Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Warm wishes to you in the chosen manner of you celebrate this time of year!
Welcome back to 2025's second last post! I hope you had a chance to enjoy the season's spirit with family, friends and neighbours. I was successful in evading the cold and, potentially snowy weather, for another Christmas.
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I remain convinced the number of visitors in my part of the island are fewer than previous years. The seaside cottages and guest houses have limited number of guests on the beach. Iris has disappeared over the past week. In her place, I've met Sylvia and Kiara during my daily beach walk. Sylvia is from Hungary visiting Barbados for a couple weeks. She had recently arrived from her apartment in Zanzibar, which is off the coast of Tanzania where she had spent three weeks. Kiara was visiting from the UK with her daughter. I had the delight of her company for my entire beach walk (also gave me a break from picking sea glass!). Kiara is a nurse and anthropologist. She grew up around Lake Como, Italy (where she has a residence) and currently resides around London. She also has a place in Brazil. A well traveled woman with lots of interesting stories to enthusiastically share. She had to leave the beach to participate in a business Zoom call as well as ensure her daughter got time to study for an upcoming exam.
Many thanks to my many yoga instructors as I'm now taking time to increase my flexibility and strength through my yoga practice.
I've noticed I've joined the ranks of people who are constantly raking fallen leaves common in tropical climates. The tamarind tree sheltering my deck area is perpetually shedding leaves.
My business accountant, Gladysse, has been an incredible blessing over the years she has prepared my company's financial statements and Canadian tax returns. I met her by chance over ten years ago while attending a donor function held by a local hospital I formerly donated to. Meeting her was fortuitous. I was struggling with an accountant I had recently switched to, an ill fated recommendation from the lawyer who handled my company's incorporation documentation. I think we have met once in person after the donor function to finalize the details of her becoming my company's accountant. We may have talked once or twice by phone over the span of our business relationship. Most recently, she has been instrumental in helping me sort through the tax implications of working in the USA including agreeing to have mail from the IRS rerouted to her home to be dispositioned. There is so much more. Thanks Gladysse for the gift of your experience, expertise, caring and friendship! 🙏
My aspiration to become a published writer appears to be in stasis. I've contacted Mike, the assistant editor, for an update. Fingers crossed that the articles appear in January 2026!
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
Reminder to carry resealable plastic bags to store food and valuables. Warm climates are notorious for having so many more home invaders throughout the entire year. I addressed my mouse issue by ensuring all food was stored in sealed containers and any trash was properly disposed of.
Travel Update
I've been fussing with my Nepal travel itinerary over the past week. I've decided to avoid Kathmandu as much as possible as the city and its tourist sights are unappealing. I've also dropped the Kori Trek idea as the tentative plan is to join Ruth and Mark in hiking between Nepal villages that were water project recipients. I may shorten my overall Nepal visit. I'm more enamoured with exploring Sumatra it seems.
Travel Maps
Totally in the 'island speed' mentality now.
Christmas Celebrations
There is an intensification of positive energy in the universe around Christmas time. I was blessed to share in this energy with friends over the past several weeks.
Christmas Greetings
I extended and received Christmas greetings from family and friends. I thought it would be fun to share some greetings I received. The following two animated Christmas greetings originated from England and Sri Lanka.
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Joey from Vaughan, Ontario sent
Christmas greetings
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| Greetings from Switzerland |
A Special Blessing
I'm pleased to share a photo of the newest member joining my friend Praveena's family. Her son arrived just before Christmas. Her parents from India, who I visited with earlier this year, are visiting with her until early February. I'll have the blessing of meeting this beautiful boy in person, along with visiting with his parents and grandparents when I return to Mississauga the week of January 18. Exciting times ahead!
Sweden
My Christmas celebrations began on Christmas Eve this year. I was blessed with a generous invitation from my neighbours, Christopher, his wife Maria and two daughters Grace & Thea, to join them and their family to enjoy Christmas in the fine
Swedish tradition. Christopher, who was born in Barbados and moved to Sweden as a child, visits family and friends in Barbados every five years. Scandinavians, along with Germans I believe, celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. The above link provides more information about Swedish Christmas traditions which definitely contrast with my North American Christmas memories. One tradition, which dates back to 1959, is the family getting together to watch the same one hour Christmas show at 3 pm,
Kalle Anka (Donald Duck Christmas special), every year. Apparently the Swedish roadways and streets are devoid of traffic at this time.
