Year In Review?

It's still New Year's Eve as I finally make time for my last blog entry for the year, 2023.

I begin by celebrating having more than 4,000 page views. Thank you so much to you who consistently check in.  I greet those who visited from Barbados, Canada, Germany, Grenada, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the USA. 👋

I note that quite a few were curious about my trip, so perhaps I'll start there for my year in review.  I travelled rather more than expected this year.  In spite of the issues I highlighted in July, being in the country was ok. It's just I'm not a fan of the cold, so any temperature under 20 degrees Celsius is cold for me.  In contrast, the country in the Middle East I visited some months later had temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius. 😲 Luckily there was air-condition on the commute to the meeting. No photos taken there though.

My fave trip of the year was to Jamaica - and the highlight was a visit to the world-famous Dunn's River Falls. Of course, I'm the first to boast of Barbados' white sandy beaches (even though I've not been to one in more than 5 years).  Still, the beach at Dunn's River was quite decent. I was instructed to bring a swimsuit so I took a dip. Lovely. Yes. I had to leave Barbados to go in the sea. Go figure. 

                                                Beach at Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica

What's interesting is that I was not in the best of health on any of my trips. I had bursitis or was it tendonitis (yet undiagnosed) in April-May? I was trying to contain a respiratory issue in September/October. Little did I know there was a new variant of COVID-19 lurking. It may explain why I had to be nebulized while overseas (not in Jamaica, I survived that trip but may've been exposed to something en route).  As I was overseas for an international meeting the health care system needed to ensure I returned to my homeland.  To achieve that I was nebulized and received antibiotic treatment. Apparently my lungs didn't sound too good.  Returned home, got another medical check and the lungs still weren't quite clear so 10 more days of antibiotic! Concurrently there was some gastrointestinal problem. I ended up having a 37-day purge.  On the bright side I lost 3 inches from my natural waist. 😀 

It's a good thing I'm a survivor.  Given my scare from a few months ago, this season I treated myself to these delicious cupcakes baked by Kimel.  Wonderful baking talent she has. 

                                                     Cupcakes baked by Kimel

In addition, I got myself a pedicure and a manicure. I don't treat myself often, but this year felt like a good time to do so. 

                                                               Pedicure 2023

Of course this is the real reason for my survival as only Cece Winans can render it. 

                                                            Gospel Artiste, Cece Winans

So, here's to a new year. 🍸 

May we have success in all that we do and achieve the goals we set ourselves for our family, work and spiritual lives. 

Shalom 🙏

Barbados - 57 And Moving On

Greetings to my readers from Barbados, France, USA and Russia. 

I was reminded by a blog reader that it was time for my Independence entry. It's been a few months since my last entry. 

On November 30, 2023, Barbados celebrated 57 years of Independence. As usual, there was the pomp and ceremony of our Independence parade. It's always a sight to behold - and the songs to which the formations are made - always superbly rendered.  

On a sad note, Barbados lost a musical icon - Richard Stoute - a few days before Independence Day 2023.  One of the finest male voices in entertainment is now no more. Such smooth, mellow vocals - often only heard on radio as we celebrate Barbados in November. He also invested in developing the musical talents of young Barbadians over decades. Among those who benefited - Barbados' musical General, Edwin Yearwood and our Soca Queen, Alison Hinds, to name two of the more prominent.  In my first blog of the year, I paid tribute to Barbados' Queen of Song, Carolyn Leacock, who passed away in January.  Her daughter, Jan, is another who not only participated but won one of the Richard Stoute Teen Talent contests - his labour of love.  

                                                        The late Richard Stoute

Of course we can't have an independence celebration without food - there are conkies, cassava pone, sweet bread, fish cakes, ham cutters (some of these we have all year long) and then the sweets - tamarind balls, guava cheese, nut cake and sugar cake - all of which are available year-round but may have more sentimental value as we celebrate Independence. 

Left to right: Bajan sweets - guava cheese, sugar cake, tamarind ball and nut cake. 

On that note I'll sign off for another year with one of Richard Stoute's Christmas renditions - "Rock Steady Christmas" as that's the next celebration.

Until next time, stay safe.👋 

    

My Chosen Few

Greetings to my faithful readers across the globe - Barbados, Canada, Ghana, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.👋

Well the revellers have discarded their feathers and beads, wiped clean the glitter as the last lap for the Crop Over season recently ended.  It is now time for Cricket Played Louder and the Barbados Royals' colour is PINK! No wonder we began with a loss to the St. Lucia Kings in their BLUE and YELLOW - two of Barbados' national colours...well ultramarine and gold to be exact. I'm bitterly disappointed. 

So enough about cricket. Back to Crop Over - Barbados' premier cultural showcase and a major summer tourist attraction.

