BY AMANDA CUMMINS Living on an island in the tropics, leisurely days on the beach were not the norm. Living in a place is quite different to being on a perpetual holiday. In any event, going to the beach in Trinidad was not a quick trip there and back: it was an excursion. Sunday outings began as my parents settled into Trini life and got … Continue reading Beach Feasts
BY AMANDA CUMMINS It’s only weeks before Carnival hits the streets of Port of Spain and other parts of Trinidad & Tobago. Plans for the costumed bands, massed ranks of people bedecked in feathers, sequins and strategically placed pieces of Lycra will have been in place for months. The two days before Ash Wednesday sees a country en fête. Of course, Carnival time isn’t just … Continue reading Carnival
BY AMANDA CUMMINS When I was a little girl in Trinidad, I ran away from home. Teddy clutched in my arms, and emergency supplies (I can’ t remember what they were, but they were important) in my school satchel, I opened the garden gate which was usually locked (more to deter incursions than for containing a 5-year-old). I remember it vividly. Standing on the road … Continue reading Trinidad Runaway
BY AMANDA CUMMINS On my parents’ return to Trinidad it was to a bigger job, a bigger house and a bigger diary. They had attended, and given, many parties during our first stint in the West Indies. Parties mainly for friends, with very little business entertaining. And very good parties they were, too. However, this was different. This new life meant entertaining Big Time. Diplomats, … Continue reading Return to Trinidad
BY AMANDA CUMMINS Certain smells, and I mean smells in a good way, take one racing back to a certain time and a certain place. One thing which triggers my memory bank is a sudden whiff of the scent my mother wore which brings a smile of remembrance: the swish of a many-layered skirt, pearls around her neck and a kiss at bedtime before going … Continue reading Trinidad Thyme
