the sun and all they get is wet.

I'm off for that extra coffee. Relax and look at my grey view. You all take care. Have a great day.

- Grey and Wet

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2010 08:23:44 -0400

Good Morning Everyone,

For most of this week the weathers been pretty good during the days with the

odd shower of rain during the night. That seems to have changed this morning.

Thick grey cloud up there. Heavy rainfall. Breeze building up nicely. Humidity up.

Sea that lovely shade of grey. Plus thunder. Not noticed any lightening yet.

While writing the rain is hammering down and the thunder is rumbling almost

overhead. It's creeping closer. A quick peek at the sat pic's showed a nice layer of

Sahara dust with a little break in it. Yep that little break is now over us. Ahh well.

Worked all week in the garden fighting the weeds. Guess they are going to start

rapidly growing again. They love a bit of moisture. Managed to get both the new rose

bushes and a new hibiscus in, so the rain is welcome for them.

I'm off for that other coffee. Check out the view. Will probably be seeing runoff from

the local river soon. You all take care. Have a great day.

- Thunder Above.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2010 19:20:35 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Had a glorious day here on the west coast. Beautiful blue sky, brilliant sunshine, light

breeze. Temp at approx 4. 30 pm was at 85f on the back balcony ( facing west ).

Not much of a breeze now. Very warm tonight though. Also getting distinct thunder

noises. Odd flashes of lightening. We can see a huge rain cloud out at sea to the north of us.

Thunder now overhead. Closing down for now, just in case.

You all take care. Have a great evening.

- Great beginning of the day

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2010 05:38:26 -0700

The sun is shining brightly, it is very still and looks like it will be a glorious day.

Looking back at the week it was a really stormy cool time; the temperature much reminiscent of winter, it was really quite pleasant. The landslides though and boulders on the roads on Wednesday were to say the least: hazardous!

When I was walking the dogs this morning I was very aware of the roaring of the Layou river and the noise of the forest. It so amazes me how the river and the forest have a life of their own. Listening carefully you can hear the leaves of the trees whispering to each other just as if they are having a great time gossiping. Just like humans, they have their life cycle! On Wednesday we had a huge tree crash to the earth it was completely rotten inside but looked to be flourishing! How looks are deceiving even in the tree world. We live surrounded by the timberlands and never have a dull moment. We have a beautiful bamboo grove next to our cottage. The wet weather bought the bamboo earthward till it was leaning heavily towards the cottage. Now it is dry, the bamboo is gradually reaching back up to the sky as it starts to dehydrate. There is no way we can be bored as we feel we are part of the forest world and by design, nature itself. We can totally understand how horrendous it is that woodlands are being needlessly chopped down all over the planet. It takes years of growth for a rainforest to mature and enable it to keep the climatic conditions balanced in our precarious world. It takes a matter of weeks to destroy it forever! We are so lucky to be surrounded by the beauty and life of the Nature Isle.

- Hmmm Thunder.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:08:31 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Had a lovely day in the garden doing battle with the weeds. Think I'm winning.

The rain came in the early part of the afternoon. Heavy enough at times to make me

retreat to the balcony. It is still raining on and off. And just had a fairly loud roll of

thunder. Seems to be coming over the ridge to the east of us. Not much in the way

of breeze. Humidity comfy. Have not seen any lightening yet. Going to turn off just

in case.

You all take care and have a good evening.

- Sunshine Today.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:00:49 -0400

Good morning everyone,

During the course of yesterday we did have some more rain, but nothing like

the deluge of the early morning. It stayed overcast and windy for most of the day.

This morning is a little overcast, the sun is making a very determined effort

to break through. Lots of very bright blue patches of sky showing through the clouds.

Horizon looking just a little hazy. Not that lovely crisp, clear line. The wind seems

to have died down and we now have a nice light breeze. Humidity creeping up.

Sea is still that grey colour, but looks a good deal calmer than yesterday. Can still

see runoff from the local river clearly, but it now looks just like a larger patch of light

grey and not that dirty brown colour. Looks very much like we are in for a nice day.

Apart from the wind nearly blowing me away yesterday, it was a really good day

for the garden. Managed to get quite a bit done. Went to war on the weeds. I haven't

won yet though. Finally managed to get one of my new roses in, poor things have been

stuck in pots for weeks. Hopefully will be able to get the other one in today.

I'm off for that coffee which hubby has thoughtfully made for me. You all take care.

