01132017 weekend

The Tribune

Friday, January 13, 2017

society books pageants film fashion music weddings puzzles

Weekend

race for the cure Page 11

Bearing fruit Healthy fare at the new Shoal Bistro

Food, page 7

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

life through a lens Photos/Terrell W Carey

A legal start

T

he legal year of 2017 officially got underway this Wednesday with a procession through downtown Nassau to Christ Church Cathedral.

Chief Justices and Justices of the Supreme Court, as well as representatives of the Bahamas Bar Association and other members of the legal profession, gathered – robed and bewigged – to hear the official service to invoke God’s blessings and guidance for court proceedings during the new year.

Following the service, those in attendance marched to the Supreme Court for the address

by Chief Justice Sir Hartman Longley.

The Chief Justice also inspected the officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force following a performance by its marching band.

Have you taken a selection of photographs that might make a Life through a lens feature page? If so please submit it to weekend@ tribunemedia.net for consideration

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Friday, January 13, 2017

Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Cara Hunt talks to breast cancer survivor Zitalia Fox about overcoming a double mastectomy and joining thousands of Bahamians in the ‘Race for the Cure’ Food 7 Nassau Street’s The Shoal reinvents its menu and itself Pageants 8-9 Miss Universe Bahamas prepares for Philippines showdown

Music 10 - 11 Singer Ian McQuay takes on a ‘Government Job’, plus Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure promises electrifying entertainment Weddings 14 - 15 Former co-workers have dream emerald green ceremony

Books 17 Two new thrillers reviewed, plus JK Rowling expands on ‘Fantastic Beasts’

Film 18 - 19 Movies to look forward to in 2017, plus Ben Affleck’s ‘Live by Night’ reviewed Society 20 - 21 Partying in the deep at Atlantis’ NYE bash

My perfect Bahamian weekend Keiani Worrell Marketing professional, lifestyle blogger Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday brunch?

“Sunday brunch. Day partying is what I live for!”

Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail?

“I love bubbles, so champagne is always my first choice.”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“Nothing beats a day on the beach with great friends.”

Q: What could you not do without?

“Internet. As a marketing professional I need to know what is going on all the time. The internet makes this possible.”

Q: Weekend away, where would you go?

“I love island hopping!

We live in such a beautiful country with so many amazing islands.

I try to take a weekend getaway at least once a month.”

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday • The Island House Film Festival Time: 1pm - until Venue: The Island House, Mahogany Hill The inaugural festival is screening internationally acclaimed films as well as Caribbean and Bahamian features.

Visit www.tihff.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Forgotten Facts 25

• “VIVA” – Outdoor screening and pig roast Time: 7pm Venue: The Island House, Mahogany Hill Join actor Luis Alberto García for a screening of this Spanish-language Irish drama about a young drag performer in Cuba. Tickets are $50 and include a pig roast, bites and booze, cigar rollers, salsa dancers and a special mojito bar.

The fate of Bahamas Airways’ Commodore

Saturday

Relationships 22 Dr Edrica Richardson on the importance of a true foundation Literary Lives 23 - 25 Graham Greene is a man of plots and character

Animals 27 Kim Aranha asks, where are the volunteers?

Gardening 28 Jack Hardy talks strawberries Cover photo | Shawn Hanna

• Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure Start: 7am Route: Montagu Beach to Paradise Island The race is an annual event not only to raise money for the beneficiaries, but also to bring attention to breast cancer which affects so many of our

Bahamian women.

SEE PAGE 11 • The Island House Film Festival Time: 9am - 9pm Venue: The Island House, Mahogany Hill The inaugural festival is screening internationally acclaimed films as well as Caribbean and Bahamian features.

Visit www.tihff.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

• Double Header – Bahamas Rugby Time: 2pm, 4pm Venue: Winton Rugby Centre The first double header of the season features the Buccaneers opening their Heineken Cup campaign against Freeport at 2pm, while the Cuckoos take on Baillou in the final Nassau Cup game of the 2016/17 season at 4pm.

• Marathon Bahamas Health and Fitness Expo Time: 3pm - 7pm Venue: SuperClub Breezes The expo is open to the public and will feature healthy lifestyle demonstrations, products and product sampling, clothing and food items, nutritional items, the latest in running gear, and more. The event also serves as the packet pick-up and late registration venue for marathon, half-marathon and relay runners.

Admission is free.

• Testimonial Ball Time: 7pm Venue: Meliá Nassau Beach Resort Organised by the Bahamas Council of Deliberation, the ball honours Sovereign Grand Master Basil L Sands, 33°, of the United Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affliated, Northern Jurisdiction, US.

Sunday • Marathon Bahamas Start: 6am Route: Junkanoo Beach to Paradise Island, on to Cable Beach, Compass Point and back to Arawak Cay The race course was designed to showcase many of the focal points of the destination, including scenic downtown Nassau with it’s historic buildings, the glitz and glamour of Paradise Island, the business districts, Cable Beach and the life of the residents hugging the northern shore of the island.

• The Island House Film Festival Time: 11am - 10pm Venue: The Island House, Mahogany Hill The inaugural festival is screening internationally acclaimed films as well as Caribbean and Bahamian features.

Visit www.tihff.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

interview After receiving a devastating breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 22 that led to a double mastectomy, Zitalia Fox was left to pick up the pieces of her life. The young survivor tells Cara Hunt about how she learned to love her new body and how she will ‘Race for the Cure’ this Saturday.

Zitalia Fox

I

t all began with a pain in her left breast, and it ended with a diagnosis that would change her entire life within one

year.

Zitalia Fox was just 22 years old in 2015 when she first felt a pain in her left breast. That pain developed into a lump, which developed into a tumour, which then resulted in a diagnosis of stage three breast cancer for the Baptist Community College graduate.

“I went through all the procedures that you go through before I got the diagnosis – the mammogram, the ultrasound and then the needle biopsy – and when they told me I had stage three breast cancer I was devastated. I thought why is this happening to me,” Zitalia told Tribune Weekend.

To add another painful twist to the story, Zitalia is no stranger to dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Both her mother and her aunt have battled and survived the disease.

“In a way that helped because I was able to draw from them,” she explained.

Zitalia had to undergo six rounds of chemotherapy, an experience she described as awful, followed by radiation.

“It would take a few days or weeks just to feel better afterwards or to get my appetite back just to want to eat.”

After chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the cancerous

“My confidence level dropped at the thought of being flatchested, but in the end I made the decision to do it...I really thought at first I would be embarrassed, but it has grown on me that this is how it is, and I have accepted my body just fine.”

Friday, January 13, 2017

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tumour, Zitalia had to make a life-changing decision.

Given her family history, it was recommended that she have a double mastectomy (the removal of both breasts) to minimise the chances of the cancer returning.

“My doctors recommended that I have the surgery, but they gave me time to process it and decide what I wanted to do. It was a decision that I really had to contemplate.

I was so young that having to remove both of them was not something I originally wanted to do. My confidence level dropped at the thought of being flat-chested, but in the end I made the decision to do it.”

Zitalia said that the surgery for the mastectomy itself went well, but while in recovery she developed blood clots in her lungs and had to be rushed back into surgery.

“Despite that it was a piece of cake,” she said.

Now that she is feeling better and has recovered from the cancer treatment and mastectomy, Zitalia said she may consider reconstructive surgery in the future, but for now she has learned to be comfortable with her new body.

“I really thought at first I would be embarrassed, but it has grown on me that this is how it is, and I have accepted my body just fine,” she said.

Zitalia is sharing her story to help inspire other young women who may also be faced with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.

“I would say to them, don’t worry and think positive.

Always have some around you to support you, and if you feel confused about any of the medical process, ask questions and do research. Always stay as happy as you can, because when you worry and stress you make things worse,” she said.

The other thing she wanted to highlight from her own personal experience is the need for younger women, particularly those with a family history of cancer, to get mammograms earlier than what has been considered the standard.

It is usually recommended that women start annual mammograms at age the of 35 to 40 if they have a family history.

However, Zitalia noted that in her case it may have helped to have had an earlier diagnosis.

“I remember when I first found the lump I went for a mammogram and at first they didn’t want to do it because they said I was too young. I had to take the nurse aside and ask her to feel the lump before they agreed to do it, and that was something that shocked me,” she said.

On Saturday morning, Zitalia will be participating in her first Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure scheduled as a part the Sunshine Insurance Marathon Race Weekend.

She had heard about the race from family and friends, and wanted to participate in it last year, but her health would not allow her to do so.

Established in 1982, the Komen Race for the Cure series has grown from one race with 800 people in Dallas, Texas, to a global phenomenon of more than 140 races with 1.7 million people participating on four continents.

Since its inception, Komen has funded more than $889 million in research, more than $1.95 billion in medical care, community and provider education and psychosocial support. Komen focuses on supporting those with the fewest resources: uninsured, underinsured and low-income women and men unable to access care.

The Komen Bahamas event is an opportunity for people of all ages to celebrate the survivors, remember those who have lost their fight with the disease and raise awareness about a health issue that affects thousands of women and men in the Bahamas. One hundred per cent of the net proceeds raised in the Bahamas remain in the country.

Following the race, Zitalia is scheduled to speak to cancer survivors and their families as part of the official post-event ceremonies.

