Chicago Addick living in Bermuda
Wednesday 30 July 2008
  Cup Match How many places do you know in the world that have two days of national holiday to watch a cricket match? Well Tomorrow is officially Emancipation Day, marking the freedom of Bermuda’s slaves, followed by Somers Day on Friday, in honour of island founder, Sir George. But that is all very well, but the locals already camped out on the road are more concerned with cricket, drinking and grilling fresh wahoo, just plucked from the sea on their makeshift barbies.

Historians state the event, known simply as Cup Match began in 1872, when under the organisational skills of Captain J. Moresby of the Royal Navy he arranged a game of cricket to mark the anniversary of the abolition of slavery on 1 August 1834. Ever since the cricket clubs of St. George's (east end) and Somerset (west end) have battled for victory and major bragging rights in a two-day tournament, the rest of the weekend apparently taken over by partying. 

The Cup Match holiday itself only became ‘officially recognised’ in 1947 – a full 75 years after it began – largely due to the massive popularity of the game and also the fact that no one actually showed up for work. In 1999 the second day, the Friday was also granted as a public holiday in honour of English Admiral, Sir George Somers, who colonized Bermuda in 1609.

The venue alternates each year and well over 7,000 people attend one or both days with tens of thousands more tuning in on the radio, either at home, on the beach, on the water or camped out on any spare blade of grass they can find. The past couple of years the game has also been covered on local television. In the ground spectators drink, dance, eat and try their luck at an old dice game called Crown & Anchor, tomorrow and Friday being the only two days of legalised public gambling the government permits.

I am told the cricket can be a bit of a side show and Cup Match is certainly a place for people watching, maybe behind some very dark glasses however, but we will find out for ourselves as we've actually got some tickets so we plan to pop along in the morning (doors open at 9am) before I have to head off to the airport later in the evening. 
  Luol Deng signs new 6-year Bulls deal Good news for Bulls fans as Lewisham's Luol Deng today committed himself to the Chicago Bulls as they rebuild under new coach Vinny Del Negro (what a wonderful name). Deng signed a 6-year deal worth a whacking $80m! The Bulls have already signed first draft pick guard Derrick Rose, and continue to negotiate with another English born player Ben Gordon, although Gordon is said to be wanting to be the highest paid player in the team. Otherwise no doubt he will sulk off somewhere else.

Both Gordon and Deng are both what they call 'restricted free agents," meaning their current employers only have a finite amount of time to negotiate a contract extension, otherwise the players and their representatives can go off and bargain with any other franchise themselves.

Deng leaves this weekend to play for the GB in the European Championship qualifiers, and is the flag bearer, perhaps alongside Gordon, to propel Great Britain to London 2012 basketball qualification. 
Tuesday 29 July 2008
  Bougherra off then, but who else? With Pardew making it abundantly clear that we will see more players depart before the deadline, if not before the season opener, I wonder he was referring to.

"I expect to lose a couple more players, not because I want to, but because I have to. Hopefully, I'll be able to bring in a couple to replace them, but whether I can bring players in of the same level remains to be seen." Cheery stuff.

West Brom have made a bid to prise away Magic from summer-long favourites Real Betis. The board will be hoping that will lift the price I am sure, but Pards comments might have done the exact opposite.

Just last week the manager was saying that he hoped to bring in a new face, or two, but it obviously appears he and the new powers that be in the boardroom - Chappell and Waggott, think differently, although at the Bloggers meeting in June, it was said that we would begin the season with two senior pro's for each position, plus the kids. Not at centre-half we won't when Magic departs.

Pardew will be working with a smaller squad, and that is no bad thing, injuries willing, although we already have a couple. With this division always being a level playing field, the relegated three aside in regards to resources, then on paper I still feel we have as good as chance as any, it's just that Pardew will need to convince us all that he is the best, if not one of the best, motivators, team builders and coaches in the division.