Have a great day.

- SLIDES +++ Wet weather

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:20:10 -0700

Wow, did it rain last night! It felt as though we were under a waterfall all night! Usually the rain is soothing to go to sleep listening to, but the rain was thunderous on the roof. There were huge gusts of wind all day yesterday which actually bought down a lot of our beautiful bamboo by the side of our home! Bamboo is priceless as it gives us so much protection from the elements. We have a lot left but have to do a good trim job in the next couple of days.

What we are finding weird is the weather; it's like winter, the temperature is very, very cool. I didn't want to go anywhere but my jeep is injured and I needed to get a new radiator in town. My vehicle is at Coulibistrie. I had to drive there and saw so many boulders and stones on the roads. I really don't like driving in bad weather as the rocks on the cliffs are unstable. It would be totally terryfing to be hit by a boulder or even worse a tree fall on you. (There but for the grace of God go I; so they say.) I saw so much water pouring off the cliffs and mountains. The Layou river is running high with a lot of brown dirty water powering down to the ocean.

I am writing this in the afternoon we have no rain but it is very dull, windy and cloudy. The one thing that did impress me about today is that the Dominican people are now taking a great deal of notice of the coming season and the people I met today were chatting to each other and me about making preparations for a hurricane. As we were all agreeing it only takes one hurricane to do enough terrible damage to the island.

- Plenty of Water Now.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:46:56 -0400

Morning everyone,

Well we wanted more water, and that is what we have got.

The rain started early evening, stayed with us through the night. Roughly around

5.45am. the sound of rain on the roof woke me. Crikey, it's still dark and I'm awake.

Opening the back door onto the balcony saw why it appeared to be dark. A whiteout

all around. Rain lashing down in great torrents. unable to see the mountains to the

east of us. Covered in cloud and rain. Could barely make out the sea. Just make out

the whale watch boat moored at one of the local hotels. Wind pretty gusty. Humidity

up, but not uncomfortable.

The torrential rain lasted approx 3/4 hour. Seems to be easing slightly. Can

just make out the horizon. neighbours making mad dashes to their cars, either to get

to work or to take the children to school. What I can see from the balcony is the

runoff from the local river. Mud is being washed down in large amounts and it is being

swept along the coastline. From my angle it looks like we have a beach there is so

much of it. The sea is being turned a dirty brown. The sea looks rough out there now.

The rain's stopped. More on the way though from the look of the sky. Anyone

out on the roads, go with care, this is just right for landslips. You all take care.

Have a good day.

- Update

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:23:19 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

Just a quick up date on the lingering moisture.

A complete and total whiteout just went past.. Retreated into the house rapidly.

No thunder, no lightening. Not much in the way of wind. Nice light cooling

breeze though. Sun is now making an effort.

Take care.

- Well it's Wet.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:05:35 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Just had a look at the local meteorological site, and it says, lingering moisture from

a T W continues to affect the island. Just love that description.

It's been raining since yesterday. Pretty heavy at times. Must get a rain gauge.

Sky is overcast with tiny little patches of blue peeping through. Sea still nice and grey,

and can still see fresh water running into it from the river. Wind's died down, still getting

the odd strong gust, but nothing like we have had over the past couple days. Friends over

on the East coast tell me the river running alongside their land is up and running fast. That

side of the island always gets a lot more rain than we do here. So stay safe you guys.

Humidity slightly up again, but comfy.

I'm off to try do some gardening in between the rain showers. Weeds love that

lingering moisture. You all take care. Have a great day and watch for those landslides, and

bouncing boulders.

- Fantastic Evening

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:00:05 -0400

The storm seems to have left us for the time being although we notice a lot of bad weather coming off the African coast!

We have had a great afternoon playing table tennis and scrabble totally different pursuits.

We find it fascinating reading the reports from others on the island! This island is so different as we live in the valley and experience such different weather conditions from different parts of this beautiful island Dominica! At least we all have the ants!! Now we have bright, bright sunshine and are looking forward to a sundowner and a great sunset.

- Ant's.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:47:24 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday turned into a fairly reasonable day. Windy but no rain till about 4pm. Sun made

several attempts, but mostly it was just overcast. When the rains did come, started with just the

odd light shower. They just got heavier as the evening wore on. Loved the winds, great, blow the

little vampires away, instead we got ants, leaving their nests. Millions of them. Took me all week

to have what I thought was a good clean up, but I can now see all the cobwebs I missed. Ant wings

hanging from the ceiling like little Christmas dec's. Ahh well, it's part of the price.

