09082023 WEEKEND

Model behaviour

The beauty all around us

Emerging photographer captures everyday people

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

There is beauty to behold all around us, but in the stress of daily life many people fail to pause to appreciate our surroundings.

Bahamian photographer Marley Jayy, however, has stopped to capture some of the wondrousness of everyday life and is documenting her findings in a new exhibition.

The 19-year-old’s work will be unveiled tonight in the solo exhibition called “Expression Ideations” at the Verzion Media Group Studios on University Drive at 8pm.

“The exhibition was inspired by my desire to create an open space for showcasing the spontaneous ideas and concepts that I had developed,” Marley said Tribune Weekend.

“I wanted to challenge the fear of criticism that often holds people back from sharing their work. I believe that as a creative, it’s important to freely express your art, just

as Jean-Michel Basquiat did with his unique style and approach,” she said.

With this exhibition, Marley – who is also a videographer, digital creator and artistic expressionist – showcases a mixture of lifestyle, portrait and vintage style photographs.

“My subjects are both males and females, solo and group photographs. I aimed to capture human essence against the backdrop of different scenes in Nassau,” she said.

“This collection offers a glimpse into the essence of everyday people in Nassau, Bahamas. ‘Expressive Ideations’ weaves a tapestry of emotions and stories, celebrating the beauty that surrounds us in our daily lives. Each concept transforms simple moments into works of art. Through this exhibition, viewers are invited to embrace the artistry of human existence, finding beauty in the seemingly ordinary and celebrating the magic of life’s simple joy.”

In total there will be 28 pieces on display; seven 20x24 prints and 21 11x14 prints on foam board, which will be curated on a flat white wall with double-sided tape.

Marley, who owns the M.Jayy Media photography company, began her career in photography during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I love photography because it allows me to express myself through my passion for the craft. It’s a way for me to capture and preserve memories of ordinary moments and people, providing a sense of calm and connection to everyday life,” she said.

Now, at only 19 years of age, she’s already made her mark with two self-directed and edited visualisers released earlier this year.

Marley’s commitment to expand ing her artistic horizons is evident as she seeks to establish her name and broaden her craft. With her ability to work both in front of and behind the

camera, Marley has the opportunity to bring her creative concepts to life, showcasing her distinct artistic

PHOTOGRAPHER Marley Jayy

PHOTOGRAPHS in the “Expression Ideations” exhibition.

brilliance of local and Caribbean talents.”

Stefphen said for some time now there has been a need for a regional publication that showcases all the art forms under one umbrella.

“Our region is a powerhouse of creativity, yet there has been a longing for a platform that not only showcases individual art forms but unites them under a common umbrella. The Creative magazine fulfils this need, fostering cross-disciplinary appreciation and collaborations, and spotlighting the remarkable talents that often remain hidden from the mainstream,” he said.

The focus of the magazine, he said, is to celebrate the artistic journey from its roots to innovation.

New regional magazine to showcase all art forms under one umbrella

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

A“vibrant tapestry that celebrates the cultural dynamism of the Bahamas and the Caribbean” is what a new magazine promises to offer readers once it debuts.

“The Creative” magazine, out this December, aims to spotlight the dynamic and vibrant creative industries within the Bahamas and the Caribbean region.

However, according to editor-in-chief Stefphen Sands, “The Creative” is more than just a magazine.

“It is a platform that celebrates the ingenuity, innovation and artistic brilliance of Bahamians and Caribbean talents in the realms of music, fashion, art, dance and technology,” he said.

“As we delve into the rich tapestry of creativity that these industries have to offer,

we are committed to providing readers with insightful content, compelling stories, and thought-provoking perspectives that reflect the heartbeat of our region’s cultural landscape.

“Our pages will resonate with captivating stories, striking visuals, and inspiring narratives that highlight the

year. This approach, he said, allows it to curate rich content that resonates deeply with readers while maintaining a high level of quality and impact.

The first issue of the magazine is gearing up for a December release.

“We are almost thrilled to announce that our inaugural cover story will feature an individual whose journey epitomises the fusion of creativity and Caribbean spirit,” said Stefphen.

“The Creative magazine is a stage where emerging and established creatives stand side-by-side. By providing a platform for their stories, we empower them to reach wider audiences and forge connections. Through our features, interviews, and

“We will…shed light on Bahamian and Caribbean creatives who are redefining boundaries. This magazine is an ode to the spirit of exploration and creativity that courses through our cultural veins,” said Stefphen.

“The Creative” magazine will be a biannual publication, releasing two issues per

showcases, we elevate their work, fostering collaboration and inspiring a new wave of creative endeavours.”

The magazine is inviting writers, bloggers, photographers and videographers to join its team. Those interested can contact thecrea8tve@gmail.com.

Ann-Marie Carroll interview

She is determined to help the Bahamas create a plan for a prosperous future through sustainability and environmental preservation. And now, after being selected for a prestigious UK scholarship, funded by a Grand Bahama institution, she tells Cara Hunt, she will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about cuttingedge strategies being tested around the world to combat climate change.

Ann-Marie Carrol has always been passionate about sustainable development, environmental education stewardship.

It is this passion that led the Grand Bahama native to study at the transformative Island School on Eleuthera and work at the Bahamas National Trust as an education officer.

And with the assistance of the United Kingdom’s prestigious Chevening scholarship she recently received; she will be able to channel that passion into a Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Management at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

In the same year that Chevening celebrates its 40th anniversary, a record number of Bahamian scholars are departing from the Bahamas for the UK to study for their Master’s degrees with full scholarships.

