- Updates from the Islands -

- - Dominica - -

For the most recent reports from Dominica see this page.

- - - 2012 Hurricane Season - - -

- Thick Low Cloud

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:13:40 -0400

Our friends have been asking us to give updates! We just have very low cloud on our lawn and light rainfall. We are delighted to say we have now got our electricity back thanks to the hard work of Domlec coming out especially for us here in the Layou area, great job! As usual, just chilling out playing a waiting game!

- CALM BEFORE THE STORM

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:58:25 -0400

I am sitting on the deck up here in the valley, there is not a breath of wind and we have patches of blue sky! The PM has told everyone to stay home and stay safe unless they work for emergency services. I note that our friends in Antigua are not expecting too much disturbance from Isaac but as we look at the forecast it looks like the winds that they could get may be quite high and whip them like the end of the tail. I hope they are taking necessary precautions. Sometimes heavy rainfall can do much more damage than a hurricane. We hope here that this storm is a storm in a teacup! Cry wolf how many times!

- HEAVY RAINS THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 07:19:28 -0400

Yesterday we were delighted as our power was restored and we had a great evening. We decided as Isaac was a good way away we would not close our shutters! Silly mistake at around 10.30 p.m. the thunder and lightning started! Tippy our dog who lives outside and is terrified of thunder and lightning started to howl so we if we wanted to sleep had to let her indoors for the night where she slept off an on between the storms curled up by the bed!! We actually had not expected the rain and storms in the night! Our electricity went off at around 12.0 a.m.. so we are on our generator now! It looks like it will be a long day. Traffic has come up the road which means the Layou Valley is still passable which is good news. We did all our shopping yesterday so intend to stay home today. We have all our shutters closed and are cozy! We just hope everyone is sensible and stays safe moving from any areas that could put them in danger.

.

- 'Lights', Rain Maker etc.

From: Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:46:14 -0700 (PDT)

Greetings!

So far the outer bands of tropical storm Isaac have been nothing more than a rain maker with some thunderstorms mixed in for added effect...Just a correction to Dave's 8:47 A.M. post earlier today -Namely that it was not the contributions of Ernesto that made our soils so saturated of late in Dominica, but it was that of the former Remnants of Tropical depression 7 which later became tropical storm Helene in the Gulf of Mexico -though it also probable that initial regeneration occurred near and over Dominica as its low level centre crossed the island last (11th) Saturday night into early Sunday morning. What a night that was especially on the East coast...unforgettable.

Let's all continue to stay safe and May the Lord Jesus Christ Bless all our islands during this hurricane season!

- Rain and Sun.

From: Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 19:59:51 -0500

Good evening everyone,

well we had some pretty torrential rain this morning. It started in the early hours and just

kept on coming. So that pretty much put pay to the washing day I had planned. Should have just

slung it over the line and let the rain do it for me. Thought we were really in for the day. Spent most

of the morning watching the sea turn an ugly shade of brown, from the mud and sand being washed

down from the rivers. Lo and behold the sun broke through and it turned into a beautiful afternoon.

Too late to worry about the washing so spent the rest of the day in the garden instead. Humidity is up,

or it might be the citronella candles I have burning beside my tootsies. No see-ums and mozzies on the

rampage throughout the house. Not much in the way of breeze, which I would really like right now.

This evening is warm and calm. Still not much in the way of breeze. Tiny puffs every now and again.

The frogs are singing. The dogs are quiet. Sky seems to be fairly clear. We can see the stars.

So whatever the next 24hrs brings you all stay safe. Heed the warnings. Enjoy the rest of the

evening.

- HOT, HOT, HOT

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:07:13 -0400

I went out early this morning, got oodles of gas for the generator and a few more supplies. This afternoon we are basking in the most beautiful sunshine, fantastic - unbelievable! You can understand with present conditions prevailing, how in years gone by no one would have expected any bad weather coming. Living in Dominica, we often hear about Hurricane David (1979) that took everyone by surprise and devastated this beautiful island. I still meet people who were young children then with vivid memories of exactly what happened, to whit no one was prepared. We are so lucky now to have the cyber technology that gives us due warning, obviously it's up to us to take heed. The one thing we have learned is never ever to take anything stormwise flippantly - it's out there and completely indifferent to whomsoever's life it affects.

- RAIN AND MORE RAIN NO ELECTRICITY

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 07:28:33 -0400

We have been having a pretty miserable time over the last 48 hours! The power has been off most of the time and the depressing thing for us is to find out that now everyone in the area has electricity except us! We have woken up and listened to most of the night rain and more rain. The clouds are on our lawn and the earth is totally sodden. This weather does not bode well at all because there is liable to be landslides and we really hope that people keep safe! It is best to stay home and not travel when the weather is bad! Dominica is under tropical storm warning over the next 36 hours. Our worry is for the people living in the Layou Valley, especially on the flat in the Clarke Hall area. I went down through this area yesterday and noticed how high the river has been pushed up by the amount of sand below it; the bank of the river is only about 3' higher and if we have a lot of water the river will surely take over the road and it would cut off the people living in the surrounding environs and be extremely dangerous. We will be vigilant and keep posting through this fragile time.

