Crop Over Festival

This week I thought I would write about the different things happening and due to happen in the next few weeks.  We are approaching the start of our annual "Crop Over Festival".  Crop_over_festival
The Crop Over Festival is "more than a carnival, fete for days" to distinguish it from other such carnivals.  It celebrates the end of the sugar crop, once a major event for this country. The festival is about 7 weeks long and ends on the first Monday in August (now an official holiday called Kadooment Day) with a street parade of costumed bands.

Even though the official start is at the beginning of July events start in May to whip up enthusiasm and participation.  There has already been a Cavalcade in Queen's Park, Soca in the City, Christ Church carnival (yesterday).  Calypso Tents are already open where calypsonians perform most weekends exposing their songs to "calypso afficionados" as they prepare for the following competitions: Pic-O-De-Crop, Sweet Soca, Party Monarch, Road March, People's Monarch.  Other events include a photographic competition, Cropover read-in - poetry and stories, Junior
Calypso competition for children, Kiddies Kadooment, Cohobblopot including the King and Queen of the Band competition, Fore day morning parade.

It is a busy time for thousands of people eager to party or having to work as we see an influx of visitors for all or part of the period.  Airlines even put on additional flights to handle the load, hotels experience high occupancy levels and hired car companies are sold out.  This period is an additional boost for our economy as we are tourism driven.  It brings visitors in what was traditionally a low tourist season.

In future posts I will report on the different events.

Just an update on the weather- we are now seeing patches of rain.  We need the relief from what has been one of the driest time for about ten years.

Camg

New week, New Month

Happy Sunday!
Well here in the Caribbean it is the start of the hurricane season today.  The sun is shining but there is a strong breeze.  Unfortunately the strong breeze is hazardous to our health because it brings Saharan dust with it.  The dust (which includes animal dung :(  ) affects asthmatics and persons with sinus troubles (including me).  This early in the season there is little activity but we still have to be prepared.

I have contacted my BBM weather group to remind them to "get ready", although most persons wait until there is something on our doorsteps to join the crowds at the supermarkets and hardware stores.  I have discussed with Leon (my husband) when we can check the standby generator to ensure that it is still in working order.  We have had it for about 6 years but have never had to use it.  In 2010 when Hurricane Tomas passed by we had electricity, telephone, internet and water throughout. Others were not so lucky and were without power for weeks in some cases.  Last year we had one sort of close call where the the island's emergency plan was put into operation.  I was in the UK at the time so I missed it but I was still following. There were no major issues, however when nothing happens locals get a false sense of security, even though we see what happens to other in nearby islands.

This season is expected to be a below-normal hurricane season.National Hurricane Center Hurricane Season Outlook.  However these predictions are usually based on the likely effect on the US mainland and not us small by-the-way islands. Unfortunately the systems reach us first so we suffer because systems only begin to be really paid any attention  by the National Hurricane Center (NHC)when they are at out doorstep, leaving little time for proper preparation.  That's why I do my own monitoring so that I am ready.  I also belong to a Facebook group with some "real" weather buffs who have equipment(I don't have anything - yet), and they measure barometric pressure, lightning strikes etc. We think we do a better job than the local official weather department so much so that they issue warnings for the population to only pay attention to their communications - which never really say much because of the problem of waiting on the NHC's pronouncements which are usually a little too late for us as I said before.

Anyhow we will see how this season goes.  We have two seasons - the dry of fire season and this one was rough with sometimes over 30 fires in a day (only 166 sq miles total land space), and we have the wet or hurricane season.

More later.
Camg.