BLABBERMOUT’ BABSIE: T’rough all de changin’ scenes
How yuh gine, girlfrien’? I see de cole weathuh mekkin’ all you norferners “snort”. Yuh certainly start off de year wid a “blas’ – o’ icy weathuh! But don’ fret, it cyhan las’ fuhevah an’ meantime, as de sayin’ goes, “wuh bad fuh one, good fuh de nex’”, so we down hey hopin’ de cole gine drive a lot o’ wunna souf fuh de sun.
De tourism minister would be glad enough to see de plane loads landin’ at Grantley Adams bringin’ in de touris’ dollars to help we out. I t’ink I used to hear somet’ing ’bout a “master plan” he had fuh tourism, but I mussee was dreamin’ – tourism en sayin’ a pang dese days!
Philomena wanta learn Chinese, sence she been hearin’ how dem gine be de nex’ tourisses to get down hey. She did real vex when she realize how she was’e she time, taxin’ she ole brain tryin’ to learn Portuguese – she en two mornin’s, y’know – an’ en even had de chance to say “boo” in dah language. She was hopin’ to get a pick as a “Meet an’ Greet” body at de airport when all dem Brazilians was suppose to flood de islan’.
T’ings “brown”, so she decide she would try wid dis nex’ language, in case we start seein’ de Chinese. I hope she don’ hol’ she breff waitin’, ’cause she is a woman wid a heart condition, an’ I en able to be searchin’ ’bout fuh a amb’lance to come fuh she one o’ dese nights.
Muhgirl, in all my years, I never see my beloved country in sech turmoil. Evah sence dat news ’bout de 3 000 staff cuts, yuh would t’ink war brek out, wid de unions, de Opposition an’ ethuh “fighters” ’pon one side an’ Guvment ’pon de ethuh.
Philomena, suspicious as nusual, tell muh it look as ef de unions suddenly realize duh “bread an’ butter” gine down de drain wid de loss o’ summuch union dues, so duh now fightin’, but fuh who survival?
Evahbody got duh own selfish agenda. Now, sudden-so, ideas floodin’ de minister to do dis or do dat to stop de jobs losses. In a Press conference de ethuh day, Mr Sinclair try to explain wuh we mus’ expeck, but we only get a whole lotta long talk. Well, at leas’ ’e does come an’ talk to we.
You could believe mo’ meetin’s to come from de Opposition, to discuss de state o’ de islan’? We din hear ’bout dah a’ready? I gettin’ real tired o’ all de disagreements tekkin’ place; it en helpin’ we, an’ people might only start to panic ef duh believe t’ings gettin’ worse. Looka me, I hey tryin’ to “mek-do” ’til better days come agen.
Anyhow chile, lemmuh lef’ yuh wid somet’ing pleasant. De year open wid a new Dame “’pon de block” – Mrs Maizie Barker-Welch, now Dame Maizie. Men always gettin’ knighthoods, so why not a woman fuh a change – an’ one like she, wid all dah talent! I had to phone an’ congratulate she. Yuh din t’ink I know a “high-bracket” body like she, neh?
Dame Maizie involve in summuch t’ings, I en know how she does fin’ de time or energy. She’s a real Energizer Bunny. A teacher, a politician, a campaigner fuh women’s rights fuh years; a fighter fuh de care o’ de elderly, even up to now, sittin’ as chairperson of de National Commission on Agein’ – wuhloss!
She does play de piano, speak Spanish, a real good seamstress, an’ when it come to hats, well, yuh gotta tek yours off to she own, duh en “easy”. Hey, I nearly fuhget, she’s a acktress, too. I used to see she years ago in de Pampalam Comedy Show.
Now, you gine tell me dat lady don’ deserve to be a Dame?
Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’, Babsie.