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The years are rolling on, but we can as “islanders”, not forgetting Guyana, never forget from whence we came, and how far we have come, in spite of all the bumps along the way, not least a once in a century, hopefully, pandemic.

So let’s go down memory lane. Each one can add his or her ( and to be politically correct these days the “it” and “they” pronouns, if non-binary) memories from old days in your country.

So, if you don’t have a “remember when” and is of the belief things were always as they are now, seek out a grandma or grandpa, if you have one to shake you into reality.

So, I’ll start with my Bajan friends.

Remember when:

The only fresh milk you got was likely the milk delivered to your school Monday to Friday? Only of course, if you had no cow, goat or famous Bajan black-belly sheep of your own.

Or, the only radio you knew was one called Rediffusion, a receiver, one radio box, hung on a wall

In reply to Casper

Ju-c, Bim, Rockland Bus, NE Wilson, Foggerty, Kirpalini, Mannings Wilkinson and Challenor, DaCostas, nutcakes, Mr.Dip lollies, Gearbox, Ossie Moore, King Dyal, Spouge, Fatporks, excursions, Auntie Olga with Children's Party. Licks like peas, singing your multiplication tables, castor oil on a Saturday.

In reply to culpepperboy

Gawd! Did you take yours yesterday, for the propa purge?

Why every Saturday? Mine was only the beginning of the school year ritual, as in the following story

Read this; not only in Bim was this ritual.

Bajans either have short memories or don't want their Bajan memories.

In reply to Norm

What about Guyanese memories, are yours short-circuited?

In reply to Casper

Norm has become increasingly bitter, jaded and sarcastic. I wonder what has gone wrong.

In reply to nick2020

He might need castor oil.
I took mine

In reply to Casper
Remember when yuh would be watching a show or movie at the Plaza or Empire and there were more rats in attendance than people???

In reply to Casper

A thread on Guyanese nostalgia ("memories") would attract hundreds of responses easily. All yuh struggling to get a handful.

A fella wanted a Bajan black pudding recipe the other day and hardly a Bajan responded!

In reply to culpepperboy
What about the Elite buses? I remember our Elite school bus struggling to get up station hill in St John. Many a day we had to get off the bus, walk up the hill, and then get back on the bus at the top of the hill

In reply to nick2020

Wait, is that the best response you could find for the extremely disappointing response to this Bajan "memories" thread? Cussing po' me, that juss pointing how all you don't seem to like remembering Bim?

Hahahahahahaha! Hohohohohohoho!!!

De Muddies, or even the Trinis, would have never let their country down so!!!

Casper, CulpepperBoy and Walco seem to be the only true Bajans around here.

Nick2020 is just a skunt. Who would ever name anything after the year 2020? Am not sure if all you want to claim he.

Patriotism or rather overt patriotism, is the virtue of the vicious

In reply to sudden
Please doan contribute to the derailing of Casper's good thread

In reply to Walco

i dont aim to.

But since my good friend, Tricky Nicky, believes that i graced the halls of the Lodge School, i will say- Possunt Quia Posse Videntur

In reply to Walco

I like that.

I have always had good Bajan friends, and the Bajans that I known in Guyana have always been proud (tho not haughty) to point out their Bajan roots. In particular, I remember Test umpire Compton Vyphuis, who always spoke of his Bajan roots proudly.

Guyana never had a milk problem in general, but I only remember experiencing powdered milk in primary school, though not often. In the village I grew up in, we received fresh cow milk every morning, directly from a rancher named Bongo - a very nice human being that loved all the kids in the village. I believe the City folk got their milk from supermarkets.

We had 2 local radio stations back then, Radio Demerara and GBS (Guyana Broadcasting Service), both broadcasting in English in general. About a quarter of the programs on Radio Demerara, however, were in Hindi (mostly music, film reviews, and other cultural and religious stuff).

We also received a multitude of foreign radio stations, mostly at night) from Suriname (in Dutch and Hindi), South America (Spanish and Portuguese). In my village, however, we received Suriname broadcasts all day, every day, because the village was less than 20 miles from the Suriname border (official crossing point).

Guyana had no television service until the early 1980's.

Our village had a movie theatre (the only one around for at least 10 miles) that showed English and Hindi movies, with more of the former. For us kids, going to the movies was a huge treat, but the "bob" (25 cents) entrance charge was too much for most families.

Folks were rabid cricket followers, even in the villages. Every Sunday morning, after church, we played a cricket or soccer match (depending on ball availability! No one cared about pads! And the soccer ball never lasted long!) against at least one of the neighboring villages.

Sunday afternoon was reserved for donkey racing among the boys and young men in the village, while the girls played rounders.