“I remember when I first found the lump I went for a mammogram and at first they didn’t want to do it because they said I was too young. I had to take the nurse aside and ask her to feel the lump before they agreed to do it, and that was something that shocked me.”

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

section

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Friday, January 13, 2017

food Photos/Shawn Hanna

Fruit platter

Tuna salad platter

A new dawn at the Shoal

By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

T

he Shoal Bistro and News Café has been a staple in the Nassau Street community for many years. Originally called the Shoal Restaurant and Lounge, the venue is now under new management and will soon undergo a face-lift.

The bistro seeks to provide a family dining atmosphere while serving up an enhanced version of the traditional Bahamian fare that the restaurant is known for.

“The former owners used to be Seventh-day Adventists and they did not open on the Sabbath, but we will be open seven days a week and we will also be able to resume some of the items that they didn’t offer such as the stewed conch,” said Shavanda Sturrup, one of the new managers.

She explained that as the word bistro suggests, the Shoal is hop-

ing to provide a relaxed atmosphere in which to serve local favourites such as healthy salad platters, stewed and boiled fish, conch, fried fish, curried chicken and mutton, pasta dishes and lamb chops.

“In tribute to the Sands family, the previous owners, we will still be serving their signature boiled fish dish which we call ‘stew boil’,” she added.

“Breakfast will be served all day. We will be introducing the ‘Going Back to the Island’ breakfast with regular native offerings, although we still offer traditional breakfast lunch and dinner menus.”

Speciality drinks include their hot chocolate with chocolate coffee and peppermint accents, fruit punch and lemonade.

The Shoal plans to expand its menu to include signature coffees and smoothies as well.

The restaurant is open seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Bistro lemonade and fruit punch

Signature hot chocolate with a peppermint twist

Boiled fish served with Johnny cake

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

pageants

Miss Universe Bahamas set for Philippines showdown

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

I

F she doesn’t bring home the crown next week, Miss Universe Bahamas Cherell Williamson said she will be satisfied knowing that she gave it her best and got to experience something unique along the way.

The young beauty queen packed her bags and made her way to Manila, the Philippines, earlier this week to participate in the 65th edition of the Miss Universe pageant.

The three-hour annual beauty event will air live from the MOA Arena in Pasay City on January 29 on FOX Network at 7pm.

While in the Philippines, Cherell will compete against women from 90 countries vying to become the next Miss Universe. The pageant concludes with the reigning queen, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, crowning her successor.

And even if the once-in-a-lifetime experience doesn’t end in the Bahamian queen capturing the Miss Universe title, at the very least she would have travelled to a faraway country, taken in its culture, made new friends, and hopefully seized any unique opportunities that came her way.

“I am looking forward to representing the country. As you know, we are a very small place on the map. But we have seen people in sports put us out there, people in education do it. We have seen people in music and the arts do it, and now I think it is time for someone in pageantry do it,” Cherell told Tribune Weekend.

Since winning the local pageant last September, Cherell has been preparing vigorously for the big event.

“Stage presence is important. We have been doing a lot of question and answering for that aspect of the pageant, so basically it is just everything that will prepare me mentally for the pageant. This is such a big event for me so I was encouraged to stay calm and just be one with myself,” she said.

When it comes to placing in the various categories, Cherell said she is most confident about the evening gown segment.

“I would say I would do pretty well in every category because of the preparation and training. What I am looking forward to most though is evening gown because I know my gown is stunning. This is usually the highlight of the night, so I am definitely looking forward to this category,” she said.

Cherell said while she is nervous about the upcoming competition, advice from family and friends has kept her grounded.

Michelle Collie, the Miss Universe Bahamas national director who is also a former Miss Bahamas, said the organisation is confident in Cherell’s participation and what she has to offer.

“I am excited for Cherell and I feel we are going to be opening new doors. She is a beautiful girl, and I always say, with a lot of content. Once she is projecting that I think she has as good a chance as any girl there to make a name for herself,” said Ms Collie.

“Sometimes in life the thing that you are most seeking, and that would be the crown in this case, if you don’t receive it you can receive something that is equally beneficial to you. So we sent Cherell there with that mindset. We want her to get the crown,

Friday, January 13, 2017

“As you know, we are a very small place on the map. But we have seen people in sports put us out there, people in education do it.

We have seen people in music and the arts do it, and now I think it is time for someone in pageantry do it.” but we also want her to get every other possible opportunity there is to get. We want her to absorb every experience, live in each moment and really embrace that this is such a unique opportunity for a young lady.”

In addition to being a beauty queen, Cherell is an entrepreneur, makeup artist, face painter and jewellery designer. She spent eight of her academic years competitively swimming. During her final year of high school she had the privilege of participating in the National Art Enrichment Programme where her creative talents blossomed under the tutelage of industry experts.

After finding her passion, she opened her first business while further undergoing training at a cosmetics school with local professionals. It was no surprise that her attraction to fashion, beauty and art would eventually lead her to a modelling career.

Despite her busy schedule, Cherell finds time to work with her mother at their Bahamian Boutique and also teach hearing impaired young women the art of jewellery making. This programme also inspired her to open the

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Hearing Impaired Native Craft Centre.

“I started this platform because it is very close to me. I found that a lot of the young women lacked a lot of confidence because of their hearing impairment, and I was able to boost their confidence and give them a head start in business as a result of the initiative. It is heartwarming for me because I saw where they came from to where they are now,” she said.

In preparation for the Philippines pageant, Cherell created handmade wooden charm bracelets for contestant as a gift. Her roommate receives a collection jewellery set that was also made by Cherell.

“I just thought it would be nice for all of the girls to receive something from the Bahamas,” she said.

Before heading off to compete on the international stage, Cherell received more than 50 hours of pageant training with Delano Sweeting, fitness training with Andrew Kahn at Albany, makeup training with D’Angelo Bethel, and a custom wardrobe consisting of more than 15 pieces by Theodore Elyett, which includes the evening gown sponsored by The Island Game.

After the pageant, Cherell will make a special visit to the Bahamas Ambassador to China. While there, she will get an opportunity to meet and greet various dignitaries and see sights like the Great Wall.

If crowned Miss Universe, Cherell said she will work alongside the Bahamas AIDS Foundation to raise awareness and diminish the discrimination people with HIV/AIDS face.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

music

Singer Ian McQuay takes on ‘Government Job’ “I selling my vote for one government job, two piece uh land, money in my hand. Mr Politician what you gon’ do for me?”

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

F

or the most part, songwriters pen tunes to entertain people, to get them dancing and singing along to the words.

But Ian McQuay is hoping to do more than just that with the release of his latest track..

The new song is called “Government Job”, and in it Ian aims to address some of problems of the general election process in the Bahamas.

“I selling my vote for one government job, two piece uh land, money in my hand. Mr Politician what you gon’ do for me,” sings Ian. He said the lyrics are intended to get listeners thinking.

Ian said he enjoys writing and taking note of other people’s experiences. As it is now the political season, he thought it fitting to tell the story of voters in the Bahamas.

“A lot of persons are sharing their views and opinions, so I meshed that into one idealistic idea, the way Bahamian people think and respond during the season. I love telling other people’s stories because they are usually funnier than mine. The song is a mesh between Junkanoo and rake n’ scrape. It has a very classical Junkanoo beat that breaks down into rake n scrape,” he said.

Ian said the song is for everyone, regardless of their political affiliation; it takes a closer and humorous look at Bahamian political culture people.

“I think we all know someone like ‘my friend’ in the song. If we don’t know someone we probably are that someone,” he said.

To ensure that his message his understood, Ian has also recorded a lyric video to accompany the song.

“Right now there is a lyric video out for the song that tells the story clearly. Yes, the song is intended to get you moving and get you dancing, but sometimes the story can be missed, so I

am putting out a lyric video right away online. I would have to see how the budget is doing later on to think about an actual music video,” he said.

He believes this song allows him to cast his “net out into the deep” career wise, as it showcases his skills as a songwriter and producer.

“This is the first time that I have done the music myself and put it out there myself, and it is completely produced and written and funded by myself. I think a lot of people are going to relate to it,” he said.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Ian is already working on a new project.

“I am working on a follow-up single right now called ‘No Thanks to You’. I want to put out a lot of music this year. You are not an artist if you are not doing what you love and creating experiences for people to hear.

I think this particular song is very topical and shows I am more than a one trick pony,” he said.

No stranger to creative projects, Ian’s breakthrough came during the first Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Festival where he participated in the Music Masters competition with a song called “Going Home”.

“My musical background is mostly in church as I grew up singing in church and playing keys, but my style is very down-home Bahamian: rake n’ scrape and Junkanoo. My style is somewhat old but also somewhat new if that makes sense. I think now a lot of people are doing a lot of variations of Bahamian music, bringing it up to the times and adding different beats to the sound,” he said.

To keep up with Ian’s projects, follow the singer on his social media pages on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

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Friday, January 13, 2017

music

Lady E, Stileet, Tebby to light up the stage at Komen Bahamas Sunshine Insurance event celebrates seven years

L

ady E, Stileet, Tebby and BahaMian Trae are about to burn up the stage for a special concert – the Survivors Ceremony at the seventh annual Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure. The concert takes place this Saturday following the hugely popular 5K race.

