Tips & Tricks

That's it - school is now out. Well, apart from the final assembly on Tuesday and graduation on Wednesday, that is. So now it's two weeks' of wrapping up before the 15th, which loosely translates to packing and beach time. This weekend has been a quite a physical exertion on myself, if not for the 13-hour Alan Partridge marathon yesterday then the ankle sprain which caught me out during a quick 30-minute footie session yesterday afternoon. So that meant a lot of icing and elevating today on the couch, watching Spain ride their way to victory at the Euro finals.

So now I'm housebound for a bit, and I suppose now is a better time than any. The sprain seems minor enough, so I hope I'll be able to hop around without the need for a crutch in a day or two. Having enjoyed my time here on Montserrat very much, I recently stopped to think about things that I won't be missing about this place. Always good to keep a bit of perspective from both sides, I guess? So here's the (slightly candid) list of things I probably won't miss when I leave.

1) The high number of drivers here who don't dim their headlights when they approach oncoming traffic. I can't emphasize how annoying (and potentially unsafe) that is, so this makes the top of the list.

2) The lack of British TV channels and the Beeb with their ad-free programming. The mindlessly numbing, incessantly frequent ad breaks on American TV could be easily mistaken for a mild form of waterboarding.

3) Banks that shut at 2pm. C'mon, really? It's almost like a half-bank holiday everyday here.

4) The inexplicable amount of roadworks (for a small-ish island), traffic diversions and road blocks - not quite handy during peak hour or when the diversion means driving three or four times the distance on a limited set of roads. Having said that, this is probably an everyday London scenario as well anyway.

5) No sushi on the island. Whatsoever.

And of course, looking at the other side of things, here's a list of the top 5 (slightly irrelevant but yet so charming) things I'll miss about Montserrat. Apart from the obvious things like the weather, beaches and steel pans.

1) The causality of strolling into a rum shop, ordering a drink and liming out by the roadside while spectating a game of dominoes.

2) Getting on the small seven-seater Britten-Norman Islander to and from Antigua and admiring the island by air.

3) Understanding how to work around a restaurant system here where the à la carte selection in a Montserrat restaurant is smaller and more unpredictable than a table d'hôte selection at Strada.

4) Not having to lock my car or remove the car key whenever I park.

5) The tastiness that is goat water.

Photos from the jubilee recital are now ready, and they all look pretty brilliant. All photos posted below are taken by Wayne Fenton.

Leading the newly-formed MSS steel pan ensemble.

Pan player Essalene M., Form 3.

Jo headlining the recital with her first-half performance.

The steel pan players performing Hold My Hand.

Filipe performing some self-written works.

Filipe & myself doing some free improvisation.

Reminiscent of our SEZENYŪM days.

Performing our collaborative piece written for Montserrat.

Leading the Montserrat Youth Choir.

The finale of the evening.

I've just received word that response for this project placement next year has been very positive, and I am excited to see who will be taking my place come September. We'll find out soon enough!

Goats & Sweatbands

So what do you get when you get nearly a dozen goats, dress them up, line them up and cheer wildly as they bolt down a 30-metre long course? Welcome to Montserrat's answer to the Grand National, where goats of all shapes and sizes battle it out on the racetrack for fame, glory, and if they're lucky, escape from the goat water pot.

Last weekend's goat race was part of the Island People Fete, a carnival which was held at Tropical Mansions. The Montserrat Running Club entered a goat, which we later named Ishwar. Ishwar, according to club president Tom Regan, has had a "good pre-season [...] and has only been pregnant twice over the spring, and has only been run over once". Perfect.

Seb, Aoife and I got down with good time to spare to dress up our goat - in running attire, of course.

Only the best kit for Ishwar.

Just before the pre-race pep talk.

Pink, blue & yellow - perfect colour combo.

And Ishwar certainly didn't fare too badly - a few false starts aside, he blazed through the heats and even managed to grab himself a coveted spot in the top three. Unfortunately, his desire for oats (offered at the finish line as an incentive to run) was probably not was strong as his opponents' desire to not end up in goat water, and he never made it beyond third place.

And of course, like every respectable race, bets were accepted for each goat before every race. However, I did manage to abstain from putting any money on a goat, given my sore lack of experience at attending such races. In hindsight, I probably should have attended the Oxford & Cambridge Goat Race this year. For the uninformed, this race is held every year as an anti-elitist alternative to the annual traditional river Thames boat race between Oxford and Cambridge. At least no class war protests marred the goat action!

Seb's last day in Montserrat.

Super goats in action.

In the end, Ishwar pulled a full Monty stunt - by the time of his last race, every single piece of clothing and accessory adorning him had come off, save for one sweatband around his rear right hoof. Guess he was getting himself ready for the goat water pot after all.