The sea (more correctly, the estuary of the Corentyne River) was about a mile away, and there were numerous canals that we kids had a great time in, almost daily - swimming, catching fish, caching crabs, etc.

A few homes had running water, but half the village congregated around a single standpipe every morning, brushing teeth and taking turns at drawing water in buckets, with some even bathing nearby. Electricity? Nah!

Saturday nights were reserved for kwehkweh (a campfire, in this case, with a real fire and huge logs), in which the Africans in the village delighted in telling all of us about African history in the area, "nancy" stories, and "old wisdom". We also enacted skits about some of the stories, and did a lot of singing. These were unforgettable, and have remained in my heart and soul to this day.

There are plenty of memories, but ... a little bit from everyone, please!

I don't remember a fresh milk problem.

Remember the knife sharpener who would ride around on his bicycle. Dat was an event in Queenstown.

In reply to Chrissy

I remember a man going around in Ja spraying bedbugs, his shout was;'kill under bed and kill pon top'

"Mistah Joe", the shave ice man, was always a welcome sight for us during the long "August Holidays" from school. For one cent we got crushed ice without syrup. For a Big Jill (a 2-cent coin), we got crushed ice with syrup!

The black pudding lady came around on Saturday afternoon.

Fish man or woman going through each village:

"FISH FISH FLYING FISH. Five a dollar!"

Going to the market was always an adventure.

This one woman who specialized in selling women's underwear, was always shouting non-stop, "Get your sugar bowl covers!! Get your sugar bowl covers!!".

A little boy like me could never figure out what "sugar bowl covers" were!

We had our fishermen walking th village an selling fish too.

They would shout something like, "Fish!! Fish!!! Get you' hassa, sunfish, patwah and cassee! Another one would yell, "Get you' mullet, shark, queriman and cuffum hey!!!"

In reply to Casper

I recall living in Barbados for about 6
months , and having to listen to Rediffusion .

I was aghast because in SVG people had Radios , and WE listened to Stations in Guyana , Trinidad and WIBS aka The Windward Islands Broadcasting Service , the Station was based in Grenada , and served the
Windward Islands . The Americans had a Base in Trinidad , and it had a Ragio Station in Chagaramous , People
in SVG who had radios , heard that Radio Station ; On Saturday Nights it
played " The American Hit Parade ".



Indelibly etched in my mind is the fact that Hurricane Janet , it was stated was going to hit SVG , WE in
SVG , were told to be of Good Cheer ,
when the Station abruptly stopped .

It wasn't until the next day WE learned that it had veered of from
ST. Vincent , and hit Carriacou and
Grenada .

I still possess a couple Shortwave Radios , here in the USA .I guess I inherited that from my Father .

In reply to culpepperboy

u from Belleplaine, the Leeward Bus was NO 1

In reply to tc1

where is my good friend- Che- from little Castries

In reply to Walco

My Elite bus went to either Lear's Gap or Sugar Hill, it was the over crowding and a police on a motorcycle, checking the number, and ordering the last person on a row off.
Going to Douggies after the theatre on a Saturday night was a delight.
As a country boy, home made scooters and go-carts, was a good mode of transport.

Running home when outside dark because somebody tell you bout de Outman or de heartman.

Playing cricket in de road and getting out firsthop ir if you hit de neighbour house.

Getting 6 love in dominoes and de men recording your name de date and time on somebody paling.

In reply to culpepperboy

Rumor was that Powen’s grandfather was a heart man

In reply to sudden

Dont scare me, you must be from the country to know about heart man.
What about Steel donkey?
Guy Fox celebration, having Star lights, bombs, bandits.
One of your alumni put a lighted bandit in my back pocket.

In reply to openning
Yuh remember a topsy/potty?

In reply to sudden
Man everybody on here kno you "is" a Cawmere man

In reply to Walco

I prefer the term "wireless toilet"

In reply to culpepperboy
You remember when a living room was called a front house???

In reply to Walco

Cawmere nan or ex con. Samw difference.

In reply to Walco

I still call mine so.

And each house had a Shed Roof.

In reply to culpepperboy
You ever watch Mobile Cinema on Bayleys Primary School pasture? Bud & Lou fuh days

In reply to Walco

Alright you taking this thing too far now.
I ain't getting pension yet.

I went to de Globe Vista and Plaza.

In reply to culpepperboy
Man how could I forget the shed roof You ever see you grandmother wash clothes with a jucking board???

In reply to culpepperboy
Globe was much cleaner than the Plaza and Empire. Not any chinks that I recall

In reply to Walco

Jucking board wash cleaner than any washing machine.