So, who could be the other player(s) to leave. Faye? Oh, please god. ZZ? Aren't their work permit implications, plus he could be in China until after the transfer deadline. Thomas? I actually thought someone like Hull would have him, or Fulham but then it does appear that he has finally got his fat harris into pre-season, and I've heard good reports. A cynic would say this is for other reasons of course. Fortune will surely now stay another season. And then there are players like Sinclair or Christensen, just to loosen the wage bill a bit further.

All in all, it sounds like pre-season has gone well, I hope whatever happens in the next 10 days does not take our eyes of the importance of a good start. 
Monday 28 July 2008
  The Sunday newspaper, how nice. I hate unpacking. Still.

A short week this week in Bermuda as the island shuts down to a cricket match between the two ends of the country over four days next weekend. More on what is called Cup Match later in the week.

I actually, like an awful lot of other ex-pats will take the opportunity to fly home for 11 days to spend some quality and sadly long-overdue time with my son and my parents in Eastbourne. Such is the rush to get off the island this week, the daily BA flight from Hamilton to Gatwick on both Tuesday and Wednesday were full, so I'm on the Thursday night one, arriving early Friday. It is then a short drive to my parents. In fact flying into Gatwick and not Heathrow as I used too, from Chicago, saves me about two hours in the car.

We have plenty of activities planned and hopefully the weather stays good. My trip is of course rounded off by the Swansea game a couple of days before I fly home the day of the Yeovil game unfortunately.

Our house is starting to slowly resemble a home, although we are still waiting on another delivery of some stuff. We were told all the important items would be sent first, which I guess means that our ski's are more essential than our garden furniture and barbeque! I do hope to have the wireless up and running later today, although television might take a bit longer. However after coming across Newspaper Direct, we still have much of yesterday's Sunday Times to read.

If you live overseas and have never come across Newspaper Direct, it is a simple but ingenious idea where full copies of international newspapers are digitially printed on a broadsheet format and delivered by 10.30am wherever you are in the world. I can't tell you how excited I was yesterday sat reading the paper with my cornflakes.

In fact at about twenty past ten I got a call from the local distributor trying to find our house. A few directions and voilà, within minutes the paper was sat on the front doormat. 
Sunday 27 July 2008
  Kickabout "It wasn't very exciting Daddy."

My son's view on yesterday's game at the Withdean. Hopefully for them, they really do have a light at the end of the tunnel of a new stadium at Falmer. My son's normal complaint would have been of someone tall in front of him, yesterday it was being about half a mile from the pitch. "Oh and we only sung two songs!"

The pre-match 2 v 2 and going to beach afterwards certainly dominated our post match conversation last night and proved again why cost of entry to a pre-season friendly, should be only a couple of quid. Though to be fair to Gary Hart that wouldn't have given him much of a pension.

Racon, Youga, Thomas and Wright for my brother stood out and they and 900 other Addicks were at least treated to a fine goal from Chris Dickson, who celebrated it in a style, not becoming a pre-season kickabout. 13 days to go and counting. 
Friday 25 July 2008
  Unpacking Two days of it, with probably two more to go putting things away I didn't even know I had. I hate moving house.

Fortunately I had two dudes around today putting stuff together because I have never been good at working out how 46 screws go into 19 holes. A few things broken, that will teach those dodgy insurance types and a lot of empty boxes plus paper good enough to type on.

I'm going to take some photographs later to remind myself at some date in the future that moving house and country ain't all its cracked up to be!

But not now, because now I'm on a ferry crossing the greeny blue water of Hamilton Harbour heading out for one of the many happy hours in town.

A rum swizzle or two and views out across the ocean, hmmm did I tell you how good it is to be here? 
Wednesday 23 July 2008
  Charlton news thin on the ground Charlton news is extremely waif like at the minute, isn't it? Dover Athletic tonight where Yassin Moutaoukil, Jonathan Fortune, Lloyd Sam, Svetoslav Todorov and Stuart Fleetwood are named in the squad that will be a mixture of first team and youngsters with French trialist Kevin Tunani being the one to watch from what I heard from an eye-witness who was Dartford last week.