Ann-Marie is one of four Bahamian students who were selected.

Joining her are Tereah Albury, a serving RFPF police officer who is off to study Forensic Science at Cranfield University thanks to a BHM-sponsored Chevening scholarship; Paige Bastian, who is studying Environmental and Waste Management at Glasgow University, and Nasia Colebrooke, who is studying Journalism at the City University in London. Chevening is the UK government’s international awards programme aimed at developing global leaders. It offers a unique opportunity for future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers from all over the world to develop professionally and academically, network extensively, experience UK culture, and build lasting positive relationships with the UK.

The scholarships enable those selected to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK. Each scholarship is fully funded and includes flights, accommodation, course fees and a stipend for other expenses.

Ann-Marie’s Chevening scholarship is being funded by the Charles Hayward Foundation as part of the first-ever Bahamian partnership with the prestigious programme.

She spoke to Tribune Weekend about her excitement upon receiving this opportunity.

“The Hayward Chevening scholarship is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfil this dream by taking my knowledge and skills to the next level. I will gain an in-depth understanding of cutting-edge strategies being tested around the world to combat sea level rise, ocean warming, stronger storms and other devastating consequences of climate change,” she said.

“The aim is to bring this expertise back and help the Bahamas create its own plan for a secure and prosperous future through sustainability and environmental preservation. (The Chevening) is a really great organisation; they have alumni

ANN-Marie Caroll with Rupert Hayward, representing the Charles Hayward Foundation.

all around the world which allows you to make such great connections.”

Ann-Marie applied to two additional universities, in Bristol and Lancaster, during the process. And while she was accepted to all three, she ultimately chose to attend Stirling, because she felt it had the best programme options to fit her interests.

She is also excited about the overall experience of being able to live in Scotland for a full year.

“I have never been to the UK, so to know that my first time I will actually be living there… I love travelling and and experiencing new things, and I know that Europe is a melting pot of people from all over the world and so I hope that I can do some travelling around Europe and the rest of the UK when I am there,” she said.

In 2011, Ann-Marie received a Bahamas Environmental Steward Scholar (BESS) award to attend the sustainability-focused Island School in Eleuthera. She went on to graduate from the University of the West Indies with an undergraduate degree in Biology.

In addition to teaching hundreds of students about environmental preservation, during her time with the BNT she also led and managed a number of invasive species removal projects; replacing these plants with beneficial native plants like sea oats, buttonwood and sea purslane.

Her love for environmental education prompted Ann-Marie to create an informal but educational blog in 2020 called ‘EcoTings’ where she provides free environmental education and resources to the Bahamian public. She also regularly leads community clean-ups and partners with other like-minded individuals and organisations in community-powered restoration projects.

In Ann-Marie’s view, young people have a vital role to play in the advancement of sustainable development in the Bahamas; this was also a major component of her work as an education officer.

this weekend in history

But she added that this lesson was particularly taught on Grand Bahama in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

People are more aware and have been more exposed to the need for proper environment education, especially since Hurricane Dorian. And there are lots of people who plant trees, which is always an important thing to do, but there is so much more….they can use social media to advocate and learn about what is needed. They have the world at their fingertips and there are so

many opportunities here, such as the BNT volunteer programme, but also around the world,” she said.

British High Commissioner Thomas Hartley said: “I’m extremely grateful to the Hayward Foundation for buying into our vision for bringing Britain and the Bahamas closer together, and wanting to support those invested in climate change in particular. Let me wish Ann-Marie the best of luck; she will have so much fun in the UK. And I’m excited about the next application window for Chevening scholarships, which opens next week for 2024.”

The Charles Hayward Foundation Chevening Award supports postgraduate courses in ecological/ sustainable development, oceanography, marine biology, natural resource management and other disciplines related to climate and the environment. It will fund one scholarship per year for three academic years.

Sue Heath, née Hayward, chair of the foundation’s board of trustees, said: “Ann-Marie is exactly the kind of candidate we had in mind when forming this partnership with Chevening. We believe she is fully deserving of this honour, is more than qualified, and we are particularly gratified that she happens to be a native of Grand Bahama.”

Rupert Hayward, director of the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and great grand-son of the foundation’s founder, said: “I could not have hoped of a better recipient of the inaugural Charles Hayward Foundation Chevening Award. This experience will allow her to gain the expertise necessary to lead the way in finding solutions for the climate crisis and other ecological challenges which disproportionately impact the Bahamas as a low-lying coastal nation. “I have no doubt that she will become a thought leader in sustainability in the country, helping create diverse jobs for many other Bahamians in the blue and green economies. We wish her all the best and look forward to watching her progress and grow through this amazing opportunity.”

Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

28 Bishop tidied the garden and slowed down (6) 24 Loud student song shows a degree of panache (5)

R I O E K N C T L

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here?

In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. No plurals. Verb forms ending in S permitted.

TODAY’S TARGET

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

Across

1 Union negotiator (10)

6 Right? Yes, first time (4)

10 Nitre perhaps put into the ground (5)

11 Simple enough disagreement but he goes to court (9)

12 Leading doctor is lost among the trees (8)

13 Girl’s come round about the notice, miss (5)

15 Moonies redeployed in offensive (7)

17 It’s smoked by the great man in bed (7)

19 Act One is rewritten with a mythical voyeur (7)

21 Ring fighter (7)

22 The whole lot at variance (5)

24 Car is not damaged, being strong (4,4)

27 Propose a broadcast with a serial (4,5)

28 Some thousand held captive in battle (5)

29 Still not quite happening (4)

30 Looked happier when the light improved? (10)

TARGET BATTLESHIPS

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

Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer

9 Neutral, 10 Eric, 12 Pug, 13 Close up, 14 Ill, 15 Shoe, 17 Knights, 19 Silent, 20 Emergency. Down: 1 Benefits, 2 Ever, 3 Lou, 4 Thrashing, 5 Teases, 6 End up, 8 Anglesey, 11 Corner, 13 Claim, 16 Otic, 18 Hen.