Making kites and using clammy cherries for glue.

Buying ackees 2 for a cent.

In reply to culpepperboy

How about getting out any-hop when it is getting dark as nighttime fast approaches?

In reply to culpepperboy

D ole people seh so

In reply to culpepperboy

Wetting flour and using it for glue was a waste because the cockroaches would eat the "glue" when the kite is stored

In reply to Walco

Yes

School Days
Covering your school books with BA feed bags.

Getting licks for dirty fingernails.

Playing "catchers"

Tip me two in cricket.

Mobile Library every two weeks

School meals

In reply to culpepperboy
Mobile Cinema with Bud and Lou
Playing Picks up.
Cannot remember the games played with marbles.
One game had three holes, the other had a circle with a number of marbles inside the circle.

In reply to openning
The marble game with a bunch of marbles in a circle was called pool. The objective was to knock more marbles out of the pool than the other players

In reply to openning

I remember there was one called "killer"

In reply to openning

3 hole killer or simply killer

There was also a game where you had to "spawn" and one where you got hit on your knuckles.

Thanks guys great memory.
Who played draft?

For various ailments:
Candle Grease
Comphorated Oil
Bush tea
Coconut oil

In reply to openning

Huff you for not eating!

We used drink stoppers for drafts pieces.

In reply to culpepperboy

Do you know the names of the Bushes in Bush Tea?

In reply to openning

I remember something called "sursy bush".

Sometimes I would see soursop leaves.

In reply to culpepperboy

I never used stoppers, because I played with men my father's age.
Thats th only game I did not get into trouble .
My brother and I had to hide, when pitching.

That name I remember, there was one that grows around the house, that people made tea with.
Was it Lady in the night?

In reply to culpepperboy

Gutes or something so
Not spawn but you spawn the killer holes

In reply to sudden

Yeah. My knuckles used to be sore.

In reply to culpepperboy

I was a master at all those games. A tactical genius. In drafts too and any card game especially a gambling game

Bajans used to call all powdered laundry detergent Fab (I think there was Breeze later), and I know it was similarly the case in Jamaica. I am wondering if it was the same in other islands/countries where powdered laundry detergent was called Fab.

In reply to sudden
Wuh bout dominoes? The most important game of all in the Caribbean Yuh wuz a master there too?

In reply to sudden
Poker, Stud or roamie?

In reply to Walco

Just like we call every morning and evening hot drink tea. Milo tea, coffee tea, green tea etc

In reply to Walco

All bleach was "javex"

In reply to openning
I remember picks up, but I do not remember the rules.

In reply to openning

Five card poker or seven card poker - all
Roamie, tonk, whiss. Any card game

In reply to Walco

He loved the game with all de 6 loves that he get

In reply to sudden
Yuh fuhget cocoa tea

In reply to culpepperboy

I knew many card tricks too

In reply to sudden
I used to play a lot of roamie and tonk as a youngster, but that was a long time ago and I don't remember how to play them now. Poker I have played most of my adult life

In reply to Walco

I wasn’t that great at dominoes. Good but not great like I was at cards or draughts and surprising I never got into chess even though it was played at Cawmere

In reply to sudden

Never heard of tonk.

In reply to openning

How about brag, another gambling card game played with 3 cards?

In reply to openning

Tonk is basically 5 card roamie

In reply to sudden

You sound like one of dem 3 card men.

I also remember windball and tapeball cricket.

In reply to sudden

I played brag
Bro, as the only bachelor, working full-time and going to school. my apartment was used as the spot for card games.
Maximum raise of $1.
I always remember I cooked a Bone steak, was about to eat it, when my door bell rang, the guys was coming to play cards, so I put the steak in the oven.
During the game our Trini brother, said he was going to the bathroom, took the steak, eat it, and brought the bone.
I was upset, because I had not eaten and most of these guys had wives, but we were all family.

Road tennis with a skin ball.

In reply to culpepperboy

I can play that too. I know how to flip the cards and shift them and mark them too. Interesting young days I had

In reply to culpepperboy
I was a champion road tennis king in Bibby's Lane, a Novice in the city centre.

In reply to culpepperboy

We also used to collect Hollywood stars cards from bubble gum we used to buy and pitch marbles for them. I still have the cards at my grandparents house in Bim. They never threw them out . Neither my Cawmere school report which shows a big 0 in English Lit in 4th form. They even kept my Cawmere tie which is vintage one made of that stretchy material that came back in fashion recently

In reply to openning

I could play road tennis but was not that good. But any game that required strategy and tactics I was good at

I used to make a mean fly stick too. Caught doves and pigeons but never ate any

We also used to look for bee hives to get honey. That was interesting. The many bee stings from those African bees which were more vicious than the normal Italian bees

In reply to sudden

What did you do mate them to get Barbie Doves?