No sign of either Sean Canham or Paul Coutts, both non-leaguers who Pardew was supposed to be running the eye over.

My son, brother and a host of mates are all off to Brighton Saturday along with 900 other Addicks, a great effort for a pre-season game that has caught the imagination. I will get a report no doubt from an 8-year old and an update on his new favourite player around about mid-afternoon here on Saturday.

Various, well one or two names have been thrown out there by unreliable websites for new signings, one of whom the butcher of Plymouth, Krisztian Timar has just signed a new contract with Argyle. Fortune has been linked with a money move to Preston, who have been very inactive in the summer market, whereas it is said that the Bougherra deal to Real Betis is off. I certainly hope so because we are certainly short at the back. Still in my mind we are still short of a midfielder in the mold of a Mark Kinsella. If I knew who, then I wouldn't be sat here, I'd be playing Championship Manager. 
Monday 21 July 2008
  When in Rome.... If my first couple of days here were like the first day at school, then today I've actually dressed like I'm going to school! Yep, I've taken the plunge and bought myself some Bermuda shorts plus the mandatory knee-length socks and have worn them to work today.

Like most people new to the island, I was initially in the 'no never' camp, blimey it took me two years to get used to not wearing a tie to work, but most men do it and well, frankly in this weather, it allows everything to breathe more easily!

Bermuda's national dress for men, the shorts can be worn for all occasions and I notice are actually made in Canada, as are the long socks, and come in various colours. Mine today are probably best described as salmon pink - well why not?

Upon investigation, the English Sports Shop on Front Street has the best, and most authentic choice and cheapish too at $50. I might be back in there later adding to my collection, although to be honest I haven't a clue what I look like as we haven't yet got any full-length mirrors in our house! 
Saturday 19 July 2008
  Rock Island My search for a decent cup of coffee has led me to unearth a little diamond. The Rock Island Coffee shop at 34 Reid Street in Hamilton is a perfect hideaway making good coffee and selling a variety of things to nibble on. One can either sit inside surrounded by for sale local artwork or outside surrounded by warm blue skies.

Hidden away from the cruise liner tourist, Rock Island sells not only hand roasted coffees but fanciful ridicolously named drinks that 4-odd years in America opened my eyes too. 
Friday 18 July 2008
  Strangers I have come to realise there is something wonderful about meeting strangers. I can do chit-chat but I'm not particularly overtly outgoing and fortunately have never been short of a friend and frankly I'm often quite happy in my own company, I can make myself laugh if nothing else!

But moving to the US on my own to a big city was hard, sure I made a few very good friends but often I couldn't be bothered. American's generally are not always the easiest people to get to know, often superficial, or wrapped up in work, or unable to leave their college or towns behind, and of course they just don't get the humor, oops sorry humour. The handful of good mates I left behind were not like that of course, because they were patently different and offered openness, substance and curiousity.

It is easy to hide behind blogs, using alias' and all but I was always intrigued to meet other bloggers, readers and simply Addicks, particularly exiled ones and last night I met another top bloke.

LoOkOuT is one half of the brains and flipping hard work of Charlton Life. Born in Bermuda to a football loving Dad, he spent a long time off the island before finding himself in SE7 and falling in love with that 'small little club down the road.' Last night over beers we talked for hours of Charlton and life and Charlton. It's amazing the people you meet and proved once again that the internet is not all full of strangers. 
Thursday 17 July 2008
  Bermuda time Excitement tonight from a small island. I have planned to meet another Addick. There are two I know off in Bermuda, not including me. And one, who is certainly the techie brains behind this great community lives on the island and we plan to hook up tonight for a cold ale or two. Should be fun.

We are encountering a number of teething problems in our new place, I think the heavy rain and high winds as remnants of Hurricane Bertha on Monday have effected the electrics and last night we came home to no lights and more uncomfortably no air-conditioning. I am in contact with the rental company but already I'm becoming very proficient with 'Bermuda time.'