CAN you crack the Alphabeater? Each grid number represents a letter – or black square. As in Alphapuzzle, every letter of the alphabet is used. But you have to complete the grid too! Use the given letters and black squares below the grid to start. The grid is ‘rotationally symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the same if you turn the page upside down. Solution tomorrow

Down

1 Post of bodyguard (4)

2 He will leave a lasting impression upon one (9)

3 By the sound of it, gather a crowd (5)

4 Give the OK to a piano on test (7)

5 Sort of band from Castile (7)

7 Boy gets a girl (5)

8 Thinks about alternative kinds of telescopes (10)

9 Profit made by moneylending concern (8)

14 If your words are this you won’t want to eat them (2,3,5)

16 Forget how to take charge (8)

18 Even work might not suit this handyman (3-3,3)

20 An explosive type of reaction (7)

21 Man with guts will be needed to ride it (7)

23 A sign he has dropped out of the race (5)

25 It’s put in during games of tennis (5)

26 Note purpose of knot (4)

Across

1 Very simple task (6,4)

THE ALPHABEATER

CROSS

DOUB

Black squares: 26, 28, 31, 32, Across: Mixed, Mycology, Jetty, Each, Devil, Manifest, Frays. Down: Technique, Adore, Esplanade, Air, PALATABLY ably allay ally ball bally PALATABLY palatal pall pally play playa tabla tala tall tally

Across: FOGGY Down: FROST 69 and

Yesterday’s Kakuro Answer

Across: 1 Ecuador, 5 Prado, 8 Obeisance, 9 Lot, 10 Home, 12 Sweet pea, 14 Likely, 15 Active, 17 Business, 18 Thaw, 21 Run, 22 Hard-nosed, 24 Yield, 25 Regimen.

Down: 1 Epoch, 2 Use, 3 Dash, 4 Renown, 5 Presence, 6 All up with, 7 Outrage, 11 Make sense, 13 Clinched, 14 Liberty, 16 Usurer, 19 Widen, 20 Snag, 23 Sum.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Across: 1 Capital, 5 Roads, 8 Mainsheet, 9 Sue, 10 Cafe, 12 Famished, 14 Nieces, 15 Heater, 17 Subjects, 18 Aces, 21 Era, 22 Enclosure, 24 Godly, 25 Shrinks.

Down: 1 Comic, 2 Psi, 3 Test, 4 Leeway, 5 Retailer, 6 Aesthetic, 7 Spender, 11 Freeboard, 13 Cemetery, 14 Nest egg, 16 Sticks, 19 Steps, 20 Boar, 23 Urn.

EASY PUZZLE

Down

Yesterday’s Easy Solution 12345678

6 Reaching far back in time (4)

10 Sodden (5)

11 Juicy (9)

12 To flood (8)

13 Calculate the sum of (3.2)

15 Anticipate (7)

17 Tropical cyclone (7)

19 Leave a place (4,3)

21 Apparent (7)

22 Have confidence in (5)

24 Country of SE Asia (8)

27 With identity kept secret (9)

28 Drink to health of (5)

29 Increased (4)

30 Consider important (3,5,2)

1 State of affairs (4)

2 As a normal rule (2,7)

3 Senior member (5)

4 Journey by sea (7)

5 Of the distant past (7)

7 Undisguised (5)

8 Enthusiastic energy (3-2-3-2)

9 Many and various (8)

14 Disconcerting (3-7)

16 Deficiency (8)

18 Begin (9)

20 Perceived by touch (7)

21 Court order to appear (7)

23 Father’s brother (5)

25 Surpass (5)

26 A support (4)

FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off. Solution tomorrow

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your mobile, text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus your usual operator

WORD BUILDER

Answer the clues so that each word contains the same letters as

A pink fantasy come to life thanks to local designer

By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

Wynette McPhee, owner of Alexandra Rose Bridal and Events, is passionate about helping her clients achieve the perfect look for all of life’s celebrations, whether it be a wedding, birthday, bridal or baby shower.

She told Tribune Weekend she started designing about nine years ago after coming up with the concept for a baby shower. “And then I did my own baby shower and I never looked back,” she said.

The most challenging aspect of creating new designs, Wynette said, is ensuring her clients are pleased.

“I’m proud to say to say that after all these years, I have never had not one client who wasn’t pleased or didn’t feel as though I met their expectations or didn’t surpass them. I believe that the mark of a true designer is they will use whatever he or she has and produce magic from scraps,” she said.

She added that a designer should always focus on what the client wants.

“Even if I love the design and my client ends up not loving it, I wouldn’t be pleased. My job is to put into design what my clients can’t put into words, all while keeping in line with a realistic budget to produce magic.”

Wynette’s mission is to “whisk (wedding and party) guests away to somewhere unknown for the time that they are in the presence of the design.” And she does this by setting the scene perfectly.

“You should speak to each of their five senses; the feel of the linens; the music playing; the smell of the flowers, the ambience of the room; taking in all of it all at once and overwhelming them with nostalgic feelings of their wedding, and for brides-to-be, have them anticipating their time,” she said.

