Another birthday

Living in Florida now, the highlight of my life now is returning to Jamaica every year to celebrate my birthday.

A section of Silver Sands Beach

I started to have a party to celebrate my birthday at my home in Kingston every single year, when I turned fifty. It is just my way of letting my friends and family how much I love them and cherish their company.

My brother, who lives abroad, attended one of the parties and came up with the brilliant suggestion that I have the annual event at his vacation house at Silver Sands, at Duncans in Trelawny.

Silver Sands has one of the nicest white sand beaches in the beautiful island of Jamaica, and better yet, there are two helpers at the house all the times, so that solved my problem of getting people cook and clean up after the party.

So now its Silver Sands every year.

There are five of us Taureans who usually celebrate every year, but this year only two of us attended.

 My friend Michael was doing repairs on his home in Black River and could not come over, Hector another friend, was in Canada at a graduation and poor Kim, my best friends' daughter,  was travelling from Spanish Town with her parents, but they had an accident. 

Luckily no one was hurt but the car was a wreck. 

Without the other three to help cut the cake, we asked if there were any other Taureans there and  two other guests joined Delroy and myself in the ceremony. 

It was  great party, lots of food, booze and great company. 

Some people complained that we didn't have the usual vigorous dancing this year, but the vibrant music was there as usual. It just appears that only a few people were in a dancing mood this year. Moat seemed to prefer to just catch up on the happenings but they did enjoy themselves.

Family was well represented

I missed my cousin/niece Coretta from Toronto. She couldn't make this year but her dad and step-mother did come down. This year there was also another cousin, Sheila from Canada as well as another cousin Dor from Kingston, so the family reunion part was in place as usual. 

Evidence!

As always at Silver Sands, we went fishing and caught enough delicious butter fish for lunch one day.

I really enjoy going out to the reef to fish and as the beach there is incomparable in terms of purity, peace tranquility, that's where you find me most days 

So I spent the week really

basking and couldn't care less if I never see another beach until I return next year, as that  really is the best.

When I went over to Kingston, it was great getting together with friends, especially Kim's family, for she is an entertainer and performed at Bob Marley Museum one night so we all went there to cheer her on and lyme.

Kim wows the crowd

Yup my annual vacation/birthday bash at home is such a wonderful way to recharge my batteries and get ready to take on another year.

Turning tourist with Natural History society!

On Saturday 28th February, a couple of us joined up with the Natural History Society for a field trip to the ruins of Agualta Vale Great House and to visit a beautiful orchid farm in St. Mary. The able co-ordinator of the tour was Trevor Yee.

It was a great day which found me leaving my house at 8 am and not returning till 8pm.

The trip to Agualta Vale was uneventful but the search for the ruins was not, for our guide could not find the

We parked as we walked around in search of the great house

overgrown path for about an hour.Anyway it was no big thing as it gave us an opportunity to meet and greet other outdoor lovers. In fact, I even saw a number of persons from Jah 3 who I had not seen for years. Eventually an employee from Jamaica Producers, owners of the property, came rescued us and took us there.

Of course as it was totally overgrown we had to have a man with a machete chopping a path for us.

A comprehensive history of the house is to be found at http://www.thejamaicanmagazine.com/archive/23-pages-past.html in Jamaica magazine.

The same section now. Totally overgrown

Briefly, the original Great House was built by the Englishman and wealthy slave merchant Thomas Hibbert in the 18th Century. After the first Great House fell in ruins, the Scottish physician Sir John Pringle bought the property in 1914 and built an impressive house on the ruins of the older one. In World War II, it was used as a barrack for the Canadian army. 

It was later acquired by Sir Harold Mitchell and then the Jamaica Producers Group. They had used some sections as offices but the house was destroyed by fire in 1980 and has never been restored. It was there that I was introduced to Mukee aka Rat ears which is a wood mushroom growing on host trees, which the Chinese love to cook with pork.
Next we visited a 25 acre experimental teak plantation at Bellfield, St. Mary which was planted some 10 years ago in a joint venture project with Jamaica Producers.