In reply to sudden

What is the difference between a Fly stick and a Gutter Perk?

In reply to openning
I hope you are not asking that question because you do not know the answer. In other words, you are testing sudden, right?

In reply to culpepperboy

NAILED IT!!

If I had any doubts about your nationality....they have been completely removed

In reply to Walco
I just want to see if the rod we made with a cord for catching lizards , is what Sudden is talking about.
I cannot remember hearing the name Fly stick.
Have you ever been into a Sugarcane factory and get liquor?

In reply to Casper My folks use to say the Castor oil not only ‘wash-out’ your stomach, it clear you brain clutter and leave it free and receptive for the start of the new school year.

In reply to birdseye

Thank god for the capsules, Omega 3 is something I take daily.

In reply to Norm


Anybody remember this kid toy? We use to make our own . we use to call it a gig --- and use it to split other kids gig
this

In reply to powen001

My parents knew N.E. Wilson , who was
a Grenadian , I once asked him , why
most of his merchandise was for women ;
He said Men buy things for Women , and
Women also buy things for themselves .

I could not dispute that , it is my understanding that He and his relatives
own a Company in Canada that makes , underwear .

In reply to powen001

Was there ever any doubt that I'm a Culpepper Islander?

In reply to culpepperboy

That’s a good one for the memory bank. These days, they probably cost $5.00 for one, especially after the Trinis tief all we flying fish.

In reply to openning
Gutterperk

Fly sticks were used for catching birds, not lizards. I know the device that you are talking about to catch lizards. I think we use the stalks of cus-cus grass to make those. You put a loop at the end that would tighten around the lizard's neck once tension is applied.

A fly stick was made with a flexible tree branch no more than 4 feet long. The bigger end of the branch would be stuck into the ground and a string would be tied to the other end. The stick is then bent over so that it looks like a bow or rainbow, and the string with a loop at the end is placed on the ground and covered with scratch grain or bird food to lure birds to the trap. I do not remember exactly how this end of the stick was secured to the ground or what the bird had to do to get that end to fly into the air and cause the loop at the end of the string to tighten around one of the bird's legs, but it was a technological marvel

In reply to Walco

You used an n shape piece of wire to stick on the ground to hold the cord attached to the flexible stick. There are small pieces of stick stuck into the ground in a u shape pattern to guide the bird to the opening. You then dig a slight trench where the bird would have to step to get the grain or black sage seeds.

On one side of the trench is a y piece of wood stuck into the ground on which one end of piece of thin stick would rest . The other end is slightly secured to a small stick tied around the cord and looped into the n shaped wire and the remainder made into a loop or opening and spread over the stick to catch the bird. The wire and the trench is covered by grass or leaves so the bird thinks he is walking on the ground

When the bird comes he is guided on the piece of stick over the trench near the n shape wire. That causes it to detach from the small stick attached to the cord and the n shape wire. The loop or opening placed over the stick on which the bird steps catches his foot or sometimes neck as the bent over stick straightens up and the bird is caught

You did a dry run with your finger to make sure the stick flies at the slightest touch. Remember a bird is not heavy

In reply to Walco
The group of guys I grew with had no patience to set traps for birds.
A gutterperk was the weapon of the day.
At what age did you guys had your first drink?
I was about 9 years, my half brothers and sisters were visiting for the first time, my dad always had bottles of rum around, I tried it, got so sick, got a whipping, slept for the remainder of the day.

In reply to openning

Man a fly stick was genius. A down fall was for chumps.

In reply to openning

I learn to drink at school in 6 form in Nelson street and smoke in fair child street bus stand with some lodge boys

In reply to sudden
Only Don Bryan would make something like that.
He couch pitch win all our marbles, he never had to hide being the only child, and made the best kites.
He like you was clever.

In reply to openning

I never made a pretty kite in my life but a trash bone kite out of book leaf man I was good at that. Used to steal gran’s cotton to fly my book leaf kite.

My cousin used to make a capella and a diamond pretty kite for me for Easter. Sometimes a star

In reply to sudden
Baxters road at Sober shop was the only place I drank in town.
We would go there after work at night.

In reply to openning

A fly stick was not as hard as I described. Only getting the bird to fly the stick was complicated and only a little. Some birds would step over it so you had to encourage them by dropping a few grains on the trench area and into the fort like cage .