Wynette recently played fairy godmother to bridal clients Wryissa and Donoy Adderley.

Not only did she execute their dream pink floral fantasy to

perfection, she also designed the bride’s wedding dress.

For the Adderley wedding, the décor included rose pink sequined table cloths and a pink and white floral wall which served as the perfect backdrop for the ceremony.

“My vision for that day was a fairy tale, and I got just that. My day was beautiful, warm and mystical to say the least,” bride Wryissa said.

The couple met on the beach in 2017 when Wryissa was visiting Nassau from the islands. They started talking and eventually exchanged numbers.

“From that day, we developed a friendship and love over time,” she said.

They were together for six years before they celebrated their wedding at the Balmoral Club, for which they gave Wynette almost completely free rein.

“The vision behind the design (for the tables) was an ‘X’ shape,” said the designer.

“They told me that with the marriage it felt as if their love had finally come full circle and it was perfect. One of the numbers of perfection is ten. The Roman numeral for 10 is X.”

Wynette said that she could see just how deeply in love the couple was.

“I wanted to give them a soft romantic memorable wedding they both would cherish and never ever forget,” she said.

(Photos by Kevin Grant)

WRYISSA and Donoy Adderley

DESIGNER

Wynette McPhee and bride Wryissa Adderley

AN ‘X’ layout to symbolise perfection

A sculpture as a symbol of ‘transnational unity’

Israeli artist designs flamingo showpiece for Bahamas’ newest resort

By Charlotte Ayalon

Bahamas’ newest luxury hotel, the Goldwynn Resort & Residences on Cable Beach, is taking the boutique approach to luxury while still showcasing the country’s unique island flair. Throughout the hotel’s public and private spaces, you can find a beautiful collection of original art and prints that tell the story of the

Bahamas and the historical landmark on which the hotel sits.

Most recently added to the Goldwynn’s art selection is the showpiece of the collection, an eight-foot-tall flamingo sculpted by Israeli artist Gadi Fraiman. Standing proud at the entrance of the resort, this flamingo represents the international bond between the Bahamas and the artist’s home country.

lines seem to dance in front of you as they make up the form of the inherently beautiful flamingo.

From the moment Fraiman accepted the project to create a work of art for the Goldwynn, he knew he wanted to sculpt a bird, but it wasn’t until he started researching the Bahamas that he understood the significance of the flamingo and its presence in the island nation.

Gadi Fraiman grew up in a Kibbutz (an agricultural collective commune) where he was surrounded by the inspirations offered by nature and biblical history. At the age of 40, after decades of working as a farmer in the Kibbutz, Fraiman made the courageous decision to follow his artistic passion. Without any formal artistic training, he taught himself how to sculpt in stone and bronze with his unique creative approach.

The energetic and elegant qualities of his bronze-cast sculptures bring an uplifting feeling to any space they inhabit.

For his Goldwynn sculpture, Fraiman’s style works perfectly with the aesthetic appeal of a bird. The sweeping movements of the abstract

Native to both Great Inagua in the south of the Bahamas and Eilat in the south of Israel, the flamingo represents balance, potential, and a bright future for both nations. To represent the Bahamas’ national bird not just for its striking characteristics, but as a symbol of transnational unity felt like it was predestined for the artist.

Working from his studio atop a hill on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Fraiman dreams of visiting the nowinstalled flamingo, and is working on newer models of his flamingo design as inspired by the Bahamas.

In association with his eight-foottall sculpture, Fraiman also created a smaller, sister flamingo with the colours of the Bahamian flag for a private collection. Together with these two sculptures, and the growing flock of sculpted flamingos, Fraiman dreams of bringing harmony, life, light and blessings to both countries.

FLAMINGO sculpture by Gadi Fraiman at Goldwynn Resort & Residences

Taking a dip

Good day, gardeners. How does your garden grow? Anything that is planted in the ground ought to be pushing new growth, flowers, or fruit if it’s the season for that.

Avocados are in full swing, papayas are fruiting, and I see dillies around town. Some trees have fruits that are almost ready, and some are just forming fruit. Bananas and plantain ought to be in full fruiting mode, unless the plant is still maturing.

I was grazing through the fodder on a social media site, and I’d seen a comment from a bit north of us that the nighttime temperatures have started to dip slightly. This prompted me to look a bit further, as the seasonal changes can be imperceptible at the early stages, and to be honest, I have not really noticed much of a dip in nighttime temperatures.

For us, the changes are ever so slight, and it is expected that the graph will trend towards lower temperatures ever so slowly and gradually. The accompanying chart by Weather Spark shows a tiny dip occurring, albeit quite imperceptible just yet. It is happening!

Do you know what that means?

Well, silly rabbit, it’s almost time for veggie season. At the C V Bethel High School, crops of Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and Swiss chard are already in the ground as seedlings. While in my experience it’s a bit early yet, it’s commendable what they’re doing over there, and they’re getting positive results while engaging the students in food cultivation and production. This is key to our progress towards food security.

We’re bombarded with processed food products from factories to our north that are dubious in their claims and contents, that which are often detrimental to

human health while portraying the image of providing a benefit.

I’ve said it before, but marketers are dangerous when they are so easily convincing consumers of a processed food product as healthy or beneficial. Ingredients matter. What’s in it?! That’s what counts.

The same goes for branding. Some of the better-known fertilizers, for example, are nothing more than a group of marketers convincing buyers to use their product(s), when in practice it doesn’t match up to many lesser-known products.

