100th post

Congratulations, hard to believe that we have arrived at the 100^th blog post on "What no one tells you about retirement on Anguilla, prior". Having reached that milestone it is fitting to take a moment and assess the blog to date. In particular, has the purpose for which it was created been achieved, is the material informative,inspiring and helpful. Is the content relatable and easy to read, Is the intended support obvious, are the posts entertaining at times. The responses to these questions are crucial to determine the fate of the blog going forward. It has been an exciting journey so far and I have derived as much pleasure from writing as the diehard readers do reading. However, there is only so much factual information that is available on retirement in the Anguilla context, all of which has been exhausted. The blog therefore has survived on the antidotes and exploits of retirees. To provide the best information there must be a re-branding, a shift in focus/direction without compromising the really good material posted in the last 100 blogs. It makes sense to  take a hiatus while the decision is under advisement, which we will. In the interim  please re-read the previous posts, leave a comment as to your thoughts on direction, send an email let us know how you feel about the blog auhawi@gmail.com.   

penultimate

Penultimate definition: The penultimate thing in a series of things is the last but one. so says the Collins English dictionary. This post is the one before the 100th post and thus worthy of note. It has been an epic undertaking, daunting initially but the quest for satisfaction from accomplishment soon overtook moments of trepidation. In retrospect it was all worthwhile and I would do it again and again. 


Teapot of bush tea

 

Leona's craft

Leona Bacchus is a retired person who loves craft, featured here are some of the items she has created these are purses, brooches, key chains and coasters all of which are moderately priced. She custom makes any of these items upon request. Her contact number is 264-581-5392

non-vacation trip

I have always been fascinated with the viewpoint that a person without a job goes on vacation, so my being a retiree without a job cannot technically be going on vacation notwithstanding that the various definitions suggest that the period away encompasses  rest and relaxation. Therefore, since retirement is nothing but rest and relaxation  I have invented the word non-vacation trip. So next week when I go abroad it will be on a non-vacation trip.  This is exciting for a number of reasons chief of which I will have new material from a different perceptive, not to mention change of scenery.

I will pack my grip and put some clothes in a valise, make sure the passport ain't expired and look under the bed to see if any money still there and of course remember to take Blogee to SER before I take off for my non-vacation trip. Hasta la vista y'all.

call from the cemetery

RED WEDGES

On Saturday last, Lancelle a recent retiree was all dolled up looking chic in her black and white accentuated with red wedges. She was off to a breakfast gala at one of the posh hotels where a contemporary was being honoured. It was a sunny clear day and she planned to change her red wedges for a black pair of shoes in order to attend a funeral afterwards. When I spoke to her later that day she explained that the program had dragged on and she was not able to make it to the funeral service and by the time she got to the graveside the burial had taken place and people were dispersing. It was at this point that I got the call from the cemetery. Lancelle wanted to tell me I should come for these "blasted" red wedges because she had fell and hurt her ankle on her way into the hotel. I am still unclear why she called from the cemetery but perhaps it was her frustration at having completely missed the funeral and the pain of her twisted ankle; but whatever the reason for the timing, I am now the proud owner of the red wedges. A word of caution, take extra care when stepping in pumps, wedges, platforms or heels of any kind as falls and injury at any stage in life must be avoided at all cost.

mother of every kind

beach cleanup @ sandy hill

And so, as that fleeting glance into my world is deferred, our undivided attention is riveted on the cleanup of the sargassum seaweed on Sandy hill beach. We commence at 5am today it is a community effort and I am responsible for the leaves to make the bush tea. Drinks and garbage bags to be provided by Tropical Distributors.  someone is doing johnny cakes too. Below is a picture of what the beach looked like before we start cleaning. The next picture will show after we are finished. Hopefully you will be able to discern a significant difference. 

