HIT YOUR 6 ON ROUTE KINGSTON KICKS!!! Escapade # 11 – JAS Farmers’ Market (Agro 2014) at Hope, JC grounds, May 31

Recent Farmers’ Market New Kingston – Gleaner

GMOing has been going on for millenia …….’Birds Do It, Bees Do It …Even Educated..’.

But there’s GMO…& then there’s GMO… We got ortaniques by GMOing (grafting – some loss of genetic material – seeds don’t grow) we also get all our imported soy from Monsanto’s dark arts  (gene splicing, major loss of genetic material & nutrients & disease causing) such that ‘Monstertanto’ makes us ill with it… there’s a difference.  In  the era of Monstertanto whose GMOed and chemically treated seed make up 90% of the world’s seed trade, Dominica is officially organic and Bayern is officially non-GMO… Mexico, France & Hawaii have followed suit and India is battling to keep Monstertanto out of its rice paddies.  So what can we do to save ourselves?  Politics aside, follow Mr. Tufton’s lead … and let’s all go to Farmers’ Markets – still common all over Europe and something of a persistent ‘rebel movement’ in North America … land of the supermarket.  In the last 100 years soil nutrients have been depleted by over 50% and food nutrient values decreased at even higher percentages.

What’s the good of a farmer’s market?   Well, in Jamaica, not all problems are solved by them, but here’re some really good reasons to patronise them:

1) Great prices & the middle man is cut out so all money to farmer

2) you can get more full nutrient, non-GMOed food

3) you eat local and help cut the import bill

4) you cut the carbon footprint

5) you cut packaging pollution

6) you have greater control over what you eat (talking to farmer can tell you how he farms and whether you want to buy his fare based on his practices)

Here’s what you should look for:

1)  Indigenous and wild crops –  they’re non-GMO, less pesticides – (some farmers spray their yams, etc) no growth retardants (all American potatoes sprayed with it from mass producers unless organic)

2) Leafy vegetables with holes in them (no or less pesticides which even insects don’t eat)

3) Buy Michael Fox’s & anybody else’s organic greens & foods (if there). In Jamaica though, not all organic is organic, the farmer just thinks so…

6) Find someone whose eggs are very little, the yolk is huge and nearly blood red & tastes like butter (lot’s of excellent fat) – these are mostly organic eggs

7) Buy New Zealand whole milk dairy – All American dairy has bovine growth hormone unless stated otherwise or 100% organic, better yet, buy raw whole milk if anyone is selling it and boil it yourself.  By the way, after age 5, all dairy you consume ought to be fermented.

8) Buy grape and ox heart tomatoes, most plummies are GMOed and pesticide sprayed

9) buy coconut oil that ‘sleeps’ –  best for your brains, frying and your gut – very virgin burns easier though, don’t let it, all burnt oil carcinogenic.

10) Buy Heritage/heritage (a brand and also all non-GMO generic) seed and create/grow your own from heritage stock you grow

11) Find non-GMO big, smellie pawpaws and pines, full nutrient complement – all small pawpaws and the new Jamaica Producers pines GMOed

12) Don’t waste your money – Buy your alkaline water from the Roquefort Bath head spring, 300 dollars to go in and fill all the bottles you like – one glass per day

13) Buy fish 2lbs and under in weight – above that heightens mercury exposure

Cautionary Tales:

1) Developing countries, including us are often recipient users of banned ‘gift’ pesticides from the States.

2) All Jamaican corn and soy is GMOed and sprayed by Monstertanto, we are the largest per capita consumer of soy on earth leading to male impotence, gynoecomastia, premature puberty, thyroid problems, calcium uptake interference, immune breakdown, etc. etc.  Fermented organic soy is good for you & eat organic soy beans only as often as you would eat any other bean.

