Remembrance Of Christmas Chapter 4

On Christmas Eve, we excitedly took a trip to the shopping district.  The roads were packed with shoppers and hawkers.  There were vendors on both sides of the street making it difficult to walk on the pavement.  Firecrackers went off “Bang! Bang!” Whistles and horns blaring in the aesthetic Christmas air. They were tons of toys and lots of food for sale.

          Of course, one cannot leave out the masquerade dancers they were fun.  Accompanied by flute players and drummers making merry music. Joining them was the scary “Mad Bull with his horns and fearsome face.  Then there was the Granny long lady on stilts with her face painted white.  “Man is fun.”    The masquerade dancers and the flouncing musicians singing and chanting ‘Christmas comes but once a year so drinks your rum and tumble down, “Bato, Bato”!  Christmas comes but once a year so flounce if you flouncing “Bato, Bato”!  Christmas comes but once a year so wine and tumble down on the ground “Bato, Bato”!

         Up the road there steel pan players beating out sweet carols at a bouncy calypso beat. In addition, girls and boys, women and men dancing up a storm to the rhythm of Christmas calypso music. 

          Oh! Boy I love this Christmas season.  

I remember Christmas.

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Love

Rowan

Bacchanal

White lady and Bull man

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Remember Christmas Chapter 3 part 2

Our aunt Yvonne came bursting into our bedroom dancing and flouncing.  Flouncing is a traditional dance step in Guyana, preformed mainly during the Christmas season.

          Suddenly while flouncing away with the majesty of Christmas Aunt Yvonne raised the hem of skirt and out flew a toy.  Then with one, more whirl and toss of the hem of her skirt out flew another toy.  To my brother and I these were the best of gifts of the season, nothing else mattered.  Our hearts were so content it would not have mattered if we received no new gifts.  We were completely satisfied.  Her dance of an angle flowing with joy and Peace lifted our hearts with promise and happiness.

          I remember Christmas.
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Remembrance of Christmas Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the sixties Guyana was going through a period of political unrest.  There was protest, rioting looting and thousands of workers were on strike. There were food shortages and many houses and business were burnt to the ground.  These were frightening times for children. My aunt Yvonne whom we lived with then was also on strike.  My brother and I had gone to live with her while; our parents were away in Ghana West Africa.

          Therefore I will always remember the sad rainy day when the miracle of Christmas came rippling into our world.  
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Remembrance of Christmas Chapter 2 part 2

Bravely he held on to his thigh and told me not to cry. Quickly he ripped his shirt off and told me to tie a tourniquet above the wound. How that taught came to him, I would never know.  I scampered home screaming for help.  What a courageous big brother Clarence was. Lucky for us my parents were home, they rushed him to the Hospital.  “Oh! For the love of parents what would kids do?” I remember Christmas. 
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Remembrance Of Christmas Chapter 2

Chapter 2

During the Christmas season, one of the traditions in Ghana was to build a trash house. This trash house was built out of the leaves from a palm tree.  You then spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in it rejoicing the day Christ was born.  This custom symbolized the humble way that Christ came into the world born in a stable.  Although I must confess that, I was never able to spend the whole night in the palm house.  I missed my bed and the nights were cold.           It was Christmas Eve and my elder brother, Clarence and I decided to climb a tall tree to cut down a few posts to build our little Christmas house.  While my tall and on the way to becoming fat brother climbed the tree I stood at the bottom of the tree to point out which of the best limbs to cut.  Suddenly I heard a loud “crack.” Then before my horrified eyes, Clarence came crashing down from the tree landing on a pointed tree stump with a loud “thump”.  That then punctured his right thigh.

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REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTMAS CHAPTER 1

I remember Christmas, when as a little boy I sat under the Christmas tree and gazed at all the toys that Santa had brought for my brother and I.  Me saying aloud “Santa must be a very good man”.

Those words brought tears of joy to my grandfather’s eyes.  At that age I had no Idea that he was one of Santa’s great helpers, who brought all those wonderful gifts that, adorned the bottom of our Christmas tree.  The essence of Christmas, giving gifts of love. I remember Christmas.

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REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTMAS PROLOGUE

As the 2019 comes to an end I am excited to start Remember Christmas blog.

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Love to All,

 Rowan Abbensetts,
 Folk Incognito Blog master

Prologue

AUTHOR: ROWAN ABBENSETTS

December 1992

PROLOGUE

December 1992

The background of this children’s book has a distinctive

Caribbean flare. Remembrance of Christmas opens windows on different cultures and their similarities.  The comparable backgrounds I feel children the world over can relate to also adults.  Remembrance of Christmas narrative was drawn from memorable episodes of the Christmas season in my life while a child growing up in Guyana South America and Ghana West Africa.

          My desire to write about the joys of Christmas was ironically triggered by one of sadness.

It was close to Christmas day and I had not received a Christmas card from my son who then lived in Guyana.  It was a cold day the snow had fallen all night and into the morning.  I was on my way to work and had just missed the bus; all I could do was stand and lament. Then it slowly dawned on me I had to snap out of this depression before it affected my new loving family. Hence Remembrance of Christmas.

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Tales Of An Emancipated Colonist Day in the life of Abby

Tales Of An Emancipated Colonist

Day in the life of Abby

1993

DAY IN THE LIFE OF ABBY

PROLOGUE

Today I left work early,

Yet missed the bus,

I stand alone,

Love lost,

My heart bleeds,

Love ones left,

Today I stand-alone.

WHAT IS LIFE

Where is love?

What is love?

Sharing?

Accepting?

Where do I stand?

Where do I?

Where do I?

Where do I stand?