There must have been a conspiracy overnight, as you can see there was more seaweed this morning than last evening and though we raked and raked and raked it kept coming in droves. In the end we had to concede.

harvesting rainwater w/o blogee

The land surrounding our humble abode is not very fertile and because of the sloping terrain, any imported soil washes downhill with the slightest rain. Yesterday, with all that rain it was no different. I plant ornamentals and my sibling nearby, plant fruit trees. The deal is that I can get her surplus harvest and she can have bouquets whenever she want to.  Hours and hours are spent outdoors trying to create an oasis of natural beauty. It's a work in progress. Let me tell you about a rain habit I have that perhaps you can relate to.
My grandmother would always catch the run-off rainwater in a barrel or bucket when I was growing up and so now whenever it rains I put a bucket to catch any drops coming from the roof. If the cistern overflows then every pot or pan I own will be used to harvest the water; then I water the already satiated ground around the plants. Is that weird? Yesterday when I was filling up buckets and pans as the cistern ran over, Blogee, after a few trips in the drizzle behind me, decided to sit in the car port out of the rain, and watch my every move(strange because he is always underfoot tripping me up), that is when I realized even the dog thought my actions were weird and wanted no part of getting wet. Notwithstanding, blogee's disapproval of my rainwater  harvesting tradition, it will prevail.

driftwood from captains bay

Blogee enjoyed the car drive to Captains bay to get

 

driftwood for the orchids

quiet entertainment

One would think that being located in a cul-de-sac nothing interesting ever happens but this picture, taken from my verandah, captures a regular occurrence where vehicles trying to launch or pull up boats can get stuck at Sandy Hill bay. This of course provides merriment, however fleeting and at times great material for blog content. Meanwhile, Blogee entertains himself by trying to catch the big ground lizards that populate the environs. There is never a dull moment here.

blogger and blogee

It’s time that blogger and blogee shared some titbits about themselves. Therefore, for the remainder of this week the daily posts will give you a wee glance into the personal but otherwise lackluster exploits of the two. Starting with where we live. Surrounded with lots of bushes and shrubs we reside in a humble abode (Chateau de Auhawi) of modest means, off the main road then left onto a secondary road more like an easement, turning onto a winding path (pictured below) that stops at a dead-end. There is only one way out by vehicular traffic. We are bound to the front(sea side) with an american Caucasian female and to the east and south by siblings the west is an undeveloped lot owned by a local businessman. The environment lends itself to quiet solitude broken only by the sounds of waves breaking on the surf. Sometimes when a vehicle has loud amplified noise you can't help but hear it; but otherwise its tranquil, Save for lizards and mosquitoes visitors are rare, no one just pops in. The peaceful atmosphere is conducive to creativity and great for blogee and blogger.

Aundon



Mervwyn Ralph, a certified public accountant by profession, is retired and lives in California. In the United States of America, the retirement age is 62. Last week he celebrated two years being retired. Pictured here he shares a tender moment with his only grandchild Aundon Cade.  Thousands of people retire everyday in the US but what is so special about this retiree to cause the spotlight on this Caribbean brother Mervwyn, is his unconventional after retirement occupation, Rather than seek employment, notwithstanding several offers to work, he selflessly decided to devote all his time to his grandson, Thus freeing up Aundon's parents to do whatever they do. He literally became an au pair. Grandpa takes him to school and picks him up daily. Goes to all the school events and league practice and games, the after school activities and teaches him life lessons. The parents are overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciates the dedication. The bonding between grandfather and grandson is invaluable.  For you to truly understand the magnitude of this sacrifice it must be viewed  holistically and relative to the existing fast-paced, costly  Los Angeles area. This is a non-traditional perk that retirement allows one that you may wish to embrace, like Merwyn and Aundon.

someone else' introspective

As I've aged, I've become kinder to, and less critical of, myself. I've become my own friend.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon;  before they understood the great freedom that comes with  aging.

 

Whose business is it if I choose to read, or play on the  computer until 4 AM?  I will dance with myself to  those wonderful tunes of the 60s & 70s, and if I, at the same  time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

 

 I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a  bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to,  despite the pitying glances from the jet set.  They, too, will get  old.

 I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life  is just as well forgotten. And, eventually, we remember the important  things.

 Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your  heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or  even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are  what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never  broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being  imperfect.

 I am so  blessed to have lived enough to have my hair  turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and too many have died before their hair could turn silver.

