Trinidad and Tobago Day 92

It's my birthday so am exerting birthday rights and commandeering the computer to fill you in what we are doing. It is Republic Day here (I had forgotten T & T celebrated my birthday with such style - all the flags are out and there is a mass of patriotic fervour - owing probably to it being yet another public holiday) I have been spoilt rotten today with breakfast in bed, a lie in, lots of kisses and songs and heaps of presents including a stylish carib keyring and towel that proclaims in inch high letters "Carib - the best reason for beer" The kids bought me some DVDs that have PIRATE COPY printed all over them, Martin commented that the shop did give him a receipt for the DVDs - it is nice to know that T & T still has its priorites.

We arrived nearly a week ago and moved into a lovely 2 bedroom townhouse immediately. It is a great house in a compound with about 30 other houses with beautifully maintained gardens, a pool and security guards (really necessary here). The house is fully furnished so other than a couple of standing fans (I don't like air conditioning) and a dish cloth or two it has been a very easy move. We have rented a car for a week and Martin asking people and doing research into buying a car of our own - so that is our main concern right now.
The boys are having a great time and have made friends with neighbouring kids - a 7 and 3 year old live opposite. Zac has discovered a huge toad, called a crapeau, that lives under the tree outside and fruit bats that hang in the branches that come out at night to swoop over the pool. He has started a sketch book of bugs and is forever outside with a plastic container looking for specimens to pore over. Maxi is his usual self-contained self and has to be watched to stop him wandering off to talk to the neighbours' parrots or to dip his bucket in the pool (not a good idea!). Max keeps asking to go to the beach which surprisingly we have yet to do but we have hopes for today as we will be visiting people who have land near the beach and will do our first bush walk to get there. We have caught up with lots of old friends who seem very pleased to see us which is lovely. We have also been offered holidays in Toco and Tobago which we will be taking up I am sure.
Trinidad is as lovely as I remember it. I have spotted about 20 species of bird in our garden alone (this is where my latent twitcher tendencies take on their true force), loads of flowers and trees all bursting with life. It is the wet season so it is supposed to rain every afternoon but has only managed to twice so far and both times we have all gone outside and danced! The weather is a balmy 30 degrees reaching to 35 degrees in the hottest part of the day but air conditioners and fans have their uses and if it all gets too much we just go in the pool.
Zac and Max will start school together on Monday, complete with school uniforms, school dinners (of pigeon peas, rice and roti) and homework - how will they cope? (I don't know how I will cope) but it will be an experience for them and that is what this is all about. And so with our days free Martin may get on with some work and me - I am not sure yet but I can think of lots of things I would like to do so all I have to do is decide...
Thats all for now I feel like a Carib and a lie down - well why not???