Chapter 3 Milky

Feeling the nostalgia of youth and some of the happiest moments of my life I present to you my followers the remaining chapters of Once upon an Easter. Attached to this blog is art "Blue Diamond" which is on sale for $400.00. Illustrations for Once upon an Easter are not for sale. Once upon an Easter is available on Barnes&Nobel.com in eBook format.

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. 

ONCE UPON AN EASTER

Today Monday 04/13/2020 in Guyana and most of the Commonwealth of Nations it is Easter Monday and a holiday. On this day kite flying and picnics and parties are celebrated. However today I mourn for all who have died and are sick due to the COVID-19, pandemic sweeping the world.

                          CHAPTER 10: JOURNEY

When we got to Kite Man’s room he was already dressed and waiting for us he had a broad smile on his face and his eyes sparkled with anticipation of the day. He wore a green suit with white shoes. And said “We go fly in style”.  With breakfast over we headed to the Back Dam where all the kite flying took place.  Our kite was so big we had to hitch a ride on a donkey cart and bumped our way to the Back Dam.

Once upon an Easter.

The full story of Once upon an Easter is available in eBook format at Barnes &Noble.com. Illustrations for Once upon an Easter are not for sale. However feel free to inquire of any other art seen on previous blog. 

CHAPTER 3 BOTTOM HOUSE

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.

Moon Light $170.00

Vivaldi $170.00

Both Moon light and Vivaldi are framed and on sale for $170.00

CHAPTER 2 RAMDAS

Its 5 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.

Once upon an Easter.

Moon light is till available now fully framed and on sale for $170.00

Chapter 1 Part 2 Easter Vacation

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.

Illustrations for Once upon an Easter are not for sale.However  Attached Art Anansi is on sale for $170.00 and is now featured at a current art show at S.Q.P.A South Queens Park Association from the 1st March to 7th March

$170.00

Once Upon an Easter 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. 

Winter Q $260.00

Child Play $170.00

donkey Cart Vendor $300.00

Illustrations for Once Upon an Easter are not for sale. Please feel free to inquire of any other illustrations you may have seen on my blog. Copies of Once Upon an Easter are also available at Barnes and Noble.com in eBook format.

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.

Remember Christmas is also available at Barnes and Noble.com in eBook format. Contact me on art shown except illustrations for book.

Love

Rowan

Bacchanal

White lady and Bull man

Row and? $350.00

Traditional Ghanaian Woman $200.00