Reflections
3 February 2021
It’s been a month since we arrived in Barbados on the 2nd of January. To celebrate we ate out last night at a very smart place called Primo; modern, well designed and situated with the sea swirling by the dining deck. You could be forgiven for thinking that you were eating on board a large boat. Most of Barbados appeared to be dining out, too, as it was the last evening before our local two-week lock down and the place was packed with the smart set as well visitors like us. So, service was slow but this gave us ample time to sip our Margaritas and reflect on the past month.
Apart from the wonderful beaches, sunsets, the wild East coast, plantation homes, sea views, half-finished houses surrounded by automobiles in varying stages of deterioration and the cultivated countryside we have met some interesting characters.
On the beach yesterday this tall, slim, good looking black guy with hair in braids came up to us.
‘How are yawl? I’m known as the doctor. Anything you want that’s good for you I can get.’
‘We are in good health,’ I replied, ‘so no thanks.’ The penny then dropped.
The good ‘doctor’ was offering certain substances to ‘uplift’ one’s spirits. Thankfully, substances of the kind he was offering have never been a vice of mine so he went away empty handed.
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Then, we went into a local hotel bar above the beach which was empty apart from one black guy standing by the bar doing something with a glass.
‘Do you work here?’ I asked, not spotting the expensive loafers and the gold watch on his wrist.
‘No, I don’t. I am a guest in the hotel,’ came the reply in a beautifully spoken cut glass English accent straight out of the West End.
It turns out he is an art dealer dealing in high end impressionist art with a handful of selected clients. His uncle is a high court judge on the island and he is relocating his operation from Chelsea to Bridgetown.
Over the next half an hour he gave us a fascinating insight into the art world and some big deals he had stitched together and then asked if I would like to invest in some high-end art. As a pensioner of limited means, I politely declined!
Then there’s the golf club, which likes clubs all over the world, contains a recognisable set of characters — the comedian, the raconteur, the quiet introspective, the drinker, the golf nerd; a mix of locals, long stay Brits, Irish, Scots and Welcome Stampers like us. Golfers are a friendly bunch and we have been invited to join various parties for drinks following a round but with Covid prevalent made the decision to avoid closer contact at this stage.
So, we are now confined to our ground floor apartment. But with the sun shining, a pleasant breeze, a verandah to enjoy and access to a large garden that contains many mature trees and shrubs we will make the most of the next two weeks here watching the antics of the chickens, goats and ducks that roam at will. Of course, we are permitted to visit the local supermarket for supplies and exercise daily so we will not be totally incommunicado.
