Today was an island trip sort of day. We got a reggae bus about lunchtime and travelled to Holetown and it cost 2 bajan $ each. That's a 30 minute trip from the SE of the island to the NW for 60p!
Our first sight to visit was a Barbados National Trust open house. They do one every week and this one was called Fairways and bordered the third tee on the Sandy Lane old nine. It was a five bed new build bungalow on the site of an old one. It was up for sale at B$7m and the agent was using the open day as a marketing opportunity.
Four of the bedrooms were in a separate wing and were identical in design and decoration. The master bedroom and living accommodation were very well played out, but The kitchen, large as it was, did not fit the needs of a busy household. One standard cooker An island work surface which too big, and no bbq pit or rotisserie.
There was a big pool and bar area but all in all it did not float our boat.
We then popped over to the Sandy Lane hotel, as you do, just in time for afternoon tea. Cakes, scones and sandwiches all very well presented and washed down with a drop of fizz.
Sandy Lane is owned by the Irish mafia, J P McManus, Michael Tabor and John Magnier They own the Coolmore stud and used to own a majority stake in Manchester United before they fell out with Fergie over his part in the race horse, Rock of Gibraltor. I doubt they own the hotel to make money, it's probably just a plaything, and somewhere to entertain. It was not as posh as we thought it would be, but the first guest we spoke to lived in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham! Say no more.
The day was rounded off with a few beers in Holetown followed by a steel band concert on the beach. It's their festival this week which celebrates their independence. Next year will be their 50th. They have parades, a tattoo and festival village. All good fun and a world away from the Sandy Lane residents.
Back to our hotel on the reggae bus and all tucked up for tomorrow.
Thursday, 18 February 2016
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
15 men on dead man's chest....
There is great rejoicing in these parts as the West Indies cricket team has just won the U19 world cup. Cricket in the West Indies has been in the doldrums for many years as they've strived to replace the great teams of the sixties and seventies. Their strength was always a fierce bowling attack backed up by technically correct batsmen who could give the ball a right wallop when needsbe.
The tall potential fast bowlers have all diverted to basketball where the prospects and money are seen to exceed those of cricket. The American college system gain and Lords loss.
Some now see the T20 bastardised game as a tidy payday although Chris Gayle is hardly your perfect roll model. The Windows team for the world T20 tournament starting shortly, is in dispute with the West Indies cricket board and several players will be excluded if they do not sign their deals. Maybe they should field their new young stars.
The tall potential fast bowlers have all diverted to basketball where the prospects and money are seen to exceed those of cricket. The American college system gain and Lords loss.
Some now see the T20 bastardised game as a tidy payday although Chris Gayle is hardly your perfect roll model. The Windows team for the world T20 tournament starting shortly, is in dispute with the West Indies cricket board and several players will be excluded if they do not sign their deals. Maybe they should field their new young stars.
Monday, 15 February 2016
Mutiny on the booty
As my geologist friend Stu points out Barbados is just a mudbank scrapped off the Atlantic plate as it dives down underneath the Caribbean plate. As I understand it that makes it the Caribbean equivalent of a hairgrip dropped down a sink. It collects all the detritus until it forms a mass big enough to be noticed.
Consequently the island is lush. It now boasts five golf courses where once were sugar plantations, it has tropical gardens and botanical species rarely found elsewhere and azure blue waters and palm fringed beaches. It is also home to the toosh, or beer bottom!
Now the significance of the lady bottom has not been lost on me, but it was only when SWMBO returned from her last trip to Tanzania that I learnt that the locals rate the lady bottom from 1 to 10 based on the protrude factor. An eight rating is apparently the best even when ranked against a 10, so Bo Derrick was not all she was cracked up to be.
So we are now viewing the locals here in a new light, but as long as I can rest me pint on it, an eight is fine by me!!!
Consequently the island is lush. It now boasts five golf courses where once were sugar plantations, it has tropical gardens and botanical species rarely found elsewhere and azure blue waters and palm fringed beaches. It is also home to the toosh, or beer bottom!
Now the significance of the lady bottom has not been lost on me, but it was only when SWMBO returned from her last trip to Tanzania that I learnt that the locals rate the lady bottom from 1 to 10 based on the protrude factor. An eight rating is apparently the best even when ranked against a 10, so Bo Derrick was not all she was cracked up to be.
So we are now viewing the locals here in a new light, but as long as I can rest me pint on it, an eight is fine by me!!!