3) Know that all commercial gourd fruits suck up pesticides, eat them as a calculated risk or find organic ones

4) GMO does not grow (the seeds are ‘mules’ & that’s the catch, Monstertanto enslaves the contracting farmers of other countries into repeatedly buying ‘demon seed’ and suicide is becoming well known among poor farmers in Asia.  Safe GMO – like grafting & hybridisation – can be reverted by nature, unsafe gene-spliced GMO cannot, what’s lost or added is so forever)

5) Pesticides are designed NOT to wash off so wash and rinse all fruits and veggies in pure liquid castile soap and rinse well…water alone removes NOTHING

Join THE OCCUPY MONSANTO & THE FOOD REVOLUTION MOVEMENTS  ON THE WEB- MONSTERTANTO, DOW ETC ARE DEATH TO THE ENTIRE WORLD BEE POPULATION WHICH IS BEING DECIMATED, NOT TO MENTION…US

HIT YOUR SIX ON ROUTE KINGSTON KICKS – Escapade No. 9 – What’s Old is New Again … in Port Royal – Dining & Dancing at the Anglers’ Club

Do you remember 1st time Rae Town sessions … not what is going on now … I mean like back in the 70s … Well think of this month’s shindig as Rae Town with dining for uptown, downtown and crosstown.

In the southwest corner of the square is the wonderful old upstairs building which is certainly one of the oldest bar sites in the island, destroyed and rebuilt a few times well. It’s called the Anglers Club now. Upstairs is the room in which I did a Malibu Rum ad starring as one of the 2 chief dancehall queens such that when I descended back into the bar, I was complemented as “de real ting” .

Well, it’s been under new management by a team of two gents and their lady friends (one lady a real worker and the other a plumptious show piece whose legs look like they are wearing stockings) for the last 8 months. And you know the Jamaican opener, “An dem have a man yu see…!”  Well they certainly have one. Tafari is very well tipped in money and drinks (purely voluntarily) because “im can play from Mario Lanza to dancehall” … and he really can…  I bought him a beer.  Longtime I haven’t heard that breed of dance music.  All 19 of us took at least one whirl … even though Jamaicans have lost their twinkletoes.   I was shocked to discover an old high school tegereg colleague who could cut a serious rug!! WARNING … AFTER 11PM MUSIC & CROWD MORPHS TO DANCEHALL ‘STYLIE’ & FEEL FREE TO DECLINE THE MARGARINE IN PREPARATION OF YOUR DISH!.

The strategy is to take your vegetables and gourmet snacks like red vino and go in a group.  When you get there, tell one of the bar proprietors you want a maitre d for the evening. When the elected arrives, send him to any of your favourite eateries around the square area and he will sort and relay menu prices and listings, your currency, change and food.  (Give him a mini percent for his trouble).  Dig in and enjoy then dance to Tafari who plays a lot like an older generation Merritone crossed with Gibbo in his day


This photo of Port Royal is courtesy of TripAdvisor

HIT YOUR SIX ON ROUTE KINGSTON KICKS – ESCAPADE No. 8 – HASHING IN JAMAICA – Get your fresh air, Make friends & Explore (nearly free :))

Have you ever ‘Hashed’?  Plenty of camaraderie, easy going exploration and fresh air quite cheaply…ballpark JA$600.  Exertion levels are graded so check with the ‘lead hares’ or website to see if the month’s tour is for you.  Depending on how far afield you go, costs rise or fall.  You wouldn’t believe the kind of people you buck up on these outings …and even the few profilers can’t bother with profiling on these tours :).  It’s been around since at least 1998 and this is RUN 411!

I’m dealing with those tours around Kingston, usually least expensive and as with all ‘Hashing’ – must go and come in a day.  It is also known that you shouldn’t really be dug out of bed at an ungodly hour on a Sunday.  The ones in Kingston might (click green) start out of Stony Hill, ( like this month’s one to Struan Castle), Jack’s Hill, Long Mountain, Hellshire…that kind of thing – can start as a trail out of somebody’s backyard if it’s one of the older rural St. Andrew homes, for example – an extension of where Kingstonians might go any given Sunday for a day outing…my favourite Kingston one was the ruinate around Strawberry Hill and then we ate back all the calories at Cafe Blue roadside :)….at our own expense.  So go mini walkabout around Kingston, get your exercise with friends and breathe fresh air on ‘Hash’.

Truth is, 1/2 of us don’t know what’s in Kingston, much less Jamaica….or the value of what we have…

Struan Castle Grounds, St. Andrew
Struan Castle Grounds, St. Andrew

HIT YOUR SIX ON ROUTE KINGSTON KICKS – ESCAPADE No. 7 – TGIF at Countryside Pan Yard

Once upon a time there was a boy and his pops owned an outdoor sign business.  The pops had a dream but the son thought him whacky…   The pops built a musical pan yard oasis and rum bar on Eastwood Park Rd. called Countryside Pan Yard.  Now the son said 2 and 2 were not making 4 so the pops was forced to give in UNTIL they sold the outdoor sign business and low and behold, although the son still thought the pops whacky, (I mean who goes into the entertainment and nightclub business at age 80 thought the son) gave in to the dream and TAH DAH………!!!!!!!