You had to place the fly sticks near black sage bush where doves and pigeons congregate for food. And check on it regularly

In reply to sudden
Some serious technology dat

In reply to Walco

Serious strategy employed to get the bird to step on the trench yes. Whoever thought that up was real good

In reply to sudden
I grew up having a kite every easter, and stake it out at night.
Never had the talent of some of the guys in the village, who could make Kites, and Scooters.
Did you ever had to bring water from the pipe or search for dry cane or wood for cooking.
My older brother and I was so proud when we got our first stove and running water.

In reply to openning

One of my earliest childhood memories was when one of my uncles (a policeman) got drunk at our house and gave me some rum to drink with him. I was no more than 3 years old at the time. I do not remember actually drinking the rum but I remember puking my guts out afterwards and my mother angrily throwing my uncle out of the house. In retrospect my uncle did me a favor because I never became a heavy drinker at any point in my life. I dated a woman once who described getting to the point of reaching a high while drinking alcohol that was similar to an orgasm. I have never had such an experience with alcohol

In reply to openning

Nah not that old

In reply to Walco

Nor with her?

In reply to sudden

Boy you too dangerous yuh kno ...

In reply to Walco
[quote]I was no more than 3 years old at the time. I do not remember actually drinking the rum but I remember puking my guts out afterwards and my mother angrily throwing my uncle out of the house./quote]
The same happened to me, I was much older.
One of my closest friends got a job at a lab, and brought home some sample of rum, my cousin, him and I, on a Saturday would pour a little in a glass, filled with as much coke as possible.
I was never a big drinker, before I left home.

On a more serious matter, my daughter and nephew, whose parents are Bajans, want to get their Barbadians papers.

Should We have the process done with the embassy here, or do it in bim.?

In reply to sudden

Man , Che gone in hiding

In reply to openning
Citizenship by Descent

I see the thread picked up some legs.

I remember when Bajans were the butt of many jokes about life in the Caribbean. Those jokes often surmised that at the end of the road to the edge of the world, you will find a Bajan!
Apparently, Bajans were happy to migrate to anywhere in the world back then (around the 1950's & 1960's).

In reply to Norm

how life changes. now it is Guyanese

In reply to Walco
Thanks.
I see why my nephew is so mad with his mom, it was $30 when he asked her to apply.
I will start the ball rolling, my daughter think she is more Bajan than me, because she live in Toronto, and can tell people she is from Bibby's Lane, close to Nicholls bakery.

In reply to Norm

Red legs too

In reply to sudden

We "earned" our stripes, as the butt of Caribbean jokes in recent years!

Let's see if oil will change that. If the last elections in Guyana were an indication, Guyana still has a long way to go, to make progress.

In reply to tc1

I didn't get this one. Explain, please.

In reply to sudden/ Walco/ openning

A guy from Bibby Lane would not know a fly stick nor a gutter perch, I can see you and Walco now, running behind Trench area without shirts, catching bare sparrows in the fly stick.
I could not let my mom see me making fly stick or with my gutter perch.
When the bigger boys went to school, my friend and I would remove the catch from the fly stick and try to cook them.
did you ever set a trap for the mongoose?

I remember when Errol Barrow ruled Bdos forever!!! Or, so it seemed. Unlike Burnham, who was always in the thick of Caribbean affairs, Barrow was inert and seemed to wear the same smile and suit forever. Or, maybe the papers used the same photo of the man, over and over.

Back then, Barbados seemed to produce nothing but cricketers, immigrants and strange people in St James.

In reply to tc1
Bro, I made gutter perks.
The time guys like you and sudden watched the Flystick, us boys was playing Road and Gully cricket, stealing people mangoes, ackee and coconuts.
We had know time to check a stick.
BTW, Bibby's Lane is in the country, dont get confused with Bibby's Gap, which is close to the city.

In reply to openning

We had a few kids who used to do the stick and noose thing. They used to catch the occasional 3-inch long green lizard, that they would then torture to death. Mostly loners!

We had more kids that were into slingshots ("gutterperks"), but it tended to destroy the birds when you hit them. Some of kids had this cage-like trap that was propped up with a stick, to which the bait was attached, using a bit of twine. The birds, or small animals, yank on the bait, dislodge the prop and get caught, undamaged.

We rarely ever tried to cook those birds or little animals tho, except for wild pigeons. If we wanted to make a "bush cook", we would catch freshwater fish in the canals for that.

In reply to Norm

delete

In reply to openning/ Norm


Setting fly stick and shooting the gutter perk goes hand in hand with those things that you mentioned.
we on the coast roast bread fruits with roast fish and picked coconuts, eat the fishermen grub with the hard dumplings.

In reply to Norm

What we called a downfall. I hated them. No strategy. No imagination. Too straight forward

In reply to sudden

Thanks.

