When will the fat lady sing?

Here's a picture of my ballooning belly, which was taken on my birthday. Thought you might be interested and up for a laugh!
Jon has just gone to catch the ferry to St George, on the other side of the island from where it is a short taxi ride to the airport. Then he's flying to the States -- or Maine to be precise -- for the next few days. He'll be back on Saturday, by which time we should be in a much better position to make a decision about what the future holds in store. To be fair, a few things have happened in the past few days that have swayed us one way and then the other, but I really do think we should be able to make a decision soon.
Apologies for not posting since the weekend. Things have been pretty hectic. We moved into the almost-renovated apartment at Number 8, Royal Naval Dockyard on Monday. This may be the poshest address I've ever lived at, but it may also be the shortest amount of time I have ever spent living anywhere.
The apartment has beautiful wooden floors, high ceilings with rather tasteless fans which help with the stifling heat and large sash windows which help even more. There are still a few aesthetic things that need to be finished: ie. we have no doors and there are a few wires poking out here and there and we've only got makeshift curtains, but it is lovely to finally have somewhere to call home -- if only for a few days.
Unfortunately, I haven't really slept well since I have been here, probably because of all the things going on in our lives at the moment, but also because Tuesday night's is 'Destination Dockyard', where all the wonderful cruise ship passengers descend on this place and the locals pull out all the stops to sell tourist tat and live up to the stereotypes of a Caribbean (okay, almost) island, playing cruise line classics like 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina'? on tin drums, while the entertainers off the ships do juggling displays, and tricks that draw the brain-dead crowds. The locals also use it as an excuse to get obnoxiously drunk, so even though the event was supposed to finish at 11pm last night, people were still blaring their car horns, yelling and music was still playing until well past 1am. Very irritating when you live so close.
Still, I did get a lie-in this morning until 8.30, although I did wake up at 6.30 for some food -- I find I get so hungry in the mornings - and it was a relief not to have the workers downstairs drilling and bashing around. Bermudians certainly aren't quiet. They don't really have the mellifluous tones bestowed on other Caribbean islanders and the accent is very odd....like a cross between American, Jamaican and British and not the most attractive.
On to other news....
We must have been a funny sight yesterday. We went to the supermarket on the bike to load up on provisions for me for the next few days. We bought rather a lot of food and on the way back we had a couple of large bags on the back of the moped, one between Jon's knees and one under the seat....with me clinging on to Jon and to the back basket to make sure we didn't lose the cereal. Travelling by moped really is the most efficient way to get around Bermuda and although I am leaving the actual driving to Jon at the mo, it's getting quite tough getting on the back, the bigger I get. On the way back here from the supermarket which is about four miles, we saw an even funnier sight. There were two people on a bike, but at the front was a wiry looking dog with it's paws up on the handles...it looked just like it was driving!
We got some news from Malcolm, the executive director of the foundation, yesterday which leads us to think that the re-extended extended deadline of this weekend that Jon agreed to last week won't be met.
Back in May when I was here the last time, we had a meeting with the solicitors and Malcolm. The conclusion was that the only way we were going to get the visas sorted in time was to bypass the normal route and to go straight to the minister. I don't agree with nepotism or favouritism, but this was going to be the only way. This meant we would not have to immediately provide certain things like a police form -- which Bermudians do not quite seem to realise goes against the Data Protesction Act in the UK -- and I could not have a chest x-ray and we would not need to get married immediately, etc. The forms were finally put in a month later. Yesterday, Jon received an email from Malcolm saying the solicitor was off the island again -- he's probably gone to Germany to watch the World Cup final -- and that Malcolm had received a letter from immigration dated the 23rd of July -- since when does it take 11 days to get a letter from one side of the island to the other, only a couple of miles? -- saying that immigration needed a chest x-ray from me (despite the fact my Peruvian doctor went to great lengths to send an email and letter in May, saying I was in good health but I couldn't have an x-ray because I am pregnant, a form saying I would have health insurance -- we had a meeting to this effect in May also, a letter saying Jon would be finaicially responsible for me and I would leave the island if we split up (he's the only reason I'm here), a certificate once we got married, character references for me...the list goes on.
This seems to me to be the height of incompetence and there is absolutely no way that despite the fact I have great friends who will write me a character reference within 24 hours and I can get all the letters and mumbo jumbo bumph to them, that we will have an answer to the visa issue by the weekend. On an island where people are so happy to give their friends and relatives a leg up, it seems extraordinary that the foundation have effectively shot themselves in the foot over this by not pulling strings on an occasion when they were probably justified.
Jon and I had a long chat last night and we agreed that we both like the apartment and he has put so much work into it, and there are many great things about Bermuda, but the advantages are by far outweighed by the absolutely ridiculous levels of incompetence. Obviously, we will wait until he gets back from the States to see what the outcome of his meetings were there, but I think we may not be long for this isle.
A rather long-winded blog post this time, I'm afraid, but hope it makes some sense and keeps everyone up to date with goings-on in the soap opera that is Bermuda.
Bean continues to grow and kick at an alarming rate....we're into the third trimester now and I am feeling pretty weary, with some irritating backache, and over-heating quite frequently here so am staying indoors most of the time and drinking lots, but otherwise we're in fine fettle with 11 and a half weeks to go until due day.
Lots of love to you all.
Han
xxxx