GRAND RE-OPENING: EDDIE & WAYNE CHAI’S COUNTRYSIDE PAN YARD – THE FAMOUS EASTWOOD PARK OASIS WITH A ‘CHRIS BLACKWELLIAN’ STYLE. NEW & IMPROVED FOR YOUR FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR (NO COVER CHARGE)  STARTING AT 4.00PM WITH FISH AND JERK STANDS (THE CONQUERING LIONFISH OF JUDAH IS RESPLENDENT ON THE FISH STAND), FANCY BREWED COFFEES AS GOOD AS ANY STARBUCKS OR BETTER IF YOU ASK ME, 2 BARS, THE HUMMING BIRDS STEEL PAN BAND AT 7 PM AND EASY PARKING AND ACCESS NOW OFF THE BUSY MAIN ROAD.  SOME SERIOUS DJs and EVERY SO OFTEN DROP INS FROM VARIOUS ARTISTS INCLUDING THE REALLY UNIQUE QUASI ETHNIC/JAMAICAN FUSION BAND, NOMADS, WHICH HAS CAUGHT BLACKWELL’S EAR. LOVE THE SONG/CHANT ABOUT THEIR ‘UNCLE BUNGO CLARKE WHO DRIVE IM RAS KYART ROUN TOWN’…HILARIOUS…THE BASE IS GIANT PLINKUM PLINKUM BOX, NOT A BASE GUITAR. REALLY ENGAGING…
SO REMEMBER, FULFILLING OF DREAMS HAS NO AGE LIMIT AND NOW IT’S A SERIOUS FAMILY BUSINESS, ‘NOT NO SIDE LINE’ AND YOU CAN RENT THE PLACE FOR YOUR OWN ESCAPADES!

Grand Re-opening Countryside Pan Yard
Grand Re-opening Countryside Pan Yard

HIT YOUR 6 ON ROUTE KINGSTON KICKS!!! Escapade No. 6 – Little Freebies at SWISS STORES F&B

Getting their KICKS at Swiss Stores F & B
Getting their KICKS at Swiss Stores F & B

Ah me Christmas cometh…YAHOO, I really like it because I don’t shop :). Anyway, this stop – Swiss Stores FB bar/cafeteria downtown, the idea of Bangueter, the Nephew – if you haven’t already. I held off on this till they fixed up their parking…and they have…sooo…may I invite you down between 11.00 am and noon on Sat Nov 30? True it’s not free fare but it won’t break you and you can order as much or little as you like – Silverhill brewed coffee, basic teas (EBreakfast, EGray & Mint) hard drinks and wine and light fare – and to sweeten the deal and entice you downtown because this is what KINGSTON KICKS IS ABOUT..(rely on it, if we don’t take it back, hooligans will continue claiming it and a few local stalwarts and bright foreigners (Digicel) will reap all the benefits as they maintain their/take a stand)…I’ll give away 4 copies of my new book YU GET JOOK! DIARIES OF A JAMAICAN MEDIC and offer free medical chat…notice the latter word; I can’t prescribe, offer formal second opinions, sign documents, deal with emergencies, etc in this setting…more like…everything you ever wanted to ask a doctor and didn’t. And I won’t answer any emailed questions either! The idea is to give you reason to come downtown and look around again…

SWISS STORES has a history with us as one of our foremost luxury businesses…they’ve crafted many a gift for VIPs and celebrities worldwide. My favourite is the lignum vitae amethyst broach that went to the Queen Mum (hope SS and the crafter finally split the copyright in equal measure, was a big hullabaloo) and then there’s the story of my mother’s engagement diamond. Yes, today some of us prefer checking the provenance of the jewellery we wear but in Mum’s day it was just a happy business to give your gal her engagement ring. Bought at Swiss Stores, wherever she went around the globe with proud Pops, from Asia to meeting Princie in the UK, there were those in the know who commented “Madame, that is a beautiful piece, where did you acquire it?” Notice the terminology at this level…not “Wow, where did you buy that?” Now, it was not any gigantic rock but read into the former question the following, as they further intimated to Mum…a truly flawless stone (credit the SS buyer) with a world class exquisitely executed brilliant cut (credit the SS craftsmen). I can tell you …I remember it as a real rainbow flasher. In fact, the 2nd time she licked it out of its setting in a night time driveway, that’s how Pops found it for her; it gave a brilliant flash in the beam of the torch. She licked it out a total of 4 times and on the fourth lost it…luckily eons into their long marriage.