Some of the brightest stars will hit the stage with their hottest hits. Comedian and DJ “Naughty” returns as the event’s emcee.

Faddah Fred, Spiccy Dee and Richa Sands will also perform for thousands in the crowd.

“We’re so happy to have these incredible artists agree to perform for our cancer survivors this year. Last year, we had Wendi Lewis and Dyson Knight, So$a Man, Nehemiah Hield and so many others perform and this year, we had people clamoring to participate.

So the event is growing and the entertainers are excited to be a part of the celebration of survivorship and the celebration of life really,” said Rogan Smith, Sunshine Insurance marketing coordinator.

“I think the teen participants will really go crazy for Bahamian Trae, who is performing a few of his hits, including ‘Muggle’, and Lady E will be performing ‘Feel The Rhythm’ and ‘My Islands In The Sun’. She always brings high energy.”

International singer/songwriter Tebby, who recently opened for Grammy Award-winning songstress Joss Stone at the Hard Rock in Punta Cana, will also wow the crowd with her hit “Watch Me Do Me.” “We’re also excited to have the bodybuilders return. They were such a draw last year and a big hit with the ladies. The tourists went crazy when they spotted them and enjoyed taking selfies with them,” said Ms Smith.

This year, for the first time in the organisation’s history, Komen Bahamas will be giving away 2,000 finisher’s medals to participants.

There will be raffles for hotel stays, dinners and BTC phones.

Komen Bahamas begins at 7am at Montagu.

To register for Komen Bahamas, visit Sunshine Insurance’s Shirley Street office.

Tebby

Erika “Lady E” Symonette

BahaMian Trae, Spiccy Dee and Faddah Fred

The Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure is celebrating its seventh year this weekend.

Richa Sands

Stileet

“So the event is growing and the entertainers are excited to be a part of the celebration of survivorship and the celebration of life really.”

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

mentorship

The power of Bahamian queens

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

E

VER wanted to hang out with a real-life queen?

Well Bahamas, now is your chance to do so, as a group of fierce ladies have come together for the first time to offer a platform for women’s empowerment in the form of a seminar to be held on January 21.

From 9.30am to 3.30pm, at the British Colonial Hilton, the Bahamian queens Simmone L Bowe, Duquesa D Dean, Melisa Hall, Raquel Clarke and Sandena Neely will host general sessions, panel discussions and intimate workshops. Topics will cover pursuing a vision, inner healing, self-care and building wealth.

Held under their newly formed organisation called Kick it With the Queens, the upcoming event has the theme “The Power of HER”.

Highlights will include musical performances by Kim Welcome and Simmone Bowe, and an uplifting spo-

Duquesa Dean

Melisa Hall

ken word piece written for women by Sapphire J. “We used the last few months of 2016 as a time of strict preparation to offer this seminar in early 2017. The idea to put on this seminar was born out of a desire by each of the queens to activate the power of collaboration,” said Sandena Neely.

“We have each been preparing for this moment all of our lives. We each bring varying strengths and key life lessons to the platform, and we firmly believe that this collaborative effort will be transformative for all in attend-

Raquel Clarke

Sandena Neely

ance.”

Ms Neely’s platform at the seminar will specifically speak to self-care, rediscovering purpose, reordering priorities, and reorganising planners.

Simmone Bowe will discuss how to bounce back after a setback, how to break free of the things that are keeping you stuck, and how to recognise patterns repeated in love, business and life and more.

Meanwhile, Raquel Clarke will look at how women can present a new version of themselves to the world, and Melisa Hall will discuss dreams, dollars

Social media coordinator wins big with youth empowerment

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net Social media coordinator Ras’Deniro Thompson was already shocked by his second Bahamas National Youth Award nomination, but actually winning was an even greater surprise.

“The other nominees had more impressive portfolios than mine, so my triumph as a Bahamas National Youth Award winner was definitely a shocker,” Ras’Deniro told Tribune Weekend of his 2016 award.

Ras’Deniro had been previously

Ras’Deniro Thompson holds up his Bahamas National Youth Award. nominated in the category of Community Volunteerism in 2012, but failed to win that time around.

The Bahamas National Youth Awards is a programme held every year during National Youth Month in October. The aim is to recognise young people throughout the country who have done exceptionally well in areas such as sports, education, religion and more.

Ras’Deniro believes recognition awards such as the Bahamas National

Youth Award are important because they show that the work done by Bahamians is valued. They also motivate Bahamians to go out there and give their best, he said.

“As it relates to me and my accomplishment, it means that I have to work even harder in our communities. I have more lives to impact and a greater difference to make,” he said.

“As a social media coordinator I manage social media accounts for businesses, brands and public figures.

Simmone Bowe

and sense. Duquesa Dean will speak about the steps women need to take in order to chase their dreams and realise that the time has come to wake up, sparkle and shine.

“We simply recognise the need in our society for women to be empowered and fed by women such as ourselves who are willing to stand on a stage and be vulnerable and share our testimonies, our struggles, our successes and most importantly, the steps we took to overcome obstacles and the resilience and fortitude that readies us for future challenges,” said Ms Neely.

Growing up as a teenager, I always had an interest in technology and media, and what I like most about this profession is that I get to meet a lot of influential people.”

With this new award on his mantel piece, Ras’Deniro is looking forward to inspiring as many young Bahamians as possible to be the best that they can be.

He said he wants to encourage them to use their God-given talents in a productive and wholesome manner.

“Over the next six to 12 months I plan to visit as many settlements on as many of our Family Islands as I possibly can. It is my goal that I can visit as many schools to speak with the young children and share my message of empowerment with them. I want the general public to believe in and support my vision for youth empowerment in the Bahamas. My plans to travel throughout the Bahamas to speak to our nation’s youth is a very daunting task, and it is my hope that members of corporate Bahamas can support me in this endeavour. I truly believe that I can change lives,” said Ras’Deniro.

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Friday, January 13, 2017

fashion

pART

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

HIT

FAIL

HIT

SPLIT

HIT

Viola Davis “Fences”

Nicole Kidman “Lion”

Tracee Ellis Ross “Black-ish”

Emma Stone “La La Land”

Claire Foy “The Crown”

Karin says: “That is one bright shade of yellow, and it looks absolutely fantastic on her.

Viola had another successful night and could not have looked better. The simple bob and the discreet accessories were also the perfect choice for this look.”

Cara says: “This yellow is popping on her! The style is simple, yet effective. I love the bob cut and the jewellery. The whole look is just the epitome of elegance.”

Karin says: “Someone on Twitter said she’s been associating with Nashville and the country music scene for too long. And not to be mean, but with this level of tackiness I have to agree. The puff sleeves are the absolute worst.”

Cara says: “Oh Nicole, why do you this to me? You used to always slay the red carpet and now you have betrayed me. I don’t know what’s worse, the awful cheap sequin fabric or those god-awful glove things.

The best part of her outfit was Keith Urban on her arm.”

Karin says: “I’m always a tad bit disappointment when stars opt out of wearing the grand ball gown, but that said, this Zuhair Murad cage dress is simply stunning on her. It looks deceptively simple, and could have just been another lace/faux nude gown, but it is so much more. Great choice!”

Cara says: “OMG Tracee scored a double win – her Black-ish award and this gorgeous gown. This woman is beautiful. Of course her mom helped with those awesome genes, but this dress is so effortlessly flawless. Simply love it.”

Karin says: “She landed on so many ‘best dressed’ lists with this, but I’m not 100 per cent sold. The pink is just too close to her skin colour and the silver stars look like they would be more at home on a Barbie dress, but looking at it longer, it is a pretty gown.”

Cara says: “OK, I get that the stars on the gown were in homage to the ‘City of Stars’ duet she performed with Ryan Gosling in ‘La La Land’, and the dress is gorgeous.

However, with her complexion it just washes her out. It’s unfortunate, because it’s a stunning gown.”

Karin says: “I don’t know what is going on here. This is like a parody of a hideous 80s prom dress, but somehow – I don’t know how, I don’t why – it works for her. Brushing against or sitting on all those scratchy sequins must have been a nightmare, however.

Her hair and makeup were also very pretty.”

Cara says: “I love Claire Foy and I was thrilled that she won for ‘The Crown’ because she is sooo good as a young Queen Elizabeth II. This dress is lovely. At first glance I wasn’t sure of the sleeves, but they are growing on me.”

ap photos

The Weekend Fashion Report 74th annual Golden Globe Awards

I

• See PAGE 16 for Weekend Fashion Report Part II

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

fashion

pART

The Weekend Fashion Report 74th annual Golden Globe Awards

II

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

FAIL

SPLIT

SPLIT

HIT

HIT

Kerry Washington “Confirmation”

Evan Rachel Wood “Westworld”

Janelle Monae “Hidden Figures”

Sarah Jessica Parker “Divorce”

Gal Gadot “Wonder Woman”

Karin says: “OK, the dress is really ugly, no ifs, ands or buts.

I don’t understand anything about it, including the weird black corset thing underneath.

That said, it was refreshing to see a star step out on the red carpet with post-baby weight and not hide it.”

Cara says: “OK, let’s start on a positive note: Kerry has that post-baby glow. From the neck up she looks flawless.

