Well – a really great Jazz Festival this year with a couple of new venues and the great regular ones as well…. The weather was perfect – plenty of breeze but not a rain cloud burst upon the proceedings which was lucky for all concerned.
The festival opened up at The Other Side on Wednesday. This is a beautiful spot and it was a real joy to see it bursting with people enjoying the occasion. Plenty of people came over from Harbour Island and experienced the jazz festival for the first time.
Personally I really enjoyed a couple of glasses of Pimms – I had forgotten what a great delight that drink can be. Back in the olden days when we lived in the UK that was always a sign that summer was here – it will always be a warm weather drink for me. Anyway – there were some delicious canapes to enjoy as well. At one point it did look as if it was going to rain so we moved in to the bar – a lovely tented area with some great seating – there were a couple of big couches with a big table between then which had a backgammon set there ready for a game. Which we watched being played – even though I had absolutely no idea what on earth was going on ! The atmosphere was fun and relaxed and the jazz was playing away outside – it was a delight…… Jazz in the late afternoon with good friends and a drink in your hand – a lovely way to while away a few hours…..
I have already written about what the other venues were so I am just gong to skip on the the Sunday Brunch held in the other brand new venue – Jack’s Bay – down beyond Rock Sound. This was a roaring success – and again it was so good to see some new faces from the south of the island enjoying the day.
There is a new property development just starting down at Jack’s Bay and the group involved in it’s development are keen to open up and let people see what is happening there. Well let me tell you this event showcased it to perfection…..
They laid on all the food and staged the event superbly. The chef who is going to be there when their restaurant opens is James Tripi – an Iron Chef from Austin Texas. The food was delicious – a variety of salads, a really tasty frittata for the vegetarians, pulled pork which everyone said was delicious – of course I don’t eat meat ! And the piece de resistance was a delicate lobster and grouper curry with rice. Lots of cakes and deserts which I didn’t try but again everyone said they were lovely.
All in all a very successful event – can’t wait for next year !
Also last week we took an overnight trip to Nassau to have a meal with Bob’s best friend from the UK. What a great night – catching up with each other – hearing the funny stories, the awful stories and everything in between. Bob and Ashley have been friends for around 40 years and his wife Jilly is just the best company to be out with. I always say that you can see people all around the restaurant looking and thinking – ‘I wish I was on her table ! ‘ She is so funny and that night was no exception – we ate at Shima – the restaurant at Island House. We shared a Thai curry which was so darned hot that we had steam coming out of our ears.
Life for me these days is about celebrating the joy of friends – old and new – and really enjoying the time we spend together. There is so much trouble in the world at the moment that it is important to really acknowledge the happiness that being with friends can bring….. So thank you Ashley and Jilly for the joy we shared XX
