A full full Jaunt Day

Saturday, there were so many many many activities happening on the island, that I had to make a careful selection of my jaunt destinations.
These days most businesses seem to have month-end sales, and auctions are being held mostly on Saturdays now too, as well as several flea markets, yard sales and garage sales. 
My list included six places to visit, but as I cruised to each one, I came across more events along the way.
What's a girl to do?
First stop was the US Embassy Yard Sale (sorry no photos)...the employee car park was filled with tents and stalls and open car boots choc-a-bloc with tons of items.  The Embassy staff are rotated every two to three years and it's an opportunity to sell their items before leaving for another post.
When I worked there, the departing families had their individual sales at their residences, but this practice has now been discouraged, and so you can imagine the variety of items available for sale when they all get together in one spot.

Afterwards there was the US Embassy's Auction Sale at their warehouse across the street.  I cruised by to see what they had available....nothing caught my fancy, so I stuck around for a little while just to see what folks were willing to pay for really used items....amazes me every single time.
It's a mental thing to be able to say "I bought this at the US Embassy sale for x dollars" but they don't realise that it can be had elsewhere, sometimes brand new for way less.
I love true wood furniture and so the compressed chipboard veneeer furniture does absolutely nothing for me.
I did love the young articulate lady auctioneer though.

Next stop, my favourite hardware store to check out some items for my next project.  Had a peek at their seedlings in the garden section but even though the corn looked interesting, I was looking for a few extra herbs to add to my herb garden.
Across the street a home decor store was offering a 10% discount to BARP members (Barbados Association of Retired Persons). I skipped across the street with my BARP card, but I didn't see anything I liked.

My next stop was a new (at least for me) Farmer's Market at the Graeme Hall Agricultural Station.

This station houses the Central Agronomic Research Station, Plant Pathology, Pesticide Control Division, Entomology and falls under the Ministry of Agriculture.
It was this station I brought my infected croton cutting to have it examined a while ago.
I love the old mill wall.

A beautiful sunny day

Lovely pottery items

I had a taste sample of the Herbal Jelly and it was pretty good.

The Mango Jam looked very tempting, but I opted instead for fresh vegetables which were priced quite reasonably.

Onward bound to my next stop at The St. Dominic's Roman Catholic Church Fun Day Fair.

This little guy was holding on for dear life.

My last stop was the Barbados Public Workers' Co-operative Credit Union Ltd Members' Market.
By this time I was on the hunt for some hot fish cakes to take home for me and you know who, but none were to be found.
I did a quick wander around and  ran into the Mobile Diabetes Screening Unit and the Mobile Clinic for Breast Health .

 I stepped into the Breast Screening Unit and had my breasts checked....Aokay.
By this time it was getting really late and going past lunchtime for Mr. BrownBerts so I headed on home.  I had to stop on the way to grab a small lunch from a wayside food stall.
Both Brownie and I enjoyed the grilled fish...delish.
And as if that were not enough for one day, I spent the afternoon cutting the lawn and trimming the palms out front....very tired afterwards, but very contented and happy....Oh what a day!!

Apology accepted

Remember I had a good old Rant a couple of weeks ago about the service I had received while paying a few bills?
The Rant blew up on FaceBook and I was contacted first by a representative of the bill paying company, and then a representative from the store.
Both of the managers were apologetic, and assured me that it would never happen again.
To fill in the blanks in this story, it is necessary to record what happened during this time in a nutshell.
First the Customer Service Reps on duty that day were questioned about the incident and they did not recall the incident. Management then pulled the camera footage and was rewarded with a plain view of what transpired.  The Customer Service Rep in question was given a warning letter and I received a genuine written apology from her.
An apology that I readily accepted.
I was offered a gift from the company but I politely declined, since that was not my intention.
I am happy to know that no one else will be treated the way I was, and that's all that matters.

How Bazaarre

Since I'd been extremely busy lately, I really didn't have the energy to go on my Saturday jaunts as I love to do, however last weekend I was lucky.
My daughter's cousin had arrived to stay with her for a few weeks, and I didn't want to invade their space by going over to work, so I kept my distance and took a lovely jaunt to The Great Strathclyde Bazaar which was being held that Saturday.

I love being outdoors and enjoying the warm gentle sunshine, meeting up with friends and striking up conversations with friendly folks, and most of all learning new things.

The large lawn was dotted with tents and stalls with all kinds of everything.

Lovely paintings for sale

Mirrors framed by cork and rope trimming

Craftworx Designs, a local company creating wood products of exquisite craftsmanship.
I had a lovely chat with the owner and he told me that he and his wife make the lovely creations.
I was impressed.
My girlfriend in Virginia reads my blog and I saw an item that she would love.  She enjoys Calligraphy...is that a hint or what?

From their website I learned the following:
"While the best known wood in Barbados is Mahogany, we have broadened our horizons and use woods such as Guava (one of our favourites), Ackee, Dunk, Sea Grape, Black Willow, Neem, Pittosporum and even Breadfruit. Our aim is to show that all woods have a use, so we are constantly adding to our raw materials."
I had no idea that wood items could be made from all our local everyday trees...learned something new...love that.

There were several stalls selling local Bajan delicacies (including tantalising cheesecakes),clothing, jewelry and household items, as well as various vintage items..
I obviously had to buy a few "hot out de pot" fishcakes for me and you know who....I also took some for breakfast for daughter dear and her cousin.

 I also had a good peek at the plants available for purchase.

I've just realised that I didn't take enough photos, I got caught up in the ambiance of the whole affair.
Maybe next time.

I'm still here

Wow, when I wrote my last post I had no idea that my life would be taken over in such a chaotic and hectic way.
Over the past weeks, I have been busy busy busy.....far too busy and tired to even think about writing a blog post, yet I did try to keep up with reading other blogs....emphasis on "try."
The Easter season was a quiet affair, but I did attend a Palm Sunday Recital of "The Messiah" at my church compliments of my girlfriend Sonia, and I did attend early morning mass on Easter Sunday.
This year Good Friday had a different vibe, and I was invited to a breakfast at my girlfriend's house.

Breakfast of epic proportions at my girlfriend "The Mixologist" 's house.

I made homemade cornbread.

On returning home, I received some devastating news, one of my girlfriend's husband had passed the night before. He was one of the most gentlest human beings I have ever known.  We will all miss him terribly.

Daughter dear gave me a lovely Easter bunny cookie on a stick which I shared with you know who.

She has moved into her dad's home, and that's where I have been for the last three weeks working my butt off helping her to get the house whipped into shape.

It was lots of work to be done both on the inside and the outside.

 All kinds of tools available for rent

We rented a chainsaw from a Tool Rental company and trimmed down most of the nuisance shrubs that had grown into tree monstrosities.

 I spent most of my time painting and tiling and taking care of small repairs throughout the house with the help of one my daughter's friends who has been invaluable.

Most days I would work during the morning, then go home for lunch and feed Mr. BrownBerts and return in the afternoon.

On a couple of occasions I did not get home for lunch, and when I asked daughter dear to feed him, Brownie would not eat...guess he was upset that I told him I would be back for lunch and then didn't show up.

On those evenings when I came home I would bring him something special...he loves KFC's popcorn chicken....that he happily wolfed down.

The house is looking much better now and my daughter has settled in well.
There is still a lot more to be done, but these jobs can be tackled in a more leisurely manner.....that means I should be back here with you in Blogland again.