Once Upon An Easter

 With our spirits uplifted Clarence my aunt Yvonne and I began preparing for the big Easter Monday kite flying day.  Only the receive a letter from my mother stating that she wanted us to spend Easter with her in New Amsterdam. The next couple days were now spent preparing for the long journey to New Amsterdam. We boarded the train in Georgetown, Lamaha Street in Cummingsburg to begin the trip New Amsterdam. 

To our amazement and joy as boys we were in the same compartment with two British soldiers.

Guyana the then “British Guiana” was a sovereign colony of England.  The British army sent soldiers to help squash the unrest and riots and return to country to a state of peace.                            

Between strained snips of conversation we got to know the English soldiers. They proved to be a savior to us after the train made one of its major stops at Mahica. At this stop we are lolled to leave the train to stretch our feet buy food and stuff.

What we did not know was Mahica was also World Head Quarters for Sand Flies and Mosquitoes. The moment the train pulled out of the Mahica station colonies of Sand Flies and Mosquitoes descended on us with most vicious attack of insect on man ever. Sand Flies will attack you in swarms on every exposed part of your body. They will find their way through your hair down to your skull and the bite every exposed part that no hair grows from and leave your head full of bumps, they are bad. The mosquitoes there will bite and drink every drop of blood you own by the time you reach to Rosignol you will have no blood. So there we were facing eminent death when the two English soldiers produced the most complete defense in the from of a bottle of Citronella oil. They offered to share some with us.  We graciously accepted their offer. We rubbed that oil on our body from head to toe. We literally took off our Yachting Boots and rubbed the oil between our toes and of course on our head, under our shirt and pants. “It just takes one sand fly to get under your shirt and pants to have you scratching and itching.  My brother and I will always be great full to those two English soldiers.

Once upon an Easter.

Once Upon An Easter 4

The time was the early sixties there was political unrest in Guyana schools were on vacation and my aunt was out on strike so was my uncle. There was rioting in the capital Georgetown, and political factions marooning the streets. It was getting close to Easter my brother Clarence and I were facing the daunting prospects of going without a kite. In Guyana it is traditional to fly kits on Easter Monday symbolizing the resurrection of Christ from the grave. We were moping around the house feeling sorry for ourselves and being lazy. 

Because Guyana experiences bursts of heavy rain at any time and extreme heat and sunshine the grass grow at an aggressive pace. It therefore happens on one of these hot spells that a Gardner came by and offered to cut the grass on our aunt’s lawn for a small fee.  My aunt Yvonne quickly agreed.  We as boys stood and watched in amazement as he used his scythe to swipe through the tall grass. Because of the extreme heat and humidity he had to take a break which he did. We sat around him in my aunt back yard and chatted with him and watched in amazement as he sharpened his scythe.

We explained to him our dilemma. He convinced us that our fears were unfounded and we could build our own wood kite. Up to that time my brother and I could only build pointer broom kits. Which were not very efficient kits. They were prone to breaking easily and had bad flying records.  The Gardner then proceeded to lead us through the steps of making our own wood kite with old pieces of board hanging around our yard. With the assistance of my aunt Yvonne who provide us with some of her Grease Proof paper and some color Barbados Paper we built two singing engine kits with big bulls so that they could hum in the air.  The kits being completed mine was put to the test flight. It flew so high it homed so loud it could be heard for miles my heart could not stop pounding with happiness.  Then as if out of nowhere a strong gosh of wind blew and pop went the twine (Crochet #0) and away flew my kite.  There was no time to waste straight away we plunged in to action running in the direction of the falling kite. As fast as the kite fell it disappeared more speedily. We now had to go from yard to yard over fences fearing dogs and angry shouts. Finally we got to the yard of an old lady and decided to ask her if she had seen a kite fall.  “Yes” she said, and then asks us to describe the kite. I slept well that night with my kite by my bedside.

