Lickle sketches ah SVG

Last Friday My wife came home and handed me ah lickle book, ah very attractive cover but no bigger dan ah note pad, she said to me: “your friend Granny Squires wrote a book, I know you will be anxious to read what she has to say so I bought one for you.”{{more}} Granny Squires aka Shirley and Ruby Phillips have been two of my fair-foh-it ladies foh years. Up until Ruby returned to her homeland, Grenada ah few years ago, yuh never saw one widout de other, be it church, shopping foh vegetables or at de Supermarket, or what have yuh, dey were like “goat ‘n’ rope.” Pleasant ole ladies to meet and greet, lively and always full ah humor, generous and selfless. Dey gave ah lot ah dey time at de Calliaqua Day nursery, voluntary service like three mornings ah week, in Granny Squire’s case, she was dey at de inception ah de Nursery in de 1940’s, and would have given close to fifty years service. De Nursery was started by Mrs. Webb, wife of ah popular doctor den, and she was assisted by ah committee of faithful and loyal servants like Mrs. Lucy Cato, Mothers Tony and Stephens. Den later, folks like Marie Coombs, Mitchie Huggins et al got on board. Needless to say dat de Calliaqua Day Nursery is de second oldest of its kind in SVG, and would have provided an opportunity foh hundreds ah mothers in and around Calliaqua, enabling dem to go to work fully assured dat dey kids were well taken of, breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack.

But Granny Squires originally belonged to de Planter Class. Her father was manager at de Mount Bentick Estate, and as she explains in one of her sketches in her book entitled ‘Vincy Sketches’ she was privileged growing up in SVG; she lived in the Great House where dey had maids and house-keepers, lots to eat and drink and who knows to throw away too. But living in all dat luxury in ah Great House did not prevent her, den in her early teens, from seeing and feeling foh de poor, hungry kids running around de estate. No doubt she was powerless to correct what was happening then, but deep in her lickle heart she would have vowed dat one day she would do something to mek life better foh poor and needy kids. She did dat and much more.

De book does not touch on her service to de Community of Calliaqua, de only mention of any service to humanity was when she housed and fed 28 persons who took refuge at her place foh three months during de Eruption in 1979. I am ah very slow reader, de wife would tell yuh ah slow in every respect, but ah manage to read “Vincy Sketches” in fifteen minutes, fourteen short stories of SVG, simple topics, easy but interesting reading, actually it’s child friendly, good foh de kids before dey retire. De illustrations and cover design were nicely done by Granny Squire’s granddaughter, Caroline Sardine. Ah don’t think Caroline’s dad, Tony can ever lay claims foh any of her artistic skills.

Dis lickle book of anecdotes was written wid love and affection as it is dedicated to de memory of de Catholic Nun, “ Sister Pat” Patricia Ann Douglas, The Revolutionary who took the bold, unpopular step to readmit teen mothers to complete their secondary education. Sister Pat is my choice foh First Lady of R.C Education Revolution in SVG. Ah good reason to buy one ah de books is because all proceeds from de sale of de books go towards the “Our Lady of Guadalupe Home for Girls” engineered by the legendary Sister Pat at Cane End.

CHECK OUT DE LOCAL CORN-FISH

Ah didn’t go to de Fisherman’s Day presentation, ah stop home and had ah great Fisherman’s Day Lunch and ah say ah must share my Vincy Menu. Is de sweetest piece ah corn-fish ah ever eat from de Fishery. Boneless dolphin, superior to any imported cod-fish. Ah soaked it, den scald it; den ah chip-up me chive, garlic, thyme, tomato, cabbage, flavour pepper and coconut oil. Every Sat-dey ah does get ah bottle ah fresh coconut oil from ah girl-friend from Sandy Bay name Sashie; nah mind de set ah foolish talk bout coconut got co-less-sterile, coconut oil good foh de pass-straight. On ah slow fire ah brown-down all de ‘erbs in de hot oil and den ah throw in de corned-fish and leave it to simmer down. Inside de kitchen ah had me sweet potato and green bananas boiling. Yuh notice dat everyting in dis Vincy Menu was grown right here pon de land and de sea, and check out de price, cheap!

De wife was sleeping, so ah dish out ah small portion foh me-self to mek sure it taste right before ah wake she up. She tek one look at de pot and ask me way kind ah con-cook-shun ah cook foh lunch, she took ah first serving, den she had ah second, when ah think she was going foh ah third helping, ah reminded her dat foh ah pot ah funny looking con-cok-shun, she certainly not ah-fraid to shun it.

PRAY FOH SVG

De Churches of de Nation will hold ah Day of Prayer dis Sunday and is now we got ah lot to pray foh. We are now into de Season foh Storms and Hurry-cane, God has been good to us over de years so we got to keep on praying. But is Storms pon top ah storms, de Military storming de hills and villages looking foh dem youthmen. Ah youngster wanted foh murder was shot dead dis week. De story is dat he rushed de police wid ah cutlass, he wrong, dead wrong! However de police seem to be shooting to kill only, up to now ah ain’t hear anybody get shot below de chest. Come on fellars, is too much blood running; which reminds me dat Ordan Graham did say if Gonsalves didn’t change his draconian pull-he-see, “Blood will run in de SVG.” like dey trying to mek Ordan ah Pro-fit. Ley me go before dey do me like dey did do Ordan, wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy