December 2004

Dear Friends,

The sun is shining, the grass is green and a cool breeze gently whispers along. Sounds like poetic hog wash as many would say, especially my sons when they were younger, hopefully not so now! Somehow they came to love gardens too. This is Barbados. I am truly grateful to be here. I am at home overlooking the valley as I write this, for were I at the hotel, I would have many disturbances into my thoughts, and once I start to write, I do not like to be interrupted as it interferes with my flow of thought. This is another year, a little older and I hope, a little wiser too. Much has happened. On the first day of my return from my holiday in Canada, I had to face 'Ivan' the hurricane. I have to admit, I walked out to the sea at Casuarina and loved it. All was green and the hammock garden looked ready and waiting as if for a wedding. It really was my only moment of peace as the rest of the day was filled with action, plans, meetings and excitement. We went into our preparation mode. Everyone knew what had to be done, and did it without fuss. To my thrill and admiration, many staff members came and were in all the blocks during the entire time. I think the world knows what Ivan did and so thank God we were prepared. We are now helping Grenada and Hati as they are in a very bad way. We have collected food, tents, water and money and will supply labour as some staff are committed to helping Grenada. We are a small country and by all means not perfect, but Barbados has been home to me for 40 years and to my mother and her family for many generations.

Our holiday was in Canada, birth place of my father. He was from Toronto . On the trip over, John had to sit behind me and I found myself between a young woman to my left and a young man to my right. The young man was spread out in the seat, making it very uncomfortable for me. I wondered for a moment if I should make a fuss but decided to pray for him and myself that I would not be judgemental. My prayer was answered, for when he needed help with his immigration papers and a pen, he turned to me and under all that flash was a very lovely young man. The start of our holiday was peaceful.

The Toronto airport was in a new area and so we were transported in a bus. As soon a we got on the bus, all the people took out their phones and got busy checking on their arrival pick-ups. We just smiled as we were on holiday and didn't have a cell phone. Our friend Cinny was there to meet us. Off we set to the barn, the stream and the stability of knowing what would await us; french bread, cheese, salami, corn and the good company of and old friend. The privilege of travel is something I never take for granted. Some people can never travel, so for every moment of my holiday, I live with a super grateful heart. When we arrived in Toronto, John went first of all to the supermarket. I always get cherries which I love, and enjoy walking the wide isles of the store. There is a great difference in produce, colour and all the many things one can purchase.

During our time in Toronto, we stayed at the 3 star Metropolitan Hotel in order to meet John's brother Jim who was arriving from England. We had tea sitting by the window while we waited for him. It was nice, but I wouldn't want to stay in a city hotel for very long, for as you may know, I am a country person and am often bewildered by the beauty of nature, so much so that I think it must be in my genes as my sense of being one with all life is very very strong. Jim is a pilot and engineer and so was there as part of his work. We went with Jim to the Red Lobster for dinner, walked together, had breakfast and visited a huge bookstore where we each got lost into our subjects of interest.

We went with Cinny to a lovely country corn roast and sing out at the farmers market. It was a fund raising event for a Colombian refugee family. We all had a lot of fun. I always catch up with the films I've missed during the year and so saw three this time: Love Actually, Sea Biscuit and Farenheit 9/11. What a movie that last one was. It left us speechless. John has still not recovered. There was so much to remember in such a short while, but I am so glad we saw it.

Dave, Kate and Sophie their dog visited. After Sophie settled down from chasing the cat, we had a lovely time and a peaceful walk. It was very pleasent with them, they are both good friends and comfortable to be with. Jackie also visited and we watched videos together, had dinner and talked girl talk.

Toronto offered me Mama Mia. I smiled and had such laughter and joy for three solid hours and then went next door to a coffee house called Bill Hortons. My friend Ginty was celebrating her 90th birthday there. Ginty is a truly special lady. At 90 she uses the computer and complains that there is not enough memory in it. New technology is never beyond her. She had a lovely birthday with a serenade from a tenor, home movies of her life and of course, good food.

I had wonderful times with Lexie and Brett, Cinny's daughter and son-in-law. They told us about their trip to Argentina. What talent these two young people have. A fireball of an artist is Lexie, and such a gracious lady. Brett, my special economist, told me "put your money in gold Bonnie" John and I were given a lesson in economics while we had a delicious dinner with them at the Bluestone Bistro. It was a very precious evening and the night before our trip back to Barbados. I love these two young people whom we helped nurture and who grew up to be so much smarter than we ever were. We had many nice times with them, having bonfires by the stream and sharing with neighbours our cookouts.