The frustrating thing from our point of view is that following 18 months of construction work on our loft in Chicago, it seems we are still stuck in the trap of having builders of all ilks coming round to our home. Just over 2 weeks in paradise but still yet to understand what the word relaxing is.

On a happier note I have booked my flight home to Blighty to see my son for the first part of his school holidays, which includes the Swansea game. 
Wednesday 16 July 2008
  Bent gone, at last Announced on Birmingham City's official website here.

Blimey, Like a pimple on your nose. After a number of failed treatments including forgetting it even existed, the club finally got rid of Marcus Bent this afternoon. Despite stories of thousands of Addicks showing up at Bent's Woolwich pied-à-terre on Monday offering him lifts down the M4, he actually decided to drive himself but then went and got lost on the way ending up in Birmingham where the filthy lucre is even more dirty - right up this arse-holes street.

Bent finally passed a medical, this despite having no heart and signed for the Blues for "in excess of £1m." This I'm assuming includes a few add-on's, which hopefully does not include any long-service awards. Good riddance to bad rubbish. 
  Tree frogs Just as I got used to the sounds of late night mopeds and the music from the pub next door when I was living on Hamilton's busiest street, I now lay in a bed made of air, listening to one of Bermuda's most characteristic night sounds, the whistling tree frogs.

No bigger than a thumbnail, they are almost impossible to see but they have throats the size of Luciano Pavarotti and whilst soothing, it can be bloody noisy too.

Silent all winter but as the night time temperature approaches 70 degrees the tiny greenish-brown amphibians emerge from their daylight hiding places under stones and leaves to sing from the trees and although found islan- wide, they are most common in the parishes of Devonshire, Pembroke, Warwick and Paget, which is where we now live.

I've done some research on the little blighters and it appears they were introduced accidentally sometime prior to 1880, most likely on orchids imported from the Lesser Antilles and their song, cricket like but more tuneful is the sound of males trying to attract females. Randy buggers.

Someone once told me there are billions on the island, and I think most of them live in the cedar trees outside my bedroom window! Anyway better than Chicago's police sirens. 
Tuesday 15 July 2008
  Festivals Balls. I'm going to miss Bloc Party's return to Chicago. They were awesome when we saw them just over a year ago and in August they will appear at Lollapalooza in Grant Park alongside Radiohead, Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco - whole line up here.

I've always wanted to go to Lollapalooza, although I'm pushing it for festivals, however if you are in Chicago between 1st and 3rd August, it should be good. Alternatively the Pitchfork Music Festival is in Union Park in July. Spoon, Jarvis Cocker and Public Enemy are amongst the bands playing.

However Bermuda has it's very own music festival in October and in an effort to bring a bit of Vegas to the island the Premier Ewart Brown is spashing out an incredible $2.2m to bring Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and er, UB40 to play at the four-day event. Last year one of the headliners Natasha Bedingfield probably played for 20 Marlboro Lights and as much Pinot Grigio as she could drink.

I noticed that all of the tickets have already "sold out," shame because I'd wouldn't have minded catching Alicia Keys, although the Whispers play at the Fairmont Southampton Beach Club on the Friday, and The Beat Goes On.... 
Monday 14 July 2008
  Bent to Bag Cardiff for Blues Birmingham City look like they have hijacked Marcus Bent's move to Cardiff. Money talks loud in Bent's futile world and after a call from Birmingham, Bent turned off the M4 on his way to South Glamorgan for a medical and drove to St Andrews instead, where he will stay overnight with some local floozy and sign in the morning. More money certainly, more chance of promotion, probably, more chance of the tosser having any integrity, nope. I just hope he bloody signs for someone! 
  Big Chris moves on "Waste of time, waste of money. If we had to sign another striker, should have carried on with the McLean pursuit. Oh well, I know we're going nowhere this season. I'm sure most of you lot will soon too!"

