Bikes and dogs
With the use of motorbikes remaining a hot topic in the community, a Beaconite would like to add her two cents as a new dog owner. Most of the time, an evening walk with the pups along the road in Cane Garden Bay is pleasant, especially around sunset. But one of the dogs had abusive owners in the past and is absolutely terrified of bikes. The reporter has helped him work through some of those issues. With positive reinforcement and lots of work, she has gotten him to the point where he won’t try to chase after a passing bike. This involved getting his attention, maintaining eye contact and petting his face to reassure him that he was safe. He is now to the point that if a bike is far enough away, he won’t even react. The only challenge that remains is if a driver comes around the corner too quickly for the Beaconite to react and passes very close to the dog. She knows that she can’t remove the pain of the past for this sweet pup, but she can do her best to provide a safe, loving environment for him as long as he is in her care. She would greatly appreciate if motorbike drivers slowed down in busy areas for both the safety of residents and the well-being of pets.
Hiking
Since the start of the pandemic, most people haven’t had any opportunities to travel outside of the territory. Thankfully, one Beaconite got to hike just up the hill from where she lives on Friday with Hike BVI, offering a fresh perspective on things. With views worth the arduous climb, Fort Charlotte sits atop the McNamara hill and offers a historical experience. The fresh air at the top of the mountain refreshed this reporter. She also realised that even though the climb was difficult, centuries ago people would make the journey through the bushes in heavy clothing on a regular basis. Her imagination transported her back in time when she explored the magazine bunker. The hike ended with homemade lemonade and oranges. She hopes to take more opportunities to explore the island during these next few weeks and keep a fresh perspective on life.
Illegal entry
It is understandably upsetting to many residents that people apparently entered into the territory illegally, possibly bringing the coronavirus with them and prompting the government to enact a new curfew after going weeks with no known cases. However, as the Beaconite has reiterated before in this space, the virus outside these borders has not gone away. It would have entered, if not now, then when the borders reopen to tourists. Instead of spending so much time and energy shaming the behaviour of irresponsible individuals (who will sadly continue to be irresponsible), she thinks it is more productive to redirect the focus on the government by demanding solutions for dealing with the virus that involve curtailing the freedoms of law-abiding residents and businesses as minimally as possible.
Read the news
A Beaconite doesn’t understand why some people don’t read the news. While by no means the most voracious news junky around, he devotes 30-odd minutes every morning to scrolling through his favourite (digitally rendered) newspapers, a ritual he savours as it revs up his brain and gives him a sense of accomplishment he tries to maintain throughout the day. When people tell him they don’t read the news, typically because they either don’t trust it or feel that it is too depressing, the Beaconite scoffs, secure in his knowledge of how hard journalists work to report the truth and of how much interesting material lurks between the more lurid or dull stories. This week, however, he had to admit that the non-news readers, specifically those who turn away to preserve their positivity, may have a point. It is hard to start your day with excitement and optimism when the news cycle’s biggest stories are an entire political party lying to their people, the northern half of his home state consumed by wildfire, and riots following the police shooting of an un-armed black man in front of his children. Nonetheless, because he loves the routine and because he loves a great story, after finishing his breakfast tomorrow, the Beaconite will grab his phone and thumb through his favourite news sources. He encourages everyone else to do the same, but understands if people are disturbed by whatever apocalyptic rumblings occurred overnight and choose to log in to Instagram instead. Still, he hopes that they will keep reading the Beacon no matter what.