- Hello to you all.

From: Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2012 09:39:28 -0500

Good morning everyone,

now back on island, and very happy to be here too. Seems we have brought the U.K.

weather with us and left them with nice hot, sunny days at last. I love coming back on island.

Everyone stopping to say hello and welcome back. Hugs and kisses all round. Even the mozzie

population are dropping by to say hello and welcome back! Lots of chatter, and laughter, trying to

catch up and store info on all that's happened while we have been away. The house was a bit pongy

from being closed up but O.K. now all the doors and windows are open. And I found only one live

roach hiding in a cupboard. So that was a result.

We had a lovely time in the U K but the weather was not so good. Especially considering

the months of June / July should be nice in the U.K. Rain, windy, grey, and a bit too cool for my liking.

More rain and lots of it. Still we had the added bonus of being there for Queenie's Jubilee, and the

Olympics. Great fun. The whole family cheering on little Dominica. What we did find pleasing was that the

Caribbean, as a whole, was very well represented. So although a little late, we would like to congratulate

all those who took part.

And now to the weather. We have had odd showers of rain this morning. The sky is mostly blue,

with a few dark clouds hovering about. Very light breeze. Sea flat and calm. Humidity up. ( yuk )

I'm off to get that other coffee, check out that view which I have missed so much. Then to tackle

the garden. "Welcome to the Jungle". You all take care and stay safe.

- Damage done by the Layou River

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2012 08:52:09 -0400

We thought everyone might like to see an idea of the damage that TD7 did to the banks of the Layou River. Once Nature played havoc with all the water that came down from the mountains causing the river to break her banks! This time many trees were taken from the side of the road and environs. All the homes along the side of the road by Clarke Hall were flooded including Corienne's bar. We think it will take a great deal to repair the damage this time done by the river and cost a great deal of money, it is going to be a headache for the government. If the road is not repaired then the people living in the area that is so damaged will be totally cut off!!

We have put in a couple of photo's of the damage plus a photo of our own beautiful avocados! We have a bumper crop this year, five trees full of 'pear' - unbelievable.

.

Attachment: Layou Damage 1.jpg
Description: JPEG image

Attachment: Layou Damage 2.jpg
Description: JPEG image

Attachment: Layou Damage 3.jpg
Description: JPEG image

- DAMAGE LAYOU RIVER

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:43:10 -0400

Wow, we had no idea that the amount of rain the unamed storm brought would cause the Layou River to flood and flood it did. As I reported there was a hole in the little bridge by the local bar. This was repaired fast and the road was open again by Sunday evening! Well - the river has encroached over the bottom part of the valley near Clarkhall plus much further down close to the asphalt plant area! The whole of the highway has been eaten away which obliges traffic to make a detour under the cliff! All the sand there that was heaped up on the side of the river and the road has disappeared. Water is totally all powerful. I will try to take a photo of the damage later today!

- All is quiet in the valley!

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2012 08:14:38 -0400

We had a fabulous day yesterday, even though the sun did not shine on us, it was overcast but lovely and cool! Some down-island friends came for lunch; they are at present on their yacht and anchored in Roseau! They gave us a very descriptive account of their brush with the storm. Apparently it was worse for them than us, lightning and thunderous all night (not for me)! Also there was a big swell on the ocean so our sailors did not have a good nights sleep!
We had fun as they stayed to watch the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. The general feeling was that closing was a bit of a shambles, not anything near as good as the opening! However, the Olympics in London will be remembered as a very happy event and a great haul of medals for the Brits!
On another happy note, I have just been told that the little bridge has been fixed in the Layou Valley and is passable; conversely, there is a landslide which has blocked the Warner/ Jimmit road!! There is always constant change living in the valley.

.

- Bridge broken at Layou

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2012 12:27:08 -0400

All in all a pretty good night here in the valley. Sensitive windows were shuttered and all of us snuggled down to watch a movie! 'Wind in the Pillows". The storm arrived at 11.00 p.m. and set to with continuous thunder, lightning and rain until about one'ish a.m.. I was a happy camper as the shutters spared me seeing the lightning and slept like a baby!

It has been very quiet here traffic-wise today as our neighbour has informed us that the little bridge at Clarkhall has been washed away and the road there badly damaged. There must have been a lot of rain in the mountains to get the water cascading down the Layou Valley with enough strength to wash out some of the road and the little bridge! Dare we say it: We think this could be a good thing as the road conditions have been bad for months now through this area. Hopefully this will ensure that when our road crews repair the small bridge they also deal with the general situation of the highway accordingly!

- Update...

From: Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 20:49:08 -0700 (PDT)

Very squally conditions continue un abated- and winds continue to howl accompanied with sheets of rain.

Winds have been coming mainly out of the NE or NNE I would have to assume- though at times it has been variable. Reports from the capital on the West report similar conditions with occasional winds which did occur from a more westerly direction at times.