Other invitees included three of Christopher's aunts, Hendrick (cousin) and his family (Elizabeth & two sons). I learned more about Sweden and the places, like the island of Gotland, that I need to return to visit.
I am most grateful for this incredible blessing I received through the universe! 🙏
Barbados
I enjoyed the most amazing Christmas meal as the guest of my neighbour Sam and his sister Lynette. What a beautiful and delicious meal prepared by Lynette. Sam, who was responsible for dessert, served the most generous portions of two types of ice cream - Christmas Pudding and Vanilla/Caramel.
I was also sent home with multiple items in a 'Care' package. I now have enough sweets for my remaining three weeks in Barbados. I also had a full container of left overs giving me the gift of enjoying two more meals!
Thank you to Sam and Lynette for their thoughtfulness and kindness at Christmas (and throughout my stay in Barbados!)
BTW - I also purchased a Black Cake, similar to Christmas cake my mom used to make, with the intention of sharing. I'm continuing to look for others to share in this Christmas delight!
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| Lynette's amazing home baked goodies! |
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| Container was filled with Christmas meal leftovers! |
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| Traditional Christmas Black Cake |
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| My first serving with Coconut Cream ice cream |
About Bridgetown
Christmas in the Square - Part 2
Sam kindly extended an invitation to join him in visiting the decorated Christmas trees at Queens Park, Independence Park, on the water in the harbour and by the Cenotaph on Boxing Day, December 26. Sam noted that the number of trees this year were noticeably fewer than in previous years.
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| Independence Square |
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| Independence Square |
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| Canada, yeah! |
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| Independence Square |
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| Barbados! |
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| Independence Square |
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| Maldives - Be there next month |
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| United States of America! |
Tourist Highlights
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| Government buildings and clock tower |
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| Queens Park fountain - revisited |
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| Commonwealth factoid for your reading pleasure |
A Really Old Tree
Like the sign says, this is the largest (height - 90ft/28m; girth - 81ft/25m) and oldest tree (est. over 1,000 years) in Barbados. Thank goodness Sam directed our 'Christmas Tree tour' in this tree's direction, otherwise I would have missed the tree for a second time. I'm thinking Barbados Tourism may be missing an opportunity to showcase this sight to attact more visitors.
Imagine the stories this tree has to share about its journey across the Atlantic from Ginea and the last 1,000 years in Barbados. Mind boggling!
Flora & Fauna
A quick note for anyone visiting Barbados. Be careful with using the word 'gecko' to describe this creature. I've now been set straight that this creature is a lizard, not a gecko, by three different Bajan friends. Each person exhibited passion in their intonation as they 'corrected' my misunderstanding.
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| Lizard - up close and personal |
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| Daily perch for this bird |
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| Special visitor for Christmas |
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| Elusive hummingbird |
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| Elusive hummingbir |
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| Hard to miss this flower! |
Sea Glass Hunt Update
I've restarted my sea glass collection as of last Sunday. Many thanks to Joanne for retrieving my collection from my first four weeks. My hope for more people scouring the beach for glass is dissipating. In fact, Maria (my neighbour) has been kind enough to share the sea glass she's picked up while walking on the beach. Her primary beach walk focus is collecting trash that is washed ashore and sea shells. She's an ace sea glass hunter. She found two large pieces of blue sea glass! Such treasure!
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Sea glass collection after one week -
plus $1.10 in coin found on the beach! |
Sunsets
It's been a remarkable week of sunsets. We've witnessed the 'green flash' on three separate evenings! Pure magic, my friends. Sorry to share that I lack the speed with my camera to record this 1 or 2 second phenomenon. Briefly, 'a green flash is a phenomenon in which part of the Sun appears to suddenly change to bright green for about 1 or 2 seconds as it dips below the horizon at sunset. The brief flash of green light is seen more often at sunset than at sunrise.'
Note: I'm missing sunset photos for December 26. I was busy visiting the Christmas trees in Bridgetown which sadly conflicted with being on the beach for sunset!
December 21
December 22
December 23
December 24 - Christmas Eve
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 27
Next Week
Happy New Year! It's the last few days in 2025. We embrace 2026 on Thursday. Another year full of promise, hope and endless blessings. I was curious about how
making resolutions for the new year originated. The tradition is traced back 4,000 years ago to the Babylonians. May the year ahead exceed your wildest expectations. I look forward to 'seeing' you next week, next year!!🙏
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