Sunday, 14 February 2016
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
We have finally docked in Barbados after a week island hopping in the Eastern Caribbean. Technology is suddenly so much better.
On our first day we were at sea as we travelled towards Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Next morning we were met by a friend of SWMBO's mum and her daughter. The daughter lives on the island so we got a locals view of the place. Hidden beaches, local bars and local drink. The painkiller cocktail was very yummy. Our tour ended at about 3pm when we joined the school run to pick up her 13 year old daughter. They are looking to move after 5 years there as the 13 year old has outgrown the place and needs some local mates. All good things come to an end sometime, usually for the sake of the children.
Next day saw us in St Martens an island that is half French and half Dutch. Our visit was confined to the Frencb half and beach time took priority. As well as our modest sized cruiser of 1200 people there was a Windjammrr with 170 souls andtwo mega ships with 10,000 people between them, all docked side by side. It was as if Canary Wharf had been laid on its side and towed to sea!!
Day three saw us burnt like lobsters and it was on the menu too. We were in St Kitt's where the weather got the better of us and curtailed our expedition . We missed the port bus to the beach we wanted to go to and the taxi fare was prohibitive so we chilled in a bar and watched island life go by.
Antigua allowed me the pleasure of a round of golf. Borrowed clubs and fast running fairways did not see me hotel form but it was a reasonable round. I played with a married couple to whom I appeared invisible, such was their self importance. Sadly you do get people like that in a golf club but I engineered him to end up at the bar so silver linings, and all that.
Antigua will be on our returns list to see the English harbour and Nelson's dockyard.
Our final stop was St Vincent although I am not sure why? Not too much to offer but was probably in the itinerary as a government requirement.
So all in all a good seven days made all the better now we are in Barbados and havens England beat Italy and Spurs beat Man City. The cricket did not go too well though!
On our first day we were at sea as we travelled towards Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Next morning we were met by a friend of SWMBO's mum and her daughter. The daughter lives on the island so we got a locals view of the place. Hidden beaches, local bars and local drink. The painkiller cocktail was very yummy. Our tour ended at about 3pm when we joined the school run to pick up her 13 year old daughter. They are looking to move after 5 years there as the 13 year old has outgrown the place and needs some local mates. All good things come to an end sometime, usually for the sake of the children.
Next day saw us in St Martens an island that is half French and half Dutch. Our visit was confined to the Frencb half and beach time took priority. As well as our modest sized cruiser of 1200 people there was a Windjammrr with 170 souls andtwo mega ships with 10,000 people between them, all docked side by side. It was as if Canary Wharf had been laid on its side and towed to sea!!
Day three saw us burnt like lobsters and it was on the menu too. We were in St Kitt's where the weather got the better of us and curtailed our expedition . We missed the port bus to the beach we wanted to go to and the taxi fare was prohibitive so we chilled in a bar and watched island life go by.
Antigua allowed me the pleasure of a round of golf. Borrowed clubs and fast running fairways did not see me hotel form but it was a reasonable round. I played with a married couple to whom I appeared invisible, such was their self importance. Sadly you do get people like that in a golf club but I engineered him to end up at the bar so silver linings, and all that.
Antigua will be on our returns list to see the English harbour and Nelson's dockyard.
Our final stop was St Vincent although I am not sure why? Not too much to offer but was probably in the itinerary as a government requirement.
So all in all a good seven days made all the better now we are in Barbados and havens England beat Italy and Spurs beat Man City. The cricket did not go too well though!
Thursday, 21 January 2016
Friends uncoupled
Well I could not think of a better opposite to reunited. Is it a sad day when a web site like Friends Reunited has to close down because it is unable to cover its running costs? I am not sure. i have never been a subscriber to web sites, unless they are offering something cheaper than I am buying regularly in the shops. On-line newspapers are the obvious items as far as I am concerned, and if a group of you subscribe to different ones and share the log-on then the price is pretty much rock bottom.
I visited Friends Reunited quite a lot in the early days to see what my classmates were up to, and to look up a few ex-girlfriends and neighbours. Nothing much of outstanding interest to be fair, although it was reassuring to see there were no deaths posted. That might have changed now though.
One of my next door neighbours is now the chief fashion buyer for Marks and Spencer although I think she is keeping a low profile given the decline in their non-food sales.
I continue to keep my LinkedIn profile up to date although, again, I do not subscribe to the Premier service. I do hear from old work colleagues from time to time so it serves its purpose.