Directions: Drive down Church St to corner of Water Lane and there’s the new little parking lot just behind Swiss Stores.  Click to see their page:

SWISS STORES FB DOWNTOWN

KINGSTON KICKS – ESCAPADE NO. 5 – ‘DEAD & GONE’ ALLEY IN THE BOWELS OF KINGSTON? :)

MOTTO
GOOD FOR JAMAICA, GOOD FOR YOUR POCKET

MISSION STATEMENT
TAKE BACK JAMAICA, KINGSTON IN PARTICULAR, BY FINDING THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE THAT ARE FREE (OR NEARLY) IN KINGSTON

ESCAPADE NO 5

I’M NOT A HARRY POTTER FAN REALLY (SO SUE ME). THAT SAID, I THINK JK DID WRITE SOMETHING INTO BEING THAT IS GREAT ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN PENNED BY MY HEROINE, ENID BLYTON.  DIAGON ALLEY IS A PIECE OF BLYTON-LIKE GENIUS & I WILL NOW TAKE YOU TO FIND IT.  SOME OF YOU WILL NOT WANT TO GIRD YOUR LOINS FOR THIS ESCAPADE BUT IT IS AT THE CRUX OF THE IDEA OF RECLAIMING KINGSTON.

SINCE 1925, IN THE HEART OF (NO, NOT THE BALOOBA – our thoughts with Sparrow) KINGSTON HAS LAIN THE SLEEPING GIANT OF A BOOK SELLER, NOVELTY TRADING, FOUNDED BY THE FAMILY BRIDGES.  THE EASIEST WAY I KNOW TO TRAVERSE THERE IS BY PASSING ALONG THE QUEEN’S STREET EAST TILL THOU COMETH TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE CONSTABULARY OF JAMAICA.  THEN LOOKETH THOU IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SEA, AS  THE MOUTH OF ‘DEAD & GONE’ ALLEY (ACTUALLY GEORGES LANE)  LIETH DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE JCF HQ & LOCK UP OF THE CITY OF KINGSTON.  NOW PASS YE DOWN THIS NARROW BYWAY TILL YE COME UPON A PORTCULLIS OF MODERN MAKING (NOVELTY’S SERVICE ENTRANCE), TO THE LEFT, IF THOU FACETH THE SEA.   PARK YOUR TRANSPORT ALONG THIS PATH (KNAVES, BLACKGUARDS, DRAWLASHES, THIEVES & HIGHWAY MEN ARE NOT TO BE FOUND HERE FOR SOME REASON, BUT LOCK THE CAR ANYWAY).  KNOCK YE (OR RING BELL) UPON THE PEDESTRIAN APERTURE WITHIN THIS FACADE AND YE SHALL BE ANSWERED BY A GATEKEEPER (OR MAYBE JUST A BUZZ).  WATCHING THY HEAD & FOOT – GO IN.  ASK FOR THE SECRET CAVE WHEREIN LIETH ALL SALE ITEMS 60 – 70% OFF!!! OF EVERY KIND OF PAPYRUS, SCROLL, READING  & AUXILLARY ITEMS THOU CANST IMAGINE.  IF THOU ART A BOOKOPHILE, HEREIN SHALL YE FIND YOUR HEAVEN.  EVERYTHING FROM PENNY DREADFULS, TO FABULOUS COFFEE TABLE ITEMS TO MOUNTAINS OF JUVENILE WORKS – ANYTHING THAT THE LARGELY & SADLY NON-READING PUBLIC OF JAMAICA HAS PASS-ED OVER.  WHEN I FIRST SAW SAID TREASURE TROVE, ONE HAD TO WATCH ONE’S STEP LEST ONE TRIP AND TUMBLE DOWN OR DISRUPT IT & CREATE AN AVALANCHE UPON ONE’S HEAD BUT WHEN I RETURNED, THE GENIES HAD BEGUN THEIR WORK OF TIDYING SAME AS I HAD THREATENED THEM WITH THE MODERN MARVEL OF THE WEB TO SPREAD WORD OF THEIR TREASURE.  AS THE YULE APPROACHETH, THINK YE OF IT & GET IN EARLY.  I SHALL.