Blessed Night to All!

- 'Gordon...?' Still stormy

From: Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 20:37:19 -0700 (PDT)

Now some more data to support my perspective on this menacing little system currently affecting us here in Dominica:

In-fact, Winds have not let up here in Dominica and rain has been coming down continuously…mixed with the odd thunderstorm cell including some winds recorded out of the West... what a night we have been having.

The following is an observation from a weather station and the last two are the reports from Ships at sea currently, which is quite telling of the actual conditions…

(Weather Stx) -Speed / Dir43.7 mph from NNE

Ship reports in the vicinity of Guadeloupe!!

WInd speed in knots in bold!!

SHIP S 0300 16.20 -61.00 30 131 130 39.0

SHIP S 0200 16.10 -61.30 26 167 120 40.0

- Undeniably -T.S. Gordon

From: Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:59:17 -0700 (PDT)

Irrespective of what the NHC may say -All due respects to them - we here on the East and North east coast of Dominica have been experiencing nothing short of Tropical storm conditions courtesy 'Gordon' -for over the past hour...(No longer a remote possibility) -It is probable that winds have been sustained at about 40Kts with gusts that must have been near at least 65mph at times.

Currently, I'm only able to post -because of the sheer fortune of a generator facility- I suppose the power company took no chances as the weather was really getting bad...I just hope and pray that others are holding up alright across the Nature Isle as I type...The rain keeps coming down in sheets and the thunder rumbling is a bit louder than before when the first few gusts of wind started to build. By night (worst time for a storm) it is truly difficult to gauge what is going on -It is my hope that morning light will reveal that things have not been that bad...

WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW IS MY EARLIER EMAIL THAT I INTENDED TO SEND WHEN THE POWER WAS CUT...THAT WAS JUST ABOUT 9:05P.M.

Greetings!

As what appears to be the core of the system seems to be ready to impact us here in the North East of the Nature island of the Caribbean the wind gusts appear to now be at a bit stronger force than what we felt from Ernesto's effects. Definitely a bit more on the wild side...

Sporadic Lightning bursts are illuminating the horizon and the distant and faint rumbling can be heard. At this point it looks like its going to shape up to be a long night- possibly an early appearance of Gordon may even be a remote likelihood...Blessings to All!

- Prayers...thunder

From: Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 11:50:13 -0700 (PDT)

A very Good Afternoon to all!

Even though TD 7 has been designated as a degenerated or open wave- it appears that we may have underestimated the punch that is coming along with this system. As a matter of fact - it appears like the remnants of TD 7 may be trying to Re-organize to the west of Martinique and Dominica.

My heart and my prayers go out most to the people of Trinidad and Tobago who appeared to have been hit from a Southern spin off from what was Formerly TD7. The pictures arising out of Diego/ Maraval etc. in Trinidad is simply hair-raising. I truly pray that God's grace and strength continues to be with all who have been affected.

Here on the North East coast of Dominica- thunder has begun to rumble- the skies are darkening and there should be some copious rain soon.

Lets all hope and pray for the best...this may still yet become Gordon.

- TD7

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:00:09 -0400

We are keeping our eye of TD7 and it looks like it is getting larger and going higher up the islands! It is fascinating watching the satellite images! We always take precautions as we have shutters on our home! We have a breadfruit tree close by and don't want a breadfruit being hurled through the air like a football and breaking the glass in the window! Also for me who is scared of lightning I am unable to see the lightning when the shutters are closed! Let us hope that TD7 goes by without causing anyone too much damage!

- Muggy morning

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 08:36:09 -0400

Just woken up to a very muggy morning; there are some big black clouds with intermittent blue sky, the temperature is perfect, it is a very still morning! It looks like Dominica maybe lucky again if the potential TS Gordon passes over St. Lucia and Martinique. Hopefully it will result in no more than a lot of rain, a bit of wind and for my sake not thunder an lightning.

We have an aquaintance Kevin, who reads this blog with interest and lives in Canada. One of the reasons he reads I think is that he loves Dominica and likes to keep up with what is happening here!

At home we have three dogs Chester, Tippy and Vallee! Our smallest dog, Vallee has been very ill indeed ill since March!! Vallee stopped eating, we could not tempt her with anything. We took her to every vet on the island had her tested for everything, the vets could not find anything wrong with her! Her weight was dropping off her and we feared for the worst! A friend of ours' Chris suggested I started feeding her with a syringe so I set about cooking potatoes, carrots and peas with a bit of salt and some chicken thighs and red meat, liquidizing everything and then feeding it to her little and often around 4 times a day. At the same time, mixing the food up and giving her proper food to eat as well cut up into tiny manageable pieces! Well it has taken approximately two months but we now have a very healthy little dog that is devouring with relish; she knows the time by her tummy! We are still cooking for her each day (gourmet food $$) but it has paid off big time. The beautiful thing is that we rescued Vallee and she was very badly treated and frightened of everyone including us! Now Vallee comes to us both to be stroked and loved, even jumps up to us with her front paws while we are sitting! Vallee stares at us with great depth in her green eyes as it to say thank you, it is so rewarding! We know for certain if she had been with someone else she would be dead. Animals give their love unconditionally and we owe them back.