But I hate the dress...all of it – the fabric, the horrid sleeve detail, the black peeking out, whatever that black thing at the waist is, the length, the shoes – yeah, I cannot find anything nice to say.”

Karin says: “I get why she wore it; to show young girls at home that a dress is not the only way to go and there are other options in life. And she does look fierce and dapper, but I am not a fan of the velvet or the cut of the jacket and the pants.”

Cara says: “The ladies tuxedo is fine; some people have looked really cute in it. But I don’t like this version. It looks too costume-y as opposed to looking smart. Maybe that was her point, but I am not really feeling it.”

Karin says: “This is the first of Janelle’s sartorial choices that I have not really liked. Again we have some 80s influence with this polka dot mullet/ balloon dress, but this time it just seems to overwhelm her. It just looks too much like she’s playing dress up.

I appreciate that more stars are taking chances this award season, but not all pay off.”

Cara says: “She was described online as a ‘polkie dot hottie’, and I have to agree. This highlow balloon dress is cute and fun and different. It wouldn’t work on everyone, but Janelle definitely rocks it.”

Karin says: “So this is the superior version of Nicole Kidman’s style of dress. I’m not a huge fan of these type of sleeves, but here it works.

The Heidi braid doesn’t quite work for me, but it’s much better when you see the whole look as a sort of Princess Leia tribute.”

Cara says: “I love that she wore a wedding gown for her nomination for ‘Divorce’... am I the only one? She looks beautiful as always – even with the sleeves that I am not 100 per cent sold on. I love that her hair reminds us of a certain princess from a galaxy far, far away...”

Karin says: “This is a stunning maternity gown. It has just the right amount of sequins and I love the different shades of blue. They sparkle so beautifully. I’m also loving the cut of the his strappy gown on her. The only thing I don’t like is the slicked back braid. From the side it’s fine, but front on it’s just too severe.”

Cara says: “Oh she looks so cute. I love this dress on her.

The fit, the colour – it all looks lovely. Pregnancy looks soo good on her. I wish we could all be so lucky...and stylish... and rich lol.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, January 13, 2017

books

P

review

‘Her Every Fear’ is effective, compulsive thriller

eter Swanson tells an engaging story of a woman battling severe anxiety who decides to radically change her life — and the horrifying results that follow — in “Her Every Fear.”

Kate Priddy lives in London.

She suffers from panic attacks and prefers familiarity to the unknown. She started having these attacks after an abusive boyfriend beat her, locked her in a closet and killed himself.

When a cousin from the United States she’s never met suggests they swap apartments for six months, she feels like it is an opportunity for a fresh start.

She arrives at her new home in Boston only to discover that there is already a problem.

The next-door neighbor has vanished and Kate’s cousin is a suspect. Kate becomes frightened when the neighbor is found to be the victim of foul play. She starts to wonder if her

cousin fled to London to avoid authorities.

Meanwhile, Kate begins to meet some of the neighbors, who may have hidden agendas, including Alan. She doesn’t realize Alan had an obsession with the deceased that was downright creepy.

When the novel focuses on Kate, the writing and story line shine. Swanson made the decision to give other points of view, including the cousin and Alan, and their narratives lag a bit. However, when everything comes together at the end, it’s clear why Swanson decided to tell the story in the manner he did. Even so, a sole focus on Kate’s perspective would have made it a classic. Either way, Swanson has crafted an effective and compulsive thriller.

JEFF AYERS Associated Press

Even more fantastic: Rowling updates ‘Fantastic Beasts’ book Rowling is not done with the story of “Fantastic Beasts.”

The author’s Pottermore website announced Thursday that a new edition of the

Harry Potter spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will come out in March. The book, which arrives four months after the hit film adaptation, will include a

review

‘The Beautiful Dead’ by Belinda Bauer Art, obsession and the pull between one’s professional life and personal life make a searing background for British author Belinda Bauer’s new stand-alone psychological thriller.

Although “The Beautiful Dead” succumbs to some stereotypes of the serial

foreword by Rowling writing as Magizoologist Newt Scamander, new artwork and a batch of new beasts. Proceeds will be donated to Comic Relief and Lumos, Rowling’s

killer novel, Bauer’s strong character study and sense of place keep the taut plot churning with surprises.

Eve Singer, a crime reporter for London’s iWitness News, becomes a murderer’s obsession when she covers the stabbing of his latest victim. The killer’s gimmick is that he chooses to murder in the middle of a crowd while London’s Christmas shoppers linger on the streets. He poses these victims in gruesome tableaus, considering them “exhibitions.” At work, Eve is being pressured to pursue the story, no matter the cost. At home, Eve deals with another kind of pressure — caring for her father, whose dementia is escalating.

While the killer’s thoughts often succumb to cliches, making him more of a stock figure, Bauer avoids this trap with her other characters, including the victims, each of whom is shown as a

charity for children placed in institutions.

The original book came out in 2001.

NEW YORK Associated Press

fully realized person.

Eve proves to be a formidable heroine. On the surface, a crime reporter for a tabloidlike network isn’t the most sympathetic, but Bauer delves deep to show Eve’s humanity. She is a serious journalist who is more interested in justice than a story. The scenes with her father, who raised her as a single parent, realistically show their close relationship, her need to do the right thing by her father and her frustration with his declining health. Readers will also root for Detective Sgt. Emily Aguda, whose petite size belies her mad self-defense skills.

Relentlessly paced, “The Beautiful Dead” delivers a solid psychological thriller.

OLINE H. COGDILL, Associated Press

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

film

Films to look forward to in 2017 H ollywood might still be patting itself on the back for its 2016 films, but there’s a lot to look forward to in film this year — in all genres. Here are 10-ish films to put on your radar for the year.

• JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (February 10) and THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (April 14) Two franchises, both unlikely, both silly and both endlessly watchable get new installments this year. Keanu Reeves is back as the vengeful hit man John Wick in the sequel to the 2014 sleeper hit.

And the Fast and Furious crew is joined by Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren in movie No 8, directed by “Straight Outta Compton’s” F Gary Gray.

• BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (March 17) “Harry Potter’s” Emma Watson stars as the beautiful, bookish Belle in director Bill Condon’s live-action, musical adaption of the fairy tale, which he promises will include nods to both Disney’s animated feature as well Jean Cocteau’s black and white classic. “Downton Abbey’s” Dan Stevens plays the Beast opposite a strong supporting cast of Luke Evans, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci,

Emma Thompson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. • GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2 (May 5 ), SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (July 7), and THOR: RAGNAROK (November 3)

What superhero fatigue?

The studios have assembled some formidable talent behind some of the year’s most high profile sequels (and reboots).

Taika Waititi will bring his comedic edge to the “Thor” world, while James Gunn tries to recreate that mixtape magic with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.” One film that doesn’t require any catch-up work is “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” yet another reboot of the web-slinging teen, but a promising one — star Tom Holland upstaged even the likes of Robert Downey Jr. when introduced in “Captain America: Civil War.” Director Jon Watts says his “SpiderMan” will be in the vein of classic high school films.

• ALIEN: COVENANT (May 19) and BLADE RUNNER 2049 (October 6) Ridley Scott is back to playing his old hits this year, with a twist. Scott directs the sixth installment in the “Alien” universe with “Alien: Covenant,” about a crew traveling to a remote part of the galaxy in

Claire Folger/Warner Bros. Entertainment via AP

Emma Watson stars as Belle and Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as the Beast in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic. the stamp of Intellectual Property to make his a must-see (regardless of what you think of “Interstellar”). “Dunkirk” takes us to the beaches of France early in WWII when the Allied forces were surrounded and evacuated.

Newcomer Fionn Whitehead leads the cast, which includes Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance and even Harry Styles (yes, that Harry Styles).

• STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII (December 15)

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman search of paradise, only to find something much more horrifying. Katherine Waterston stars with Michael Fassbender.

As for “Blade Runner 2049,” Scott’s only producing — “Arrival” and “Sicario” director Denis Villeneuve is directing the longtime-coming sci-fi sequel, set 30 years after the original film. Ryan Gosling stars as a new LAPD officer who needs to find Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard.

• WONDER WOMAN (June 2) Gliding by the crazy fact that it’s taken until 2017 for one of the most popular char-

acters in comic book history to get her own feature film, this one also looks like it packs the potential to define this whole modern era of DC Comics adaptations (“Justice League,” out Nov. 17, could too).

“Wonder Woman” has the promising team of “Monster” director Patty Jenkins at the helm and Gal Gadot wielding the iconic lasso in this World War I-set origin story.

• DUNKIRK (July 21) Christopher Nolan is perhaps the only filmmaker working on this level whose movies are events in and of themselves. He doesn’t need

At the rate of one new Star Wars film (spinoff or otherwise) a year for the foreseeable future, it’s hard to imagine that The Force Awakens-level excitement can be sustained, but “Episode VIII” has its own credentials separate from the nostalgia of that galaxy far, far away. Simply: It’s a Rian Johnson film, the mind behind “Looper” and “Brick,” and he’s setting the story for the final two films of the main trilogy (he’s writing Episode IX but ceding directing responsibilities to Colin Trevorrow). There’s also the bittersweet knowledge that it’ll feature one of Carrie Fisher’s final performances, fittingly in her most iconic role.

LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, January 13, 2017

film Claire Folger/Warner Bros. Entertainment via AP

review

Affleck’s stylish ‘Live

by Night’ is by the numbers live by night running time: 128 mins

B

en Affleck is no doubt an ambitious and tasteful filmmaker, but he’s gotten himself in a bit of hot water with the bloated period gangster epic “Live by Night .” It looks and sounds right and all the elements are there: A conflicted anti-hero with a granite jaw, a fast-talkin’, two-timin’ moll, crooked cops, and a sweaty loyal partner. There’s the one-last-job-goneawry, some rum-running, a few epic shootouts and the big questions about whether or not our man has become everything he swore he wouldn’t. It seems like enough to hold audience interest for a few hours, but somehow even with all that going for it (not to mention a parade of recognizable faces), “Live by Night” is dull as sin.

The story is adapted by Affleck from a Dennis Lehane novel of the same name. Lehane is the author of the source material for some good to great films like “Mystic River,” ‘’Shutter Island” and Affleck’s first stab at directing, “Gone Baby Gone.” It was a decent gamble that “Live by Night” would be pretty good, too.

Affleck has put himself front and centre here as the lead, Joe Coughlin, a once good man who became jaded after serving in World War I. He came back to his hometown of Boston, where his father (Brendan Gleeson) is the Police Chief, with the intention of never answering to anyone. We don’t ever see Joe as a standup citizen, only robbing banks and sleeping with Emma Gould (Sienna Miller), the mistress of the town’s most notorious mob

Zoe Saldana, left, and Ben Affleck in a scene from “Live

By Night”.

Ben Affeck stars as gangster Joe Coughlin.

boss Albert White (Robert Glenister).

Naturally as soon as Emma and Joe decide to skip town and find a new life somewhere warm (where they come so close to saying that they’ll “live by night” it’s almost annoying that they don’t), things take a turn and Joe is left beaten to a pulp, imprisoned and alone.

When he gets out, revenge against Albert White is the only thing on his mind, so he heads to Florida to work for a rival.

While the Boston scenes are paint-by-numbers gangster pic, with a few gorgeous shots thanks to cinematographer Robert Richardson, in Florida at least the plot gets somewhat interesting as Joe pairs up with a nearly unrecognisable Chris Messina as Dion Bartolo to get in the Prohibition-era rum business while butting heads with the local KKK thugs,

a complicated cop (Chris Cooper) and his troublesome evangelist daughter Loretta (Elle Fanning). Oh, and Joe also falls in love with a Cuban expat Graciela (Zoe Saldana).

By the time Loretta becomes the main focus, and foe, of Joe and Dion the film has already lost most of its steam. “Live by Night” wants to be about everything — capitalism, racism, the American dream, the hypocrisy of the good and moral — while also providing shoot ‘em up thrills. It’s hard to do that when you don’t even care for or about any of the characters, though.

It was always going to be a tricky thing to follow up a smash like “Argo,” so taut and smart and thrilling. Affleck went maximalist with “Live by Night,” and it was, indeed, too much.

LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

society

Partying in the deep

B

ahamians mixed and mingled with hotel guests and other visitors as they celebrated the end of 2016 at Atlantis.

The ‘Light Up Your Celebration’ New Year’s Eve party took place at the Fathoms’ venue in the Royal Towers and featured signature drinks from Ciroc and Diageo, as well as music from international DJ Ray Costa.

Party-goers got to indulge in delicious dining food and complimentary champagne, and got dance the night away before and after viewing Atlantis’ special firework show at midnight.

Friday, January 13, 2017

The Tribune | Weekend |21

Photos/Jackson Petit

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

relationships

The foundation is important

By Dr Edrica Richardson

an incredibly happy and fulfilling relationship.

H

alf of all marriages end in divorce. One of the main reasons for this statistic is the fact that many marriages are not built on solid foundations. If you are married, even if you aren’t, it is important that your personal relationships are built on a solid foundation. If you are going to build something that lasts you must have a plan. Part of that is the foundation.

The word foundation means to set something permanently.

Foundations are the key to maintaining all the goodness in your relationship. They will determine the quality and success of your relationships years down the track. Start by talking about some of the hard stuff: Where do you see this going? What is your vision?

Being open to love doesn’t just mean having fun with your new person and enjoying every minute you spend with them. You also have to be vulnerable and share parts of yourself you may not be used to putting out there. Here are a couple of ways to build the foundation:

• Laugh together They say laughter is a most powerful thing. Did you know laughter is even used as a form of therapy because of its positive effect on us.

When you laugh with your partner it shows that you enjoy each other’s company.

• Don’t cross the line This is one of the most important things to remember for a successful relationship. There are just certain things that we never want to say or do to our partner.

These are things that you consider “crossing the line”. It can mean losing your temper, yelling at your partner, saying hateful things, using manipulation, going to sleep angry, not saying sorry when you know you should have, bringing your partner down, or getting aggressive towards your partner. These are all damaging things for a relationship, and it becomes easier and easier to do it again and again. If you want a happy and successful relationship, try really hard not to “cross the line”.

• Know each other’s love language One of my first articles was on Dr Gary Chapman’s essential tool to healthy love – love languages. Love languages are the different ways in that we all communicate and understand love. Remember you might be showing love to your partner in every way that you know how and still they might be telling you that you don’t love them enough. Well, it’s no secret anymore. You need to learn their love language and exhibit it.

• Understand love is an action Love is understanding how your partner feels loved, and then doing it. People often think that love is a feeling, and that once the feeling disappears there is little hope for their relationship. Well, that’s absolutely not true! Love is a verb; so understand love as an action and a choice, and then do it. You will have

Building a foundation is essential to a long and happy marriage.

• Dr Edrica D Richardson is a licenced Marriage and Family Therapist in multiple states in the US and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Her clinical specialties include relationship issues, infidelity, individual issues, family counselling and life coaching, to name a few. She works with adolescents, couples and families in the Bahamas and the US. Check her website www.dredrich.com

Being part of a healthy, working relationship means letting your feelings be known – not hiding how much you like someone just to avoid getting hurt. If you really want to build a solid relationship foundation you need to be ready for whatever comes your way.

A relationship is not based on the length of time you’ve spent together; it is based on the foundation you’ve built together. Trust yourself.

A solid relationship foundation is built on the joy that comes from being with someone you care about and are excited to be spending time with. We can all build beautiful visions together through respect. If you use these tips in your relationship you will have an incredibly long-lasting, happy and successful relationship.

The Tribune | Weekend | 23

Friday, January 13, 2017

literary lives

graham greene

Our man of plots and character A damning review of child star Shirley Temple embroiled one of the greatest writers of the 20th century in an infamous libel case, Sir Christopher Ondaatje recalls

H

enry Graham Greene was born in Hertfordshire, England on October 2, 1904, into a large and wealthy family that included the owners of the Greene King Brewery.

He was a boarder at Berkhamstead School, where his father taught and eventually became headmaster. Bullied and depressed, he was very unhappy at school and attempted suicide several times.

He went to Balliol College, Oxford, and graduated in 1925 with a secondclass degree in history. Greene then worked as a journalist on the Nottingham Journal and then as a sub-editor on The Times. The next year he converted to Catholicism (an important decision that affected his future writ-

ing) and met his wife Vivien DayrellBrowning. They married in 1927.

Although an unsuccessful volume of poetry was published in 1925, his first novel “The Man Within” was not published until 1929. It was well received and allowed Greene to concentrate only on his writing and book and film reviews. His early books included “Stamboul Train” (1932), “It’s a Battlefield” (1934), “England Made Me” (1935), “A Gun for Sale” (1936) and “A Journey Without Maps” (1936).

In 1937, in Night and Day – an underfunded highbrow magazine which he also edited – Greene wrote a film review of “Wee Willie Winkie” commenting on the sexuality of the incredibly popular child star Shirley Temple, who made 23 films in the second half of the 1930s and earned $3 million before she was a teenager.

The reason for her appeal was her insufferable cuteness coupled with her enthusiastic singing and dancing. However, Greene (who was also a film critic for The Spectator) wrote this damning review – part of which is reproduced here – and was one of the first critics to address the sexualisation of children in films.

“Miss Shirley Temple’s case ... her peculiar interest: infancy with her is a disguise, her appeal is more secret and more adult ... two years ago she was a fancy little piece ... In ‘Captain January’ she wore trousers with the mature suggestiveness of a (Marlene) Dietrich: her neat and well-developed rump twisted in the tap-dance: her eyes had a sidelong searching coquetry.

Now, in ‘Wee Willie Winkie’, wearing short kilts, she is a complete totsy.

Watch her swaggering stride across the Indian barrack-square: hear the gasp of excited expectation from her antique audience when the sergeant’s palm is raised: watch the way she measures a man with agile studio eyes, with dimpled depravity. Adult emotions of love and grief glissade across the mask of childhood ...

“Her admirers – middle aged men and clergymen – respond to her dubious coquetry, to the sight of her well-shaped and desirable little body, packed with enormous vitality, only

Continued on page 24

“His novels often had religious themes at their centre and Catholicism is often presented as a background of evil, sin and doubt.”