This morning is still overcast. Can see the odd patch of bright blue. Fairly calm, still getting

the occasional strong gust of wind. No rain since I have been up and about. Sea still that gorgeous

shade of gruesome grey. And looking a little rough out there. Go with care anyone thinking of going

out fishing or bathing today. Humidity down a lot. Feels nice and cool.

The view's got better. Apart from a couple of the neighbours plantain trees that went down,

a couple of fair sized trees that were growing in the next road down have gone. Locally other than

that, have not seen or heard of any major damage in the area.

I'm off for that other coffee which is patently waiting for me. You all take care and have a real

good day. Especially all you dad's. Relax, take it easy and enjoy.

- Wintry conditions

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:52:35 -0400

Yesterday for me was a write off! I stayed at home with Jaco Ladd, painted relaxed and actually really enjoyed the weather.

We had a great deal of rain and wind here in the valley. The trees were dropping a lot of leaves and we could hear the thud of the odd branch crashing to the ground. There are a lot of little avocados on our trees and we're hopeful that they may make it to the edible stage. When we arrived in 2007 we experienced hurricane Dean and lost our total crop of pears!

This storm has come very early which does not bode well. Our generator decided not to work yesterday and we were without power for about 4 hours! Jaco Ladd gave the Briggs & Stratton a good seeing to but it still would not splutter into life! We have now made a long, long list of things we need to do to prepare for the hurricane season. Generator fixed, shutters greased and working properly; buy provisions, tinned food, lamp oil, gas for generator and many other things. We are especially aware of our vulnerability living in the country. Every one needs a to do list there are so many little things one forgets that can be crucial; it is too late when the hurricane arrives!

Last night we retired with the rain pounding on our tin roof. I actually love the sound when I am tucked up in bed warm and cozy, especially, as there was no thunder or lightning through the night, we just got the tail end of the storm. It looks like it is hanging around this morning. I had to clean the deck of thousands of wood ants that decided to come out and party last night so we closed ourselves in and watched a great movie, had a lovely dinner with a good bottle of wine.

Looking on the weather front it looks like we should be clear of this this afternoon, we might even go to the beach later. Let's hope that there have not been any landslides or boulders falling on the roads. No news as yet. All we are hearing this morning is the roar of the Layou river making it's thunderous way to the ocean.

.

- Wet & Wild Out There.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:19:46 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday turned into a beautiful day here. A little overcast, sun did its best, light breeze,

and a couple of nice cooling showers. Perfect day for a bit of gardening. Into the evening the rain

started to increase, but nothing too heavy till about 11 /11.30 pm. Then it came down in torrents.

And stayed with us throughout the night. Winds picked up.

This morning the wind is pretty strong with some extra strong gusts thrown in. Sky is really

grey. Sea is a gruesome grey,with plenty of white caps. What I can see, is the run off from the

local river, fresh water running right through the grey and it stretches out to sea for a good couple

of miles. So those rivers are running pretty strong and fast. It is also lovely and cool. Humidity

way down.

Anyone going out today take care. Especially out at sea and near those rivers. Watch out

for landslips and loose boulders.

Just been out onto the back balcony, which faces west and I can see a couple of bright blue

patches in the sky way down to the south.

I'm off for that coffee. You all take care. Have a good day.

- The Dark horse (storm) experience

By Conan Shillingford <nichs at hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 05:28:31 +0000

It's unfortunate that this system seems to have been underestimated so much in potential intensity...There are lessons to learn from this bout of inclement weather. I hope no one is caught outside in the midst of this wild tempest...

Day light should reveal the true impact which for the most part should be very minimal/ hopefully only superficial.

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- STORM Conditions continue...Long night ahead?

By Conan Shillingford <nichs at hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 05:07:59 +0000

Well, the rains have not abated at this point though it is a little less heavy than before in most of the squall lines coming through. It appears that the worst of this weather is STILL to our north and East. This probably means that Marie Galante got the worst of this weather system so far. As I type the winds have picked up -Some more- absolutely incredible...a bit of Howling... Looses items are being blown around in the yard.
From the intellicast Caribbean Infrared satellite -it appears that the system may be trying to form a new center of circulation -LLC within the core of the new Meso-scale system to the East of Dominica/ Guadeloupe/ Marie Galante.