& FOR BRAWTA…RE FOOD FOR YOUR MIND AT NO COST (YES FREE, I THINK FLOW UNDERESTIMATED THIS ONE, HAPPILY FOR US :)) …IF YOU LIKE COLIN FIRTH, POUR YOURSELF A GLASS OF SOMETHING, GO TO FLOW 1000, LOOK UP MOVIES ON DEMAND, SCROLL TILL YOU FIND THE SECRET LAUGHTER OF WOMEN, ONE OF THE BEST OFF BEAT ROMANTIC COMEDIES I’VE SEEN IN A WHILE; EVEN SOME MEN WILL LIKE THIS ONE.  SET IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE IT COVERS  THE FORGING OF AN UNLIKELY ROMANCE  & WHAT BRIGHT LITTLE BAD BOYS GET UP TO!

Hit Your Six on Route Kingston Kicks!!!

KINGSTON KICKS – ESCAPADE NO. 4 – FREE WINE & CHEESE WITH CPJ

Hit Your Six on Route Kingston Kicks!!!
>

ESCAPADE NO 4!!!

As you might have realised, the Kingston Kicks mission statement sounds something like:

TAKE BACK JAMAICA, KINGSTON IN PARTICULAR, BY FINDING THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE THAT ARE FREE (OR NEARLY) THEREBY PAYING HOMAGE TO THE FACT THAT JAMAICA IS PARADISE AND WE LIVE IN IT AND SHOULD STAND UP FOR IT…IN EVERY WAY!!!!! A PROPOS OF THIS …SEE THE ABOVE, IT’S FREE…JUST HAVE THE MANNERS TO RSVP….AND I HOPE THEY DON’T LET YOU IN IF YOU DON’T…PART OF TAKING BACK KINGSTON MEANS WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPREAD COURTESY……

CPJ THINKS OUTSIDE THE BOX…HERE I FOUND A JAMAICAN CPJ SUPER GOING HOME WITH HIS FAVOURITE BAGUETTE ( YOU READ RIGHT!), A YOUNG MISS AT THE CASHIER WHO STOPPED ME BUYING A DRY WINE BECAUSE SHE KNEW IT WAS SO AND KNOWS JAMAICANS AREN’T GREAT FANS OF ‘DRY’ AND WANTED TO CHECK IT WAS REALLY WHAT I WANTED… AND ANOTHER YOUNG LADY WHO WHIPPED UP AN IMPROMTU ICED TEA FOR ME BECAUSE THEY HADN’T LABELLED SOME PRODUCT RIGHT…THE GLASS WAS PRESENTED TO ME WITH THE STATEMENT …’COLD DRINKS ARE NICER ‘LONG”..!!!!!!!! LOOK HERE MAN, EXPOSE US AND WE CAN LEARN!!!!

GO MIX AND MINGLE, CPJ IS VALUE FOR MONEY AND THIS EVENT IS FREE…HERE LIVES COURTESY NO MATTER WHAT BOMB IS DROPPED..I FIND ANYWAY

KINGSTON KICKS – ESCAPADE NO. 3 – BACK ON THE RACK WITH PJ STEWART – KINGSTON’S ANSWER TO THE RASTRO OR PORTOBELLO RD.

Hit Your Six on Route Kingston Kicks!!!
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ESCAPADE NO 3!!!
BACK ON THE RACK WITH PJ STEWART –
KINGSTON’S ANSWER TO THE RASTRO OR PORTOBELLO RD.

Believe it or not this type of activity is the sign of a maturing society…
ever wonder why these ‘flea market’ enterprises are seen a plenty in ‘developed’ countries and not the ‘developing world’? Some serious reasons…

1) a society coming of age or of age begins to have/has ‘disposable’ accumulation of goods
2) there is less worry about keeping up with the Jonses and having bling to show
3) it’s done without forced privation (think Cuba)