- Deluges

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2012 07:18:29 -0400

We were taken by surprise it has rained on and off all night and the rain has fallen upon our roof like a high pressure hose or very fast tap or even quasi Niagra! Unbelievable, we have woken up to dark skies and very little visibility; the clouds are coming off the river and trying to rise to the heavens! It looks like there is a blob of anger over us and Guadeloupe. Hopefully, it will clear by mid morning. We have enjoyed our Bank Holiday and have not moved from chez nous as we have been transfixed watching the Olympics! It has been very, very good viewing and for me in particular - Nick Skelton and the British Show Jumping team winning gold was the icing on the cake. I used to show jump when I lived in the UK!

- Very dark still

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2012 08:13:49 -0400

We have had a very peaceful night not any wind to speak of. Today is a very dull cloudy sky - in fact the clouds are meeting the river and it is still raining. We have checked and have not heard of anything untoward happening in Dominica which is great. Looking at the satellite images it looks like we are coming out of the tropical unrest, so let's hope the sun takes centre stage later on in the day. Amazingly there was no thunder and lightning, over the valley at least. Happy Jaco Lass and dogs!

- Definitely not a beach day...

From: Micheal Colaire <nichs2002 at yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2012 16:29:05 -0700 (PDT)

Tonight I pray and hope that all continues to be well and Blessed in the windward islands inspite of Tropical storm Ernesto. In the Nature Isle on our North east coast it has not been too bad...thank God.

In fact, although the expected winds and rains did not arrive early this morning, however, just later in the morning it was a very different story. Rains showers -at times heavy, but mostly moderate & driven by steady winds became the order of the day. Odd wind gusts may have reached 30mph or 35 at tops. There has been no lightening or thunder but overcast, dark and moisture laden skies have been prevalent.

Thankfully there has been no damage, but by far the most ugly thing during the day has been the Atlantic ocean which has been churning from since early this morning. Currently we are experiencing another of Ernesto’s bands and the 'showers of blessings' have been coming in abundance. It seems like Ernesto is strengthening right now in the Caribbean sea -thank God it did not approach the islands as a stronger storm –God alone knows what may have happened in that scenario… Let us continue to pray for God’s providence and guidance during this hurricane season for all our islands.

A Blessed evening to All!

- Lots of Rain

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2012 15:05:21 -0400

We have had non stop rain now for two hours, very, very heavy at times! No real wind just the odd gusts! It is still very dark and raining hard in the valley, it is 3.0 p,m. The dogs are all snuggled up sleeping comfy and warm. We feel that the storm must soon abate! Let's have a snifter...........................

- Calm night

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2012 07:33:25 -0400

We had a very peaceful night and are now experiencing some heavy rain, the cloud mass is closing in in the valley which makes visibility very dull! We are having fun medal watching the Olympics let's hope we can continue to do so. It does not look like Dominica will get too much of the weather, fingers crossed. We wish everyone well!

- Waiting game

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2012 15:25:19 -0400

We've had a very beautiful day so far; the sea was the most fantastic colour and not a ripple, very still no sign of oncoming bad weather. If we are very lucky, Dominica could perhaps get away with gusty winds and showers - not too much thunder and lightning which would please me, no end! Sitting on the deck now the whispering wind is starting to shout, but conditions are still lovely and bright. At least this may be only a tropical storm not a hurricane, but possibly troublesome. I just read copy from the St. Lucia correspondent and respectfully suggest that perhaps it would be a good idea to get a couple of water tanks rather than relying on the government water. We just have our own water storage tank and so never get let down with water flow!

- Stormy Weather

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:08:36 -0400

We were expecting to have a lot of thunder and lightning through the night! We just had loads of rain, a light show to match a Queen ( alas!minus Freddie) concert but gratefully no thunder. In the morning it was very dark and foreboding; at 10.0 a.m.the Lord's Will came to fruition: The heavens opened - donner und blitzen prevailed, I hid in the bathroom with the dogs and 2 large breadfruit went sailing over the Hibiscus ! Definitely not my or the dogs favourite weather. It really did pour down, going walkabout was not an option. The next piece of Nature flexing its muscles should be here by late Tues/Wed - the Aug 1st prediction from our USVI colleauges looks spot on either way. I suppose we have been very lucky so far this season, so can't complain.
The sun is starting to shine now and it is mid afternoon! ..........Hello Muddah! Hello Faddah...you know the rest!