The proof is in the pudding, and if one is to use a controlled, wellbranded product, and a lesser-known product, often it’s found that the well-branded product isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

I won’t put down any product in the public realm here, but I’ve done my trials and I’ve seen the results for myself.

I speak from experience, and I always question my convictions by testing them, and testing them again. I’m a marketer’s bad dream, because I refuse to buy into it.

The same thing occurs on labelling of veggies and fruit from far

flung locations. It is my hope that we can get to a point of consistent local food production that it’s available in the average grocery store produce section. Of course, it’s difficult in the summer heat, if not impossible, to grow many of the vegetables that prefer the cooler temperatures of our winter season. There are ways around this, but you’d be receiving an invoice from me to get that info from me! I’ve seen “it” in practice and comparably it is successful and viable.

Indoor gardening, whether vertical or not, is not feasible here as has been proven. Our costs of business are ridiculously high, as are utilities and labour, let alone the hiring of highly educated individuals to grow a bit of lettuce. Never mind that we’re being taxed to death and socked with line after line of fees and surcharges. Solar and renewable energy sources are getting better, but there still barriers in place, for many that is the upfront cost to install.

All of that aside. It’s time to get planting seeds or preparing garden beds for planting seedlings from a grower. Turn in some aged compost, aged manure, etcetera. Test the soil

for pH and nutrient content before planting, so that any amendments needed to adjust the pH and nutrient content can be applied and allowed to act prior to planting.

Test kits are available from at least one reputable garden center that I happen to be involved in. By the end of September, it’s time to get planting the early crops.

Tomato plants and lettuce plants are best to be left until October for planting. Cabbages and kales, arugula and herbs, sweet peppers and hot peppers, can all be going on over the next several weeks. At our nursery we haven’t started veggies yet, it’s still too hot to be growing them in small pots.

Patience is needed now, and when time is right, it’s gangbusters for the next few months. As always, I wish you happy gardening.

literary lives

The wild side of Daphne du Maurier

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . . I came upon it suddenly; the approach masked by the unnatural growth of a vast shrub that spread in all directions . . . There was Manderley, our Manderley, secretive and silent as it had always been, the gray stone shining in the moonlight of my dream, the mullioned windows reflecting the green lawns and terrace. Time could not wreck the perfect symmetry of those walls, nor the site itself, a jewel in the hollow of a hand.”

Daphne du Maurier is one of England’s best known and most prolific romantic novelists – even though she detested the expression. She always wanted to be taken more seriously as an author.

She was born in London in 1907; the second daughter of the actor Gerald du Maurier. Her grandfather was the artist, writer and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier who created the character Svengali in the novel Trilby.

According to historian and biographer Jane Dunn, the du Maurier household revolved around Gerald and his mercurial personality. The gifted Daphne was the favourite of his three daughters and she was able to hold her own against him. Her mother, Muriel, who was also an actress, resented her husband’s fascination with their middle daughter.

Du Maurier’s novel, The Progress of Julius, published in 1933 while her father was still alive, painted a portrait of a father-daughter relationship that rather resembled a love affair.

There is little doubt that Daphne du Maurier belonged to literary aristocracy. When she was a teenager on a holiday in Cornwall, she and her sisters convinced their mother to buy a brokendown old boathouse across the bay in Bodinnick from Fowey – Ferryside – and it was here that she wrote her first novel, The Loving Spirit, in 1931. She loved Fowey and Cornwall and never got it out of her system.

She really was not comfortable in London and much preferred the isolation of Ferryside. On and off in London she wrote three more novels and in 1932 met and married Major (later LieutenantGeneral) Frederick “Boy” Browning – whom she met on the water sailing in the Fowey harbour.

He was then a major in the Grenadier Guards and they were instantly attracted to each other. The courtship was brief – in fact only three months

- and it is rumoured that she proposed to him as “she wanted to get on with her life”. Eventually, they had three children: Tessa, Flavia and Christian, or “Kits”, who was her favourite.

Although she spent a great deal of her time away from her husband and children writing in Cornwall, she had already trespassed and discovered Menabilly – a seemingly abandoned and crumbling mansion on the mainland, hidden by dense forest from the road and from the sea and not far away from Fowey.

She fell in love with it immediately and used it as the sleeping Cornish mansion Manderley in the novel she had been contracted to write by her London publisher Victor Gollancz. She was determined to own the house and thought that part of her soul belonged to it but it was some years before she could rent it from the Rashleigh family who owned Menabilly.

But there was a dark side to Daphne du Maurier’s character. In 1937, her husband “Boy” Browning was posted to the Middle East as Commander of the Second Battalion of the Grenadier Guards. As the wife of an English officer, she was expected to follow him. The marriage was

a success but she was being dragged away from everything she loved, especially Cornwall. On top of this, she knew that “Boy” Browning, who she called Tommy, before they were married had been engaged to the tall, slim, and beautiful dark-haired temptress Jan Ricardo.

She believed that her husband had a continuing relationship with her when she found a packet of letters signed with a large flourishing “R” that dwarfed the other letters. The seeds of jealousy sprouted and grew in the young author’s mind. She hated Alexandria and Egypt where her husband was stationed. She hated the army life too and the constant separations where he was away from her doing either manoeuvres or nights out with “the boys”, who she regarded as nasty, common people.

