27th August 2006

Day 6 of no cigarettes and the very fact I am not smoking has become all consuming. I pity the family, who have to put up with the shortness of my temper and general grouchiness. They are, for the most part, very understanding and supportive, but I don’t know how long I can trade on their goodwill. I am trapped in a vicious circle of concentrating very hard on not thinking about cigarettes.

We had our first hurricane experience. Ernesto quickly deepened on Friday from a depression through a tropical storm to a fully fledged hurricane aiming for a direct hit on Kingston from the south. Plans were laid, and despite the obvious hardships and dangers we were facing, I could not shake the excitement and anticipation of the experience. Board games were purchased for when the electricity went out, yet more water was added to the supplies and we bunkered down. My company was considerate enough to send a team over to board up our windows which added to the sense of occasion. Meanwhile Ernesto had decided that he’d rather visit Haiti and Cuba, no doubt deciding he would get more joy out of wreaking havoc on those less prepared than us.

The failure of Ernesto to show has left us looking rather foolish. We were the only house in the compound to board up in preparation and now we look like panicky and naïve blow-ins. The fact that the boarding up was unsolicited is inconsequential as no-one else could know. Our house now looks derelict as although the landlord has eventually fixed the water tank, he has neglected to fix the housing for it, which coupled with the detritus from that job, the excess building materials and now the plywood over the windows makes the place look like a squat.