Nope, not a Charlton fan, but a Wolves one on here bemoaning their latest signing. God I would hate for us to be like them, I'd rather be a Leicester fan.

Actually like our supporters, most of the Wolves fans are split on Big Chris. I think the gossip pages' talk of them signing Aaron McLean has gotten them in a tiz, big club that they of course are! Wolves have Jay Bothroyd on the transfer list but did sell Eastwood last week to raise some money, said to be £400,000, for Iwelumo's signing today.

As for Big Chris? He inexplicably got blamed for our defenders hopeful long punts up to him, and he was our last season's top goalscorer lest us not forget plus that goal at St Mary's will long stay in mine and my son's memory. However there is a very good argument that his style of play did not help us use better skilled players to their and the team's greater good and frankly overall I don't think he was good enough.

More money in the bank, wages saved and the squad no worse off. Good luck to him and thanks for that goal at Southampton. 
Friday 11 July 2008
  Camping Moving into new gaff tomorrow, and my other half gets here tomorrow as well, so all very exciting. Hurricane Bertha (click on picture for latest track) continues to move very slowly at about 6mph towards the northwest just less than 300 miles from Bermuda. The island feels very still and hot today, a sign I am told of something happening, but that something should pass 160 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday night. Bermuda's east end and south shore will however suffer some residual rain and wind. Good for my yellowing grass though of course.

The weekend will be very quiet, there's not a lot to do in my new place as our shipping doesn't arrive until the following Sunday, so a bit of camping is necessary next week with an air bed hosting any conjugal rights!

All of our stuff in Chicago was successfully packed and now disappears somewhere until it leaves New Jersey next Friday, to arrive in Bermuda on the Sunday. Given the choice I would rather have a place to live first with the shipping coming later, as opposed to the shipping arriving with nowhere to put it. So camping it is and the ferry to work on Monday morning. Enjoy your weekends and if you're going to Ebbsfleet, remember it's only a friendly. 
Thursday 10 July 2008
  Bent, Bilbao, Robson and the poor Hatters A bit of an active day on the Charlton front, in a painfully slow way. First Pards has announced that we have turned down a bid for Marcus Bent.

"With all due respect it's a good bid but we feel his market value is worth more than that - especially the season he had at Wigan,"
he said of the £1m offered by Cardiff. With Peter Risdale signing cheques, it seems a decent tactic by Charlton, although I can't believe even Risdale's wallet will open to the tune of £2m that the club appear to want.

On the face of it, it would appear a strange move for Bent, although the club scene has to be better than Wigan High St. The Bluebirds do have some money slushing about after the sale of Aaron Ramsey and the non re-signing of Jimmy Fat Hasselbaink and if needs me to run him there, then I am more than happy to do so.

Meanwhile Pardew has denied earlier reports of a firm Real Betis bid for Bougherra, although the fact that neither him, nor Bent or Faye played any part in the Bromley and Welling games suggests that he is out with the bad rubbish.

Iwelumo, Toddy and Randolph also missed out setting tongues wagging. Wolves are said to be interested in the £750,000 valued Big Chris.

Hopefully after attending the opening game of the season, me and my fellow Bermuda Addicks (there at least two others) can watch the Reading game live on the box. The game on the 23rd has been made a 12.45 kick-off.

Other news yet announced although people close to the club say it is true, is that first team coach Mark Robson has left the club after almost 8-years due to further cost-cutting. It is thought that Robson represented a different era at the club and was therefore the unfortunate one sacrificed.

Also non-official news is that Athletico Bilbao will provide the Spanish opposition in our single home friendly. Listed on the Spanish club's website, they will also open Colchester's new stadium a few days after. Bilbao finished 8th last season in La Liga and are famous for only signing players native from the Basque area.

Couple of other footie items that caught my eye today elsewhere. Luton Town will start the new season in League Two with minus 30 points after they were unable to agree a Company Voluntary Agreement to exit administration. Leeds were only docked 15 points for the same reason last season. League members for over 100 years, and widely acknowledged as the south of England's first professional club, a 30-point deduction will almost surely see the Hatters relegated to the Conference in 2009. There is something not right about that.