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

Continued from page 23 because the safety curtain of story and dialogue drops between their intelligence and their desire. ‘Why are you making my Mummy cry?’ – what could be purer than that? And the scene when dressed in a white nightdress she begs grandpa to take Mummy to a dance – what could be more virginal?

On those lines in her new picture, made by John Ford, ... It isn’t hard to stay to the last prattle and the last sob.”

Greene’s review resulted in a successful libel action by Shirley Temple’s Hollywood Studio, 20th Century Fox, against Greene and the magazine which he was editing. The Court in London accepted the Hollywood studio’s claim that Greene had accused it of “procuring” Shirley Temple “for immoral purposes”. The judge stated that Greene’s review was “one of the most horrible libels that one could well imagine” and ordered a settlement of £3,500 of which £500 was to be paid

by Greene, who had already fled to Mexico until the trial was over.

While there, he was inspired to write “The Power and the Glory”, which many consider to be his masterpiece.

The settlement ordered Night and Day magazine to pay, in addition to their fine, a further £1,500 in legal costs.

Greene survived, but the stylishly exuberant Night and Day magazine did not. Financially strapped, it ceased publication in 1937.

“Brighton Rock” (1938), “The Lawless Road” (1939), and “The Confidential Agent” (1939) were published

by Greene before “The Power and The Glory” (1940). During Greene’s lengthy literary career he wrote short stories as well as plays: “The Ministry of Fear” (1943); “The Heart of the Matter” (1948); “The Third Man” (1949) – a preliminary novella for the screenplay for the film; “The End of the Affair” (1951) and “The Living Room” (1953), Greene’s first play.

Greene was a brilliant and curiously organised man. He wrote in a small, leather, black notebook with a black fountain pen and would write 500 words a day. As soon as he had written 500 he put his notebook away for the rest of the day.

He also travelled away from England to remote places. Apart from Mexico he travelled to Liberia, Haiti in 1954, leper colonies in the Congo Basin, and in 1957 he was in Cuba helping with Fidel Castro’s final assault on the Batista regime. Castro gave Greene a painting he had done, which hung

Graham Greene in later years on the French Riviera.

Graham Greene was sued for libel for his review of Shirley Temple’s 1937 movie “Wee Willie Wilkie”.

in the drawing room of his house in France where he spent some of the final years of his life. During the Second World War Greene was recruited for MI6 by his sister, Elizabeth, who worked for the agency.

Kim Philby, the notorious spy and Soviet agent, was his superior and Greene later wrote the introduction to Philby’s 1968 memoir “My Silent War”.

Graham Greene’s personal life was not conventional.

After being baptised a Catholic in 1926, the year before his marriage, Catholicism influenced much of his writings. His novels often had religious themes at their centre and Catholicism is often presented as a background of evil, sin and doubt.

He battled with the portrayals of his characters’ mental, emotional and spiritual depths. However, he was a master of holding readers’ attention.

His stories were often set in tropical countries like Mexico, West Africa, Vietnam, Cuba, Haiti and Argentina.

Human relationships were also varied. He had two children with Vivien Dayrell-Browning, but in 1946, he started a relationship with Catherine Walston, the wife of a wealthy English peer. In accordance with Catholic teaching, his wife refused to give Greene a divorce, and when the relationship with Catherine Walston terminated Greene wrote “The End of the Affair”.

Greene had several other affairs and sexual relationships and his wife later remarked, “with hindsight, he was a person who should never have married”.

Included among Greene’s later works were “Twenty-One Stories” (1954) - short stories; “Loser Takes All” (1955); “The Quiet American” (1955); “The Potting Shed” (1956); “Our Man in Havana” (1958); “A Burnt-Out Case” (1960); “The Comedians” (1966); “Travels with My Aunt” (1969); “The Honorary Consul” (1973); “The Human Factor” (1978); “Doctor Fischer of Geneva” (1980); “Monsignor Quixote” (1982); “The Tenth Man” (1985); and “The Last Word” (1990) - short stories.

Several of Greene’s early works were thrillers influenced by John Buchan and action films. Later, his writing culminated in atmospheric film scripts of which “The Third Man” was by far the best. Comedies like “Our Man in Havana”,

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, January 13, 2017

Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha Photo/Andre Dixon Collection

The 11th Commodore was built as NC667M but Bahamas Airways Ltd operated it as VP-BAA.

The fate of the long-distance Commodore Graham Greene wr ote of the Affair” after “The End his extramarital relat terminating the wife of a wealthy ionship with English peer.

“Travels with My Aunt” and “Monsignor Quixote” were, in Greene’s own estimation, pure entertainment and far less important than his novels – many concerned with tormented failure and a longing for God’s forgiveness.

Despite the Catholic overtones, Greene’s plots and evocation of character remain fascinating. He was short-listed in 1967 for the Nobel Prize for Literature, and collected several literary awards, including the 1941 Hawthornden Prize, the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the 1968 Shakespeare Prize, and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. In 1968 he was awarded Britain’s Order of Merit.

After falling victim to a financial swindler, Greene chose to leave England permanently on January 1,

1966 and moved to Antibes, in southeastern France, to be close to Yvonne Cloetta, who he had known since 1959. The relationship endured until his death in 1991, and they spent the last years of his life in Vevey on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where Charlie Chaplin lived. They were good friends.

Greene died of leukaemia when he was 86 and was buried in Corseaux Cemetery in Switzerland.

NEXT WEEK: the strangely erotic tale of the secretive vanilla.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born CanadianEnglishman, he is the author of several books, including “The Last Colonial”

T

he Consolidated Commodore that Bahamas Airways Ltd (BAL) once operated was not just a run-of-the-mill aeroplane.

It was the world’s largest flying boat, designed exclusively for the New York, Rio, Buenos Aires Airline (NYRBA), and only 18 were ever built. BAL’s Commodore was the last one of its type still flying.

Like its siblings, this flying boat started life flying the world’s longest scheduled airline route - 9,000 miles, over 15 countries, with a lot of refuelling stops. When NYRBA was swallowed up by Pan American World Airways (PAA), the new owners acquired the entire Commodore fleet. During World War II, PAA also acquired a substantial minority interest in Bahamas Airways, which it eventually sold back to H G Christie, who turned around and leased (then bought) a Commodore.

The San Diego Air and Space Museum contacted me with a question about BAL’s Commodore and I was sent a copy of an article, in a 1945 issue of Consolidated’s ‘Plane Talk’ magazine, about BAL’s Commodore and its contribution to H G Christie’s plan to improve the lives of Out Islanders. BAL operated this plane until 1947 and Out Islanders were quick to adapt to air travel.

A direct result of its 20-passenger capacity was that attendance at Out Island funerals was up because, in an age where burials took place very shortly after death, grieving

relatives were, for the first time, able to “get there” in time.

Flying boats have no wheels, so the Commodore could not land or take off at the newly-opened Oakes Field, only on water.

Pan American stopped using its seaplane base in Nassau’s harbour, but Bahamas Airways was stuck there until the Commodore could be retired from service.

The museum wanted to know the ultimate fate of this plane, but all I could find was that it had been “retired”. Legend has it, however, that, to protect this former grande dame of long-distance flying from an approaching hurricane, the last flight of the Commodore was a six-mile hop to Lake Cunningham, where it was taxied, at high power, into a stand of mangroves (based on a time-honoured way for Bahamians to protect their sailboats).

Once the hurricane threat was over, the engines were started but, even at full-power, the undamaged plane would not budge and it proved impossible to get the Commodore out of the mangroves.

Ultimately, the aircraft was dismantled and engines and instruments sold. As for the metal of the airframe, supposedly a buyer from Haiti used it to make aluminium pots and pans.

Can anyone tell me if this story is true?

• islandairman@gmail.com

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

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£229

and the Insolvency Rules 1986 In the matter of the Insolvency Act 1986 prove their debts on or before 18 and the Insolvency Rules 1986 Notice is hereby November given that written 2016 by sending full Notice is hereby given that written resolutions were details passedof by theirthe claims to the Joint resolutions were passed by the members of the Companies on 14 Restructuring, Liquidators at KPMG members of the Companies on 13 October 2016 placing Companies 15 the Canada Square, London E14 October 2016 placing the Companies into Members’ Voluntary Liquidationmust also, if so 5GL. Creditors  Breakfast, and dinner daily, Close to Albufeira and situated into Members’lunch Voluntary Liquidation (solvent liquidation) and appointing requested by the Joint Liquidators, ^ (solvent local liquidation) and appointing Blair Carnegie Nimmo and Gerard provide such further details and snacks, alcoholic & soft drinks less than a mile away from Falesia Blair Carnegie Nimmo and Gerard Anthony Friar of KPMG LLP as Joint documentary evidence to support Anthony Friar of KPMG LLP as Joint their claims as the Joint Liquidators  One bedroom air-conditioned Liquidators. beach, this popular 4-star hotel Liquidators. necessary.

Notice is also deem hereby given, apartments with kitchenette, offers guests plenty of amenities Notice is also hereby given, pursuant to RuleThe 4.182A of distribution the intended is a final to Rule 4.182A of the distribution and may be made without Insolvency Rules 1986, that the Joint enpursuant suite and a balcony including 4 swimming pools.

