"IT’S EXPENSIVE TO BE POOR IN THE BAHAMAS!"

A young Bahamian man who lives in a middle income area of New Providence, and who struggles to make a living, recently told me: “It's very expensive to be poor in the Bahamas!”

I touch on the plight of the poor in The Bahamas in my novel “Love at Sunset”, as well as the extraordinary lives of the wealthy. 

"Love at Sunset"

OUR ADVENTURE ON “007’s” BOAT!

Western side of Potters Cay, Nassau, New Providence,
where the marina used to be (this whole area is being
revamped, so plans will possibly include a marina again)

In 1967, before we had children and while we were still quite adventurous, Erskine and I rented a boat docked in the marina that used to be on the western side of Potters Cay. The boat was owned by a friend of ours, nicknamed “007” because he loved James Bond movies so much!

We had spent a year in Freeport, Grand Bahama, and the boat rental was just a stop gap until we decided what to do next. The boat had no engine, so we didn’t plan on going anywhere in it! However, it seemed such a romantic thing to do. One of Erskine’s sisters let us store our boxes while we moved onto “007’s” boat.

We’d sit outside on the deck in the evenings, watching the sun go down, and if we got up early enough, watch the dawn. The boat didn’t have a shower, but there was a public bathroom in a corner of the single storey building across the road (that building was torn down later and a two storey was built). The bathroom was well kept for boaters’ use and very clean back then, so it was no inconvenience.

The building across from Potters Cay Dock, Nassau, New Providence.
There used to be a single storey building here and the walkway that
we took to get to the public bathroom was where the stairs are now.

Our romantic interlude came to an end when the bilge pump stopped working and the boat began to sink! Whenever we pass by where the public bathroom used to be (down a walkway where stairs are now), we always think of that time on “007’s” boat.

BUSINESSWOMAN SUZANNE BLACK IN PUNCH WOMAN IN ACTION TODAY!

Every Thursday “The Punch”, Nassau, Bahamas, features an outstanding local woman in their “Woman in action” column. Here is my WIA article in The Punch today about successful businesswoman Suzanne Black, whose grandfather founded Black’s Candy Kitchen and grandmother started Distinctive Shops.

ADVENTURE IN THE SCOTTISH COUNTRYSIDE!

My romantic suspense novel “Love at Sunset” is romance, drama, suspense, adventure and action all rolled into one! Here’s an excerpt from the book, where Gordon and Violet are exploring the grounds of an historic old Scottish house:

“Gordon helped her up. She held on to him, as he tenderly dried each of her feet with his handkerchief and pushed them into the sandals. Then they made their way back to the house, where their car was parked. As they approached, they came across an astonishing scene, something they never expected to see in the middle of the Scottish countryside.”

VALENTINE’S DAY IN YEARS GONE BY!

Valentine’s Day is so commercial these days, with people really going over the top with cards and presents to all and sundry! We sometimes seem to miss the essence of this popular time of year – true love and passion.

As a young teenager, who poured over romantic magazines for girls and giggled with her friends when a handsome boy flew past on his bicycle, school scarf flying, I couldn’t wait to open the envelopes that the postman delivered on Valentine’s Day!

I can still see those Valentine cards in my mind’s eye. They were bright, elaborate and full of kisses. And I never knew who they were from! Boys in those days didn’t sign their names when they sent their Valentine’s cards. And any girl could expect to get cards from several boys, who each might have a crush on her.

It was a delicious mystery who these cards were from and one that kept my friends and I giggling for many days after Valentine’s had passed!

LOVE AT SUNSET AND SECRET PASSAGES!

An old photo of me in front of Boquhan Cottage,
Balfron, Scotland, where I lived as a small child
(during one of our visits back to the country of my birth)

I have been asked if Craigenveoch Cottage, which I wrote about in my mini-memoir “The Scottish Connection”, was the setting for the Scottish part of my romantic suspense novel “Love at Sunset”. I actually drew on my experiences as a child at Boquhan Cottage on the Boquhan Old House estate for the novel and I researched old houses like Boquhan and Craigenveoch to ensure that my descriptions were accurate for the era when they were built.

There was no secret passage in either Boquhan and Craigenveoch houses, as far as I know. That was completely from my imagination! However, from my research I found that secret passages were often included in these old homes when they were built, because of the religious unrest at the time. Priests and soldiers sometimes needed a place to lie low and to have a quick escape route!

PROFESSOR VICTORIA ALLEN IS TODAY'S WOMAN IN ACTION!

Here is my "Woman in action" feature in The Punch today about Professor Victoria Allen, wife of prominent psychiatrist Dr. David Allen. Every Thursday “The Punch”, Nassau, Bahamas, features an outstanding local woman in their “Woman in action” column.