Congratulations to veteran bandleader Betty West on winning the Best Festival Designer title and with it the Robert Weekes Award for this year's effort, "Soca In de Mas". Well-deserved, I say. 👏 

Here she is in all her splendour, still playing mas in her 70s. Take a bow, Betty!

                            Veteran bandleader, Betty West led Soca in de Mas from the front

That being said, for me the action was in the kaiso category and I'll share a few of my chosen few now.

First up is Niqa with a song this year entitled, "The Chosen Few", which got her into the calypso monarch finals this year.  👏

I first heard her last year's song late in the 2022 season and loved it!! Listen up.  Still bouncing around in my chair as I listen. 

The other two faves of mine this year also found a place in the calypso monarch (Pic-O-De-Crop) finals. Loved this from day one...Teri's "Cat Piss and Peppa" (i.e. Pepper) - and even my 100-year-old grandmother can't tell me what it means. From the content it has to mean "ruction" - quarelling and contention. 

                     Calypsonian Teri, had one of the more popular calypsos for Crop Over 2023

The heavy hitter for me this season was rendered by the man, who placed second in the Pic-O-De-Crop competition, the inimitable Adrian "AC" Clarke with "Anansi and de Big Bad Ram".

                       Adrian "AC Clarke rocked the 2023 Crop Over season with "Anansi and de Big Bad Ram"

So who outsmarted the Kaiso jungle this year? None other than "Anansi" who spun his web and trapped all contenders with his "picong" verse, in "Brain". It was outstanding. Kudos to Ian "iWeb" Webster on another calypso crown - his fourth. Honestly, I thought it was "The Country Ain't Well" version 2023 and I only really listened to it on competition day and realised it was well-spun.

Calypso Monarch 2023, Ian "iWeb" Webster beams broadly on receiving his 4th Pic-O-De-Crop trophy from Prime Minister the Hon. Mia Amor Mottley and sponsor representative Samuel Gaston of Courtesy Garage. 

I wasn't very enthusiastic about this year's "party songs" - too old for the bashment rhythm. I might put out a joint. All I'll say is Quan de Artist with "Waistline" was deemed the Tune-O-De-Crop. Second was Chief Diin with "Yuh Know Da" and the one I sing along with - although I know it's got to be bad for people's health - Leadpipe and Jus Jay's "Brain Freeze". Now this one has a truly international sound and it won Starcom Network's The People's Monarch award based on fan votes. .  

                                  An ecstatic Leadpipe (right) and Jus Jay enjoying their 2023 success

Until next time...

What A Trip!

Warm greetings to all who visited the blog over the last few months from Barbados, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and USA. I know it's been a while. Work. Life. Travelling. Yes - travelling. I was over and away a couple of months ago.

I'll share some photos from my trip. I'm not great at selfies, so I apologize.

I began this blog last month, planning to regale all with my misadventures. For the first time ever I missed my flight - not that I'm the one who checks in first, but I make sure I'm not the last. The outgoing flight was delayed and although we made very good time, I missed my check-in time by 5 minutes. How annoying is that? 😠

Then my first day I got lost - well I took a bus in the wrong direction. 🤦🏽‍♀️ I was in a multilingual country. Some people didn't speak English though. Aaarrghhh.😒

Well, the couples who preferred to snog on each landing rather than go down in the elevator with me ae not worthy of comment. FYI...they didn't look like me. I think there were only 3 instances of that though. 

Then there was the Mom with the little girls and none of the little ones wanted to sit next to me. Come to think of it, the mother preferred to sit next to one of her girls. Hmmmm. Oh my. 🙊 They didn't look like me either. It's a good thing my perspective can be sardonic.

To top it off, one of my poorly packed suitcases actually toppled over on the escalator and knocked me over too. Good grief. 🙄

And I don't like flying so every air pocket was a mighty prayer. 🤢

Still, I survived. I eventually found my way around on terra firma and I had no unpleasantness at my hotel - or any real issues with any of the service providers on the continent.  

Here are those images I took - few though they are. It was a rainy morning.

                                                              Street Scene

                                                          The Clock Tower

                                                                Loving the historic architecture

Note that I've not said where I visited. Some may recognise it. Some may not. It's a pleasant, quiet city. 

Until next time.

Shalom.

Celebrating A "She-ro"

    

Today is National Heroes' Day in Barbados - and here I am attending meetings in Switzerland. This means my welcome today is not from a bright and sunny Barbados. Still, I thank everyone who visited the page from the United States of America, Barbados, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Sweden. 

I am taking longer to update "Keeping Buzzy" as I do not find the time to do so now. I am grateful to the faithful who check in on occasion to see what's new - and it's usually not anything at all. 

Now, back to the topic. This is not my first post celebrating Barbados' National Heroes.  It will however reveal my acting debut!  

                                                 Damsels bedecked in historical costume

The Right Excellent Sarah Ann Gill was not only a National Hero of Barbados; she was also a Hero for Methodism in Barbados and for the right to religious freedom in the British colonies of the 19th century.