Interesting terminology - "red legs".

In reply to tc1

Always a treat for boys cooking on their own. Just don't burn it too much!

Plantains were often a part of our "self-help" efforts too. They were plentiful and rather easy to "steal", since the trees were not tall. Stealing breadfruits was a different matter tho, with tall trees, usually guarded by fierce dogs! You had to try for the breadfruits that hung over the fence, that could be reached from the street.

Getting the fire started for the "bush cook" was often the biggest challenge. Most times, the boy bringing the matches could steal just a few. So, you had to make each match count!

In reply to openning Was ackee (guinep in Jamaica, chenet in T&T) a scarce commodity in Barbados?. One previous poster was getting two(2) for a cent. Two bunches?.While others are stealing it.
I must have had a charmed existence in my childhood.
Noticeably nary a mention of the sea or beaches.

In reply to Norm


If you were on the beaches, the roast breadfruit was with roast fish and coconuts, away from the beach it was roast with butter and salt fish inside of it.

In reply to sudden
I just got a mouthful from my oldest brother about a Flystick.
He told me thats why he left Calgary in 1975.

In reply to Norm
Judging by the antics of the last administration Guyana would have been no different had it been Granger again.That man was a trendsetter,check Trump.

In reply to openning

What did he say?

BTW- Bibby’s lane is closer to St George than St Michael if you get my drift

In reply to sudden
He reminded me of the Flystick and where he and his friends used to set them up, he also spoke of the Down Fall.
He disliked Calgary from the first day he arrive, because not many black people was here, even though he had a job with Mobile oil.

Bibby's lane is MAM district, a large picture still sit on the balcony of my mother home.
The area is closer to Bridge Field, if you can still get cross the Gully, than Cold Hole or Bourne Village.
My brother would appreciate that, he always tease me of being Canadian.

In reply to granite

I couldn't believe that some people right here forgot how Guyanese of all ethnic backgrounds were running everywhere and begging to live in other countries.

Good to have those days behind us!

In reply to alfa1975

Thats correct, it is not scare, just seasonal.

In reply to sudden

Bibby lane is not in St. Michael , it is in St George

In reply to tc1

Link Text

Remember when almost every parish in Barbados had, at least, four or five sugar-producing or cane-processing plants (factories, they were called)? Now, there are only two on the whole island.

But one man, one speech, was most influential in changing those dynamics. One could say it was a wish, others that it was prescient, but few can say it did not have a cultural and psychological impact on, not only Barbadians, but others across the Caribbean.

So, I ask, Remember when Errol Barrow made the famous (infamous to the plantocracy) ”no cane blade” speech? It heightened the demise of the sugarcane industry in Barbados. In fact, the planter class felt that way, especially after there was a sudden outburst of cane fires.

But it also helped to changed the outlook of black Barbadians and their relationship with agriculture and the land, but more importantly their relationship to and demand for higher education. Diversification in the local economy required new skills, other than the use of a cutlass.

Every Bajan boy and girl have got to remember “ Man Out”, likely a dirty trick played on you by your parents wanting you to stay at home at night and not get yourself into trouble.

It was scary nonetheless as supposedly some wild guy got out of jail and was roaming your area.

Every Bajan boy and girl relished those moonlight excursions to some other part of island, leaving after sunset and returning late morning hours. These were different to the annual daytime excursions/picnics organized by your church or some other organization, they were organized for a full moon night, and hopefully, when no rain was expected.

Moonlight excursions were your chance to sneak away into some secluded area from the bigger crowd, with your girlfriend or hope-to-be girlfriend, get a kiss, maybe a”feel-up, feels-up”, or if you are lucky, an all the way tango.

In reply to Casper

Moonlight Picnic not excursion.

Out man not man out.

So, all you used to swim in dem rivers pon de Rock?

In reply to Norm

//

In reply to Ewart
don't belief that shite, strange people do not live in St. James.

In reply to tc1 Am I to understand that those same strange people, only visit the beaches in St.James? Coincidentally it seems the strange people problem affects St.James , Jamaica and St.James, POS T&T.

In reply to alfa1975

If you dropped anything in St James, you either kicked it to St. Peters or St Michaels and pick it up.

In reply to POINT

You are aware that N . E Wilson was A LEGEND in Barbados!!

Many women often bragged at how GIFTED he was ...ah hem

In reply to culpepperboy

Not at all..but I assumed that Customs would have banned several items from reaching you all out there...clearly you took the Moses often and visited the main land

In reply to sudden

your Fly Stick making skills are complete I see

The Nelson Street stuff is what ruined you early o clock and now you cant help but gypsy in ppl bidness to black mail them

In reply to Norm

Norm..this has not changed...I am amazed how many of my former school mates are now in some strange places across the Globe...I mean from Soviet states to Asia..to South of France...and we all still maintain contact...especially now that the Internet runs things.