We'll see what the next hour may hold.

Blessings.

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- Unbelievable STORM CONDITIONS!

By Conan Shillingford <nichs at hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:12:11 +0000

I've just come back indoors and the conditions which are still pounding the north are nothing short of ASTOUNDING. The winds have been gusting for the last hour to at least tropical storm force strength in fact there are a few tree limbs down on some streets.
Its remarkable that the power has held so well though -not even a flicker as yet- cudos to our electricity company Domlec...occasional rumbles of thunder can be heard, but its the RAIN which keeps coming down in BUCKETS/ SHEETS/ AND SHEER VOLUMES. If these conditions keep up for the next hour plus there may be some major landslip/ landslide issues to deal with by morning.

All vehicles were forced to drive with high beams tonight and everyone was making their way home as quickly as possible. Umbrellas were useless in such conditions...

I cannot say for sure that the south of the island will experience this -since my last call to someone there revealed only moderate showers...however, if the south is due for this kind of weather -now is the time for persons there to ensure that they are in a safe zone which is not prone to flash flooding and land slippage.

Be safe everyone and God's precious speed and protection to us all!

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- 92-L Alex yet to be Born...

By Conan Shillingford <nichs at hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:14:41 +0000

Greetings to all!

Well the Indomitable 92 L has been relentless in reaching the islands and very early this morning it paid the Nature Isle a visit.
It was a rather impressive display of thunderstorm cell activity and many bright flashes of lightning illuminated what was at times a rain darkened sky.
Some parts of the island like near Roseau where Tommie girl is seems to have gotten more of the wind gusts. Here in the North the Atlantic Ocean has been churning and there have been a few brief gusts -but for now there is mostly the occasional thunder clap and ongoing moderate to heavy showers. However, the rain has been coming down in spurts, though I've heard that in other parts of the island so far it seems to have been near continuous -so we'll have to be vigilant for landslides and minor flooding as the day goes on.
I hope everyone stays safe on the island and if travel is not essential, then today proves to be the ideal day for book-reading or some other pleasurable indoor activity...

God's Blessings to us all in this season of storms!

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- O What a Night.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:42:48 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Jeez what an interesting night. Started around 11pm here. Down came the rain, in torrents.

So loud we had to turn the volume up on the T V. Then some lightening, which prompted a mad

dash around the house, unplugging computers etc. Then the thunder rolled. It finally moved to just

a steady rain fall after about 20 / 30 min's. Early hours of the morning it started again. Only this

time we had a nice healthy wind howling down the side of the house to go with it.

The neighbours plantain tree is over. I left some washing out on one of those little dryer things.

So at 7.30 this morning I was picking up my undies that were scattered around the garden. Hopefully

I found them all, if not our local farmer is in for a nice surprise when he comes to check on his crops.

This morning is a little better. Not much in the way of rain, but the wind is still fairly strong.

Sky very grey to the east. I am looking out the door to the west and there is bright patches of blue.

Sea, a light grey colour. Doesn't look very nice. Humidity down.

It's offical, we have Borrowers in this house. Something we simply could not find while the

daughter was here has been found. We almost tore the house apart looking, and we both checked

at least 3 times each, but hey there it is. Problem is when they return things they take something

else, but thats another story.

I'm off for that other coffee. You all take care. Watch out for those mud/land slides. Now will be

the time for them. Have a great day.

- Flash & Boom

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:57:44 -0400

Woken up this morning at 1 a.m. to loud thunder clap and bright lightning. Tore our of bed and switched off the electricity; all the plugs out of the walls, usual thing. The storm went on for about an hour or more. We had a couple of claps of thunder early this morning. It is looking very dull now and we are expecting to have to turn off the computer at any minute awaiting more of the same. I absolutely hate lightning and it sounds as though there's gazillions more to come!

.

- Hurricane season

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:02:02 -0700

We are having really lovely weather up the valley, plenty of showers
during the night bringing with them a cool breeze, in the day time
beautiful sunshine.  Exactly what the garden needs!

We went to the beach on Sunday and had a wonderful time in the sea
which is so warm!  It is great to swim in but as everyone is
predicting this is really not good for the hurricane season.  We are
not getting a good feeling about this summer at all.

The main thing that concerns us is if we have a great deal of rain!
The soil is very rich and moist in Dominica with a lot of underground
springs, streams and rivers.  This makes the land susceptible to land
slides!

