Before it gets too hot, we grab the insect repellant (just in case) and head outdoors to take a walk around the Silver Sands Estate. Sometimes its a leisurely walk, but at other times, especially when feeling guilty after too many delicious dinners, it is a brisk power walk to burn off some unwanted calories. However, we always pause when we see something interesting, which may be a plant or flower or view that we have walked by many times before, but which, for some inexplicable reason, looks special that day. We walk to the South of the Silver Sands property, along all the back roads, and talk and talk, and sometimes come up with some interesting ideas.

Our morning walks always culminate with a visit to the beach. We may stroll the length of the beach before splashing into the sea where we swim and bob around in the waves if there are any. But it is usually flat calm at that time of the day and there is no one else around. We may glimpse the occasional security guard doing his rounds.

When we have had enough, we make our way back to the villa, wash off the sand, and take a dip in the swimming pool. Before long, one or two of our children may surface and join us or not as they choose. By now, we are a bit hungry, and though the staff have not yet come to work, we raid the fridge, enjoying the fresh fruits that the cook had prepared for us from the night before.

When the cook arrives, we tell her what we want for breakfast and disappear to our bedroom to shower and change. By the time we return to the dining room, breakfast is served and some sleepy children are joining us for a hearty family meal.

After a long breakfast the children disappear, some to see their new-found friends, others to read or to go the beach to swim, kayak, snorkel, etc. My wife and I plan what we want for lunch and dinner and advise the cook. During the morning we do our own thing, reading, writing, calling up friends, etc.

At lunch time, the family will gather again for the meal where we exchange stories about our day so far. Sometimes, some of the children may be absent as they often are visiting and lunching at friends. And likewise, we may have some strange kids at our table and then later in the pool.

We spend the afternoon doing this and that and do not go back to the beach until the sun starts to go down. The sea at Silver Sands is usually a bit rough in the afternoons and we enjoy playing in the waves and bodyboarding. If the lifeguard, Roy, is around I will borrow his sunfish sailboat and go for a sail. I do several runs out to the reef and back, usually by myself but sometimes with one or more of the children or their friends.

We are all usually back at the Silver Sands villa before dark. If the sunset looks promising, we will take a walk to the jetty and out to the gazebo there to watch it go down. Sometimes, for a change, we will walk up to the gazebo in the park, from where there is a panoramic view of the coastline, and a spectacular sunset is just awesome to behold.

Our villa staff will serve us dinner and this is usually a meal when everyone is present. At times, we do have extras, the children’s friends. After dinner, while the staff are cleaning up, some good old-fashioned games like charades are played until my wife and I retire, which is very early by most grown-ups’ standards. After all tomorrow is another tough day in paradise and we have to make a very early start.

Does the above sound boring? I would not change it for the World and I count the days until my next vacation in Jamaica.