Otherwise its good old e-mail, text, telephone and face to face discussion which keeps me abreast of developments. The tried and trusted processes are still the best. Must dash, I think a pigeon has just flown into the loft with a message!!
I visited Friends Reunited quite a lot in the early days to see what my classmates were up to, and to look up a few ex-girlfriends and neighbours. Nothing much of outstanding interest to be fair, although it was reassuring to see there were no deaths posted. That might have changed now though.
One of my next door neighbours is now the chief fashion buyer for Marks and Spencer although I think she is keeping a low profile given the decline in their non-food sales.
I continue to keep my LinkedIn profile up to date although, again, I do not subscribe to the Premier service. I do hear from old work colleagues from time to time so it serves its purpose.
Otherwise its good old e-mail, text, telephone and face to face discussion which keeps me abreast of developments. The tried and trusted processes are still the best. Must dash, I think a pigeon has just flown into the loft with a message!!
Thursday, 14 January 2016
Going, going, gone....
The auction season started again yesterday. I could have made a New Years resolution not to buy so much rubbish this year, as 2015 was definitely the year of the dross. I have been lucky with some items i have purchased, and made a reasonable profit, but quite a bit of it remains downstairs ready to be utilised at the car boot sales when they start in March.
I would like to think my luck has been hard earned as I do have an eye for what will sell, I just occasionally pay too much for it!!
Yesterday I purchased a golf flight travel bag for £5 which retails for about £60 so I will keep that for my own use, as it purports to carry two sets of clubs, so saving air freight charges with EasyJet et al.
I missed out on two rather nice piano stools which went for £45 each which I think was all the money. I did get a pile of pictures though, in which I thought there were a couple of hidden gems. They are on e-bay at the moment so we will see how they fair. It's commission which does the damage though. You pay it on what you buy in the auction, plus occasionally VAT. You then pay commission on e-bay and a handling fee if your payment option is paypal.
Apparently it costs £20 to submit an item into the auction to sell and there is sellers commission as well as that of the buyer. I know they have to make their margin somewhere but it all needs to be considered when trying to make a few bob on whatever you buy.
I have fishing bits ( but not your type of stuff, Dick) Pepper Pig xylophones, modelling tool kits, a few artifacts and a good range of pictures so far in the car boot box, I might have a clearance sale just to get rid as its all spent money so anything I make will be straight into the beer kitty.
I would like to think my luck has been hard earned as I do have an eye for what will sell, I just occasionally pay too much for it!!
Yesterday I purchased a golf flight travel bag for £5 which retails for about £60 so I will keep that for my own use, as it purports to carry two sets of clubs, so saving air freight charges with EasyJet et al.
I missed out on two rather nice piano stools which went for £45 each which I think was all the money. I did get a pile of pictures though, in which I thought there were a couple of hidden gems. They are on e-bay at the moment so we will see how they fair. It's commission which does the damage though. You pay it on what you buy in the auction, plus occasionally VAT. You then pay commission on e-bay and a handling fee if your payment option is paypal.
Apparently it costs £20 to submit an item into the auction to sell and there is sellers commission as well as that of the buyer. I know they have to make their margin somewhere but it all needs to be considered when trying to make a few bob on whatever you buy.
I have fishing bits ( but not your type of stuff, Dick) Pepper Pig xylophones, modelling tool kits, a few artifacts and a good range of pictures so far in the car boot box, I might have a clearance sale just to get rid as its all spent money so anything I make will be straight into the beer kitty.
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Escape from Entebbe
Day 4 in the naughty house was tense. 5 juries were listed for selection and I knew if I got one that would be my Friday snooker becoming a no go, and a second week of court time booked in.
It was more tense as one jury got called and two cases pleaded. Then out of nowhere we all got discharged never to return. Apparently it had been a mixed up week and they had not used as many jurers are they thought. With a new intake on Monday they could let us all go.
One scheduled trial starting next week may last three months. They will select a pool of 50 juries for that one and work through them until they have twelve who can sit that long.
If you have never seen the Hancock Half Hour - Twelve Angry Men, it still stands the test of time.
It was more tense as one jury got called and two cases pleaded. Then out of nowhere we all got discharged never to return. Apparently it had been a mixed up week and they had not used as many jurers are they thought. With a new intake on Monday they could let us all go.
One scheduled trial starting next week may last three months. They will select a pool of 50 juries for that one and work through them until they have twelve who can sit that long.
If you have never seen the Hancock Half Hour - Twelve Angry Men, it still stands the test of time.
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