Let’s put that in perspective…imagine a slave receiving ‘hand me down’ from another slave as opposed to massa…he wants to ape massa so whose will he take? OR imagine a creole accepting from one of his own rather than a lady from the mother country…. so you’ll notice up to now in Jamaica we might happily recycle goods not seen in public (happily we’re still poor enough to understand the real value of many things, eg. food, we use fish head to make great soup) but when it comes to outward appearances – clothing, bling and luxury items, cars, homes – only the biggest, newest, best, blingest, most expensive will do…WE GOTS TO KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES… Then as we arrive at the point where we realise the motherlands ain’t saving us and we deh pon we own…we begin to ‘destratify’ ourselves a bit and get busy with sustainability, recycling (within the same strata of society – more like handing across than handing down), & realising thrift with personal items does not equate with poverty…and revolution does not have to drive the point home…IE we are getting happy with ourselves and our own little country and turning it to good…voila farmers’ markets (up till recently our Jones mentality had us in supermarkets or at Coronation, now there’s middle ground) and more and upscale thrift shops. No longer just Goodwill and Salvation Army. Hey…I was in Knightsbridge and picked up a gorgeous peacock blue thing based on a shalwar design and was off to pay for it…my friend stopped me…before I made an ass of myself…second hand Zandra Rhodes £500 :).

RECYCLE, RECYCLE!!!! EVERYTHING!!!!

EVERY LAST SAT AT 9.00AM, 28 COLLINS GREEN AVE., 925 7575
PRICES JA$100-300, ALL PROCEEDS TO FATHER HO LUNG

Have fun….

Well, it is really a labour of love down at Back on the Rack…it’s hot like any bazaar but really well thought out and there’s no reason you shouldn’t leave with a buy. I left with 2 and missed a third because I thought I’d look around…haha…it was gone when I went back to get it ten minutes later…In the Boutique section…all my buys came from this top of the line section 500 Emoji There’s also general ladies at 300 and a man’s section, children’s section, shoes, a ‘bendown’ (rockbottom) plaza and a what-not section which was mostly sold out. There’s a try on compartment with privacy and mirror in the boutique section. All ranks of society amiably and quietly moving around and of course sales talk here is a little different ….

” Miss, everyting me try too small, eider de bus or de bottom too small…”

” Well go pon diet”

All in all a really great effort for Father Ho Lung. I will shop there again…especially the Christmas bazaar….

KINGSTON KICKS – ESCAPADE NO. 2 – JAMAICA DEFENCE FORCE SILVER

Part of Jamaica's heritage in silver, one of two commonwealth countries granted it's own guild of silversmiths, JDF collection is from across the empire only the UK and India outdo us
Part of Jamaica’s heritage in silver, one of two commonwealth countries granted it’s own guild of silversmiths, JDF collection is from across the empire only the UK and India outdo us

ESCAPADE NO 2 – JDF SILVER
We have one of the world’s historical collections of silver here so… Some of you will be familiar with this collection and some of you know Christie’s and Southeby’s realm of antiquaria…well we have a sterling silver collection worthy of it…items are individually deemed to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and collectively are priceless because they are national heritage…
There is a serious significance to this collection on 3 levels
1) Our military history marks us as one of 2 nations of the Empire, whole or as in our case, part, which forced Britain to the negotiation table ….India and Jamaica via the Maroons.
2) This silver is exquisitely wrought stuff dating back to the 18oo’s at least – last and only time I saw it was when it was displayed as a special exhibit of the BBC Road Show at Devon House
3) I can’t remember for sure but I think there were a few pieces of extra special significance…i.e the items wrought by the worshipful guild of Jamaican silversmiths…again we were one of maybe 3 nations in the realm granted our own guild of smiths…. complete with the crocodile head as its stamp

Anyway the JDF military museum is open Wed to Sun 10 – 4 price 150 adults and 50 for kids
Capt Anglin in charge 920 0186

JDF website

Well the JDF silver was ‘fanastic’ as expected but they’ve not got it all under one roof yet…some in Chief of Staff’s yard, some at the regiments, etc. so we saw ‘the some’ that’s in the museum. They have their first curator now though and she’s working on it, Capt Dehaney and her ops man is Capt Anglin…run off his feet, he is…

BUT the real eye opener for me was more proof we are in the very slow process of really becoming a nation albeit we have a reputation already centuries long the half of which we don’t even know:

Eg

1) Our First Military Family, The Beeks, goes back 5 generations!!!! The old man married a nice African lady when he served with the Brits there. They still serve today…one was my Pop’s boss in the air wing

2) There was a WW II flying squadron nicknamed the ‘Jamaica Squad’ because it was nearly all Yardies!

