Stylin’ and profilin’
Perusing the stalls lining Road Town’s Queen Elizabeth II Park on Friday at the Seniors’ Cultural Soirée, a Beaconite came across the familiar sight of Adina Penn selling her straw crafts. As she peered at him through her sunglasses, he decided that it was the day to finally accessorise himself with one of her expertly woven hats. From previous conversations with her, the Beaconite knew the straw from which Ms. Penn wove the hats began as a seed as many as 20 years ago. After ruling out one that was far too small for his melon, he tried on a festive sunhat with green and red strands of straw woven throughout. The second he looked up at a group of ladies nearby, a chorus of “oohs” escaped their lips. He knew he’d found a winner. Gloria Fahie, who was standing in her booth adjacent to Ms. Penn’s, implored the Beaconite to purchase the hat. She didn’t need to convince him, and the $40 was a small price to pay for such a high-quality memento.
A king’s ransom
What are you going to give King Charles III for his birthday? He’s giving you a day off on June 13 (if he even knows about it, which is doubtful). The public holiday strikes a Beaconite as odd for two reasons: 1) It’s not actually his birthday (that’s Nov. 14, but British monarchs insist on two birthdays, which some might say is greedy); and 2) even the United Kingdom doesn’t observe a public holiday to show it’s united with its king. It all seems like yet another colonial cling-on, where the last outposts of empire pay homage to a monarch who lives 4,164 miles from the Virgin Islands and is unlikely to visit here again. Somewhat bizarrely, he also remains the head of state of major nations (or “the Realms Across the Seas” as Buckingham Palace prefers to call them in its typically grand manner) like Canada and Australia. But at least they have long since insisted that their governors-general actually be born in the countries that they represent the king in, and their governments largely decide who the person will be. How unlike the VI and other overseas territories. The current governor has been in the VI for more than 15 months, which is getting on for halfway through the usual timespan of roughly three or four years that governors typically occupy the post. Who will succeed him? Spoiler alert: A Beaconite wouldn’t bet against it being a posh, white man from London. Everybody wants a public holiday, but wouldn’t it be refreshing to actually be able to vote for the head of state as well? Residents could still take the time off: Just call it Republic Day.
Hitching
A Beaconite is always grateful for the kind residents of the Virgin Islands. Each time she steps out her door to hitch down to town (or wherever she is going) and later returns home, she relies on this kindness. She cannot thank every person who has ever opened their door and given her a ride enough. Indeed, she has been hitching around Tortola for long enough that she has met various people more than once who have been nice enough to stop and take her along their commute. And sometimes people even go out of their way to take her closer — or even all the way to the place she needs to go. So, on behalf of every person who has stood on the side of the road pointing their finger in the direction they need to go, thank you to all who pull over and offer transportation. The territory’s lack of a comprehensive public transportation system makes it nearly impossible for people who do not drive or have access to a vehicle to get around without the generosity of others. The reporter hopes that the public transportation network will expand on the island. The free shuttle service in town is very helpful to many. But it would be even better if such a service included routes that went a bit further — say to Purcell Estate, East End, West End and Cane Garden Bay, just to name a few.