Teak we were told takes 15-20 years to reach maturity and the board is said to be among the most expensive in the world, fetching some $7.50 per board foot.

As we drove through Port Maria, my cousin Sheila who lives here and in Canada, saw the "Firefly" sign and said she had always wanted to visit that property. That had been the home of the famous British writer Sir Noel Coward but what it is known for is the spectacular view.

The spectacular view from "Firefly"

 So comprehensive is the view that the pirate Henry Morgan is said to have had a lookout there.

I obliged Sheila and took her there .

When we left, we stayed on the high road which took us to Oracabessa via Mason Hall and Canoe Pond. I had never been to that area before and the roads were not all that bad.

Next stop was the home of the Chongs, also in St. Mary where we saw the wonderful orchids bieing grown by Mrs. Chong for which she has won dozens of awards.

Orchids all around

Their house on the hill is absolutely fabulous and has a great view too. The house is powered totally by wind and solar energy and Mr. Chong also restores classic cars.

 His pride and joy is this model T ford.

When we left there we took a back road to enjoy the absolute beautify of the White river with its numerous swim areas which are beautiful "blue holes".

I was happy to see locals have now set up businesses all around the blue holes, selling t shirts and renting river shoes and life vests. Other enterprising vendors were also selling Ganja Brownies aka Angel food.

Above the last "blue hole" which we had visited in the past we found the wonderful waterfall called "Island gully Falls" which  had only heard about recently after the "Gleaner did a feature on a mass wedding which was held there.

One of the "blue holes"

 This area has been developed with steps to the falls and changing rooms and there were a lot of local persons enjoying themselves there.

My curiosity as to who developed that area around the falls and how they recoup funds spent has not been satisfied as there was no one there collecting money to use the facilities.

As we arrived there late,meaning the water would be extra cold, we did not swim but only took pictures and resolved to return soon to enjoy a great dip under those beautiful falls.

Beautiful Island Gully Falls

While we had started our journey going to St. Mary via the Junction road, we returned via Ocho Rios as it would be closer.

I did not use my favourite toll road though as I was dying for some soup and that would not be available anywhere else but the Faith's Pen area. We were not disappointed and after having delicious chicken foot sours, returned to Kingston tired but very happy.

High Mountain 5k

Sunday 25th January 2015 was the first time I participated in a High Mountain event, although members of my group, Fun and Thrills are always well represented.

The is because it always clashes with the Jazz and Blues festival which is held in Falmouth on the last weekend of January every year but thank heavens the High mountain organizers changed their event to the second to last weekend this year.

This was the 32nd year of the event and I had really wanted to attend since learning from one of the organizers that the funds raised were going to buy dialysis machines for the Mandeville hospital, for ever since my best friend Hilma died from kidney complications, I have been very concerned about that particular sickness.

I was however disappointed at the turnout as there seem to have been more sponsors and vendors than participanbts but it was not well advertised this year for some reason.

Vendors abounded

I enjoyed participating  however and it was a very convenient date. For I had an outside broadcast from Santa Cruz on the Friday before and had to attend a birthday party in Mandeville on Friday night. So I stayed over in Mandeville and went to Black River on Saturday to pick up a sucking pig from Michael , a good friend from school days. He had promised it to me for the party the following week. So after hanging out with him and his wife Pearl all day Saturday, we went back to Mandeville, so on the Sunday I was fit and ready to drive to nearby Williamsfield for the event.

 Of course while I only entered the 5k walk, some of the Fun a and Thrills members even entered the 10 running segment. Fit lot!

The 5k route took us from Williamfield, on the picturesque  and undulating route to Mile Gully then  the through the Windalco Bauxite property and back. It was a pleasxant route and the rain even fell to cool us down.

I walked at an ordinary pace with Michael Chuck and we came close to last but no bug thing, we finished and it was great.

 The crowning point was  Michael and I driving back through Old Harbour and stopping for jerk pork at Farmers for "dinner."

Absolutely wonderful pork and a great way to end a wonderful weekend.