- Great Summer so far

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:50:47 -0400

We had a lot of rain in the night! This morning it is cool, we have lots of blue sky so it looks like it's going to be a lovely day! We are just so enjoying our weather so far this summer - so very, very pleasant and we really have never seen our garden looking so beautiful. The birds are so content to get on with their nesting, bringing their new babies into the world with - at the moment - no threat from the usual storms. There is a big blob of weather out in the Atlantic that could bring some rough & tumble, but it could also just glide by us hopefully!
We have been watching the Olympics via TV; my sister went in person to them yesterday mainly to watch the dressage and was so disappointed with the lack of people in the stands and the shortage of atmosphere in the stadium. This seems to be a real problem; I think they should let the public purchase tickets for the empty seats allotted to corporate bodies if people do not arrive by a certain time!!
There's an air of sadness around because we feel that someone has killed our boa constrictor - she's not been seen for a couple of weeks. I think word has spread that she has become snake oil!!! It is so sad, we wish that the locals would understand that the snakes do no harm but actually do good; they, for a start eradicate loads of vermin! LOL

- Avocados

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:02:13 -0400

The weather really is behaving itself so far this hurricane season. Here in Dominica we are still enjoying the warmth of the sunshine, the easiness of the breeze and the rain at night. We have not had to water the garden much this summer so far or replenish our water tank by pumping from the ravine. Indeed the garden is just beautiful at the moment and our first ripe avocados are gleaming down at us. We are so very lucky we have five avocado - commonly known as 'pear' trees - and the fruit ripens at different times of the year; usually we can have avocados from now until November!
It looks like there could be some African cannonball activity working it's way across the Atlantic. Let's hope it does not develop into anything of significance! Just a boost to cistern levels within the region.
The London Olympics start today and I know that we will be having fun watching the opening ceremony! Technology is truly wonderful. We hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

.

- Thunder and Lightning

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 08:35:01 -0400

Well it has been a bit of a weird week starting off on Saturday when I was woken up by a very loud clap of thunder followed by a huge flash of lightning with the sound of torrential rain on our roof as if we were under a very powerful water fall!! Jaco Ladd was out walking the valley track with Tippy! I shot out of bed grabbed some clothes and quickly rushed out of the house keys in my hand coming to the rescue. It actually took a lot of guts for me to do this as I am terrified of lightning and if waiting in abeyance there was the flash as I reached the vehicle! Well I went down the road at high speed with the thunder roaring and electric charges flashing all around and the rain pouring down. I was so glad that I did this as there were two very, wet relieved objects emerging out of the greyness. Getting them into the vehicle and safely home was the priority!! Since then it has been very weird weather; quite a lot of sunshine with the odd showers of rain! Last night we had the thunder and light show again with very heavy showers. This morning it is dark and very, very wet; there is a quasi tropical depression over us which we had missed yesterday! It looks like this weather could be in for the duration! Luckily I am staying at home today and painting so I should have a very cozy time!

- Great weather

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:19:19 -0400

Jaco Ladd and I have lived in the Caribbean 24 years and this summer is proving to be the best so far that we have experienced. It seems so upsetting that the UK and a lot of Europe are having the worst summer on record with torrential rain and serious flooding. Jackie our other DA correspondent is presently in the UK and has told us it has not stopped raining in Britain since they arrived in June!!

The weather we have been having over the last two weeks has been just superb and today has started the same. Beautiful sunshine, with a great breeze which keeps the intense heat away. It rains here in our valley most nights and last night was no exception! This is a fantastic bonus for us as it means that our vegetable garden is doing really well and we don't have to worry about watering it!

I took the dog for our morning walk, it was so pretty this morning as clouds were coming off the river and wafting up to the sky; the cliffs of the Layou river are extremely majestic and all different colours - it is very inspiring and beautiful. We hope everyone has a great weekend, the hurricane season so far is being kind, long may this last.

- GREAT WEATHER

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2012 08:32:46 -0400

Parts of DA had the most awesome day weather wise yesterday, sunshine, lots of wind, the odd shower. Still, we managed to get all the windows cleaned, the awnings washed and the gears oiled. The garden is looking beautiful, and I managed to get some great food from the garden yesterday, plantain, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and cabbage; hearty stuff' fantastic dinner last night. It rained most of the night and looks a bit stormy this morning. The temperature is a bit like winter as expressed by our correspondent in St. Kitts. I hope that they have a good night for their 4th July celebrations' sounds fun! We hope everyone enjoys their day!

- ONE CLAP OF THUNDER

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2012 10:57:49 -0400

We have a lovely cool day today! last night as we were going to bed we heard a loud clap of thunder and the dog shot straight through the door and lay at my feet! Out came the phone and the internet! That was it though, one load bang followed by no lightning which I was very grateful for! We had a lot of rain in the night and so far this morning just one gentle shower. We presume the weather came from the blob we had been watching on the Atlantic as today we seem in the clear on the radar screen!

The one thing we have noticed - reading reports from the other islands - is that they are very dry and have not had so much rain. Dominica has been very lucky this month we have had our fair share of downpours, everything is looking green all around the island, we don't have anything weather wise to complain about. Long may this last!!

- Peaceful morning

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:11:19 -0400

We have awoken to a cloudy sky with a lovely breeze blowing very refreshing in our valley! The dogs are lying at my feet as I am writing this report. We are watching the approaching weather that is out in the Atlantic and could perhaps give us a bit of inclement activity in another day or two! It is amazing how many little quasi depressions have come since the beginning of June. I think we all have to be wise and make sure we are prepared for a hurricane so have our storm-cupboards topped up with the necessary rations! I wish I did not hate thunder and lightning so much -it is just the price we pay for living in paradise I guess.