Once upon an Easter

Once upon an Easter 3

With the coming of Easter also comes Easter showers and Campbellville always floods.  Mr. Kerry our neighbor had a speed boat which he would float down to the wide trench at the back of our homes called Milky.   And there gather all the boys of the street and we would go speeding up and down the trench. This was the water way where all the boys in the neighborhood learned how to swim.

Peter one of the older boys would lead us out to the middle of “Milky” floating on a log then take the log away and leave you in the middle. This called for desperate action frantic scramble to the shore line suddenly we were swimming.  Going to swimming in Milky was not however approved by my aunt. Therefore after concocting lies as to our reason for leaving the house we would end up at “Milky” swimming naked as we were born. Best way to swim one felt a sense of freedom. After swimming for hours we return to banks looking for our cloths which we hid under some shrub.  Only to discover to our horror that they were gone.  My older cousin while we were having fun had crept up and grabbed our cloths. This presented a big dilemma how do we get home without cloths?  Hands between our legs and over our bottoms. Picture that?  Total humiliation as we walked down the street the girls of the neighborhood to see us and laugh at us; then licks like peas when we got home. And if you don’t holler loud you get more licks not an easy proposition never the less, we have to journey home. May be we wait till dusk? Still not good proposition dusk is chilly and cold mosquitoes and Sand flies bite your tail.

Once upon an Easter

ONCE UPON AN EASTER 2

Thanks for staying for with me my blog followers in all parts of the world love to you all.

Folk Incognito Blog Master.

 Its five am in the morning and Ramdas came calling.  {You really had to know the guy. He woke me up by throwing tiny bean seeds at my bedroom window}.  I spring up before he wakes up the whole house. It is also bird-catching season. The morning air is filled with different sounds of birds singing and chirping.  And just before sun raises you here the cooks crowing around the neighborhood it is a festive time for all birds.  Ramdas and I plunge ourselves into the surrounding fields with high grass.  Ramdas already had a bird in his cage, attached to that cage is a mini cage with a trap door.  He also has some poles stuck with chewing gum remains. We wait as Ramada’s bird in the cage chirps away this attracts other bird’s kisskidy or a yellow breast.  We were hoping to trap one or two in the little cage or on the poles.

Most families are not up that early.  However because Ramada’s Father Works on the Sugar estate he had to be up early. We head to Ramdas bottom house his mother has brisk fireside going the air is filled with the aroma of hot cocoa and coffee brewing, and rotie being clapped by Ramada’s sister. On the next side of the fireside, his mother roasted some bologna chocker. Two plates were prepared we sit in hammock and ate with our hands as the cool morning breeze blows.

Once upon an Easter.

ONCE UPON AN EASTER 1

Dear followers I am going to pause my blog on Day in the life of Abby to repeat my Easter story and this time to have it end on Easter Monday.

School is on early Easter vacation.
The Campbellville Heroes as we fondly call ourselves were racing home on our bikes. My bike “Yellow Bird” was an old model ladies bike fondly called a “Preggie”. With a make, shift wooden bar. On this wooden bar I towed my good friend Choe Chan. Riding home; we made a screeching halt by the shave iceman for a snow cone with colorful sweet syrup. This will cool us down from the hot sticky sun. We hoped to meet Ramdas and Suzie at the D. Y. C. playground. Finally we got to the playground but the Subrianville Iguana’s had got there before us and had all intentions of hawking the field. With nothing else to do but wait, we settled under the huge Genip tree with its large branches and cool tropical breeze blowing. Ramdas however saved the day “would you believe it he had a flour bag full of mangoes”. We ate as much as we could. Now it was barging time. We dealt the rest to the Iguana’s to get them off the cricket pitch. By the time we got home from cricket, Choe Chan’s mother had prepared for us some Chinese cake with some cold Sorrel drink. We ate then left and went to the back of my home to start making our own cricket bats. Sometimes, we made then out of old coconut branches that had fallen from the trees and at other times out old pieces of wood we found around our yard.
The start of Easter holidays.
Once upon an Easter.