In reply to openning

I haven’t heard that one in quite a while.

Now, I guess you don’t drop anything anyplace.

In reply to openning

In reply to powen001

Not customs, only selfish conkie hoarders.

In reply to powen001

Why yuh don’t talk bout yuh heart man granfadda

In reply to sudden


Brudda P...was a wonderful Grandfather and preacher...

the evidence of the amount of children and family he begat...shows that he delved into the Go Forth and Multiply part as many times as he could through several villages in St George


And He WON the hearts before administering the ROD it would appear

In reply to powen001

But don’t be out after midnight in St. John, Todd’s, St Judes or Greens or yuh gone. Never to be seen again and a back piece build on pun Chez E in St John

In reply to sudden



Your Credentials are Solid!!!

In reply to sudden

wait...how we could forget wunnuh older fellers

teefin piece in a cane ground!!

and little boys like me told to stand watch out side...

In reply to powen001

You mean ole like Culpepper and Opening and Fuzzy

In reply to openning/ Alfa


That is why those guys from St. Michael was always in St. James.

In reply to sudden

Who you calling old?
I was just recalling stories I heard from my great great grandparents.

In reply to sudden
It is you people from St George, that had us sleeping with the birds, Heartmen, Outman.
Guys had to tie a few can tops together to deter cars from stopping in the Village.

In reply to culpepperboy
You are spot on, my mom died at 102 years old, we all heard it from her.
BTW, she and my dad were born in St George.

In reply to openning

I am a Ch Ch man but I spent loads of time at cousins in St George during school vacations

In reply to sudden
You claiming Ch CH, TC1 will soon claim he is from St Thomas.

In reply to openning


that's why u were limited to south of Paradise, by Esso

Sudden from Gun Hill St. George
Che must be dead

In reply to tc1
I had a big brother, who is from Blackrock, he and his twin brother both worked at the club, ( May them RIP) , he bought my clothes, drop the material off at Fowler, did my talking.
Bro, the first toy I bought was a motorcycle, so I was playing with the big boys at the club.

In reply to openning

u should know my other uncle, he 3yrs older than GB, was a chef at your hotel after working at Corral Reef , he rode a big triumph, a member of the rockets.

In reply to tc1

Gun hill? They sell guns up dey??

In reply to sudden

In reply to tc1
He was before my time, I remember you telling me about him.
One of the chef live here in Calgary, we left bim together in 1970
I am very proud of him, he studied economic, then when into teaching Cooking at Highschool for 30 years.
Since retiring he enjoy going back to the Marine, which is now the Hospitality centre for students.
his group was the first student graduates, my group was the third in 1968.

In reply to sudden

home made

In reply to openning


My uncle lived in Toronto since 66, he retired from CN, he got GB in CN.

In reply to tc1


call he out!

De boy could lie better than Trump.


which aint hard to do

In reply to openning

Opening this is ah whole History waiting to be told here...

Built our Tourism on these fellas skills and Hospitality has benefitted tremendously.

Alas..as a former Immigration Officer ( work permits) I can tell you that the Hotels paid those "foreigners " very high salaries compared to what many a local chef deserved...but like I said...

another story for another time

In reply to powen001
Most of the foreigners have the top management jobs, that the major problem.
The major problem with hotel chefs in the island, hotel dont have rooms for catering, that where chefs make high salaries with bonus.
This is also good for private restaurants..

In reply to tc1

I started at Paradise in 68, left March 1970.

In reply to powen001

You trying to cause trouble with my buddy Sudden, he is my best bud

In reply to openning

Don’t say tc1 is from St. Thomas. The story used to be, in the day, that people from St. Thomas and St. George couldn’t swim - too far from the beach.

In reply to Casper

Actually many in other parishes can't swim either. Mothers and grandmothers were always keen to point out: "De sea ain't got no back door"

In reply to culpepperboy

A near drowning as a child was said to have caused Malcolm Marshall to turn to cricket.

In reply to powen001

Tyrion Lannister, you calling me a liar becos i dislosed that your grand father was a heart man?

Remember when we made our own toys.

Milk tins for wheels on wood " car " which we pushed around while making sounds like a car.
I grew up near the beach so we made a boat with coconut husk and a grape leaf sail.

Made fish hooks with a common pin and used cotton thread as fishing line to catch tabbies and jacks.

