I just wanted to share with you a photo of the inaugural guests, mother and daughter Jane & Francesca.  They arrived at 11 a.m. this morning and seem delighted to be in Barbados and in this spankin’ new apartment.

As you know, three weeks ago, #8 was nothing but, um, what you see here: no appliances, no hot water, no drapes, only one working electrical plug, no furniture, and no air-conditioning (the AC electrical wires hanging out of the wall, which I managed to poke my eye with more than once, are awfully attractive, though, don’t you think?):

Sampling color options ... (Btw, have you ever noticed that "before" pics are almost always fuzzy?)

What impressed me was that, even in such a state, this lovely Canadian was willing to rent the place 1) sight-unseen, 2) unfinished, 3) from a complete stranger whom she couldn’t necessarily trust to have it in good enough condition for habitation on such short notice, and 4) never having been to Barbados before.  I warned Jane that the appliances might not arrive before she did … she went ahead and rented it anyway.  She told me this morning she just had a good sense about it.

Fortunately, the place WAS finished on time, showing that Type A personalities are good for something … Hmm, but I do miss those eye-pokers hanging out of the wall ….

Welcome to Barbados, Jane & Francesca!

My little “before and after” show follows … (if you’re into this sort of thing, you can see some of my work here on my StagingBarbados site). I love before/afters. I blame long Jet Blue flights watching “Design on a Dime”-type shows five hours straight for this addiction.

(Hey, what are we doing inside so much these days??  Really, you and I both should get out more. In fact, this minute we should be dancing in the sunshine at Reggae on the Hill. Ahem, right after this …)

Living room, "before"

Same view, "after"

Living room "bar" wall, "before" (the wooden thing there is the day bed that would eventually go into the second bedroom)

Same area, "after"

Second bedroom, "before"

Second bedroom, "after"

Kitchen, "before"

Kitchen, "after" (no particular thanks to me on this one ... just shows the teeth filling in the gaps in the smile

Master bedroom, "before" (doesn't show mirrors to the right)

Master bedroom, same area, "after"

Master bedroom looking into living room, "before." (Gosh, these blurry photos really do enhance the before-ness, don't they? I thought I had auto-focus on on my camera, but I apparently didn't.)

Same view, "after"

I now see how brilliant (yay, my color choice) the coral walls are with the more subdued colors of the furnishings.

One adventuresome (& brave) woman and her grown daughter are taking the place for 4 days at the end of April – even if the appliances aren’t yet in!  She figures she won’t be cooking anyway.  Well, Greg and I camped here for nearly a week with far less and learned that styrofoam isn’t the worst substitute in the world for a fridge.  (Having said that, I’m hopeful the appliances — and AC — and draperies will be in!)

Speaking of which .. the appliances were due into Barbados from Europe last Sunday.  I was told it takes 2 or 3 days to get things processed through customs and delivered to our place.  I was delighted.

Then my husband Greg gave me a reality check. He said that the week leading up to Easter is essentially a do-nothing week in Barbados.

So, um, that’s okay, I shrugged, impressed by my newfound equanimity.

I can wait until the week following Easter, I said.

Oops, Greg said, not so fast. The week following Easter is a do-nothing week as well.

Ahhh, yes, but of course, the laid-back paradise-gods must challenge my composure.

Life in Barbados: the very, very good, the bad, and the excruciatingly slooooow.