Insolvency Rules 1986, that the Joint to anyintend claims not proved by 18 Liquidators of the regard Companies Liquidators of the Companies intend & to make a finalNovember  Return flights from London 2016.to Any creditor who distribution Plus: to make a final distribution to has not proved his debt by that date, Manchester, other arecreditors. Creditors are required to creditors. Creditors areregional requiredairports to increases prove their debts oronwho or before 18 the claim in his  Alternatively stay for 2 weeks available a supplement prove at their debts on or before 18 after thatfulldate, will not be November 2016 proof by sending November 2016 by sending full All-Inclusive with a 3rd week entitledto tothe disturb details of their claims Joint the intended final  FREE shuttle bus to Falesia beach details of their claims to the Joint distribution.

The Joint Liquidators Liquidators at KPMG Restructuring, + FREE on Room Only from £399* Liquidators at KPMG Restructuring, and central Albufeira intendLondon that, after 15 Canada Square, E14paying or providing 15 Canada Square, London E14 for a final in respect of 5GL. Creditors must also, distribution if so  No supplement for single travellers  Transfers & rep. in resort 5GL. Creditors mustservice also, if so who have proved their requested by the creditors Joint Liquidators,  Breakfast, daily, requested by the Joint Liquidators, ‘16 dinner - 30th Apr ‘17#^  Full applies lunch 1st Novand claims,details all funds provide such further and remaining in the ATOL protection of your holiday provide such further details and Joint Liquidators’ snacks, local alcoholic & soft drinks documentary evidence to supporthands following the documentary evidence to support distribution to creditors shall be their claims as thefinal Joint Liquidators their claims as the Joint Liquidators  One bedroom air-conditioned deem necessary. distributed to the shareholders of the deem necessary.

Companies absolutely. apartments with kitchenette, The intended distribution is a final The intended distribution is a final The rd distribution and may be Companies made withoutare able to pay all All-Inclusive (3rdawk All-Inclusive (3and wk distribution may1bewk made2without en suite and balcony 1 wk 2 wks 3rd wk on wks 3rdregard wk to any claimstheir notknown provedliabilities by 18 in full. regard to any claims not proved by 18 on RO if FREE) RO if FREE) information about these November 2016. Further Any creditor who  Return flights from London & November 2016. Any creditor who cases is available has not proved his debt by that date,from Kylie Burgess has not proved debt by that£449 date, fr. his £269 October fr.

FREE £449are FREE January theclaim officesinofhis KPMG LLP on +44 Manchester, other£349 regional airports or who increasesatthe or who increases the claim in his (0)131will451 or at Kylie. available at a supplement proof after that date, not 7753 be November fr. £229 £399 FREE February £299will not £499 FREE proof after fr. that date, be entitled to disturb Burgess2@KPMG.co.uk. the intended final entitled to disturb the intended final fr. £349 December £399 FREE March £549 FREE  FREE shuttle fr. bus£249 to Falesia beach distribution. The Joint Blair Liquidators Carnegie Nimmo, distribution. The Joint Liquidators intend that, after paying or providing Joint Liquidator and central Albufeira+ intend that, after paying or providing for a final distribution inDated respect of 17 October 2016 for a final distribution in respect of creditors who have proved their  Transfers & rep. service in resort creditors who have proved their claims, all funds remaining in the claims, all funds remaining in the  Full ATOL protection of your holiday Joint Liquidators’ hands following the Joint Liquidators’ hands following the final distribution to creditors shall be Travel with shall confidence final distribution to creditors be distributed to the shareholders of the distributed to the shareholders of the Companies absolutely.

Companies absolutely.

Our lines are open 7 days a week Mon-Fri: 9am-9pm, Sat: 9am-8pm & Sun: 10am-9pm The Companies are able to pay all The Companies are able to pay all rd *‘From’ price for a week to departures 20-30/11/16. *‘From’ price for 2 weeks with a 3rd week FREE applies to departures 24/11/16-06/12/16. Please note All-Inclusive (3applies wk rd their known liabilities in full. known liabilities in full.

1 wk wks 3 wkAll offers are subjecttheir availability may be limited. 3rd week FREE applies 2 to stays 01/10/16-30/04/17. to availability & can be withdrawn without notice. Terms & conditions on RO if FREE) apply. An additional cost for hold luggage will apply. Prices are per person based on 2 adults sharing.

Prices were costed on 18/10/16 & arethese subject to changeFurther since going information about these Further information about to print. ^Time & measurement stipulations may apply. #Rooms allocated for single travellers are subject to availability. +Falesia beach in summer and central Albufeiraisallavailable from Kylie Burgess cases cases is available from Kylie Burgess year round at scheduled times.

Calls will cost 7 pence per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge.

January fr. Wk(s)=week(s) £269 & fr.=from. £449 FREE at the offices of KPMG LLP on +44 at the offices of KPMG LLP on +44 (0)131 451 7753 or at Kylie.

(0)131 451 7753 or at Kylie.

February fr. £299 £499 FREE Burgess2@KPMG.co.uk.

Burgess2@KPMG.co.uk.

March fr. £349 £549 FREE Blair Carnegie Nimmo, Blair Carnegie Nimmo, Joint Liquidator Joint Liquidator Dated 17 October 2016 Dated 17 October 2016

f

es

FREE FREE FREE

tion or to book

224 0443

Travel with confidence

week Mon-Fri: 9am-9pm, Sat: 9am-8pm & Sun: 10am-9pm

*‘From’ price for 2 weeks with a 3rd week FREE applies to departures 24/11/16-06/12/16. Please note 10/16-30/04/17. All offers are subject to availability & can be withdrawn without notice. Terms & conditions re per person based on 2 adults sharing. Prices were costed on 18/10/16 & are subject to change since going oms allocated for single travellers are subject to availability. +Falesia beach in summer and central Albufeira all alls will cost 7 pence per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge.

prove their debts on or before 18

Novemberor2016 by sending full (across down) details of their claims to the Joint

I T O R I ALPHABEAT N THE

Liquidators at KPMG Restructuring, 15 Canada Square, London E14 5GL. Creditors must also, if so requested by the Joint Liquidators, provide such further details and documentary evidence to support their claims as the Joint Liquidators The Target deem necessary.

The intended distribution is a final uses distribution and may be made without words in regard to any claims not proved by 18 November 2016. Any creditor who the main has not proved his debt by that date, body of or who increases the claim in his Chambers proof after that date, will not be entitled to disturb the intended final 21st distribution. The Joint Liquidators Century intend that, after paying or providing for a final distribution in respect of Dictionary creditors who have proved their (1999 claims, all funds remaining in the Joint Liquidators’ hands following the edition) final distribution to creditors shall be HOW many ofoffour distributed to the words shareholders the letters absolutely. orCompanies more can you make from the The Companies are able to pay letters shown here? Inallmaking a their known liabilities in full. word, each letter may be used Further information about these once only.

Each must contain the cases is available from Kylie Burgess at the offices of KPMG on +44must be at centre letter andLLP there (0)131 451 7753 or at Kylie. least one nine-letter word.

No Burgess2@KPMG.co.uk. plurals orCarnegie verb forms Blair Nimmo, ending in “s”.

Joint Liquidator TODAY’S Dated 17TARGET October 2016

TARGET

G A N I T O R I N

Good 26; very good 39; excellent 51 (or more). Solution tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION denude dour dude dune dunned dunner dunno endue endued endure endured enure enured euro neuron neurone noun nude nurd redound roue round rounded rudd rude rued rune udder under underdo UNDERDONE undo undone

Call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

*SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390

Chambers

you have to comple

Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

letters and black sq below the grid to s grid is ‘rotationally symmetrical’ – in o words, it looks the turn the page 22you 1 tom down.1 Solution

and last 2.5 minutes.

21st grid too!

Use the g Friday, January 13, 2017 www.express

*Calls cost 75p plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

HOW words of four CAN youmany crack the A 3letters 21 or more can you from the Alphabeater?

Each gridmake B number a letter In making a lettersrepresents shown here?

C used –word, or blackeach square.

As in may be 27 31 letter Alphapuzzle, of contain D once only.every Eachletter must the the alphabet is used.

But centre letter and there Emust 38 be22at you have to complete the least word. No grid too!one Use nine-letter the given F in “s”. plurals orblack verb forms ending letters and squares 11 below the grid to start. The G 35 TODAY’S TARGET grid is ‘rotationally H Good 26; very good 39; excellent symmetrical’ – in other I 40 31 51 (oritmore).

Solution words, looks the same if tomorrow.

J you turn the page upside YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION down.

Solution tomorrow.

K 9 21

Yesterday’s so

9 Black 29 squares: 33

10, 13, 16, 17, 22,

31, 35, 38.

6 25, 2 Water, 14 Across:

Table, Adjacenc

4 Grin,39Quetzal, 13 Ch

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37Down: 31 Madcap, 36

Hoax, Exquisite, Dome, Screw, R

16 Zips,5 Tabs,3Afte

denude dour dude dune dunned

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R Call 0907 181 2585 for Down: Madcap, Agama, S 34 29 Hoax,today’s Exquisite,Target Rhea, solution *Calls cost 80p per minute Dome, Screw, Rural, T plus your telephone company’s Zips, Tabs, Afterglow, U 18 5 network access Bloc, Leave, Yanked. charge.