Although she had a firm contract from Victor Gollancz for the novel which would follow her most recent Jamaica Inn, writing was difficult. Alone, partially estranged from her husband in the searing heat of Egypt, the young Daphne found thinking and writing almost impossible. But she persisted and finally found her rhythm and the release that writing brought with it. She wrote about her own situation – a young wife, a handsome Army officer, a beautiful dark mistress in London, the Cornish mansion Menabilly she craved to live in . . . . . it was inevitable that she would write “Rebecca” with all its dark secrets and atmosphere of impending disaster.

It had been almost six months since she had left England, leaving her two infant daughters Tessa and Flavia behind. Racked with jealousy, loneliness and torment, the 30-year-old du Maurier ploughed into her novel.

It wasn’t easy, but she was soon completely immersed into her macabre love story. The reader never really knows who the storyteller is behind Rebecca – but it is clearly herself. She peels her emotional skin off her body and bleeds her feelings into her writing. Suspicion.

A young woman married to a slightly older man. The beautiful Cornish mansion by the sea. Jealousy – again, and again, and again. She held nothing back and knew that something awful would have to happen if the book and her story were to work. Du Maurier often admitted that her novel was a study in jealousy – but she admitted only to a very few people that its origins were the heartbreaking reality of her own life. Even the Cornish house, which she was eventually to rent and live in for over 25 years, had to have its evil secrets. And it does. The story goes from strength to strength as she created the unknown character

– Daphne du Maurier Rebecca, 1938

DAME Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (19071989)

Sir Christopher Ondaatje explores the turbulent life of a writer whose haunting and atmospheric work made her one of England’s most prolific and enduring novelists.

of Rebecca. Although it is a romantic story it is very much Gothic in its character, similar to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and even part of it to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

She was fully concentrated on her writing almost to the exclusion of everything else when her husband was called back to England in December of 1937. Totally immersed in her writing and unnerved, she literally divorced herself from her husband and small children and left for Cornwall, determined to finish her story without any family or Christmas interferences. She worked like the high winds and storms in the harbour below her and somehow, in less than four months, she finished her manuscript and delivered it to Victor Gollancz. They knew instantly the qualities of du Maurier’s masterpiece.

Certainly, Alexandria was not the place to write a romantic novel. Yet it was in Alexandria that her imagination was sparked. Rebecca is a love letter to the country for which she yearned and, although a study in jealousy, it is also about the suspenseful relationship between a young woman and the insecurity of her marriage.

In 1993, the world learned that du Maurier was an even more complex woman than so far supposed. In her award-winning book, simply titled Daphne du Maurier, biographer Margaret Forster reveals the author’s secret romantic connections with women. Forster read hundreds of letters which showed not only that du Maurier had been in love with her American publisher’s wife, but that she had had physical relationships with two other women.

“Indeed, she was disparaging about gays in general. I take her at her word when she says she was not a lesbian but, in her own expression, a ‘half- breed’: drawn at times to both sexes…She was definitely physically attracted to her husband when she married him, but at other times in her life she needed sexual affection from both men and women.

Of the two she preferred ‘Venice’ - as she called the love of the same sex - to ‘Cairo’, her code word for heterosexual sex.”

– Margaret Forster, author of Daphne du Maurier, in an interview with The Independent, 1993

Rebecca is a novel that sold nearly three million copies in the 25 years immediately after its publication.

From 1938 to 1956 it made Daphne du Maurier’s name, not just as a first-rate storyteller but as a mistress of suspense. Her power to create a sense of place is unequalled in the literary world.

Rebecca has never been out of print. It has by far outsold all her other books and it still sells more than 4,000 copies a month world-wide. The Oscar-winning film of the same name was made by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940 starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. She herself adapted Rebecca as a stage play in 1939 which had a successful London run in 1940 of over 350 performances. It was adapted as an opera with music by Wilfred Josephs and performed in Opera North in Leeds in 1983. As recently as September 2006 a musical version of Rebecca premiered at Raimund Theatre in Vienna, Austria, written by Michael Kunze with Sylvester Levay’s music. In 2020, Netflix debuted a remake of Rebecca starring Lily James as Rebecca, Armie Hammer as Maxim DeWinter and Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers.

Daphne du Maurier went on the write 22 more works of fiction and another nine non-fiction books including biography.

She was known as Daphne du Maurier from 1907 to 1932 when she became Mrs Frederick Browning – but continued to write under her maiden name. She was titled Lady Browning;

Daphne du Maurier from 1946 to 1969. On being created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1969, she became Lady Browning; Dame Daphne du Maurier DBE (1969 -1989).

She died on the April 19, 1989, and her ashes were scattered on her beloved Cornwall.

Sadly, Jan Ricardo, “Boy” Browning’s mistress, who inspired the character of Rebecca, married someone else after the split from “Boy” Browning. Tragically, she died in 1944 when she threw herself under a train.

DU Maurier with her husband ‘Boy’ Browning

THE FIRST addition of the 1938 Gothic novel ‘Rebecca’

MENABILLY house in Cornwall, the inspiration for Manderley in the novel ‘Rebecca’

Celebrating outstanding Bahamians

‘The 100 Most Outstanding Bahamians of the 20th Century”, published in 2000 by Jones Communications, is one of Wendall K Jones’ many attractive coffee table books and I just finished re-reading.

The reader may not agree with Mr Jones’ choice of prominent people, but that does not detract from the value of the book.

The acknowledgements on page 106 contains more than a baker’s dozen of people who put it all together. Sean McWeeney, as chairman of the board of advisors, tells us that choosing the individuals “was arduous task”.

He goes on to say, “One hundred may seem rather a lot but…it was a constricting number, for there were many more persons who were deserving of inclusion.

“Of the 100 names submitted, 96 were accepted. I knew 47 of the chosen ones.”