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CHAPTER 8: KITE MAN

The test Kite now damaged from the journey.  We had no time to waste next morning we start rummaging our aunt’s yard looking for old box board to cutup to make parts for our broken kite. We found a few pieces and with a cutlass started chopping down on the wood. Suddenly we heard someone shouting at us

“Hay there! Hay you there!” We looked round and there was this tall skinny man pointing at us. “Stop that racket”  “Is what you all, think you doing?” We replied “We trying to repair our kit”. “Oh! I see.” “Come here let me help you all.”  “I am the Kite Man.”.  “Wait here Ah! Gon bring out me out me favorite knife”. “Baby Gal!” “Boy she is the sharpest gal I ever had, when she cut she, she does cut real clean and smooth”. Me use am to chop up nuff of them”. “Bring them boards, le me help you all build a big man kite”.  His fingers were long, and his hands was steady as he chopped and plane down the boards to be used for our kite. “Go get me some (Pacie) Pacie is a gummy sticky fruit that grew on a large tree in Aunt Sybil’s yard.  So we climbed the Pacie tree chopped down as many bunch of Pacie as we could, as fast as possible, because “red ants was biting we on all parts”.  Red ants always bite you in parts unmentionable.   “Red ants does live in Pacie trees, they love the Pacie fruit because it so sweet”. 
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CHAPTER 7: AUNT SYBIL’S

Crossing the Berbice river in a ferry from Rosignol to New Amsterdam an old town named by the Dutch.  We trudged our way down to Saint Ann Street with our luggage and tattered kite.  We arrived at my Aunt Sybil’s house late in the evening, it was already dark and we were greeted with lots of love and kisses by my mother and Aunt. Now Aunt Sybil’s house was an old time huge Dutch style house with a high roof, the ceiling space allows breeze to flow through the house. My aunt’s house also had lots of windows and a bottom house which she rented to boarders. The house was also surrounded by a Guinep tree and a Mango tree and a Dungs tree.   The Dungs tree was so close to the house that with a reach out of the window one could pick the Dungs. After a quick bath.  Cold water mixed with hot water from a kettle and poured into an enamel bucket. Followed by a quick rub down with soap from head to toe. A bowl to throw water over your body we hoped out the bath as soon as possible. Towel off, then on with your pajamas. We head down to the kitchen for a hot dinner. Aunt Sybil had a huge kitchen with a large table from which all activity revolved. We sat down to some fresh brewed hot  ground Cocoa with raw Cow’s Milk and some Bakes with Salt Fish and two Chinese Cakes for sweet.  The Cocoa tea the best I vow to anyone in the world. Roasted fresh Cocoa Beans ground in a hand mill and served with hot fresh Cow’s Milk; just milked for the cow earlier in the morning it’s a taste to be savored for a life time.

Once upon an Easter.
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CHAPTER 6: THE BRITISH SOLDIERS

With our spirits uplifted Clarence my aunt Yvonne and I began preparing for the big Easter Monday kite flying day.  Only to receive a letter from my mother Aunt Gertis stating that she wanted us to spend Easter with her in New Amsterdam. The next couple days was 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 Mahaica. At this stop we are allowed to leave the train to stretch our feet buy and food and stuff.

What we did not know was Mahaica was also World Head Quarters for Sand Flies and Mosquitoes. The moment the train pulled out of the Mahaica 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 and pale. So there we were facing eminent death when the two English soldiers produced the most complete defense in the form 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.

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CHAPTER 5: TEST FLIGHT

With Easter approaching fast and not having a wooden kite to fly my brother, Clarence and I were worried.  We explained to the Gardner our dilemma. He convinced us that our fears were unfounded and we could build our own wood kite. Up to that time we could only build pointer broom kits. Which were not very efficient kits. They were prone to breaking easily and had disastrous 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.  And assisted by 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 form 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 bad dogs and angry shouts. Finally we got to the yard of an old lady and decided to ask her if she had seen a fallen kite.  “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.

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CHAPTER 4: THE GARDENER

CHAPTER 4: THE GARDENER

The time was the early sixties there was political unrest in Guyana schools were on vacation and my aunt Yvonne was out on strike so was my uncle Wilfred. 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 those hot spells that a Gardner came by and offered to cut the grass on our aunt’s Yvonne’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. Due to the extreme heat and humidity the Gardner 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.

Once Upon an Easter.

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CHAPTER 3: Milky

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. The trench was 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 Yvonne. 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.

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Love

Rowan Folk Incognito Blog master 

CHAPTER 2 RAMDAS

CHAPTER 2 RAMDAS

Its 5.00 am in the morning and Ramdas comes calling.  {You really had to know the guy. He woke me up by throwing tiny bean seeds at my bedroom window}.  I spring out of bed before he wakes up the whole house hold. It is also bird-catching season. The morning air is filled with different sounds of birds singing and chirping.  And just before sunrises 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 a cage, attached to that cage was 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 whistles away. We were hoping his singing would attract other birds like “Kiskadee” or a “Towa Towa”.  We were hoping to trap one or two in the little cage or on the gummy poles.

Most families are not up that early.  However because Ramada’s Father worked on the Sugar Estate he had to be up early. We headed to Ramdas bottom house.  His mother had brisk fireside going the air was filled with the aroma of hot Cocoa and Coffee brewing, and Roti being clapped by Ramada’s sister. On the next side of the fireside, his mother roasted some Eggplant “Bologna chocker”. Two plates were prepared we sat in a hammock and ate using our hands as the cool morning breeze blew.

Once upon an Easter.

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Once Upon An Easter Chapter 1 Easter Vacation

CHAPTER 1: EASTER VACATION

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 Subryanville 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 Guinep 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.

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