I went to San Sauveur which recently had a landslide with heavy rains,
three people were killed; it was swift and sudden the house next door
was lucky not  be hit.  Apparently there was a spring on the land and
obviously this helped to make it unstable.

We live on flat land and do not have any nearby hills.  I often say to
Jaco Ladd how lucky we were to buy this property as at the time we had
no idea about landslides and building on hills or underneath them!

It has made all Dominicans aware of their vulnerability living in
areas where landslides are more likely to happen.  We hope that this
will save lives in future.  We really hope that the islands do not get
the battering that is forecast.

I have put some photo's in of Dominica; two are in San sauveur one of
them being the landslide there.

Attachment: san Sauveirre 001.JPG
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Attachment: san Sauveirre 011.JPG
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Attachment: san Sauveirre 037.JPG
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Attachment: san Sauveirre 045.JPG
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- Patchy Sky. More Rain ??

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:10:53 -0400

Good morning everyone,

The rain thundering down on the galvanized roof at approx 6.45 / 7am. woke me.

It really hammered down. Rain much needed still, the downside is the mud/landslides

that come with it. So be careful out there. Sky is a patchwork of blue and grey. Sun

making a very bold attempt to break through. Not much in the way of breeze. Odd little

gusts now and again. Horizon a bit hazy. Sea a light shade of grey. Again if your going

out to sea, take care. Advisory warning out for swimmers and small craft. Humidity up.

Well the Daughter's gone back to England. Left yesterday, believe there was a delay

in take off from Antigua, which was possibly due to weather conditions. Not sure yet,

waiting for Daughter to explain. Last words from Daughter was, I'll be back. A little disappointed

she never got to see a turtle. Ah well, turtles don't come to order and a good enough reason

to make sure she comes back to our little piece of paradise to try again. All I now have to

do is put the house back into some sort of order and restart on the garden. Which was left

for 5 weeks, jungle now taking over.

I'm off to have my other coffee, relax, (nowhere to have to go today). Enjoy my view.

You all take care. Have a great day.

- Horizon Seen.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 16:22:50 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

Can see the horizon clearly today. Went into town this morning for

fresh veg & fruit. Wow it was HOT. Have had a couple of nice gentle

showers of rain. Not much in the way of breeze. Humidity up still. Plague

of mozzies still rampaging their way through the house and garden. Daughter

says its been the only downside of her visit. Been bitten to pieces. Join up

all the bites on her legs and you have the milky way constellation.

Have a huge rain cloud out at sea, to the west of us, and a nice breeze

just whipped through the house. Sky turning patchy grey/ blue. More rain

heading this way hopefully.

You all take care. Watch out for the mud slides and boulders.

Have a great evening all.

- Busy, Busy.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 21:48:52 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Almost a week since the last report, and what a week. Exhausted is a good word.

The days have been long and hot, with the occasional light shower of rain, but mostly

just hot. Yesterday we had a thick layer of Sahara Dust, could barely make out the horizon.

Skies a fantastic blue. Sea a mirror image. Very light breeze, and I mean light. Humidity

way up. Plague of mozzies, noseeums and tiny little black flies, which look more like miniature

beetles. O yes, and more roaches than normal. Yuk.

The reason for exhaustion, hmmmm, that could be from attending the book ship the

Logo Hope, which is pretty good, providing you take your time and look with care. They arrived

with over 7,000 titles on board and at good prices. Books on almost everything, from arithmetic

to zoology. Next we headed for Pond Casse, spent time with friends visiting around the east

coast. Included Rosalie, Bout Sable, Rosalie, Bay,Citrus Creek, Layou River. Meeting up with

old friends and making new ones. Then there was the turtle watching. Spent the whole night

camped out on the beach at Rosalie, waiting for a turtle to come ashore. It did get pretty chilly

out there in the early hours. Unfortunately no turtles wanted to come out of the sea to lay eggs.

Next time we go will take a bottle of rum to help keep us warm. The good side was it was a

beautiful night. Almost a full moon, no breeze, no rain. Hopefully we will be able to go again

and this time see a turtle. The daughter loved it. Next stop, cricket. Had a fantastic day. Great

fun. One of our local strimmer guys was well into it. Spotted a few rows down from us he made

sure everyone joined in the Mexican wave. Shame the W. I. lost to South Africa, but it went up to the last ball and one run, which made for a really exciting finish. The whole stadium was ooooing and groaning.

