Celebrating good health

Was a fun day today, despite getting up at the crack of dawn to start a week-long run of early starts for the cruise ship onslaught affording us Monday - Saturday (minus Friday, also my day off). It ended particularly well, too, as the boss decided to let me go a couple of hours early rather than have me stay with two other guides to the end of the day and pay me my overtime from having no lunch during the day.

I did 4 rides altogether, 2 cruise ship and 2 private. The funniest actually returned me the least in tips, but it was entertaining to have these 4 inexperienced Americans laughing and joking about as we walked n trotted around the headland. Kept it slowish since they weren't great riders, and actually one of the girls didn't feel confident in slowing her horse so in the end we just walked.

They gave me just $5 at the end, although got some cracking photos in the water by N. One of the horses I think was pulled back on too much and jumped up in the water, and that was a great shot. Of course they all bought the CD. N thought thank me for that later - ha!

Before my last ride, with one Canadian woman, I was told I'd be finished afterwards, I didn't even need to unsaddle my horse (although I did). Sweet! Perfect timing to get into Philipsburg and buy that camera I've been waiting to get. All these activities I plan to do, I want to do them with a camera of course, so I was glad to get a chance to buy one before Anguilla on Friday.

Checked the internet and sank a beer before I left work, then Polly and I went home and I changed to go into town. In town, I ended up on Front St (the tourist strip) thinking I'd get a good deal in the competitive electronics shops, asked around and settled with one place that seemed keen to bargain. There is no tax on electronics here so they're really reasonably priced, actually the cheapest I've ever gotten considering I had a memory card and case thrown in. I just asked for one with panorama and ended up with the previous model Sony Cyber-shot. Sure hope it fairs better than the last Cyber-shot I bought all those years ago (mega faulty)!

At the same shop, actually, I managed to find some jewellery for mum's birthday as a nice compliment to my return home. I guess it was reasonably priced also, but I really have no idea about jewellery so... all I know is that it's pretty!

N had assured me that "tonight's the night" to go out, as she'd bailed the previous two, but I wasn't holding out. So I came home and cooked a hearty meal of marinated (how very organised of me!) steak and boiled veggies - here's to me eating well - and was surprised to see some missed calls from N asking when I wanted to meet her. Glad it was earlier than the 10pm she'd suggested - something tells me she had stayed at the bar after kayaking - so she was off to get me after a few on her motorbike. Hmmm....

We went to Privy, this island's attempt at swanky... a rooftop bar on the main road that had views of car lights, drunk people walking down the middle of the street and some neon signs for the nearby casinos. To be fair, the cool night air was a welcome change to the stuffiness of my bedroom but I had to wear a jacket. The wind was starting to come up.

The place was empty, and as we were so early it was Happy Hour. All good things in my book, I have no interest in socialising when I'm out these days. The odd person I'll talk to if I'm left to my own devices, but largely I go out with my friends, not looking sideways at "potential" cuties as I would have once upon a time. Yep, I'm a changed woman.

We only had a couple of rum punches before N called it a night. She told me the reason behind her insistence to have drinks - she is a cancer survivor and just recently got final tests done to see if it was completely eradicated from her body. The tests came out all clear so she was happy - understandably! I was glad I'd made the time for her, she really is a lovely woman. I am going to miss her the most.

After some weird crab meat bruscetta things, we hopped back onto the bike - me kinda worried about her alcohol intake especially as my insurance has just run out - but I got home safely, as did she afterwards. The night was young, but I was up early the next day.