- CHANGE IN THE WEATHER

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:23:18 -0400

What a pleasant change in the weather today. We have woken up to a cool, cloudy, windy day, it looks like we could have some showers which will be welcomed by the garden! However, this is not good weather for the snake Gloria that lives in the garden! Gloria likes it to be hot and very sunny as she likes to come out of her hole which is in a very large tree to sunbathe on a bed of leaves. I have posted a pic of Gloria just doing that - you can see how she blends in with her surroundings. She is about 11' long and we think expecting little G's! We don't actually mind our Boa Constrictor friends as they dispatch all the rats. Dominica is fortunate enough to not have any poisonous snakes. The Boa Constrictors are protected but many locals destroy them out of fright or to make snake oil which is said to be a well tested remedy for one's aches & pains ! Even so, any snakes on our land, we try to make sure stay very much alive!

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- Hurricane Debby

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 08:30:23 -0400

TS Debby is so early! The weather that we have been experiencing in Dominica over the last week: Call it very hot and in Roseau particularly, pretty humid! In our experience, living in the Caribbean and going through hurricane Luis in Antigua, not only was the weather very, very hot but the ocean was almost unbearable to be in. This was the formula which we feel caused Luis to be so vicious and damaging to Antigua, Barbuda, St. Martin and some of the other islands. We sincerely hope that this season does not buck against the original forecasts i.e. 'below average activity' . We are keeping a close eye on Debby and thinking of the folks out there who might be affected by her meanderings!

- HOT HOT HOT

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2012 09:57:28 -0400

The last few days have been very, very hot! In Roseau on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I think we could have fried eggs on the pavement as it was absolutely scorching! Today looks as if it is going to be another heavenly day, lots of sunshine, but cooler. We had a water pump breakdown and were without running water for two days. It is always a trial when the anything goes on the blink as we live away from the town and it takes a while to get help! However, we have the Layou River very close by which is delightful! Off we went with the soap and shampoo and dipped ourselves in the cool, cool current absolutely delicious!

- Beautiful weather

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 08:42:57 -0400

The last few days have been absolutely wonderful here in our valley! It is just as well as we have been painting the outside of our house the weather has been perfect for this and our home is looking really colourful and Caribbean again. It was surprising how faded the paint had become in 6 years of weather!!

Looking at the report from St Croix makes us think about this world wide recession and the affect that it is having on the Islands in the Caribbean. Dominica has a much smaller population but we are also seeing closure of business's one of them being the aerial tram that employed over 60 people! It is very hard seeing this happening and realizing how difficult it is for people to manage. The very good thing about living in Dominica is that no one will ever go hungry as we have so much food growing here and families do tend to look after each other which is a blessing. We are also noticing that many business's in the town are being affected by lack of tourists and the lack of money! We used to have a cruise ship visit the island every Tuesday in the summer but this stopped last year! I don't think any one saw this recession being so bad and continuing to cut so deeply! Let us hope that we do not have any bad hurricanes to make things more difficult.

On a happier note it is a beautiful sunny Sunday and we are off for a picnic on the beach. We will find a shady spot under a grape tree put out our chairs and enjoy a lot of homemade goodies washed down with chilled bottle of wine.............................................................................................

- Loving the weather

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:47:42 -0400

What a lovely day yesterday and today looks the same! We are having a fantastic breeze up here in the valley with plenty of sunshine. We are painting the outside of the house and the weather is perfect at the moment for this needy job! I took off with a friend and spent the afternoon by the pool at the Evergreen Hotel it was just fantastic breezy, sunny and the temperature of the pool was perfect! The accompanying rum punch was pretty good too.

- Great weather

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2012 07:07:51 -0400

The weekend was very peaceful. The weather was very sunny and to be honest the hottest we have had in Dominica this summer. I went out with my business partner and visited an interesting property, three tree houses 4 miles in off the main road by the most beautiful river. The road to get to the property left a great deal to be desired but once we arrived it was like stepping into another world. We have a very big tree opposite us on our land that I would love to build a tree house cum art studio in, maybe 20ft up or so. I have always been fascinated by having a house in a tree ever since I was a little girl! This would be going even further back into nature! Just have to watch the wood ants methinks! Today is much cooler - we had a lot of rain in the night! Always happens when Jaco Ladd spends a long time watering the garden the day before............................................