I am strong believer that “history is people and people are history”, so I was pleased to read the closing paragraph of Mr McWeeney’s afterword, which states: “Someone once said that recorded history is little more than the biography of great men…and women…”

After reading about Alfred F Adderley (1891-1953), a long-time friend of my family, about Leon Walton Young – the first and last in an alphabetical listing, I came to the conclusion that Mr Jones should publish another list of suitable Bahamians, not necessarily limited to the 20th century.

Alphabetically, the second entry is Paul L Adderley (1928-2012). Mr Jones says that Paul attended Maud Wright’s school on Delancy Street, as did I (several years later).

Mrs Wright was a legend and should have been considered among the 100.

There can be no question of the inclusion of Milo B Butler (19051979), who, like several of my ancestors, was a man from Rum Cay. He and his family were pillars of St Matthew’s Church.

Bishop Donald Knowles (18981977) was the keynote speaker at a banquet for Sir Milo at Atlantis. His speech opened with the words, “When I was rector of St Matthew’s, I would stand at the altar and look towards the congregation. Every Sunday, there were in the front pew right Mr Butler, Mrs Butler and all the little Butlers.”

At this point, the bishop paused and corrected his choice of words, “Well, not little, but young.”

My sister Betty was like a member of Sir Milo’s family.

Cleveland W Eneas was a man of many talents; a superb storyteller.

I got to know him well on the golf course. He got a kick out of retelling a silly joke about my suggesting that he replace his ‘Ping’ golf bag with a ‘Hugh Biggity’ golf bag.

Preston A Moss was a messenger at British Overseas Airways (BOAC) in the 1950s. My sister, Barbara Nico, also worked there and hired 16-year-old Preston to serve drinks at her birthday party. The party was held on her husband’s 84 ft-schooner Gulliver, anchored in Nassau Harbour.

Before the party, a glass-bottom boat picked up the guests at Malcolm Park and brought them to the Gulliver. Around midnight, the boat

returned to take the guests back to Malcolm Park, but, after casting off from the schooner and heading toward shore, the boat’s engine broke down. I should not have been surprised that they had no anchor; we were drifting westwards on the rising tide. As luck would have it, we collided with a nearby fishing smack, to which the captain tied up while he got the engine running again. Hardly had we cast off, when the engine stopped again – for good – and drifting resumed.

Fortune smiled on us and we collided with another anchored smack but had to find a way to get to shore. There was a wooden dinghy tied to a nearby sloop and a crew member swam over to borrow it. There was nobody on the sloop, but he came back with the dinghy and asked the guests to come aboard, to be sculled to the Deveaux Street dock.

Barbara’s 400 lbs girlfriend was the first to board and the dinghy looked dangerously low in the water, so nobody else got on, but the boatman refused to leave with only one passenger. Reluctantly, Ezra Forsythe, Preston and I joined her.

Tide was rising but the water at the dock was still below the (very slippery) stone steps, barely covering the mound of empty shells, blocking access to the steps. With the rising tide, we got close enough for me to touch the dock and struggle ashore.

Without my 200 lbs, the bow of the dinghy touched the shore and our lady friend wanted to get off. Standing on a very slipper, moss-covered surface, I tried, but failed, to pull her ashore.

Ezra and Preston pushed and I pulled and, very slowly, she came ashore. I do not remember what happened after that.

No one was more deserving of being one of the chosen than did Gail Saunders (1944-2023), a lifelong friend and former neighbour, as I once rented a house from Gail’s parents.

Defying the odds – The remarkable Garmin

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

Iwould like to take time out this week to talk about a very special boy, who has the spunk of a million dogs. I would like to talk about Garmin. Garmin came to us as a very small puppy. He was one of many in the puppy section at the Bahamas Humane Society shelter.

I was showing guests around. As we went into the puppy play area masses of small pups ran towards us with the exuberance that you only see in the very young pup. They all clambered around us, squeaking and biting, except for one; a skinny and ugly little pup with a tail longer than himself and ears that flopped around his funny little face.

He sat down, rigid, at my feet, staring intently at my face. I looked once and smiled at him. He stayed stock still, not even a sign of a wriggle.

I expected that this funny little thing would move along. When I looked down again, he was still there looking at me so intently as if he was expecting something from me. I looked away, talked to others, but nothing was going to move this little muffin. I let myself weaken for a second and reached down to pick him up. He was skinny, and weighed so little, As I got him to my shoulder, I felt his little body relax and he gave a huge sigh of relief. That sigh said it all. He had found a home.

I subsequently found out that he had just been released from clinic care. He had been found living in a disused baby carriage on Balls Alley and it was thought he was eating bugs, drinking from puddles and scavenging for any nourishment he could find. He was dehydrated and had been on a drip. This was his first day out.

By rights, he should have still been with his mummy at his young age, but alas, he had somehow been separated from her and any siblings and had done his darndest to stay alive;

long enough to find a home. Seemingly, a home with me.

The main reason I took him home is that I thought that he was such an ugly little dog that he would get bypassed at every adoption opportunity and would be looking for a home forever.

Fast forward and he grew into an exceptionally handsome potcake. He was a bit of a fighter in his youth, well, not actually a fighter. He would start fights and then lose miserably and spend hours at the vet’s office getting sewn up. His last major fight was with his sister. He caused it; she retaliated, and several weeks later he still bore the scars.

He is now a distinguished gentleman of 13.5 years and he lives in our bungalow, thankful that there are no stairs to climb. He no longer jumps up on to the bed and is too stubborn to learn how to use the simple steps I bought him. He still gets up on the sofa to survey his subjects though.