We slept at Lexie and Brett's apartment in downtown Toronto the evening before John and I went separate ways for the day. John went off to spend his day with his friend John in book stores and coffee houses. I took a train ride to London, Ontario to spend the day with my old school chum Julia who had moved to be closer to her son, daughter-in-law and delightful grand daughter. Julia is from Trinidad. We were at school together and have always kept in touch. London, Ontario is quiet and suits her as she has spent most of her life in the fast lane and is now helping someone else who is in the fast lane, but is keeping away from it herself.

We went on a bus and the Go Train to see our dear friends John and Barbara and to spend a day and a night with them. They took us out for French food. John our friend had liver which truly looked good, but as I hate liver, I ate a souvlaki which was wonderful. We also visited our friend John's sons house in Toronto. It is a huge, very lovely and very spacious house. Lots of work, but many little areas for children and adults to retreat to. We also had lunch with John and Barbara in an Indian restaurant, which was delicious. In all, we ate so much wonderful food on our holiday including breakfast in Markham and a pub night with entertainment by Mr. Simkin - boy could he sing. Going out is a real treat for us as during the year we are so busy with work that we never have a chance to go out to eat anywhere.

I caught up with my shopping, which again I only get to do while on holiday. Off I went to The Naturalizer for my shoes. I love that store as I am always able to get shoes for all occasions. I went to Tilly's for my Rum Punch Party clothes and had lots of fun but had spent a little too much and so had to cut back on my usual Cotton Ginny shopping.

Before we knew, it was time to rent a people mover and head off to Quebec City. John and I had never visited Quebec City. Peter our dear friend, who is dead now, God rest his Soul, had always wanted me to see Quebec. It was a special place to him and so if I ever return, I will stay at the Chateau which is on the beautiful waterfront. Quebec City as Peter had said was very beautiful and exciting. We stayed in a small hotel. We took part in lots of lovely fun things; rode in the horse and buggy, had a tour, ate out on the street, went on walks and enjoyed all the boardwalk entertainment. We thought that it was all a very high standard of entertainment. The city was so pretty, quaint and romantic. The weather was fine and lovely for walking. In all we had a very enjoyable time.

We moved on to Tadoussac to see the whales. What a drive. It became very misty and sometimes scary. I went to church at St. Anne's Basilica. What a beautiful and truly outstanding church. I felt very fortunate to have been able to take part, as so often before I have visited churches but been unable to partake in the services. It is always at communion that the true service is understood, therefore my not understanding French did not become a hindrance.

On the way along the beautiful drive to Tadoussac, I actually saw a whale in the water and said to John that I had seen what looked like a submarine, never really realizing that is what the Minke Whale looks like above the water. It was misty, scary driving in some ways so much so, that we did not spend one night mid way, but decided to press on along the water to Tadoussac. We drove right onto the ferry and delighted in the short beautiful sight and of course we were very excited by the unknown and the thought of three glorious days of sheer rest. This is what the Tadoussac Hotel and location was to us. It sat overlooking the river. We could sit out, walk, and I could sit next to the river in peace and pray. I even saw a whale from shore while sitting there.

We cruised up the Saguenay Fjord and saw Beluga Whales, seals, Minke Whales and Finbacks. They live in the fjord and are very beautiful. We also took a boat trip out to see the Minke Whales and the Fin Whales, really long and second largest in the world. It was a beautiful clear day, a happy day, and once again we felt so close to nature. Hard to imagine that these large creatures are still destroyed. We visited the museum and learnt through a guide and a video a lot about the whales that we never knew. I think to see the Beluga dive with their shiny white bodies was a great thrill, as was seeing the enormous length and strength of the Finback.

The hotel suited us, especially me, for I found a little corner on the left looking out to the little old church with the sun shining in and I just read and read and read. One day we visited the Black Bears. I must say that I felt a little apprehensive about this for my last encounter was with a Grizzly and cubs - too close for comfort. The bears were so black and shiny and they looked so healthy. Our guide was a naturalist and shared quite a lot of information with us on the bears. The moon was up and the evening was lovely. Some of the same bears return to the area every year, but sometimes some are killed as people are allowed to hunt them still. I shall return one day God willing to visit the monastery that is out beyond Tadoussac. They make chocolate covered blueberries at the Trappist Monastery. They taste really good, but I've got to watch the weight!