The story of Sarah Ann Gill takes place 200 years ago, when she stood up to the local planter class that wanted to curb religious belief systems promoting the concept of equality of mankind - the Methodists were thought to be filling African slaves with notions of freedom from slavery and were felt to be sympathizers of the Abolition movement. At the time, African slaves were chattel (property) and were treated as such - made to work the land; they were not educated; marriage was not encouraged as the strong were needed to procreate to increase the labouring population. So the planter class chased off Rev. Shrewsbury, the Methodist Minister of the day, with his very pregnant wife.

                               The Shrewsburys fled the machinations of the planter class in Barbados around 1824

With this void in the Methodist leadership, Sarah Ann Gill, a free woman of colour, stepped in and kept cottage meetings - to keep the faith alive. I'll say no more here. You can view the link to the Aldersgate Service for 2022, at which the film debuted. The Heather Headley production begins at 43:21. I enjoyed the service that preceded the viewing so I'm not discouraging anyone from watching the full 2 hours of it. May you be richly blessed.

                                   

                                            Male cast members in their historical costumes

And on the topic of film in Barbados. I pause to pay tribute to the singer of the theme song, Island In the Sun, which was filmed in Barbados in 1957.  The singer and actor in the same film, Harry Belafonte, died on April 25, 2023, age 96. May he rest in peace. 

                              Harry Belafonte and Joan Fontaine in a scene from Island In the Sun

So many of the entertainers I admired growing up are passing on. A sign of life. 

Until next time.

Peace.

Queens of Hearts

 Best wishes to everyone who visited the page, contributing to more than 4,200 visits.👋 

Thank you.🙏

Best wishes to all for 2023. 

The year did not begin very brightly for Barbados' entertainment industry as we lost our First Lady of Song, Carolyn Leacock. A well-attended, moving tribute was held for her at month-end. You can follow the link to hear her award-winning rendition sung with her brother, James, at one of the Caribbean Song Festivals in the 1990s. Barbados has an outstanding singing tradition    

                                              Barbados' First Lady of Song, Carolyn Leacock

In January, another moving tribute was given for Singing Francine - mentioned in the December blog. This is the link to one of my fave renditions by her - Run Away, a song about escaping spousal abuse.

                                           Francine "Singing Francine" Edwards

While January wasn't that bright, the month of February began on a more optimistic note with us all looking forward to Rihanna's half-time show at this year's Super Bowl. I was preoccupied watching Outlander and didn't see the live performance; i watched the edited version the next day. I thought she did a good job. I enjoyed the suspended stages and the pyrotechnics. 👍 You can click on the link to view it all again

                                 The incomparable Right Excellent Robyn Rihanna Fenty

With her global announcement of a second pregnancy. as the close of February (her birth month) fast approaches, I salute her and her growing family. She had a dream and she lived it. More power to this stunning and talented Bajan gal.

Cheers.  

As Chapters Close, Others Open

Greetings to all who visited the blog over the last month. My posts are now infrequent. Between preparing lunch on Sundays, preparing for the next week on Saturdays, watching kdramas in my spare time... I don't get on the blog very much.

Of course, I'm quite disappointed that so few people visited the page featuring young Barbadian athletes. 😞 Kudos to them all. 

To those who visited the page from the USA, Barbados, Canada, Germany and Greece. Special greetings to you.

I always enjoy the Christmas season - the music, the music...did I say the music? It is stressful for some, but it's the one month when I'm not bothered by whatever challenges arise. December is my birth month and this year I treated myself to this... 

it was as lovely to taste as it was to look at. 

Even as I celebrated, others were coming to the end of their line. We lost some persons who were outstanding in their fields. The month began with the passing of Irene Cara, actress, singer, dancer, whose breakout performance was in the movie Fame, 40 years ago. 

 Viewing the video still makes me smile broadly.

Then in the Caribbean we heard the news of the passing of Singing Francine, whose parang Christmas songs I love to hear during the season. She is Barbados-born but went to Trinidad as a teenager and became an exponent of the calypso artform winning the Calypso Queen title in that island. I featured one of those parang songs in 2018.

And then the month ends with the news of the passing of the legendary Brazilian footballer, Pele. Around the same time there was the news of the death of another outstanding calypsonian in Trinidad, Black Stalin (stage name). One of my fave calypsos by him is "Bun Dem". Listen here.

Trinidadian Calysonian, Black Stalin

Brazilian Football Legend, Pele

And then the month ends with the news of the passing of pioneering female news anchor, Barbara Walters, and Pope Benedict.

                                        Pioneering Newswoman, Barbara Walters

                                                    Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Just as some chapters closed in 2022, there will be new beginnings for others in 2023.

Here's to a fulfilling New Year! 🍷