Our build up to Christmas was a little different this year. We didn’t have to contend with the Christmas shopping mania and the frustration of having ones car park stolen. No Christmas parties, no family mayhem and no new party dresses. Christmas was a very low key event in a lovely location in Grenada. The only similarity to home was the weather…hot!! We docked at the True Blue Boutique Resort and Marina, this gave me time to rest my back while getting some repairs done. The marina was used as a base by Horizon Yacht Charter with maintenance and cleaning taking place around us. After a few days, Si had everybody keeping the dock tidy, with yacht bits kept to one side so we could safely make the walk to the resort.

The “cruising” community in this area is big with some ”cruisers” being in the area for years; the neighbouring Prickly Bay is full of yachts. A morning radio net keeps everybody informed of the any safety issues, the weather, daily activities and the time table for the shopping buses. Depending on the day we could have joined the thai-chi or yoga classes or the weekly dice game “Mexican Train”. One gentleman even provided a botanical walk and lecture that included traditional medicinal uses. Unfortunately we had a schedule to keep so Si had a few yacht maintenance jobs to keep him busy plus we did the usual provisioning trips to the supermarket. This involved a short walk (shuffle for me) over the hill to another marina where we caught the daily “cruisers” bus. This took us to several shopping stops – bank ATM, two different supermarkets, fruit & veg shop and the hardware. It was an easy way to lug our groceries home and meet new friendly cruisers along the way.

On Christmas eve, we checked into a room at the resort to enjoy a few days in a king size bed with unlimited showering, 24 hour air con, TV and a toilet that flushes with a single button. Small creature comforts that added to the excitement of Christmas. As they say, a change is always as good as a holiday :-)

On Christmas morning we woke up early and opened up our presents that had been hand carried by Felicity from Australia. Simon and I exchanged small gifts. I received a lovely bottle of tequila and Simon received a Grenada t-shirt. We sat outside on our balcony sipping our half bottle of champagne (we lost the other half as the fridge was too cold and the bottle exploded everywhere) enjoying the tranquillity of Christmas.

We caught up with Rob and Cathy from B n G for a lovely Christmas lunch at the resorts Dodgy Dock restaurant. I made my first pavlova from scratch that we consumed in the comfort of our air conditioned room. It was relatively successful with the exception of over whipping the UHT cream and making butter. Fortunately Rob was able to pop back down to B n G and return with some more whipping cream. The remainder of the day included plenty of rum and a few games of Mexican Train. As a side note, B n G started the year in Marmaris, they had seen Aura before we arrived. We’d spent the Euro summer heading the same direction however it wasn’t until the Canary Islands that we first met.

Boxing Day wasn’t spent at a shopping centre. I had a lovely sleep in while Si was up early to finish oiling the teak. The remainder of the day was spent chilling by the pool…bliss!!