A terrific atmosphere through out the day.

So I'm off to fill the glass, put something good on the t.v. Have a nice lazy evening.

You all take care. Have a great day tomorrow.

- CRICKET

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 05:03:10 -0700

Dominica was blessed with gorgeous sunshine yesterday. Dominicans turned out in their thousands to the Windsor Stadium to give the West Indies team there support and show their undying love and passion for the game and their team. It has been reported that our beautiful Island had the most supporters of the cricket tour so far! Dominica is not a rich island and many Dominicans saved their hard earned money to buy tickets. The West Indian team won the toss and decided to bat first. The batting was exciting and kept everyone on the edge of their seats, cheering, cheering, waving, giving one hundred percent of their enthusiasm for the game. Over 300 runs were scored and the West Indies were in a very good position to win.

When lunch was over, the crowds were expecting a nail biting bit of fielding and bowling from the West Indies team to gain their first win in the series. Jaco Ladd and I have never ever seen such bad playmanship. The team played as if they were in a practice match, dropping balls, flopping on the ground not bothering to run after the ball to stem the flow of runs. The team showed absolutely no pride in themselves. We left early as it was dreadful to watch. Chris Gayle is blaming the bowlers for losing the match, Chris Gayle was one of the main bowlers! It looks to us as if the West Indies need to have a proper team, have pride in their game and support each other, it was obvious that they were at odds with each other and uncomfortable. The West Indies Cricket board need to look closely at each member of the team there is definitely need for some drastic changes, morale boosting and a change at the helm.

If the activity in the 2010 hurricane season measures the amount of apathy shown by the Windies team we'll be in for an easy blow.

Next time we have an international cricket match in Dominica lets have a win! - the supporters yesterday definitely deserved it!

- Cricket

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 29 May 2010 06:26:23 -0700

Dominica is at the moment enjoying really lovely weather, sunshine with a good breeze. We have been getting showers at night and the garden and surrounding land is looking lush, colourful, bearing fruit, vegetables and the flamboyount trees are especially outstanding.

Dominica is alive with many guests who are here to enjoy the two one day cricket matches, ODIs. The West Indies lost to South Africa in the first match played yesterday. But whatever, the cricket ground was full, town was full of parked vehicles and the shops and business's had the radios on listening to the game live. Everyone is so proud to have the cricket here and yes, we boast the most attractive ground, as I have alluded to before because we have the river running past the stadium, making a great backdrop plus a fabulous sound. We are off to cricket tomorrow and I would imagine a great deal of the island is going to be there! I am cooking up a storm today to make a picnic to take with us tomorrow, it certainly will be a big party.

We had a fun visit with Jackie (Tommie girl) her husband daughter and friends yesterday afternoon. They came into the valley to see how Jaco Lass and Ladd live up here in the forest while they live in the hub of Wallhouse with fantastic views of the ocean. We had a few vats of wine and Kubulis while discussing the up and coming hurricane season! We were all of the opinion that we would be very lucky to get away unscathed this coming hurricane season. We have very solid shutters on our home which is a very solid cottage, we feel we would stick out most hurricanes in our home, we did for hurricane Dean and were fine, a catagory 5 however would be different!!! Let's hope we won't have to find out.

Tomorrow the DA stormcarib reporters will be at cricket having a fun time!

- Windy.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 08:46:25 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Reports of a fatal landslide over on the east coast. Please be careful out

there people.

Extremely windy during the night and this morning. Sky is a dull grey, with

odd little patches of blue. Sun is doing it's best to get through. The horizon is

hazy. Sea looks to be a bit on the rough side. Can see white caps out there. So

anyone going out fishing take care.

We are off to town to visit the Logo Hope book ship that calls at the island.

Should be interesting. More on that later.

I'm off to have a coffee, watch the waves. You all take care and have a great day.

- Hurricane Season

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 14:05:41 -0700

Today has been strange as here in the valley we have had no rain really to speak of. I was at Syndicate this morning and the weather was absolutely glorious.

When I reached the valley I noticed that the river was running fast and very high the water was extremely muddy. On reaching Layou I was told by my neighbour

that a family of three in San Sauveure,had been trapped by a mudslide - I wonder whether this plus isolated heavy downpours has contributed to the land slip.

- Jazzy Rain.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:00:14 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Well, we had a great day yesterday. The weather appeared to be on our side.