3) One Mrs. Alexander, a most interesting woman, who met me at Camp proceeded to instruct me and the Capt assigned as our guide in what we never knew…we still have a ‘Knight of (the awful) Battle of Arnhem’ WWII living among us, got stabbed in his neck to make sure he was dead ….and lived….

4) We’ve won nough Victoria Crosses …2 … very rarely awarded for ‘valour beyond belief’ (my version of the citation :)) Grandpa told me it is the custom to salute such awardees when you pass them in the street.

5) Much as UWI has always known it and named the women’s hall after Seacole, I was thrilled to see the JDF acknowledge her as one of the earliest female battle nurses (before Florence and Florence adopted her methods and wouldn’t hire her). There’s now a cute little museum park and herbal garden in her honour…really cute…they need farming advice to get it really into gear.

6) The Montego Bay Kerr Jarretts get their status and are descended from the David Kerr who was a top dude in the British Forces here, there’s a funny looking statue of him.

7) There is a library and internet cafe for the public!!!!

GO JDF.!!!!!..How comes it has to be attached to war before all ranks of society get taught and accept teaching on self reliance, making do, discipline, pride, skills training, efficient and practical esthetics..etc etc…?

KINGSTON KICKS – Escapade No 1- Rockfort Mineral Baths

Rockfort Mineral Spa, Jamaica

 

 

HIT YOUR SIX ON ROUTE KINGSTON KICKS!!!

I took myself to Rockfort Mineral Spa in the am hours and was not disappointed – quiet, simple and best of all, pristine.  Too bad they use chlorine to wash out pool Mondays because that water goes into our harbour and there are now serious, though slightly more costly, natural antimicrobials/fungicides.  Anyway, by Wednesday all trace of chlorine gone and they don’t chlorinate water obviously…they’re sure heading in the right direction down there…some staff very responsive, service oriented and helpful others the usual Jamaican ‘worksworths’.  And now to the pool, facilities and experience.

Pool: Crystal clear and clean

Ladies and gents, we’re missing a trick –  among highest, safe level mineral and conductivity ratings on earth.   This means take all your immune dermatological ailments there, take your joint ailments there, take your bottles to collect the BEST kind of alkaline water there for your internal ailments drinking a glass a day (no more, too much of anything good for nothing!).  Our rocks are estimated 6 x more conductive (magnetic activity) than most places on earth (In the early days of Jamaican radio, Radio Jamaica & Rediffusion engineers had to set up 6 x more relay equipment than elsewhere on earth to counter it and Portland (thank heavens) has still not been fully conquered by wireless)

The conductivity rating is 915 ms/m (permeation of your body)

The Sulphur rating is 400 mg/L  (skin magic)

The Magnesium is 124 mg/L (provided conductivity drives it in, asthma, pregnancy, autism and Lord- he- knows- what -else this-newly ‘re-discovered’ -miracle- mineral- that- is- now- acknowledged-sadly- lacking-in-diets-worldwide might help with)

Bicarbonate 227 CaCo3/L (your internal alkaline water magic, here properly buffered and not just so-so alkalinity, even so the heap of minerals can become a circulatory plaque base if you overdo it.  Best alkaline water available)

Silicon Dioxide 28.5 mg/L (1.5 mg below the magical point at which mineral water taken internally chelates harmful absorbed aluminium dramatically-pots and pans, deodorant, vaccines, baking powder, cocoa, etc etc., so I think regular temperate intake must still be helpful at these levels.)

Try it some time….

Facilities:  JA$350 and can be booked out.  Shallow throughout pool with 3 headwater spouts

Public side lovely and clean but private baths still unusable (they look too ‘medicinal’ today as well, need a more organic ‘spa’ oriented facelift).  Wed mornings best, ‘schoolers’ not yet there (even so they are separated off from adults when they do converge).  Take your bottles and collect your medicinal alkaline water 100% made in Jamaica at the head spring spouts.

Experience:  low key, folksy and very comfortable old time Jamaican and 100% best in the world primary product (again!)  The European Bads all have their fabulous brass and crystal bars for ‘taking their waters’, which ain’t up to ours, I saw one in Germany…   Could we ‘fancy up’ ours just a little…not too much…along the lines somebody like Chris Blackwell would do it…:)

TEL 1 876 938 5055

Stay tuned for Escapade No. 2 this month….