Just as there isn't about the valuation put on Palace's 16-year-old John Bostock. Spurs will pay Palace £700,000 for Bostock, a sum that could rise to £1.25m, depending on how many first-team appearances the teenager makes for his new club. A joke, if I ever heard one, and Simon Jordan is not laughing. "It really is making me consider my position in football because the one thing that kept me focused in my time at Palace is producing my own players - but what's the point?" Perhaps some good might come out of it!

Ans finally and couple of pieces of good reading. Firstly a recent interview with Steve Brown on his dreams of coaching and secondly a new Addicks blog from a fan who insists that we play in the Second Division, and quite right too. 
Wednesday 9 July 2008
  Big Bertha I tend to have a watchful eye on hurricanes because it dramatically effects my job. Moving to Bermuda however means they have become more than a news story, they now have become real life. Bermuda's 138 islands sit on a 100 million year-old volcanic basement in the Atlantic Ocean 640 miles from the nearest land mass and is warmed by the close by jet stream. It therefore has a bit of a target on it's head when it comes to tropical storms and sure enough the first one of the season is making it's way towards us.

This is not unusual as the island is a bit of a magnet for hurricanes when they first develop but invariably the miss-factor is very great and they tend to pass by just leaving Bermudians with some heavy rain showers. As my boss said this morning, the grass does need some water.

Hurricane Bertha (Arthur was a tropical storm and passed without any fuss over the Yucatan Peninsula in early June) formed off the Cape Verde islands and on Monday powered itself up to a Category 3 hurricane, i.e. with winds between 111 to 130mph, but it soon got downgraded to a Category 1 with sustainable winds of between 74 and 95mph.

Currently Bertha is about 600 miles south-east of us but the track (top right, click to make it bigger) does look like it's going to pass about 180 miles east of us around 5pm Saturday evening. The Bermuda Weather Service has issued a local advisory but Bermuda normally attracts at least one 'near miss' each summer.

Only 4 hurricanes have caused severe damage to the country in the last 78 years, the most recent being Fabian in 2003. Also formed near Cape Verde a portion of the eyewall passed over the west of Bermuda on September 5th killing four people and causing $300m of damage. Chicago was always a crazy place for weather with the nightly forecasts often lasting 15 minutes. Well, no snow, wind, heatwaves or tornadoes here, just the odd big Bertha. 
Monday 7 July 2008
  Bromley first Forgot that we are playing at Bromley tomorrow. Ben Hayes has done an excellent preview of the game here if you fancy a night at Hayes Lane. The squad will include Thomas, Basey, Fortune, Shelvey, Semedo and Moo2kil. One would assume the slightly stronger other half of the squad will go to Welling Wednesday night.

I used to often pop down to Hayes Lane to watch the Lillywhites play during one of their more successful periods in the mid-80's. It was always a bit of a laugh and I remember actually watching a testimonial against Charlton there one pre-season.

Bromley's website is here if in the unlikely event you need more information than Ben was able to give you. It's interesting to note that while Bromley offer their own highlights package of games in the Conference South, 4 divisions higher Charlton rely on a sketchy service from BBC Radio Kent. Hopefully not for long though, eh? 
  Legends both I love watching tennis, it is the ultimate individual sport of mental strength, fitness and skill. We have a tennis court in our new house here, so I'm hoping I may even get to learn how to play properly.

Yesterday I was honoured to witness the epic Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer final at Wimbledon, certainly the greatest tennis final since the McEnroe, Borg match in 1980. I was invited to some friends house for lunch and after the initial politeness of having the television sound turned down in the background soon everyone was crowded around the thing sat in awe.

