Doing Nothing in Barbados
Barbados is a fabulous place to do absolutely nothing. I admire the guests in our Barbados vacation rentals on the beach in St Lawrence Gap who lie in the sun all day, breaking occasionally to cool down with a swim in the sea or pool, then going to dinner at night. Such exquisite rest and leisure …. it looks positively delicious!
I can’t do that. If I’m not inside at my computer, I’m off the island altogether or out with friends.
A recent six weeks of nonstop travel/social/family drove me to add whining to our wining and dining. I needed to time to “reset.” I needed to practice the fine art of Doing Nothing in Barbados.
Doing Nothing in Barbados: An Art
I got my chance this weekend. If you haven’t done nothing in Barbados, then you need to know that doing nothing in Barbados is different from doing it — er, nothing — in other places. In Barbados, even when I’m doing nothing, the beauty around me is working overtime. Here in Barbados, I’m doing nothing wrapped in warmth and beauty. And when I do nothing, I take time to admire what a great artist god is – and how busy (s)he is!: the Barbados sun is brilliant, the sky a rich blue, the sea sparkling and serene.
My camera as constant a companion as my sweet husband Greg, I chronicled this weekend of Doing Nothing:
Friday night: Rum, the perfect accompaniment to Doing Nothing, at the Barbados Yacht Club
Saturday: For a nanosecond, Greg and I considered attending Pan in the Sand this weekend, featuring some 20 steel bands playing at once (lots of fun!), but instead did nothing. Took all I had to wander down the Gap and get a bite of lunch at Southern Palms on Dover Beach and laconically marvel at the brilliant blue sea…
…followed by a slow amble down Dover Beach.
Saturday afternoon: I leaned over the railing of our jetty to check in with the crabs on the rocks.
Saturday night: An early dinner at Barbados' popular pub, McBride's. No rum, just some mellow people-watching along the Gap. In bed before 9.
Sunday morn: A wind surfer sails by our window, free as a bird. I watched him for over an hour zip up and down the south coast.
An incidental shot I took, of the fence behind the St Lawrence Church next door. I shot this when shooting the wind sailer. Which smart person said beauty lies in the details of life?
Sunday afternoon: Greg watched the British Open and I organized photos, this one a detail of Cafe Luna at Little Arches Hotel in Barbados.
Sunday night, 9pm. The sea was so quiet, I set up my tripod on my patio, opened the shutter for 15 seconds, and took this photo. It was pitch black out but with a long exposure, the camera picked up the absolute serenity of the sea.
Sunday night, 9:05pm: Another photo of the sea outside, taken from our patio. I heard the quiet of the sea, and with a long exposure was able to see it as well.
10pm: The weekend was over. Such a busy weekend of Doing Nothing in Barbados. Bedtime!
3 Responses to “Doing Nothing in Barbados”
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Will attempt the Do Nothing in Barbados in a few short weeks…Although it may be difficult with all the BDay festivities & friends on-island!And this is after Kadooment!
Wonderful take on life in BGI with your photos.I use these to impress my clients!Thanks…I will try to look you up!
Another lovely post, Jane. As our time winds down here in your adopted home, the paradise that is Barbados, I find I want to spend time doing nothing and doing it all. Last weekend we did not go to Pan in the Sand or Soca on the Hill, just so we could relax on the beach that we are lucky enough to live on. Back home in Poughkeepsie, needless to say, we do NOT live on a beach. We leave in 26 days, but whose counting?!
I’ve really enjoyed your blog. It looks like we run and hang in the same circles and oddly never met, only virtually. When I’m back in chilly-in-the-winter and sticky-hot-in-the-summer Poughkeepsie, I’ll still read your blog and remember fondly our island home for the past year.
Take care,
Meg
Thank you for this lovely message, Meg. Savor your last 26 days!! xxoo