username 34

oh yes - life is still rosy! we're not in St Lucia yet, still in the Grenadines but life is just great, had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, kids loving their schools, the longer we are away from the UK the less and less we have any desire to go back even for a vacation. There is so much of the world we want to travel to with the kids.

This is the life my boys know and its wonderful for them.

Roll on St Lucia in 2009 - cant wait!

lady c

hi i-m

my biggest concern before taking the leap is our little baby, how old were your boys when you first fled blighty?

all the boring grey types in my life say that i am crazy to take a tiny baby half way across the world ... i have pointed out, crazily enough, that they have babies there too!

what do you think?

did you have any problems with nasty foreign germs? sounds like your 2 are thriving? i know hospitals are good and so is health care, but my mum is terribly worried about dengue fever .. any experience of it yourself?

hoping you can alleviate some of the niggling worries that keep raising their heads: ( in the form of my parents ... who clearly are only concerned with missing their grand child and trying desp to put us off!)

look forward to hearing from you

ps. love the grendadines ... tobago cays is my favourite place in the world! had some great sailing trips down there

love, sx

username 34

Tobago qays - we look at it every day - its right outside the front of our house! not a bad view

we came when they kids were 10 weeks old and 23 months. Dengue fever - no! medical experiences, yes lots, different to the UK, no colds, fevers etc.. but spots, or a boil etc.. just go to the doc and its treated - easy.

If you want to see an incredibly healthy happy child thriving with being outdoor every day and swimming in beautiful warm water .... just do it

pgtips

With MRSA, this new hospital bug, CDiff, measles on the rise, flu bug, colds and all sorts of things kids pick up at school, I think we have enough germs in our own back yard in the UK at the moment. On the news yesterday we were warned of yet another flu type outbreak. If you can hack all this in the Uk, I am sure you will be OK in the Caribbean.

Mr Redrose

Life expectancy is higher in caribbean than UK, quality of life is better, there's no income tax, council tax, car tax or television licence; the people are friendly; the Government treat you as adults; so what's the problem??

The Government is stable, the economy is ok, the crime rate is ok and the sun shine makes you feel good.

Back to the original question - why aren't there more people out here??

Mr Redrose

username 34

not to be pendantic but I just have to correct a couple of things ... there is income tax (unless you work for a tax exempt company), there is car tax - just called something else, there is no council tax but you must pay Alien landowners tax if buying property or land, and the government red tape is MIND NUMBING .... makes the UK look like Eutopia in comparison ...

but these are trivial things, because when you realise that you get more for your money (apart from cars), you're liming in the sun, everybody greets and waves to you, and you're just chilling back ... life is gooood this side of the pond!

pasturesnew

Sounds nice.

welshviking

Sounds bloody lovely!!!

chicagojlo

My husband and I considered the Cayman Islands as one of many possible destinations since I am a specialist in the type of finance industry that is so predominant there. But without a degree we were told we didn't stand a chance with a visa.
And at the end of the day they are small places, I got bored with Amsterdam which is big enough. Being confined to an island would probably drive me up the wall!
It's still something we'd consider for our later years though.

TruBrit

all sounds nice for a holiday but i'd get pretty bored living there full time tbh.

username 34

not alot of people can live on this island as long as we have, without the kids we would definately have left here and gone to a more busy island way before now .... but wiith kids we're just busy all day, with my part time job too - I never have a moment when I get bored

but then again being down the beach swimming every afternoon is something I could do for the rest of my years ..

TruBrit

i know having kids is a full time job and keeps you busy, the days just fly by!

i used to be a sun worshipper until i lived here, now i get bored sunbathing/swimming most days and long for the cold weather. i much prefer to take my hols to enjoy the sun, sea and sand and live in a cool climate ...with the kids gone it's just a different stage of life. i swear tho' i never want to see another bloody palm tree for as long as i live...yes, we have them here in texas

Dragonflies

We are trying to get there - hopefully soon!!!!

Dragonflies

Well 23 days and we will be there - and Islandmum - a huge thanks to you for all your help - hopefully you will come and visit us in Antigua!