Too soon our time in Tadoussac was over and we moved on to Montreal to meet our precious friend Margie. Dr. Margie Gollick has contributed so very much to special education, Sesame Street, McGill and so much more, not to mention friendship and her love of children. Margie has helped many children over a passage of a lifetime. We had a happy and yet sad encounter as Margie's sister Sybil, had not long died. Sybil was another dear friend of ours and had also made her contribution to society, to children, McGill Learning Centre and Linguistics. When I reflect on people who have touched my life, I feel a deep sense of gratitude, for they helped me through many a difficulty and I am all the richer for it. Our little grand daughter tests me daily with Margie's 'Wacky Word Games'. This book is fun, but my 3 year old thinks she is 10 and longs to read. I am quite amazed at how she perseveres through the book. Margie comes soon to the Casuarina. I will put Vanya and herself together to have some fun and to make her apple cake and Rhoda's chocolate cake, both absolutely delicious.

At Margie's we talked so much. We met up with our friend Jodie who is Margie and Peter's son and met Sylvie for the first time. I told Jodie that it was on one of my visits to Montreal that I had seen his delight upon his return from a trip along the St. Lawrence River and seeing whales that had made me want to do likewise. My only disappointment was that Jodie could not remember that joy. I guess he has gone on to see and experience so much more as he is a musician and he and his Sax have to often travel further afield. We ran out of time in Montreal and will not visit the Laurentian until another year. I look forward to seeing this family soon again and will walk with Margie along the Casuarina beach, Bathsheba, Martin's Bay, Bath, the cane fields and anywhere else that she will walk or ride a bike with me. In Canada we walked a lot, we walked in the moonlight through fields. It was such a pleasure. I feel like I have two homes as we have children in many different countries. As we were preparing to leave, Cinny was looking forward to the arrival of her daughter, my God daughter, Rissie who was arriving from Japan. Rissie has signed up to do another year of work out there and plans to travel more before she settles back home. I saw pictures of where she was and it looks so beautiful, though I fear a little too far for me to travel from Barbados. Our holiday was made up of many simple pleasures and I appreciated every moment of it. If you asked me what I did, I could only reply (as so many guests at Casuarina do) "nothing at all", I just relaxed. Thanks to Canada and wonderful Canadian families.

On a sad note Joyce, a receptionist at Casuarina, lost her nephew. He was shot as he alighted from his new car after spending a happy month with his mom. These awful things happen and they touch all, not just the immediate family. Time I pray will heal. Joyce is with her sister to comfort her. I think that he was her only child.

Home again. Pooks Hill looked like a jungle and Casuarina, beautiful with the sea exquisite. Our holiday was wonderful and I feel energized and full of action and ideas. John is back in school and happy especially with the cricket. Reggie is off soon to do a promotional tour of Canada, Luis is going to Toronto to do the Leisure Show, Sasha and Loreto are going to World Travel Market in London, England. All in all a busy time.

Since having written this newsletter, we have had great news. At the World Travel market, Sasha and Loreto received the first ever Responsible Tourism Award in the category of Best Hotel. Casuarina was selected for its employment of disabled people, initiatives to benefit the poor and outstanding environmental performance. Naturally, we were delighted.

