Years ago, and long before I had a Bed and Breakfast in Kingston, Jamaica, I was an active ‘patron of the arts’ (smiles). On one of my gallery-hopping jaunts I dallied around a Partick Waldemar watercolour of tangerines hanging from the tree. So real. So juicy! At once, I wanted to pick and eat them yet still take home that richly-coloured tangerine and green piece of art. I did neither. Luckily, the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel prudently purchased it and proudly placed it in their foyer for all to share. Filled with regret, I wanted to pick and eat the fruit right there, and simultaneously, stealthily take home those rich tangerine and green hues to hang on my wall. Alas, I did neither.

Over the past 10 years, we have dallied under our own tangerine tree here at Neita’s Nest. Season after season, we have watched the drought deny its blossoms, storms strip its leaves and hurricanes blow baby fruit from their stems. In a better season, we too patiently waited for that one ‘deggae-deggae’ fruit to be ripened by the sun, only to find that the birds knew better.  It was among the best of times when one year we were able to share the only one of the season with our neighbour, Ray.

Hurricane Dean all but did her in in '07. Not a bud, not a blossom since all these years. Fertilized, watered, pruned. Yet nothing! I stood firmly under the seemingly stubborn tree last December and threatened to cut her down to make way for better views of the sunrise if she did not bear next season.

Well, whether it was that awful threat, the blessings of rain, more frequent fertilizing, perfect pruning, the appreciation expressed by our guest J. Nichole for how she filtered the morning sun by her window, or sheer time and patience, this summer we are counting over a dozen tangerines on the tree. Duncan picked the first ripe fruit last week and we shared it. Peg by peg. The others are slowly taking on tangerine hues in the late summer sun.

Last week I went to another Patrick Waldemar exhibition; my first since then; probably his too. I dallied around his artfully placed master strokes depicting fruit, flora, sea and landscapes, knowing, that like fruit on the trees, we can’t have them all, and that there is another level of pleasure to be experienced from sharing art with others. 

This time, there will be no regrets.

Pulpy pegs of tangerine, ready to be shared

There is something to be said about a uniform – beyond the clichés. National Heroes Day was celebrated this morning at King’s House in Jamaica in the usual pomp and pageantry. Resplendent in theirs, uniformed men and women from the army, coast guard, police force, and fire department alternated on the platform with appropriately suited civilians to receive special recognitions from our Governor- General Sir Patrick Allen.

Awards and honours were this year bestowed on over 152 Jamaicans who have served Jamaica for long, distinguished service, for impromptu acts of bravery, and for excellence in their careers, whether in the private or public sectors. Some citations gave you chills while some warmed our hearts. Some added smiles, some rose special applause. All confirmed a knowing that Jamaicans are beautiful people at heart; creative, industrious, talented, brave and honourable. The civility of the ceremony, the order and appropriateness of it all, was a perfect match for the breath of fresh air that wafted under the sunny skies of Kingston.

Neita's Nest has been busy as a bee providing Spa treatments to our bed and breakfast guests; and The Tree House is the preferred spot.

Totally relaxed while light breezes lull her in the semi-screened Tree House after her Full Body Massage

We did not make it to Emancipation Jubilee in Seville, St. Ann. Instead, we stayed in Kingston and totally enjoyed a weekend filled with all the diversity that our city has to offer: Letters for Emancipendence written by Barbara Gloudon and performed by the Pantomime Company amused and amazed; the 14th annual Tribute to the Greats (in Jamaica’s extraordinary music industry) produced by Kingsley Goodison and his team, after which the wee hours had us dancing to the sounds of Merritone Disco;the 49th Season of the National Dance Theatre Company (N.D.T.C.);daytime was filled with tours of the Bob Marley Museum and the Hope Botanical Gardens, of the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, of Downtown and New Kingston and of the National Heroes Park, where monuments and memorials were brought to life by memories of the carefully crafted recollections of our National Heroes in Letters for Emancipendence.

