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Mountain Life

Elsa stood us up

We were ready for Elsa,  practically and metaphorically all our ducks were in a row. We had spent 3 days tidying the yard, boarding windows, stowing away, lashing down. When we started she was a hurricane and depending on who you listened to she was coming close (the only thing agreed on is where it had been), or even right through the front door – to us, we had a date. Dreading her visit, we cracked on, though very intense – and very hard work, it was a little exciting. Less than 12 hours to impact,  still a hurricane and aiming in, we (I) made the decision to remove the zinc from the bar roof. Not the first time we’d done this and we (I) felt it was cheap insurance. Elsa stood us up. In a less than angry mood the floozy slipped past Jamaica, barely  a sorry note and on to see another. Not a complete waste of time, we at Lime Tree waste nothing- money, material, calamities or a disaster – we learn from it, experience gained the hard way is invaluable and should be used wisely – something good comes of everything.

Any storm, let alone a hurricane is potentially dangerous, there will be extensive and expensive damage – Jamaica is poor and fragile. It’s not just about Jamaica, few islands in the Caribbean have the money or resources to absorb the impact of a hurricane. Our good fortune is someone else’s misery, lives lost and homes washed away. Infrastructure and roads, some already barely adequate, damaged or destroyed, lights out for days and shortages of food. Jamaica gasped a sigh of relief and our thoughts and prayers turn to others less fortunate.