Dear Nesta,
Is me, yuh frien’ Babsie, wantin’ to know ef all is well wid you an’ yours. I only hope you en get ketch up in all dah ridiculous frenzy – dah’s wuh it seem to me – goin’ on over de Royal birf.
From wuh I could see, doh, it en only wunna British goin’ crazy over de newborn, Amuricans jes’ as bad, mebbee even wors’. I wonder ef we yoomans woulda carry on so ef it was de Secon’ Comin’ o’ Chris’, neh?
Far as I concern, I glad fuh de parents sake de birf went well, but after dat, it en one t’ing to do wid me. I even read in one o’ you papers dat de chile own great-aunt, Princess Anne, say de same t’ing, she glad fuh evahbody, but it is neffin to do wid she. I had to ‘gree wid Philomena dat we in dis part o’ de worl’ too bizzy scramblin’ ‘bout nowadays to fin’ de daily bread, while he own en only got butter, but jam, jelly an’ de gol’ spoon to eat it wid. In any case, when or, should I say, ef he evah become king, we would be long gone.
Ness, I en know wuh to tell yuh, but up to now I en seein’ no light at de en’ o’ dis tunnel, yuh. Anyhow, I hopin’ fuh a glimmer – at leas’ – after Budget Day nex’ monf. Wishful t’inkin’, says Philomena. De ethuh day, outta de blue, Ministers o’ Tourism an’ Finance, had a Press Conference to leh we know how duh hopin’ to boos’ de economy.
Ef duh really carry out dese plans, we should get somewhey. Duh include cuts in electricity an’ water rates fuh hotels, a new hotel plant, a credit voucher equal to de Airport Passenger Duty – now causin’ all dah confujon – fuh British visitors stoppin’ ‘pon de islan’ at leas’ 2 weeks, villa-type accommodation….. but I gine leh yuh read de whole story in de papers I sennin’ up. One t’ing doh, knowin’ Guvment en got money,
I was wonderin’ ‘bout Almon’ Beach, but it now appear dah puzzle get solve – Chinese comin’ to de rescue wid as much as mebbee $200million.
As nusual, we li’l people, en know ef dis loan gone t’rough a’ready, or guvment hopin’ it would go t’rough – big diff’rence. Ef it gone t’rough, I hey wonderin’ wuh de Chinese gettin’ in return, ‘cause as far as I know, people don’ gi’e ‘way duh money fuh neffin. Anyhow, time longer dan twine, an’ we gine know de true facks one day.
I could breave li’l mo’ easy now de Finance Minister come out an’ say VAT en gine up. But how ‘bout de 2 ½ per cent dat was suppose to be only temporary? It comin’ off? Well, at leas’ ‘e stop one rumour dat been floatin’ ‘bout – I en know how ‘e gine handle de ethuhs – but ‘e still lef we to fin’ out nex’ day – aldoh he mussee had a idea ‘bout it befo’ de Press Conference – dat Standard & Poors, recent ratin’ drop we from “stable” to “negative”. Lord mek peace.
T’ings still ‘pon de downslide? But I could onderstan’ why we din hear ‘bout it at de Press Conference, better to start wid somet’ing positive an’ drop de “bomb” later.
I doubt very much ef Bajans tekkin’ any “downslide” to heart, right now. Cropover in de air, an’ evahbody gettin’ ready to mek merry nex’ Monduh. It might be we “las’ mas”, so wuh.Lef’ de cryin’ fuh later. I believe when Budget Day come ‘roun’, some gine still be in a fettin’ mood, so not much gine sink in, anyhow……. ‘til later. Tek care o’ yuhself.Yuh frien’, Babsie.
