Still a destination of preference

There is a ship full of angry Bostonians somewhere in Canada.

Their cruise, originally due to come to Bermuda this week, was diverted at the last minute to Nova Scotia.

Radio stations in the US city were flooded with angry calls from passengers who would "rather go to Bermuda in a Hurricane than Nova Scotia in a heat wave".

You can't pay me to do this job

"I'll never work as a house-sitter on this Island again" joked Stephen Males after Scuppers, the Hungry Bay home he was looking after, was all but destroyed when a boulder blew through a storm shutter at the height of Fabian.

Storm with a view

A sheltered spot at Cedarcrest in Hamilton gave residents a rare outdoor spot for a prime view of Fabian unleashing its wrath.

Sitting sipping glasses of wine, Kim Carter and friends were able to watch trees falling and winds howling from the safety of a covered balcony.

Secession Island style

Heard over the airwaves this weekend: "The one good thing about this, is that St. George's has finally got its independence."

Unnatural arches?

E-mail received by The Royal Gazette: One of our friends advised today, he read from your website that the Natural Arches were completely destroyed during the Fabian Hurricane. Can you please confirm this fact? If yes, do you know, if there are any plans to restore them? Best Regards, Lara Solo (Mrs)

Full employment

One man out surveying damage along Front Street early Saturday morning quipped: "Anyone who can't find work now, is just plain lazy..."

Sea views for all

Hurricanes are a great leveller in more ways than one. Countless householders whose potential sea views had been screened off for decades by neighbours trees awoke on Saturday to enjoy clear views of the Atlantic. One Harrington Sound resident told The Royal Gazette: "It's great. I can sit out in the garden with a beer and watch the boats on the water. It's certainly saved me a middle of the night job with a chainsaw when my neighbours go away."

Better than television

Fabian also brought out the gawkers, several of whom were spotted trawling through the well-to-do homes at Devonshire Bay looking at how the other half live, or, more accurately, how the mighty have fallen.

Hurricane parties gone bad

As every Islander knows, hurricanes are a great excuse for a party. After all when the power is down what else can you do other than drink? One Smith's resident said: "We got absolutely hammered and then went out into the garden and fired tennis balls into the air to see where the wind would take them. Meanwhile me and my mate did a 100-yard dash with crash helmets to stop a branch hitting a car only to see the whole tree collapse where we had just been. Then at about 2.30 a.m., my mate decided to ride home to Warwick. He reckoned with a hurricane on, the last thing Police would be doing would be looking for drunk drivers."

A Scotsman's silver lining, no green's fees

Scotsmen Phil Heaney, 45, and pal Stewart Thompson, 39, thought playing a few holes at Ocean View golf course as Fabian picked up would be a great tale to tell their grandchildren.

Mr. Heaney said: "Stewart's girlfriend said we were doing it to show off to our mates. We said: 'Is there any other reason?'.

"We started at 1 p.m. and lasted an hour and a half. It was odd, if you got any height on the ball it would sort of hover. It would hit a thermal and go up, drop down and go up again. We played four holes and drew the match, there was no bar open so we went back to our survival kit, a crate of Corona. Being good Scotsmen we avoided the green fees quite nicely. Still, it was just a light breeze compared to the west coast of Scotland."

Can you insure for that?

Prior to the imminent arrival of furious Fabian, a woman whose partner is apparently well known for his powers of relaxation was discussing with a friend her fears over possible structural damage to her home, and the lack of preparatory assistance she was getting from her couch potato. "There's still so much to do," she fretted. "The last time the roof was sucked off."

"Well, maybe this time you'll get lucky and he'll be sucked off the couch," her friend offered.

Blue justice

Strict dress codes have fallen by the wayside in Fabian's aftermath, but the most surreal sight so far was witnessing Supreme Court judge Archibald Warner turn up to preside over Monday's case wearing blue jeans beneath his red judge's gown.

Gone but not forgotten

Addressing a mostly female audience the day before the arrival of the hurricane, Education Minister Paula Cox told 150 primary school teachers at the Maths Literacy Project launch: "Fabian, being a typical male, will probably spend himself too soon."