- Blowing a gale

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2012 08:05:18 -0400

Yesterday was very weird in the valley it was blowing a gale which it is doing now and has done all night plus we have had some very heavy rains yesterday and all through the night! Most of yesterday I spent at Calibishie the weather there was so extremely different from here! Yes the wind was blowing but not half as much as here in the valley, also we had bright, bright sunshine which was fantastic!!
We just heard a tree fall down another dead tree - thwack!
Our friends Jackie and Tom who are back in the UK saw the amazing spectacle of the boats going down the Thames for the Queen's Jubilee! Well we also managed to watch the pageant on the Thames through the computer and just like Jackie felt very proud to have our Dominican flag on display representing us as part of the Commonwealth. I have to say there is not another country in the world that has the history and still has all the horses and carriages in working order and is able to put on a show like they can in London. We think it showed London off really well and the concert in the evening with all the lights was indeed spectacular.

We wonder how long the winds are going to last the temperature is quite a bit down!

- Dominica in the Parade.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2012 15:38:25 +0100

Good afternoon everyone,

well it is here in the U K. Will be here for a few weeks. It's wet, grey, breezy and COLD.

Just to say that we watched the 1000 boats of all descriptions parade down the River Thames

for the Queens Diamond Jubilee. My what a fantastic sight. All the commonwealth countries

were out flying their flags. And there we were, little Dominica. When it was spotted we were

all shouting. Even the grandsons were shouting for us. There we are, the one with the parrot.

Looked like everyone had a good day. Shame about the rain though.

Well you all stay safe. Enjoy the warmth.

- NOW IN HURRICANE SEASON

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 07:26:02 -0400

We have had a fantastic couple of days weather wise! The sun has been shining and the birds singing, the flowers bright and beautiful; the lawn an awesome green and a gentle breeze to go with it! On my walk this morning I came across a fallen tree! I remember watching the film trilogy of Lord of the Rings, watching the scene where the trees come to life in the forest - and - having lived here among the trees they really do talk and have a total life of their own. I would love to know the cycle of the trees life, as often I can be sitting on the deck and I will hear a crash and know that it is a tree that has just fallen down! The end of it's life. The really wacky thing is that I have witnessed this on my morning walk and had a very lucky escape. It is just part and parcel of living in the forest, it truly is magical. The fact that our home is situated within startling mountainous woodland makes us part of Nature and we are so lucky to be considered uninvited accepted guests!

We will be keeping a watchful eye for the next 6 months here in Dominica and sincerely wish everyone remains safe out there.

- Hot, Wedding's and Mozzies.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 22:46:30 -0500

Good evening everyone,

we have had some glorious hot days this week. When I checked the

thermometer on the back balcony, late this afternoon, it was reading 89f. And

yesterday felt even hotter. Love it. We did have one dark moment this afternoon.

Some pretty big grey clouds rolled across and there were a few spits of rain.

Nothing serious though, and the clouds soon rolled on by.

Not much in the way of breeze tonight. Humidity way up. Sky is lovely

and clear. Half moon shining on the sea. Frogs serenading. Ahhh these

Caribbean nights. Love em. Plenty of mozzies though. Friends of friends

are over for a wedding and one poor soul has been bitten by the mozzies no end.

Nothing seems to work for him. Still the rest of the group have been spared because

the mozzies head straight for him. He could probably earn a fortune hiring himself

out to new tourists, to help keep the mozzies at bay from them.

Hoping the weather stays this good for the rest of this week for the wedding.

You all take care. Have a really great day tomorrow.

- O what a lovely day.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 20:11:27 -0500

Good evening everyone,

at last the rain has stopped. Well for today anyway. It's been a stunning day, and hot.

Little on the hazy side, but hey, we can live with that. Just spoils the sunsets a tiny bit.

Humidity seems to be up tonight. Sitting here with a hand towel round my neck. Mozzies

are attacking back. On high alert with them. Little vamp's are everywhere. It is a lovely

Caribbean evening. Sky fairly clear, can see lots of stars. Very light breeze every now and

again. All is quiet and peaceful. Apart from the frogs singing their little hearts out. Just waiting

for the cricket that is sitting on the ceiling to start up and join the chorus.

I'm off. Find the glass and something to go in it. You all have a good evening and a great

day tomorrow. Stay safe.

- HEAVY RAINFALL AND CHILLY

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 21 May 2012 11:31:19 -0400

Well, what is new, this weather has been going on for the last three days it is truly weird in our valley. OK, one minute the sun is shinning and the next the clouds have opened and we have torrential rain that just falls straight as a die, heavy! We can't see a depression on the weather chart it is so strange, is it valley weather?? We hear not! I have to say that it is really chilly when it rains! So what am I doing? I have taken the day to do catch up on the computer at home so am at the moment smelling the most wonderful soup that I am cooking on the stove!! Ginger, carrot, potatoe and parsnip concoction the aroma is delicious, with home made bread!! Definitely a great lunch washed down with a good glass of Vino! Days like this are not so bad...........................

- STORMY WEATHER

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 May 2012 13:27:10 -0400

Well what a day so far. Amazing rain fall! One minute sunshine and then all hell let's loose and it absolutely buckets down!

It is a day for staying home, snuggling up and cooking. As I write this I have a homemade Neapolitan/Layou Valley pizza in the oven, scintillating aroma so delicious for lunch and a stew in the slow cooker for supper.