 As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less  about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.  I've  even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being older. It has set me  free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but  while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have  been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single  day (if I feel like it). excerpt from a msg adapted and reprinted.

boca raton

Today Leeandah leaves for Boca Raton, Florida USA. I know this because yesterday when he came with my godson to deliver 3 boulders that I wanted to adorn my humble abode, he told me.  My knowledge of him was as a happy drunk that had retired years prior, who was kind and helpful. He looked his usual self, dishevelled, unshaven a little in the cups with bloodshot eyes. I was curious so I asked what he did in Boca Raton, so he gave me the whole story. His paramour resides there and he goes to bang her 5 times a day, but  now with all that activity he's down to 3 times a day. What a life, what a perfect retirement occupation. We all, though happy for him, can't help but be  a little envious of his setup. Being a BOTC, his visa waiver allows him to stay in the US 3 months at a time and so he would return to Anguilla after 3 months, stay a month and return to Boca Raton. It was 20+ years ago when an American tourist visiting Anguilla with her spouse met and fell in love with Leeandah, returned without her husband soon after and they commenced a romantic liaison, Since retirement it became more convenient to have him fly to Boca Raton. So today he travels sober, well-shaven, closed up shoes, looking dapper in his shirt-jack and a big grin on his face to board American Airlines at 2:30pm bound for Miami from SXM to be with his paramour.  Retirement does have its perks in all sort of creative forms, find one that suits your taste.

Leeandah see ya in 3 months

  

retiree, let's keep it happy

Enhance your feel-good factor with laughter

roast corn

Last evening a few minutes before 6pm I got a call from Owen saying they were just about finished roasting corn at the farm and I must come quick if I wanted roast corn. The farm Sensational Flavours, is a new brand of entrepreneurship where all kinds of herbs, fruits and vegetables are grown, harvested and sold on the premises.

Sensational Flavours at Mount Fortune, East End

 Puss and Owen have a huge following with regular farmers market sale days on Saturdays. Local drinks and johnnie cakes are available til supply lasts. These young guys have a set up unlike any other on the island which is really  a throwback from yesteryear, with a modern twist. They have even been invited to the US Virgin Islands to collaborate on farming, but that's another story. When I got to Sensational Flavours there were 2 other retirees there all devouring roast corn. I paid for my corn, still hot from the grill and started munching, it was deliciously soft and sweet. The ease of  conversation and ability to relate to each other reminiscing about corn and how it was prepared when we were growing up made for an interesting hour and a half that I spent, punctuated by patrons stopping to inquire if there was any more roast corn, forced only to abbreviate because the sun was going down and there were no lights. For the retiree this was another serendipitously entertaining evening unplanned in great company, well spent at no cost. The roughage was an added benefit.

bushie's niece rhonda

Rhonda has been retired for 4 years now and at 64 she is one of the most energetic retirees I have come across in a long time. If you look closely you will notice her 69 year old sister over her shoulder. These two dynamic women epitomizes the mature active lifestyle after leaving the workforce. The retired sisters were banker and immigration officer respectively. As we were conversing, I couldn’t help but think of my colleagues who at age 60 has slowed to a standstill and turned into a slog of sorts with no energy or inclination to do anything other than stay home. I am now even more convinced that it is our own attitude and perceptions that determine our disposition. I am also convinced that if you keep too much company with a slog you will turn into one before you know it. These ladies get up, dress up and show up everyday and for that they won my immediate admiration and respect. And since imitation is the best form of flattery I will endeavour to be as astute upbeat and engaging as Bushie's niece and her sister are. I resolve to be out and about with energy to burn. So, if you are a retiree and can be considered a slog, think of the negative impact on yourself and colleagues, Inject more vigour and excitement in your life, encourage your colleagues to do the same. Let's keep it happy.

images from sxm parade

may day / labour day

Today is May Day, International Workers Day also known as Labour Day which in some countries  is a celebration of labourers and working classes. This to say that though retired, those of us that are working class should celebrate. Admittedly, for the first time for as long  as I can recall I have not been keeping track of public holidays. Guess that is one of the causalities of retirement, everyday is a holiday of sorts. For my part, today I shall by traversing to St.Maarten to watch their parade. Hopefully, I can share the images that I capture with you. Enjoy your holiday, Happy May day, Workers day or Labour day.