Made cricket balls with newspaper and bicycle tyre inner tube.

Happy New Year to all CC bloggers.

In reply to Hants

YES HANTS!!
Well...my neighbor "Mice" was the artisan...I just watched and helped to hold the materials while he hand crafted trucks, scooters and carts from nothing

In reply to sudden

TYRION survived

In reply to sudden

Wait...you is one o dese men that cant Swim?

In reply to powen001

have you learnt to ride a bicycle yet?

In reply to sudden

ha ha ha ..I been riding since age 5... know yuh place!!

And you aint answer the question yet

Dont be shamed...


You join a looooong list of Popular Bajans who CANNOT and have REFUSED to learn to SWIM.

I mean naaaf big hard backie men yuh know!

I wont post their names here...

De sea aint have no back door...what utter rubbish yall were taught ...as de Castor Oil went down yuh belly

In reply to powen001

Like openning yuh mean

In reply to culpepperboy

What about Frogs have no right in Salt water.

In reply to sudden

I am not a good swimmer, I spent many summers and Sunday morning at Pebble beach.
My older brother and I was riding our dad'd bike, as soon as we were strong enough, we rode under the frame for many years.
When he died in 1960, I claim the bicycle.

In reply to powen001

I learnt to swim at two of the best beaches in Bim, back in my youth - Brownes Beach and Crane Beach. I was both at one time or the other, either a city slicker or a country bumpkin, depending on where the teasing was coming from, having spent part of the year in one area of the other while growing up. I just had some of the most wonderful experiences at those beaches.

Of the two, Crane Beach was more fun. The Crane Beach of today is nothing compared to the one of my youth before environmental erosion separated the northern part from the southern region near the Crane Hotel. Crane was once considered one of the ten best beaches in the world.

School vacation would see a whole group of us boys and girls going to the beach every day. If you couldn't swim, the bigger boys make you learn pretty quickly. I suffered a lot of dunking, drank a lot of seawater, and got to go home with a head full of sand, as part of the everyday learning process. But, boy, was that ever fun.

As I got older, a day at the beach was full of cricket, climbing those tall coconut trees at the Crane for coconuts, drinking water, and eating the jelly. As I grew older and got stronger as a swimmer, my friends and I would often take a long slim coconut tree trunk for support and swim miles out to the reef.

In the sea egg season - that's when Bim had plenty sea eggs and there were no restrictions on harvesting them - a group of us would take a crocus bag, swin way out and dive to the bottom of the ocean, collect the sea eggs, bring them back to the beach, crack them open and eat the raw sea eggs. Diving for sea egg at the bottom of the ocean required strong lungs. You'd take a deep breath and dive. Pick the sea eggs up and shoot for the surface. No fancy equipment in those days.

There was no need to go home for lunch. We would only trek home if we had a lunchtime organized cricket match or a soccer game planned for the late afternoon.

Those were great fun days. Memories to last a lifetime.

In reply to Casper


I born on the west coast by Royal pavilion, quick in the water.

In reply to tc1

Hahaha!

You were born to swim then.

In reply to tc1

so you get nuff coconuts from Glitter Bay orchard and hull waves on the reef north side.

In reply to Casper Finally a mention of beaches. My first visit to Barbados was in 1973.I stayed at the then Holiday Inn in St Michael, with the Hilton further down the road.
What struck me, were the Barbadians who were in the sea at 4 o'clock in the morning swimming and frolicking. Also people walking around the breakwater to get to the beach at the Royal Barbadian Yacht Club,since then you might be able to deny access through the front gates,but you could not stop the from using the beach.

In reply to alfa1975
The name after that was club Barbados, never take pictures of Vendors.

In reply to alfa1975

I stayed at that hotel once after returning home to Bim for my third brother's funeral. Then, it was called the Grand Barbados Beach Resort. It was not a bad hotel. I would give it a 3 star. I am fussy that way

My room was located near the bridge over the waterway connecting the hotel's main rooms to old Aquatic Club, where my high school used to have it's aquatic sport events. Here is a pic of the hotel. Looking at the pic, to the right is the beach between the Grand and the Hilton. The water there tends to be very warm. On the left side facing Brownes Beach is where you would find Bajan early risers either swimming, jogging or running before dawn, as an escape from the heat and the crowds.

In reply to Casper
I called it club Barbados, but it is Grand Barbados.
I've heard so many stories from someone that was sent from TO to assist with the opening, and was there for 3-4 years.
He had a hell of a time, married wife in Toronto and all alone in Barbados.
Not all Cawmwere alums are the same.

In reply to Hants

Play cricket in enchanta:,pitch marbles by Frank Moore shop.