I really wanted Federer to win, only because he would have overtaken my childhood hero Borg's five championships. However Nadal too is awesome, just 22 years old. His concentration and agility is unbelievable. It was a masterful game lasting 4 hours and 48 minutes, beating the previous Connors and McEnroe 1982 final. Both hardly seemed to be breaking sweat and they could have played all night, and I wished they had.

I just hope that Federer keeps his hunger because at a similiar age Borg didn't. Both Nadal and Federer are sportsmen from another planet and let's hope we continue to see this galactic battle for many more years to come. 
Saturday 5 July 2008
  What's happening? Well nothing much is happening is it? Quietly shown the door were Paulo Monteiro and Dorian Smith. If they walked in here now, I wouldn't recognise them. Oh well nice to have known you. Greg Halford took his toothbrush to Sheffield and will be kicking hopeful long balls forward for the Blades next season. I must have a bet on him to score at The Valley in November.

Those that went to the City Addicks meeting last week attended by Steve Waggott, would have heard that Ben Thatcher turned down a £5,000 a week offer and has become a free agent. ZZ will stay the season, and could sign an extension, equally he can make a pre-contract agreement with another club in January, although due to work permit issues, this is unlikely to be in the UK.

Despite the wage bill being reduced from £33m to £11m since relegation the club are desperate to further cut Marcus Bent and Amdy Faye from it. Bent earns £25,000 a week, and I am told Faye earns more. The home friendly will be against Malaga and the Iran one is old tosh. Whilst a new training ground at Kings Hill is on hold, Sparrows Lane could be used for the Olympics. And I believe from sources that Mr Waggott has not forgotten overseas Addicks.

I can reserve the new home kit before it hits the shops. Hmmmm, it's got a lot of red in it hasn't it? The most interesting 'official' news was that Pards is going to open up a training session to the fans. What a nice idea. This happens on the continent all the time but I thought this was another good example of how the club keeps trying to expand the relationship with fans. It nicely coincides with the final day of the 'free' season ticket offer too.

And the players are back training with the first kickabout this Wednesday at Park View Road. 
  Sorted I dreamed I would, and I did. I got lucky. I've found a house to call home for the next two years. It was the 2nd place I saw on Wednesay afternoon and I am both excited and relieved.

We saw a number of places when we came in March and this had given us a good idea of what was available and where we wanted to live on the island. To increase my life expectancy I wanted to be near one of the very efficient ferry stops across Hamilton Harbour so I had another commute alternative other than car or moped (11 people have died in accidents this year), this certainly narrowed our options. We also added outside space, a seaview and something modernised to our our wishlist and I amazingly managed to tick all the boxes. The house is beautiful and was once the guest mews to the huge manor house next door built for Henry Ford as a vacation home.

Just one thing - my house-proud other half hasn't seen it yet. Yikes.

My first few days in Bermuda have flown by. Friday was Independence Day here too, the Bermudians celebrate every British and American holiday, plus their own. I'm all over that. So yesterday I slept for 10 hours and had a quiet day before meeting friends from Chicago last night for dinner, who were here seeing relatives. Today I've been in the office all day, using the day to sort my crap out here. So far so good. 
Wednesday 2 July 2008
  Ist day at school That is what it was like yesterday at work, a very different environment to do business in that just like Chicago was from London. People are friendly though, I said hello to everyone I met on the way to work today (it's only a 5-minute walk mind) but I used to go out of my way to ignore everyone when I was on the 6.10am Tonbridge train to Cannon Street. How things change.

I'm staying in a little apartment temporarily until I find us a house - the most important thing I have to do in the next few weeks - and right outside my window is not only the sea, but also a huge union jack flag. Oh and a traffic light with a green man and not a white one, and cars and mopeds drive on the other side of the road to what I am used to, oh and I'm on the first floor and not the 2nd and the pub next door has an old advert up for last Sunday's football. Football, not soccer. How things have changed! 
About Me
After living in Chicago for four and a half years, I moved to the beautiful if bewildering island of Bermuda in July 2008. This blog is about being an exiled and depressed Charlton Athletic fan and whatever else the day brings.
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