It's Champions League final and counting; the action is this evening Munich time and livestream feed via God.com is perfect via certain buttons.

Getting ready for lunch with a wayward Burgundy or so ! We actually love days like this but sometimes don't recall.............

- Rain, Wind and HUGE Black Beetles.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 May 2012 08:21:14 -0500

Good morning everyone

my it was wet yesterday morning. Really heavy rain. ( Just like right now.)

Then by lunchtime the sky turned blue, the sun came out to play. It turned into

a beautiful afternoon. Late afternoon the wind kicked in. I was working in the

neighbours garden ( she goes off island for awhile and I double my garden size)

when this almighty gust tore through. It was so strong it physically pushed me

a couple of inches along the path. Thought I was about to become Mary Poppins,

without the brolly and a pair of pruners and trowel instead. Had the occasional

gusts for the rest of the day and into the evening. Well the wind bought in an

uninvited guest. This huge black beetle, first one of these I have ever seen. It

looked very much like a stag beetle but without the pincers. Hard backed and a

shiny black. It was very quickly removed I can tell you. The thing was enormous.

Anyone know what it is ???

Had planned to go to market this morning, but welll, it's still raining. Thick

grey cloud. No horizon, that's been lost under the rain somewhere. Can just

about make out the shape of town through the rain. Sea is grey, well what I can

see of it. The wind's died down to a light breeze though. Humidity feels way down.

Quite cool and comfy. Poor guy trying to strim grass out there this morning is not

having a good time. 3 times in the last 15min's he's run for cover.

I'm off for another coffee. Check out the grey view. You all stay safe. Have a great day.

And watch for those loose rocks and boulders.

- Mangoes, mangoes and more mangoes.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 17 May 2012 19:47:01 -0500

Good evening everyone,

what a miserable day. Light rain on and off most of the day, with a few good

deluges thrown in for good measure. Still the plants are loving it. Humidity way up

this afternoon. Yuk. Not much in the way of breeze. Thick cloud cover tonight.

Unable to see many stars out there tonight. Mozzies are on the rampage. Every

where I look I spot one. Walking around armed with a spray can. Did have a couple

of flashes of lightening earlier this evening but it seems to have died away. No thunder.

Today was a baking day. I have so many mangoes and cherries. Cakes all round

the street. Fed up with them now, so whats left are going in the blender. Mango and cherry

juice on the menu.

I'm off to find that glass. You all have a great day tomorrow. Stay safe.

O and it's still raining.

- Hurricane Season

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 17 May 2012 08:27:29 -0400

Well what a night last night and now this morning we have woken up to pouring rain, dark clouds and hopefully no thunder or lightning! I did not think we were supposed to get heavy rain storms, thunder and lightning before the first of June! June is marching on towards us fast we hope for an easy season with hopefully hardly any bad, bad hurricanes.

.

- Rainy Weather

By Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 09:23:58 -0400

Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day; we watered our garden vigilantly and depleted our holding tank somewhat! Today the heavens have opened and we are having heavy downpours on and off which is really great! I went away to Antigua last week for a few days and left Jaco Ladd holding the fort. I have to say I had not been to Antigua for a while and when I was there I hired a jeep as you do! Travelling around I became totally amazed at how Antigua has grown; there are so many new buildings on view, the island is getting a little full in my opinion! I was also horrified at the cost of the food in the supermarkets, much higher than in DA! The thing I missed most was the sounds of the forest around our home! I am sitting on the deck writing this and I can here hundreds of frogs singing a very loud chorus and lots and lots of birds chirping away, it is a total choir, not to mention looking out onto our beautiful green lawn, the bamboo, trees and cliffs of the Layou river, wow, we are so lucky, it is great to be home.

- Welll it's errr Grey.

By Jackie Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 12 May 2012 08:58:29 -0500

Good morning everyone,

well the sun is really doing it's best, but it looks like it is struggling, against

all the grey. We have had another 3 days of grey. On / off rain. Seems to be

a thick haze out there. First noticed it yesterday. Still there this morning. The

horizon can just about be seen. Sky is, well, grey. Sea grey. Sea appears to be

flat and calm. The wind really kicked in yesterday. Stuff on the balcony being

blown around, and some banana and plantain trees have gone over. Quite a few

mango's have been pulled from the trees. I have made mango cake, mango and

pork, mango juice, and perhaps, some chutney next.

Went into town on Thursday. Managed to do, and get, most of what's needed.

Stopped off at the Tao restaurant for lunch. Oooops, Oh dear, Hmmm, Well, not

impressed.Think I'll leave it at that. Suffice to say we ended up in Fort Young.

Just been out onto the balcony. The wind has died down quite a lot from

yesterday. Neighbour is out clipping away at his hedge, to beautify it he says.

Humidity seems to be creeping up. Skin feeling a little clammy, too much info Hubby says.

Hubby is just about to make me another coffee so I'm off to enjoy the grey view and

listen to the sound of clippers. You all have a great day and keep safe.

And all you MUMS out there have an excellent day tomorrow. Lets hope the sun

comes out for us all.

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