Whale of a time’s being had in Hawaii

Today, it’s been all about the weather. I understand you have been dealing with Storm Dudley and I think that perhaps here in Hawaii, Dudley has been affecting our weather, too.

First of all, this morning we had an incredible moon. Gordon and I went down to the water’s edge at 6am to see it. It was called a “Snow Moon” and, obviously, there was no chance of snow here, so maybe it was your snow it was predicting.

Then, later in the day, I got caught in an incredible rainstorm, reminiscent of a rain machine in a Hollywood movie. Everyone rushed inside but I chose to walk all the way along the beach back to our hotel in it. A bit of rain isn’t going to scare away a girl from Scotland.

There is something quite magical about a tropical rainstorm.

It feels very temporary, and you just know the sun is waiting to come back out.

The waves on the three-mile walk along the beach were spectacular, like little tsunamis, each trying their best to seem angrier than the last one.

A few brave surfers were out making the most of the waves but, by and large, I was all alone, enjoying the beauty of a change in the weather.

The beach we walk along every day became unrecognisable as the water came almost up to the houses along the coast, and I had to pick my way along a narrow ledge of sand at times.

I was never in danger because I could always have left the beach and walked along the road, but there was something very special about walking along a beach that had changed so dramatically from a few hours before.

When I got back to our hotel, Gordon and I sat watching the waves approach us until our deckchairs were submerged in water.

What a lovely day we had enjoying the weather.

Earlier in the week, we went on a whale-watching boat trip.

We had to leave the hotel at 5am and get aboard while it was still dark in order to have the best chance of seeing the whales.

We weren’t disappointed. It was as if the whales came out to show off to us as our boat approached them.

They are enormous creatures who leave you in awe when you see them up close, leaping out of the water. The early start was so worth it.

In order to get to the whalewatching trip, we decided to hire a car for a couple of days.

We didn’t think we needed the expense of having a car for the whole trip because we pretty much wanted to stay put, but a couple of days’ hire made sense.

When we got to the car hire company, they offered me a free upgrade.

Gordon didn’t have his licence with him, so it was to be me who would do all the driving.

I’m used to driving in America, so I was up for having this nice upgrade.

It was funny, though, when we realised that it was to be a convertible Jeep truck.

It was huge. As confident a driver as I am, even I wondered how I would park it.

Still, I like a challenge, so off we went in our truck and, I must say, after five minutes, I was loving it.

Gordon turned the radio on loud and we had such fun. I was quite disappointed when I had to return it.

Our holiday will soon be coming to an end and, although we have enjoyed every minute, I’m ready now to get back to real life and see what 2022 has to offer.

It’s been a wonderful start to the year, to have a holiday and recharge our batteries before things kick off properly.

We have been exercising every day and I feel fitter than I have in a long time, so I’m determined to keep that up when I get back home.

I will keep you posted about whether the willpower remains resolute.

Luckily, I have managed to keep doing some of my Zoom lessons while I’ve been away so I haven’t been lounging about too much. My singers have been seeing a much nicer view than my office at home.

I hope Storm Dudley doesn’t cause you too many problems and I’m hoping he doesn’t cause too much turbulence on our flight home.

Have a good week, will be back with you on UK soil very soon.