You good? Welcome back! I'm blessed for your time to join in my last post for 2025!
Happy New Year! I hope your first few days of 2026 are setting you on a positive path for 2026! I'm grateful to the universe for the multitude of blessings I've already received this year!
What's your view on New Year's resolutions? I dropped that activity. I figure that since every day is a gift, I better start immediately if I need to take action. Waiting to start on a later date welcomes the risk of exacerbating the situation. May the universe support you in your endeavours if you have established resolutions to guide you in 2026.
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A dear friend's sentiments for 2026!
We need yin and yang in our lives 🙏 |
My amazing people moments over the past week amplify my gratitude to the universe. Windell, a local who recalled me from my previous visit, cautioned me to be wearing a hat when I was walking by him while on my beach walk. I met Daniel, a retired seaman/cook, while picking up my lunch at Jackies. When I mentioned my upcoming travels, he started rhyming off seaports like Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he sailed to. An unanticipated (and most welcome) convo while waiting for my lunch. Myriam, a tourist from California, whom I met on two consecutive days while on my beach walk. In fact, she sought me out on the second day as she wanted more info from me about my accommodations, etc. She's planning to spend six months in Barbados and six months in California when she retires. Finally, I had the gift of reconnecting with Randy who works at The Moorings, a guesthouse on the beach. Randy and I would have an early morning convo every morning during my previous stays. He'd take a break from raking the sand to check in on how I was and encourage to stay the course on my path in life!
Let's touch on our collective physical fitness briefly. I'm encouraging all of us to take the necessary time in our week to ensure we are attending to our aerobic and non-aerobic health needs. Why? Enjoying the blessing to live your best life.
It's all about:
- Finding a good starting point for exercising your heart, lungs and muscles. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day. Lots of good info in cyberspace and experts to consult with to find what's right for you.
- Establish a weekly routine that works for your lifestyle. Time to be practical for your success.
- Be faithful to your routine. It takes about three weeks of consistent activity to establish a new habit. This habit happens to be critical for you living your best life!
Always good advice to check with your physician before engaging in any potentially strenuous activities. Why the focus this week? Maybe the wake up call I received recently. A business associate with serious back issues advised he needed to do 30 sit ups, 30 push-ups and hold the
plank pose for two minutes to support his recovery. What can I do? 30 sit-ups (hooray!), 11 push-ups (OMG!) and I'm afraid to try the plank (stay tuned). I'm blessed the universe continues to look in on my progress through my friends Dave and Jes!
Note: I've amended the blog's name to align the title for the transition into 2026. Starting a different blog, while an amazing idea, is full of administrative challenges like advising my anonymous readers of the new address. I'm likely to launch a formal website in 2026 to migrate the various blog posts I have:
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
A reminder to check out the local country apps prior to visiting your destination(s). Barbados is a country which I forgot to check out the taxi apps. I was fortunate to learn about the pickUP Barbados app, an Uber competitor on the island, through a local friend. pickUp Barbados provided great service, prompt pick-up/drop-off, multiple payment options and modern, clean vehicles (inside and out).
Travel Update
In the past week, my good friend Dave has suggested Abu Dhabi as a potential destination for my future travels. As I happen to have unaccounted for time in my itinerary from late July (finishing up Mongolian adventure) to mid-September (when I want to return to Canada). Based on a quick glance, September would be the preferred time in my schedule. I'll miss tourist high season and the summer heat is abating. I'll also figure out if I can/should visit additional countries in the region.
Travel Maps
My 'island speed' mentality continues.
Note to self - Newton’s first law of motion: A body at rest remains at rest, or, if in motion, remains in motion at a constant velocity unless acted on by a net external force.
Happy New Year!
Several beach side establishments brought in the new year with firework displays. The Cliff Restaurant, an eight minute walk on the highway, is responsible for the fireworks exploding in the foreground. You can see additional fireworks being set off in the background. Sam and I had front of the house access on the beach to watch the fireworks display and take photos! A three minute walk, with soft sand underfoot, in 27C (81F) weather is a true blessing to watch fireworks! BTW - I resisted the temptation to look for sea glass - hahaha!
Flora & Fauna
This week is focused on fauna. I'll have photos of beautiful flowers blooming in my garden to share next week.
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| My elusive hummingbird |
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| Lizard (gecko?) on patrol |
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| Getting closer to an ideal photo! |
You may be like me and hear these little creatures (less than an inch long) before you see a frog. What is astounding is how much sound these frogs make when they are active in the evening. I've included a link to a short video on YouTube so you too can have experience the evening orchestra I have in my garden (
Nighttime in the Garden).
1st Encounter
This frog suddenly appeared on the deck after a brief shower one morning last week. Fortunately, it stayed stationary long enough for several photos.
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| Up close and personal |
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| Notice the suction cup feet |
2nd Encounter
I was enjoying my evening meal when this frog made an appearance on the sea glass just in front of me. I took several photos to provide you with a detailed view of the frog as well as give you perspective on how tiny these creatures are.
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| Sitting a piece of sea glass. |
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I appreciate the frog's thoughtfulness
in choosing a white piece of glass! |
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You can appreciate how small these frogs are
in this photo |
Sea Glass Hunt Update
Wow! So much sea glass! The sea currents have shifted which means there are different places where the glass accumulates at low tide. Maria's enthusiasm with sea glass collection is most appreciated.
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| Collection after just two weeks! |
Sea Glass Transformation
I decided to thank Maria for her help collecting sea glass by purchasing jewelry made by my good friend Joanne, the ultimate recipient of all this glass. Joanne was kind enough to come to my place with a variety of pieces to choose from. I opted for a pendant made with a piece of blue sea glass (the 'rarest' colour on our beach) and a turtle on it. Coincidentally, while I was about to give Maria her pendant, she mentioned she had just seen a turtle while snorkeling in the sea in front of their beach house. I also gave her daughters, Thea and Grace, a bracelet with a small shell, turtle and piece of sea glass attached. I'm delighted to report that Maria, Thea and Grace were super excited about their new jewelry. Maria is planning to wear her pendant for their January 5 return trip to Sweden.
Joanne's Instagram and Facebook account is Kareeba_Design.
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| Pendant display - a small sample of what's available |
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| Pendant display |
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| Bracelets |
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| Earrings |
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| Maria's pendant |
Moonrise
We had a beautiful moon appear in the eastern sky just after sunset last week. I was somewhat surprised, and happy, with the up close photos of the moon. This new Samsung smartphone has a truly amazing camera!
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| Up close on January 1, 2026 |
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| Up close on January 2, 2026 |
Sunsets
The universe's end of year gift to us sunset watchers was three consecutive evenings where we witnessed a 'green flash'! Getting a single green flash is a big deal; getting three in a row is breathtaking! I'm choosing to ignore there are, apparently, four different types of green flashes, as per the Farmer's Almanac.
December 28
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| Sometimes it's all about the clouds! |
December 29
December 30
December 31 - New Years Eve
January 1, 2026 - New Years Day!
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This yacht, Vertigo, can be rented from Rupert
Murdock for ~ 360,000 euros/wk |
January 2
January 3
Next Week
I plan to highlight Barbados several great tourist activities including snorkeling, swimming with turtles, scuba diving, sunset cruises, booze cruises (and there is more) to enhance your visit beyond enjoying the warm sandy beaches, warm seawater and exceptional hospitality. My current visit has been focused on enjoying what I believe is a simple life where I spend more time observing where I am and practice 'just being'.
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