Christmas in Barbados

It’s that time of year again when families and friends gather together to enjoy the holiday season. Popular songs such as Bing Crosby’s White Christmas makes it seem that Christmas isn’t Christmas unless there is snow on the ground. However, there are just as many people who prefer to head to the warmth of the Caribbean at Christmas time. One of the most popular Caribbean destinations is Barbados. Typical Barbados weather in December will find temperatures reaching a day time high of 29°C / 84°F and nighttime low of 23°C / 73°n, just cool enough to maybe need a light sweater.
Whether you are a tourist staying at one of the many resorts such as Sandals Barbados, or a returning national there are plenty of activities and occasions to sample the local food and drink to keep you occupied and entertained.

One of the typical features of a Barbados (or Bajan) Christmas morning is a stroll through Queens Park. The Royal Barbados Police Force Band is usually out in all their finery and musical excellence to entertain the public. This band is set up in the Bandstand which is one of the featured coloring pages in the Colour Barbados Adult Colouring Book. There are also a variety of other local entertainers performing in the park and vendors of all varieties will make sure that if you skipped breakfast you will not be going home hungry.

However this entertainment is not the main reason that most tourists enjoy walking through Queens Park on Christmas morning, that honor falls to the many Barbadians, men, women and children all dressed up in their finest clothes who are taking a stroll through the park. This is usually after they have attended either a Christmas Eve night or early Christmas morning church service.

Whether you’re staying in one of the many Barbados Resorts or doing your own thing self-catering you need to sample traditional Bajan Christmas food. Baked ham is a big feature and can be found as ham cutters (a bread roll stuffed with ham and laced with the dressing of your choice) on many street corners. Jug-Jug is a dish made of pigeon peas, guinea corn flour, salted meat, onions and a mixture of chopped herbs, (kind of like stuffing) that is traditionally served with the Christmas meal.

You might just discover a liking for the taste of the sorrel drink that can also be found on sale from vendors and is used to make traditional cocktails in resorts and hotels.

So if you’re set on spending your Christmas holiday in the sun then Barbados is definitely the place you should consider and coloring and puzzle book mentioned above will be just the thing to help you relax on the beach as you watch the kids building their sandman and enjoying a Very Merry Sunshine Christmas.

Barbados Red Wash 2018

Barbados Red Wash 2018 Coffee Mug
by Mimsmugs

This mug commemorates the unprecedented clean sweep victory of the Barbados Labour Party in the May 25th 2018 elections. Red being the colour of the BLP it simply states "Red Wash" with a map of Barbados and the election date all colored in red.  It was an occasion of firsts as the election result meant that for the first time in the democratic history of Barbados a woman, Mia Amor Mottley, would be the person to head the Government.

African Women Writers: Ten Novels to Explore

Theses ten novels were amongst those shortlisted for the Barry Ronge Fiction Prize 2017. If you're looking for a novel that will take you to exotic African locales then you should find plenty to choose from amongst this selection. Just click on each book to learn more or purchase a copy securely via Amazon.com.



The Peculiars is Jen Thorpe's debut novel. It follows the lives of three misfit characters as they try to come to terms with their phobias and face their fears at a centre for improved living.



Bone Meal for Roses chronicles the life of Poppy who is rescued from an abusive home at the age of six but can't seem to leave her demons behind as a grown up.



Outside the Lines is both a thriller and a family drama. It tells the story of two women: Cathleen, a troubled young woman living in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg and Flora, who is the domestic worker at Cathleens house. When Cathleen disappears tensions and drama ensue. This is the Kindle version.



Midwinter centers around the turbulant relationship between father and son Landyn and Vale Midwinter. Ultimately it is a story about love and the lengths we go to to find our way back home.



The Yearning is a story about Marubini, a young woman whose past seems to be making her sick, and her journey to find out what exactly is haunting her present



Our fathers is a crime novel which features Inspector Albertus Beeslaar. The version on Amazon is in Afrikaans but you can find the English version online here



Namaste Life tells the story of twin sisters Surya and Anjani, two very different characters whose lives are shattered by a brutal assault.



The Woman Next Door is about two elderly women who are anything but neighborly towards each other. However an unforseen event forcrs the women to come together and gradually they begin to find that they have more in common than either of them realised.



Travels with My Father is an autobiographical novel. It is written from the viewpoint of a young woman and her father's influence on her life, and family in changing times. This edition on Amazon is the Kindle version.



What will People say is a family saga that follows the lives of the Fourie family. Each member is trying to find their way out of the dreary surroundings of a township festering with gang wars and barricaded with burning tyres. Which members of the Fourie family will survive and thrive?

In Other Words

Yewande Omotoso is the author of two books, Bom Boy and The Woman Next Door. She's not an Indie Publisher but she is my niece so I'm taking editorial license here to show off her accomplishments. Both of her books have debuted to critical acclaim and she won the South African Literary Award First Time Author Prize for Bom Boy. She is currently longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award 2018.
Earlier this year her latest book, The Woman Next Door, was seen on sale at the legendary Strand Bookstore in New York and she was one of the guest speakers at PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature.



The Woman Next Door is available in English and German and audio book at soundcloud.com



All of these books are available for sale on Amazon.com. Just click on the picture and you'll be taken to the sales page. You can connect with Yewande on her Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/YAOmotoso/.

Journals: 10 Reasons why it's useful to keep one

The other day we were clearing out some cupboards when I came across a journal that I'd started writing when I first moved to Guyana. Looking through it brought back memories of my first impressions of the country, getting to know my way around and making new friends.
Journals are a good way of storing your memories and reflecting on your times. When people and life in general is making you frustrated instead of taking it out on some unsuspecting person, record how you're feeling, why you're feeling that way and if there's a solution you can employ. Just the process of putting pen to paper will help to alleviate your stress.
Here are ten reasons why you should consider keeping a journal:

• You can hear your own voice without having regard for what anyone else thinks of the situation
• You can track your progress if there's a particular situation you're going through
• If you're a collector, it is a way of keeping track of your precious items, when and where you purchased them and their value.
• Who knows? today's journal entry could be the start of tomorrows best seller
• A place to face your fears and deal with them head on.
• A great place to record events in history and your thoughts about them at the time.
• It's a good memory jogger. Was it Uncle Bob or Uncle Joe who broke threw the TV out the window when his football team lost?
• Journal keeping is particularly good for pre-teens and teens who may find it difficult to verbally communicate their feelings.
• A journal can help you document plans and strategies.
• Overtime your journals will show the progress of your hopes and dreams

In the past my journals have been lined note books or page a day diaries. These days I create journals of varying kinds for varying situations, and hobbies.

My Work Corner

When it comes to getting work done you really don't need that much space. I do all of my book writing and some of my drawing from one small corner in my bedroom. I have plenty of natural light and generally a natural fresh breeze to keep me cool. If it should get really hot a fan, or as a last resort the AC, is employed. Rarely is being cold a problem in this neck of the woods.

As you can see from the photo I work with a lap top computer and designed my own sit/stand station by using an old ironing board as my desk. I can lower it to do my writing and l can raise it up to see to do my research on the web. There's a small table that holds my printer/scanner and has room to store books and papers underneath. A comfortable chair rounds out the area. As work spaces go, it's pretty simple and proves that you don't need a big office space to get your creative juices flowing.