Last November, he suddenly collapsed on me. He wouldn’t eat, was very weak, and I thought he was on his way out. After quite a few tests, it was sadly established that he was a very sick boy, and the prognosis was that he would not make Christmas.

pet of the week

Magnifcent Maya

ByTHEBAHAMAS HUMANESOCIETY

Lovely Maya is a collie mix available for adoption at the Bahamas Humane Society.

She walks very well on a lead, has participated in the Bahama Games opening, and loves to go out for the Wednesday and Saturday walks at BHS.

Maya is about two and a half years old and loves people and other dogs. She’s just finished her

I immediately opted for palliative care; no more tests, only meds to make him feel better. And if he started to eat, he could choose what was on the menu basically. If we only had six weeks, it was going to be six wonderful weeks full of good food, cuddles and no more tests.

Garmin took to this new life of absolutely no rules very well, like a fish to water. He had been shaved on his side to have an ultrasound and the fur started to grow back. His tail never stopped wagging on Christmas Day. He had passed his deadline… and we held our breath every morning wondering if his tail would still be wagging. He would be sleeping in his bed and I would stand over him like I did with my newborn

babies, making sure he was still breathing.

Every day since Christmas has been a gift; another day with my bossy, feisty little potcake. We have now reached mid-September and I am delighted to say that my funny little man is by my side as I write this.

He is a demanding little pest and I love him all the more for it.

He and his sister do not fight any more; they go out into the garden together and make the rounds, smelling every flower, and then come in and flop down to enjoy the AC, especially this hot summer.

Long may my funny little Garmin beat all the odds!

heartworm treatment and hopes to stay clear in the future.

Maya looks forward to an adoption home that will give her smart mind a workout and her body some exercise.

Are you that home? If so, please come in to meet Maya or call 3256742 for more information. Maya looks forward to meeting you!

(Photo by Judy Young)

Celebrity chefs take over Atlantis restaurants for special event

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

Atlantis Paradise Island has kicked off its inaugural Table Takeover series which sees celebrity chefs from around the world assume control of the menus of some of the resort’s most popular restaurants.

The takeovers are happening this week and then again during the last week of September at Bimini Road and Café Martinique respectively.

Presented by its Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival (NPIWFF), the new limited series was launched last Saturday and featured a menu from Chef JJ Johnson, who recognised for his innovative approach to African-Caribbean cuisine.

His takeover of Bimini Road in Marina Village continues until this Saturday.

Chef José Garces of Iron Chef fame then takes over Café Martinique with his Spanish and Latin American cooking later this month.

Chef Johnson, a decorated chef who has been honoured with the James Beard Foundation Book Award and placed twice on the Nation’s Restaurant News Power List, introduced a Caribbean brasserie concept for his takeover.

He presented an exclusive dining experience with limited-edition menu items showcasing his AfricanCaribbean roots. Dishes included oxtail dumplings, Amarillo broth snapper and tuna ceviche tostada with avocado, and goat chops curry, as well as a 21 oz bone-in rib-eye steak with lobster curry corn.

In an interview with Tribune Weekend, Chef Johnson said it was great to be back in the Bahamas for yet another Atlantis collaboration.

“From the moment I got off the airplane to when I got back in the kitchen…it feels like home, and it feels like the right place for me to be cooking,” he said.

“I have been fortunate to be a part of table takeover experiences around the world, but this table takeover is different than the other ones. This has been something Atlantis and I have been building up to and working on. Guests will get to experience two of my signature dishes, a few dishes out of my new cookbook, The Simple Art of Rice, and be able to try dishes from this new concept I am working on.”

Chef Johnson’s signature style of combining culturally

relevant ingredients with his classically trained cooking and global point of view was inspired by the Caribbean tastes he grew up with and his travels. He’s cooked in Ghana and Israel and has visited a seven-generation rice farm in India. His culinary philosophy centers on showcasing the African diaspora’s diversity and richness while challenging traditional cuisines

Regarding his new cookbook, The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table, he shared with following with Tribune Weekend: “Rice connects everyone and is the greatest connector in the world. It doesn’t matter where you are from or who you are, rice is always at the centre of the table. I wanted to celebrate the rice of the people, the rice farmers and give everyone an option to be able to

cook rice better. I believe The Simple Art of Rice will unite people in the kitchen and give you a perspective on cultures you might have not known.”

The Table Takeover series continues September 28 –October 1 with José Garces.

The restaurateur, cookbook author, and recipient of numerous James Beard Awards, will present a Spanish and Latin American takeover at Café Martinique.

Chef Garces will offer a menu that spans the globe, focusing on authentic flavours and presentations. From pulpo gallego to ensalada de jamón and montadito de pato, the menu will take diners on a tour of classic Spanish dishes with a Garces twist.

During the takeover, guests will have the opportunity to meet Chef Garces during a signing of his classic

cookbook, The Latin Road

Home.

“With the new Table Takeovers series, Atlantis pushes the envelope in culinary innovation, all anchored to the anticipated announcement of our second annual Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival and the celebrity chef lineup,” said Audrey Oswell, president and managing director of Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas.

“Chefs Johnson and Garces’ participation in the Table Takeover series affords guests, visitors and the local community to experience extraordinary global flavours and cuisine that distinguishes Atlantis and the Bahamas and furthers the destination’s reputation for delivering world-class cuisine.”

CHEF JJ Johnson CHEF José Garces

DISHES by Chef JJ Johnson