To tone things down a bit in the middle of this Emancipation weekend, we took a leisurely drive up into the St. Andrew hills to Newcastle, with a surprise pit stop at the home of artist Sheila Burke. Taking a break from her wet canvas she generously shared ‘herstories’ of the three generations of artists in her family. Hands, richly coloured with paint, gesticulated as she recounted the stories behind her own artwork and favourites in her decades old collection, including those by her friends, sculptor Alvin Marriott and poet laureate, Derek Walcott.

Further up in the misty Blue Mountains, we passed the bottling station for Catherine's Peak water (Cheers!) on our way up to the Jamaica Defence Force’s training ground in Newcastle. This, and the ever-beautiful private gardens of Greenwich Drive provided perfect photo ops. The juxtaposition of a gourmet meal in the rustic setting of EITS Café was the next pause that refreshed before meandering down to the city for the NDTC's performance. A stop at the Devon House Bakery and Ice Cream Shops provided a sweet nightcap at the end of a culturally rich day in Kingston.

Thanks to the Collins Family for their hunger to know Kingston. To take from a Jamaican phrase made popular by Bob Marley, we hope that "yu belly full, but yu hungry" for more!

Kingston may be the cultural centre of Jamaica but when it comes to special holidays celebrations take place in every nook and cranny 

So, if you are up to parish-hopping, in addition to attending the remounting of Letters for Emancipendence in Kingston, which by the way will be performed over 2 weekends, go on over to St. Ann on the eve of Emancipation Day to the Seville Heritage Park and witness the 15th staging of Emancipation Jubilee. The festival celebrates Jamaica's emancipation from slavery by bringing together traditional folk forms in celebration of our African ancestors. 

The Jamaica National Heritage Trust, in announcing the renewal, said that traditional performances will be on show by troupes from around the island; the Manchioneal Cultural Group from Portland, the exciting Port Morant Kumina group from St. Thomas, the Islington Dinki Mini group from St. Mary, Nine Night from St. Ann and the Stella Maris Dance Ensemble from Kingston, as well as  other award-winning traditional groups will be joined by the Nigerian Dance Troupe performing courtesy of Nigerian High Commissioner, Peter Oyedele.

Outstanding drumming groups slated to perform include the Kingston Drummers and Children of the Drums. Check in for the clash of the drums.

Popular entertainers Delroy Sibbles, Delroy Morgan and Voice Mail, among others, will provide a mix to showcase diversity in Jamaica's culture.

Sounds like a plan!

Monument to Samuel Sharpe, a slave leader whose uprising directly influenced the abolition of slavery, can be see in National Heroes Park in Kingston, Jamaica.

Caribbean girl, Jacklyn who now lives in London, just returned to Ocho Rios after a whirlwind weekend in our capital city, Kingston. 

A childhood dream come true! 

I booked her on the early Knutsford Express bus and there began her city tour. We started with a drive-through of New Kingston, a brief stop at Tastee for a Jamaican Beef Patty and cherry juice, then a welcome stretch as we walked around Emancipation Park - a lush oasis in the middle of the business district. Joggers jogged while park benches provided the pause that refreshes; all this against the backdrop of the many mountain ranges that surround the Liguanea Plains on which our city lies.

On to Downtown Kingston, the original city centre, but not before we visit the National Heroes Park where the story of modern Jamaica unfolds as we stop at the monuments to each of our National Heroes, Prime Ministers past, as well as icons in the field of politics, sports, music and theatre. Along the way, we passed statues of Simon Bolivar, Queen Victoria, Alexander Bustamante, Norman Manley, Bob Marley, and Negro Aroused, a monument to the 1938 labour struggles; all weaved a story of who we are. The tour of Downtown Kingston ended with a visit to the National Gallery before heading off along the harbour's edge and the palisdoes to the Norman Manley International Airport and to Port Royal. Once the home of pirates, and sporting the reputation of being the wickedest city in the world, Port Royal is now just a sleepy fishing village aching to tell the story of the other half of the city buried under the sea by the 1692 earthquake.

Jacklyn opted for Fish and Festival at Neita's Nest instead of the famed Gloria's Restaurant, as we had a play to take in that evening. She was not disappointed.