Blue sky, sun, and a light breeze. Made our way to Purple Turtle beach at Portsmouth

in the north of the island, where we met up with friends. A quick slurp of something to

keep the throat wet, then onto the Cabrits Park, and Fort Shirley, where they were

having a Creole and Jazz festival. What a brilliant time we all had. The rum punch

flowed, plenty of food about. Daughter enjoyed herself, meeting our friends. A couple of

light showers to keep it cool. The music was good. Unfortunately there was no coffee to

be had at the show. Trip to the bottom of the Fort, and there is a nice little cafe/bar. And what a

delightful surprise we had. A small reggae group were performing. So while topping up

the caffeine level, we were very well entertained. Never managed to get the name of the

group, but they were pretty good and worth listening to. Back at the fest, lightening was

spotted way down to the south. So we ended up with a light show to go with the music.

Nature, much better than Jean Michel Jarre. No way can he compete with it.

The lightening kept going all the way home. We were heading into whatever was happening.

By the time we reached the house, rain was falling, but we had missed the torrential

downpour. Knew the second I stepped onto the balcony that the rain had really lashed

down. Water everywhere. We must have missed it by about 5 minutes. It continued to

rain throughout the night, with another heavy downpour early this morning, loud enough

to wake me.

It is still raining on and off, pretty heavy at times. Can see the colour change in

the sea where the rivers are flowing into it. A nice breeze, with a few good strong gusts

thrown in for good measure. Temp on the back balcony 80f / 28c. Humidity right down.

Sky, well that's a bit of a mix, plenty of grey cloud up there, with patches of blue.

I'm off for another coffee which I can hear hubby making. You all have a great day.

Stay safe. Watch for those mud slides, bouncing boulders. If your going to the river

be careful.

- Plenty of Rain.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 11:20:22 -0400

Good morning everyone,

Plenty of rain this morning, it's been thundering down. Rain barrel well and

truly full. Garden watered properly at long last. Everything looking green, instead

of a dirty dusty colour. A very slight breeze, which is welcome. Sky and sea a

nice shade of grey. Ah well, the rain is needed. Humidity down.

Not so much fun for the Daughter who has come for a short visit. Not a great

deal to do when it rains so heavy. Most of the islands attractions are outdoor

pursuit's. Shame, but we have got our tickets for the cricket between the W.I. and

Sth Africa. Looking forward to that, should be a good day. Just about everyone we

know will be there along with the rest of the island.

Well I'm off for another coffee. Look out on that grey view. You all take care.

Enjoy the day and have another great day tomorrow. Watch out for those landslides

with all this rain.

- Cricket Cometh

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 05:56:55 -0700

The weather is just so lovely at the moment showers, sunshine and rain, everything is budding and we are enjoying lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and cabbage from the garden, it is definitely growing time.

Dominica is alive with a vibrant feeling. In a couple of weeks we will be having two international cricket one day matches; it will be the first time Dominica has had the top West Indian and South African players on its doorstep. It seems every mortal on the street is getting very pumped up and excited.

We went to buy our tickets yesterday for the Sunday bash - lucky for us there were a few left. Can you imagine an after the event conversation with your smart friends who attended, like "You missed the cricket? Are you of this planet or what?"

The West Indies are playing the South African team, sometimes called 'the Proteas' and Windsor Stadium in downtown Roseau will have not seen anything like it! Dominica has something unique about the location of their cricket ground, it is one of the only islands that has a river running right by the cricket pitch!

Gert is letting us crew of writers know that June is fast approaching and we must get ready for the coming activity. We are getting here - we hope!

- Raining at Last.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 12:18:52 -0400

Good afternoon everyone,

What a welcome relief. RAIN and lots of it. Started last night and has been

a steady fall most of the morning. Sea is a total white out, cannot see a thing.

Well except for some little black dots which I assume are the Frigate birds. A nice

little breeze blew in last night, which made for a comfy nights sleep. And it is still

with us this morning. Humidity 's dropped a lot. Back balcony temperature down to 78f.

Rain barrel filling up nicely, and the garden is getting a long awaited drink. Hopefully

the ground will have softened enough for me to get a new rose bush and hibiscus in.

The birds are loving it. Lots of feather washing going on.

The down side, our hot water is solar powered. Eeeekkk cold shower.

I'm off. Cup of coffee. Then a busy afternoon ahead.

You all take care. Watch for the mud slides and the boulders. Have a great day.