Bloc, Leave, Yan

32

20

22

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3 V 5 3390 31 40 PLAY 31 MOR 2 W 202 Extra letter clues0333 *SP: Spoke – Helpline 0907 181 2560 X 7 39 Y 30 36 4 (Deduct three minutes for each extra clue letter heard) Z Full solution

0907 181 2558

1

*Calls cost 80p per minute 21 plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

2

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● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your m

PLAY MORE CROSSWORDS AND GAMES

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, January 13, 2017

animals

Where are the volunteers?

A

s many of you know, the Bahamas Humane Society struggles to make ends meet and struggles to stay afloat.

One of the reasons for this is that when I became president 10 years ago (my Goodness how time flies) I made a vow to become a “no kill shelter”.

I guess a lot of our hardships and scrounging actually stems from this decision, which was fully supported by the subsequent board of directors.

Some people who remember how it was may still question my promise to all those animals out there that we save.

I am sorry, but to me “save” does not mean taking you in, feeding you for a week or two and then killing you because you have not been charming enough to entice a family to adopt you.

“Save” does not mean picking up a tatty stray, stroking his head saying, “It’s all going to be OK”, and then marching him into an examination room, putting him on a cold metal table and administering a lethal dose to “put him out of his misery”. What misery? a skin condition that can be easily cared for and fixed with a modicum of effort?

So do you see where I am coming from?

Yes, if a dog or cat (or any animal) has a broken back he cannot be saved.

Then the humane thing is to euthanise him. If a animal is dying it is kind to speed up the unavoidable so that he does not suffer for hours or even days before succumbing to the inevitable.

But to euthanise a dog simply because he is not pretty enough and hasn’t been adopted quickly? That in my eyes is totally unacceptable.

Unfortunately, this largesse of opinion causes a huge financial strain on the Society, the staff and the board, because we are always looking for more money and more help.

We would like to have more sociali-

pet of the week

Terrific Tesa

By The Bahamas Humane Society

T

esa is a lovely four-year-old lab mix available for adoption at the Bahamas Humane Society. This young lady loves children and adults alike. She is house trained and even enjoys the water. She’d be happy to spend her days with you at the beach or even on your boat. Tesa will also be a good watchdog, keeping her new adoptive family safe.

Have you a place for Tesa in your heart?

If so, come in to the BHS to meet her, or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Tesa looks forward to meeting you!

• Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 BHS Raffle! Thank you to all the donors of prizes and sponsors of prizes, and to the many people who bought tickets, sold tickets, and at the very end helped fold tickets. Keep an eye open for next year’s raffle. In the meantime, why not consider becoming a member of the BHS to stay up to date with all BHS events and help support the animals at the same time? Membership forms can be picked up at the shelter, downloaded from the website, or can be sent via email. Contact bhslinda@gmail.com for more information.

sation programmes for our adoption animals, especially the dogs. We would like to resume the dog walking programme that was so popular, and playtime, and just peaceful time reading a book and keeping a dog company. The cats do not really need as much human companionship as dogs do.

Don’t get me wrong, many people help us both in kind and financially, but alas, it is not sufficient.

We need more money every year.

Sadly when our amazing past president, who poured her life into the BHS and also built our shelter, passed away, the general assumption was that we had inherited a vast fortune. Sadly this is not so.

We remember that wonderful and kind lady very fondly, but she left us confident that we would be able to stand on our own two feet. Had we continued the policies of yesteryear, limiting the number of animals and euthanising every week, we probably could have. But we have moved to

another level.

Yesteryear we had one veterinarian, now we have three. These dedicated men and women need to be paid for their tireless efforts.

We have a food bank to help people who are down and out to be able to keep their pets until their fortunes change. We have a foster programme.

To avoid overcrowding, some adoption animals live and rehabilitate in private homes. We never turn a sick animal away – ‘treat first, then we see if we can get paid’ is our motto.

Bad business ethics you may say?

Yes sir, but we are not a business. We are a nonprofit organisation providing a very essential service to our country.

Sometimes I feel a little jealous when I hear of other organisations being granted six figure donations, and we get hugely excited if we receive four figures. I know it is because it is “just the animals” and all other facets of human life presumably take precedent over us. But you know a huge amount

Patricia Vazquez

Animal matters Kim Aranha

of the care that we supply to animals spills over into making human life better, kinder, making people happy, helping kids to love and understand responsibility, helping that old lady to fix her fence, keeping strays down by spaying and neutering so there are less garbage cans knocked over.

The BHS does improve the quality of human life daily. Yes, we help people.

Many people out there are animal lovers; we need you to help us. Sign up to be a volunteer and stick to it.

Being a good volunteer boils down to being an unpaid staff member; the commitment needs to be the same.

If we count on you, we count on you, whether you are paid or not. We need manpower and we need grants. We need members. Step up to the plate this year for the animals; make a commitment and stick to it, please.

For information on membership and how to help please contact me at berryislandgirl@gmail.com.

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 13, 2017

gardening

Strawberries Not many people grow strawberries in the Bahamas, but Jack Hardy assures us it can be done with certain varieties and the right potting mix.

W

ho doesn’t like strawberries? When they are served, very few people decline. A large fully-ripe strawberry is a gustatory pleasure, and if you go to watch tennis at Wimbledon in June the consumption of strawberries (with cream) is a rite of passage.

It has been said that if you ever taste a wild strawberry you will never be satisfied with the taste of commerciallygrown strawberries. I am fortunate to be able to testify to this because I have picked and eaten wild strawberries (Slindon Woods, West Sussex, England). They have a much greater intensity of flavour that can be compared to cherry tomatoes versus large tomatoes.

Problem is, they are only about ¼ inch in diameter.

Wild strawberries were first tamed and turned into a garden crop in Brittany, France, in the 1750s. There are now thousands of varieties to choose from. Although looked upon as a temperate climate crop that fruits in summer many varieties of strawberry are adaptable and grow well in the tropics and sub-tropics. Virtually the whole of the United States is provided with strawberries in winter from Plant City, Florida.

Strawberries are in the genus Frugaria and are not really berries but aggregate accessory fruits that bear their seeds on the surface. The ‘straw’ part of the name comes from the practice of covering the plants with straw in cold climates to prevent damage from frost.

Straw was later packed around the plants to prevent the berries from touching the ground and spoiling.

Strawberries come in three types: June-bearer, ever-bearer and day neutral. These correspond with long day, short day and (of course) day neutral propensities. The latter two are those that are more suitable for growing in the Bahamas.

If we wish to grow our own strawberries (and, of course, we do) then we must start off with parent plants from our local nursery. These are quite expensive but propagate readily. The main problem is providing the right growing conditions in terms of soil. Strawberries thrive in soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, but our native soil is far more alkaline.

One way around this problem is to grow strawberries in containers using a pH neutral potting mix that is then highly enriched with compost. The addition of sulphur will help reduce

the pH of the soil but takes a while to break down from an element in powdered form to sulphuric acid, about six months to a year in our climatic conditions. Special strawberry jars are available with cupped lips that allow the fruits to hang in the air and be safe from spoilage (but not birds).

Strawberries can be planted in a regular garden plot and raised in hills that have had a considerable amount of compost added. A weekly spray of Miracle-Gro Miracid will feed the plants and the residue that trickles off will help acidify the soil.

Strawberry plants propagate by sending out runners that act rather like umbilical cords. A daughter plant grows at the end and this should be stabilised in an enriched area by pin-

ning its roots in to the soil. A large paper clip straightened out then bent in half will do the job. There is a brand of plastic picnic knife that has a hollow handle. Snap this off and you have something that looks made for the job.

Strawberry fruits grown in a garden lot need to be protected from touching the soil and straw is a rare commodity in The Bahamas. I like to

surround each plant with a collar of black plastic mulch about the size of a dinner plate. Fold the plastic into four, snip off the narrow end, and make a single cut from the centre to the outside in order to be able to surround the plant. The mulch – unlike plastic sheeting – allows water and liquid fertilizer to pass through.

Strawberries are not heavy feeders but do demand a lot of water, at least an inch a week. If you have a supply of rainwater use this to water your strawberry plants as rainwater is slightly acidulous.

Although winter is the time of heaviest strawberry production in the Bahamas you will find your plants bearing sporadically through the year.

These returns are not heavy enough to justify the plants taking up garden space, however, and I like to remove the plants in early summer and plant them en masse in a large container with acid soil where they do not thrive but survive. When December/January comes around they can be returned to prepared spots in the garden.

A strawberry plant will bear for year after year but with very much reduced returns. It is best to abandon them after two or three years. Even in alkaline soil they make a wonderful ground cover from which you can harvest daughter plants. Because of the alkaline soil they do not produce much in the way of fruits, just the odd small one here or there, but have distinctive foliage.

Start your strawberries with as many plants as you can accommodate, bought from a nursery. If you have six plants to start off and cultivate the daughters produced you will have over 50 next year. Do not cut daughter plants from the mother plant until the umbilical cord has dried up. If you keep your original strawberries separate from the daughter plants – and, later on, from the granddaughter plants – you will have a record of the age of each set.

Half a dozen strawberry plants will usually provide a punnet of strawberries a week. Pick the fruits every two or three days as they reach full ripeness. Strawberries do not ripen any further after picking.