A late Sunday morning brunch prepared us for a full day which began with a drive-through tour of the Hope Botanical Gardens and the University of the West Indies, starting at the Mona Bowl where the special Regupol Track was laid for Usain Bolt to train. A long meandering drive through the Blue Mountains on the way up to the Jamaica Defence Force training grounds in New Castle and Greenwich, took us past waterfalls and wayside lilies, coffee farms and country houses, the ultra fabulous Strawberry Hill Hotel and the idyllic EITS Cafe, before joining the Uletts for a typical Sunday family dinner at their home overlooking the city.

A visit to the Bob Marley Museum ended the tour of Kingston the following morning. The drive back to Ocho Rios via Stony Hill and Port Maria provided a peak into another side of our beautiful island, Jamaica.

Thanks for visiting Jacklyn. We hope you enjoyed visiting as much as we enjoyed sharing. 

As it was then, so it is now... Cascading waterfalls along the road to Newcastle in the Blue Mountains. A scenic Sunday afternoon drive.

Valdez Collection - Image from the National Library

Over ten years ago, I saw one of the first performances of the pantomime company's Augus Mawnin', a Jamaican heritage production celebrat-ing the return of August 1st. to the calendar of national observances. It became an  annual theatrical production on Emancipation Day. 
"Letters for Emancipendence" 
in rehearsal.

 Deciding that it was time to see it again, I called the Little Theatre Movement today to check for show times, only to find that we now have a heritage series and that this year will see the return of "Letters for Emancipendence" which was mounted for the first time last year.

This production features dramatized events in the lives of Jamaica's seven National Heroes, namely, Nanny, Sam Sharpe, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley.

Well, this is certainly something to look forward to ths Augus Mawnin'! Come stay with us at Neita's Nest August 1 through 6 while you check out this and other calendar events celebrating Jamaica's heritage.

When interviewed last year by BedandBreakfast.com, I said that one of the challenges in being a Bed and Breakfast owner is finding the right balance between being there for your guests and giving them their space. 

Recently, Jamaican-born Sharon Mathias, along with her husband John and their sons Joaquin and Jason from Texas, came to meet their Jamaican family for the first time. They had places to go and people to see, and naturally, I gave them their space. Only to find out when she was gone that we had an artist in our midst! And a published author at that! Her first title is "Rapid Deployment", a semi-autobiography that covered her time in Somalia with the U.S. Army.

So inspired was she during her week at Neita's Nest that she is going to write her second book this summer. It will be about her wonderful vacation in Jamaica, and that it can be enjoyed on a budget. 

Neita's Nest is indeed an Artist's Haven. Write on, Sharon!

Our Ever-Changing Verandah View

The Neita's Nest Bed and Breakfast website now speaks four languages, having just launched the German translation of our Home Page. After all, the bed and breakfast concept started in Europe and we need to speak your languages in order to entice you to a homestay vacation in Jamaica.

So, thanks to conference translators Daphne Adams, who did our French and Spanish pages, and Annie Rose Kitchin for the German, when you are looking for accommodation in Jamaica we will be speaking your language. 

Willkommen! Bienvenido! Bienvenue! Welcome!

Weathering the Storm.

Heavy rains, gusty winds, mist all around. That was the experience of the last 5 days for Rose and friends as their 2 week vacation in Jamaica came to an end recently. It was Rose, the owner of Plantation House B&B located in Bethany, Ontario, Canada who had recommended Neita's Nest to her friends for accommodation during the Kingston leg of their island tour. 

Having soaked in the sun and the sea as they traveled the north and south coasts, they experienced another side of Jamaica. Rainy days and rainy nights. Undaunted, they were in and out, up and down as they maxed out on this special reunion. 

It was our pleasure however, to know that they felt right at home through it all; whether led to curl up under the sofa blanket late in the night, find quiet time for reading, gaze at the ever-changing vistas from the verandah, take an early morning neighbourhood walk or just lazing around enjoying bowls of naseberries, yellow coat plums, blackie mangoes and sugar cane. 

Rose, thanks for your leap of faith. Glad you all enjoyed your stay.