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 Royalty to open St Helena Airport and a Rainbow

26/3/2016

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One of my latest Photos. Rainbow over Jamestown
Easter weekend is upon us with no let up from the abnormal weather conditions the island has been experiencing since the beginning of the year.  A combination of tropical squalls punctuated by bright blue skies offers limitless opportunities for rainbow hunters.  I am no such creature, however I was heading into town one afternoon at around 4.00pm which was the ideal moment to experience a rainbow arching the town. 
The colours here are pretty accurate, the rainbow really was that intense! 
This apparition only lasted a minute or so.  I dashed out of my car into the horizontal rain and onto the viewing platform at the top of Ladder hill.  Camera clicked four or five shots and then it was over.  Also the lens was starting to suffer from raindrops hitting it and rendering the focus useless. 
Happily this is the digital age so I was immediately able to check that I had in fact taken a half decent picture and to feel just a tad smug that I have a really nice picture here.
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Planes arriving soon
The press release below arrived in my inbox on Thursday afternoon. 
It is now official that Prince Edward will be coming to St Helena to open the airport.  The opening has been planned to occur on what better day than St Helena day, a public holiday which the whole island participates in a carnival in town.
This news has added to the excitement here and  to the reality of the airport opening on time, in spite of the fact that we don't yet have any plane schedules confirmed. 
This is due to happen in the next couple of weeks once the final accreditation process has been completed. 
As soon as we hear something here, I will report it!
The historic opening of St Helena Airport is planned for the morning of Saturday 21 May 2016 - St Helena’s National Day.  It will be marked by a public ceremony at the Airport site, with Royal guest HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, in attendance.
All members of the public will be invited to attend this special event, ahead of the traditional St Helena’s Day entertainments in Jamestown.
As is usual, New Horizons will be organising the traditional programme of events for St Helena’s Day.  But this year, this will be preceded by the Official Opening of St Helena Airport at the aerodrome organised by SHG, ESH, New Horizons & Basil Read - subject, of course, to prior certification of St Helena Airport.
Preparations for the Airport opening ceremony are ongoing and further details will follow in due course.
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Bertrand's Cottage Update

1/3/2016

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The rear of the cottage with extenson which used to be used as a family playroom
Bertrand’s Cottage is a unique part of island history and this year will be celebrating 200 years since its original occupants arrived here from France with their Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Well worthy of investment as a tourist destination in its own right; the plan is to create a small Hospitality Training Centre which can also act as an upmarket Guest Accommodation with Restaurant facilities. 

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The Kitchen
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The Kitchen
PictureGround floor bedroom with electrics for bedside lights
The first build phase has completed on time with the property made good to take interior walls, floors and ceilings. 
This is an exciting part of the programme as the vision is now becoming real. 
As you walk through the place it is becoming more and easier to imagine the finished product.

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Looking into the lounge
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Lounge with views!
All aspects of the build will be completed in a way that they either are in keeping with the original house, such as doors and frames.  Or that they can be taken back to the original if at any time it is desired, such as the kitchen and wood burning stoves. 
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The fabulous views from the back of the cottage
The first floor which will house three double bedrooms with  en-suite facilities… is starting to take shape with walls going up and areas allocated for electrical works. 
Although we have no stairs yet, I was able to take a peek. 
The views from the windows have probably barely changed in 200 years which has quite a grounding effect when time is taken to gaze from them.
We have a long way to go with many items being shipped over from overseas. 
It’s going to be a race against time to get the place up and running by the end of May and so far so good!
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Upstairs which will have 3 bedrooms
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The new floor is taking shape. Pitch of the roof is pretty steep
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