The maximum disappointment

 Have you ever had something you wanted to do badly and it fell through because You the idiot, messed up😭?

I can't believe I did it.

Around 30 years ago, I visited the Polynesian Cultural Village in Honolulu and it made such an impression on me, that I vowed to return one day.

Well we were booked on a family cruise of the Hawaiian islands to start 10/12/2025, so I jumped at the opportunity to return to the Village, by coming to our departure port, Honolulu, early.

Well today was supposed to have been the day  when Michelle (who also came here early) and I were to head out in the adventure of our lives, but thanks to this damn old age thing, we never got to go!

For would you believe that I erroneously made the reservations for November instead of October!😬

To make matters worse, I never knew it was my error until I was boiling and ready to blow up everyone and everything.

You see, I was going on the reservation number and date but not the month. 

So off we went to meet the bus, only to discover they couldn't  find our names or the reservation number.

The wonderful, competent Cara Phillips 

To cut a long story short, after calling every number and getting nowhere, I marched furiously back to the hotel, demanding to see someone in management.  For I was prepared to take an  Uber there, but they would have to pay for it, I insisted.

That's where I met the most competent Concierge  I have ever met in my life.

 She is Cara Phillips. 

 After we found to our alarm that the Village was booked out for today, not only did she manage to calm me down totally, but also she booked us a great adventure which we are taking later.

Better yet, we will be able to be here when Michele and Maddy arrive. For they are coming in at midnight from Colorado and I had left the key at the front desk in case we never returned from the Village, which is 30 miles away, in time.

Yes, old age sucks but thanks to Cara, all is not lost as she has guaranteed that it will be a great Polynesian experience and she even saved me some money on the price❤️.

As I always preach, All things happen for the greater good.  So looking forward to a wonderful adventure later.

More anon.

Hampton Old Girls

I will never become a member of the Hampton old girls association, although I attended that high school. You see I have no intention of ever getting 0ld so I stridently refuse to be involved with anything so named. 

However, my neighbour Verleeta is an activist with that organisation so sometimes I am browbeaten into attending some of their functions.

 So yesterday I had to give up my healthy ride to Hermitage, to attend their carol service and brunch. 

The service was held at the Jamaica College chapel and it was OK with most of the carols, thank God, being those jazzy "relevant to Jamaica" ones created by father Ho Lung. 

Brunch was at St. Andrew high school. (Hampton is located in the country at Malvern in St. Elizabeth. It was a bit badly organised as the caterer came without serving staff. However the "old" girls jumped in and after an inordinately long wait we finally got fed. As they say, good things are worth waiting for and it was good. 

 During the after meal chat, I was called on to say something about the late Millicent Knight, an old girl who later became headmistress of Westwood High School and someone about whom I had written. She should have been at that function as a special guest but she died three weeks ago. She was 98 years old and had thoroughly enjoyed her life. I would sum her up as someone who was extremely happy in her own skin. Incidentally, I was asked to provide transportation for another famous old girl from the chapel to the brunch. 

That is the great Olive Lewin, icon of Jamaican dance and music. I had never met her before and although she looked very nice, unfortunately she suffers from Alzheimer's. Terrible disease. Poor soul, I don't even think she was aware that it was her old school's function. Her life has "ended" so tragically in comparison to Miss Knight's.

 Oh the terrible hazards of old age.