Earlier this year, I took a week off in July. John and I and our grandchildren created a tent on our front lawn and we all moved in for a week. That was such a treat. The camp was called camp 'John John and Nanna'. It started with us having a little toast then each child chose a glass and put a wine glass decoration on it that one of our guests had given us as a gift, and so the present in a way became theirs. They had nonalcoholic wine when we had supper and loved it. All I know, is that every time we woke up in the tent, they were all huddled together playing cards - all night long. The following day after breakfast, it was off to the Crane beach to take the waves with boogie boards. They returned a tired, sun burned and hungry bunch. They are lovely grandchildren, very funny with nice personalities each one so different. We played games that night and the following morning we were awakened by the Tai Chi and Wushu teachers. All of us had to learn the two forms. Wushu was too fast for me, but the children loved it. Afterwards we visited a mall and had a lunch treat together. We spent the following day on an adventure tour which was joyous with lots of laughter as we bumped up and down in the jeep. After the tour the children were tired so we never made it to the cinema as we had planned. Next day was teaching day. John gathered everybody around the table and did since classes and experiments with them. What a bunch of eager beavers they were - excited could not describe their enthusiasm. I am far too concerned with safety to be able to partake in science, perhaps that is why I quit when I was a school girl. John teaches it every day of his life and so was very good with the children having them all involved in the experiments. They were thrilled by it. We visited the wonderful Graeme Hall Swamp and Nature Scantuary. It has been beautifully done up and is so peaceful and restful. Take a bottle of wine, a book and forget about the grandchildren - only joking! I had bought photo albums for all the children and then asked them to chose from our huge collection of old family pictures. They were free to take whatever they wanted to put in their album. When James our son saw what his daughter had chosen, especially a very very old one of her great, great, great grandfather he asked me how could I allow this. I retorted that it is now his responsibility as she wanted it. On the final day, a limo was to transport everyone to their homes. But Barbados did not have any limos available for hire on that Saturday, so John and myself did the dropping off. What a wonderful experience for us as grandparents and one that we will repeat and certainly can look forward to doing so. There was still so much that I had to do with them, but we ran out of time. I had wanted to take them to the Old Car Museum, The Barbados Museum, The Garrison Historic Tour, to ride buggies, the Atlantis Submarine, and on special little boats. Barbados is a beautiful place and camping out was so lovely. We took the children on a bike ride and breakfast and had many other rides in the valley near our home.

So my friends I have been writing for hours. Margaret is joining me just now to do some business work. Nicola is back from her England holiday and so is John's mum. She joins us on the weekends, it is very nice to have her. Life is busy, but I still find my quiet moments. We had The Poor Man's Supper and raised a lot of money. I try to dip in the sea every Sunday and attend as many interesting lectures as I can. Some environmental lectures are coming up, so I will do my best to be sure I'm there.

Casuarina won The National Geographic Traveler & Conservation International 2004 World Legacy Award in the General Purpose Hotels and Resorts category. I was pleased that Loreto went with John Cole, my business partner to receive it. Queen Noor of Jordan presented the Awards. Loreto and John were well suited to receive it. Loreto said to me that when they announced the Casuarina Beach Club, the speech she had prepared in case we won flew out of her mind and all she could focus on as she walked across the highly polished floor was "don't slip now!'" Because Loreto had forgotten everything she had wanted to say, she ad-libbed her speech and said "What I did not tell you is that John Cole is President of The National Trust and so you see we really do deserve to win." In the meantime at home in Barbados, we were waiting with bated breath. We were expecting Loreto to call and when she did, she was so quiet on the phone that I found myself saying to her that we had done very well and it was OK that we hadn't won. Then Loreto suddenly said "Bonnie we won". I was speechless and truthfully, it was such a good feeling. For this is a very prestigious award and even though in my heart I knew that we did so much, I just couldn't believe our efforts had been recognized. Casuarina was up against two Diamond Star hotels and many others. I believe 160 hotels world wide had tried to win this award. Everybody at Casuarina contributed to our success. As I speak, Loreto is off to Ireland to represent Barbados at a Blue Flag meeting. Casuarina in some small way is bigger now than just Barbados and I mean this in the global recognition that we have received.

Casuarina has had even more recognition. We won the Virgin Holidays 2004 Responsible Tourism Gold Award which was presented at the World Travel Market in London, England. At the big Hotel of the Year meeting amongst colleagues and friends, Casuarina was welcomed into the Barbados Hall of Fame. Casuarina became the first hotel in Barbados to be inducted into the BHTA Hall of Fame. I received the award along with colleagues. When I heard the announcement of how many awards we had won in the year, I decided that this had to be the path. I felt grateful and very humbled. The meeting was wonderful and a tremendous climax, and our staff had worked so hard towards it. We have been very fortunate. Thanks especially to our staff, Loreto and our Green Team.

I would like to end with the words of my Spiritual Director. "Grant me humility in which alone is rest, and deliver from pride which is the heaviest of burdens". Words of great wisdom by Thomas Merton.

Until we meet again, have happy and healthy days and a joyful Christmas.

With love, the Casuarina, Bonnie, John and family.