4 Weeks in......

Okay, so it seems to be ages since we arrived here, but actually it is only 4 weeks!

Stanley is incredibly pretty, and we haven’t finished exploring it yet!

At Brize we were delayed due to a faulty computer on the plane, so we had to sit and wait while they fixed it, as compensation we were served with nasty instant coffee and salty Paninis

We later found out that these make up much of the snack food on the flight!  While we were sat there, lots of armed forces personnel filed through in desert camo to board their flight to Afghanistan – good luck boys and gals, come back safe and sound!

Meanwhile, Harry found a friend – Kia, who is the daughter of a teacher at his school, and they proceeded to trash the soft play area!

After what seemed like forever, but was only 8 or so hours, we landed at Ascension Island for our plane to be refuelled, which took 40 minutes, long enough for Harry to have an ice cream, get our passports stamped, and for the smokers on the flight to get their last cheap fags before hitting the Falklands – they are seriously expensive here!

Then it was back on the plane for our final leg.  They showed loads of grown up TV, which was really bizarre, considering all the kids were awake now, and during the night they had shown Shrek 4 when they were all asleep!

The final leg into the Islands was fun, as the pilot had made up loads of time, and the cabin crew weren’t ready, especially as several people still had meal trays out when the seatbelt light went on.  The highlight was Will, the son of a different teacher shouting “Everybody put your seat belts on now!”

We were down, and then had to clear customs and immigration, and then wait for our gear.  The non military people have their luggage clearly identified, and it is unloaded last!

Out the terminal at Mount Pleasant (which is really a glorified shed!) to be met by the Head and Deputy Head and driven to our house.  We found out why no one has a perfect windscreen during that journey...the road from Mount Pleasant to Stanley, all 35 miles of it is mostly gravel, a bit like the UK Forestry Commission roads.

We arrived at our house, and simply walked in through the door – no one locks their house out here!  Jo arrived a short while later to check we were okay, she had volunteered to cook tea for us, based on the experience she had last year, but she tripped on our lethal steps, and bruised her chin.  She’s pregnant so nipped to the local casualty to get checked out, in and out in a few minutes, the medical services here are great!

Up the following morning, and look out the lounge window, what a view!

Shopping was an interesting experience – we could buy everything that we could in the UK, but at much different prices.....Apples are 50p each, cucumbers are currently £6 each!  Milk is UHT only, and around £1 a litre, but most meat is stupidly cheap, mince is less than £1 a kilo, but contains no fat, mutton is dirt cheap, and fillet steak is around £12 a kilo!  It actually works out the same price for a Sunday roast, as the extra cost on veg is offset by the cheap meat.

I had a walk round Stanley, as I had to find where to order heating oil from, as our tank was about empty, and then took in the scenery.  Everyone stops to say hello, drivers wave at you, and even move onto the other side of the road, especially if it’s wet.  Just about everyone though drives a Land Rover (called “Rovers” out here) or other 4x4’s such as Pajeros and Land Cruisers.

 Trees grow to interesting angles because the winds are very strong, and always from the same direction!

This is the sunset across the harbour, no coloured lenses, just a UV filter.  The air here is extremely clear, and we get the most amazing sunsets!