The early part of each year seems to be a busy time in Barbados. Last year, we had 10 weeks worth of visitors in 12 weeks. This year was shaping up to be just as busy before you know what happened. At any rate, it was busy enough!

In between visitors like my big sister and her entourage …

… hanging around and dragging us to bars to watch the sunset …

… and parades at Pelican Village …

… we also found some time to go sailing in our little yacht.

We did have a few other ‘visitors’ as well. One was a giant cane toad …

These cane toads are voracious omnivores. They will eat anything that fits into their large mouth. You might have noticed that this toad is almost bursting out of its skin.

One of the things it likes to eat are the lovely little tree frogs that we find everywhere, including in our lettuce garden.

We are also visited daily by a horde of chickens. I realize that birds usually travel in flocks, but these chickens are not so organized. Some of them are clearly related and flock together in little bundles, but others are interlopers, intruding on King Ralph the Rooster’s domain.

Before the curfew, we also had the chance to go to the annual Barbados Gold Cup – a prestigious horse race, if you are into horse racing. Even if you are not, watching a series of horse races while enjoying a cold beverage is not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Once the Corona Virus hit and the island started to close down, we went around to see the cruise ships that were congregating near the main port.

We went north to Speightstown to see other ships that had come to Barbados seeking a safe anchorage. Many have moved on, but for a week or two, we have some lovely ships in view.

While in Speightstown, we had a good look around around. There are some quite spectacular views along the coast near Heywoods Beach and the Port Ferdinand entrance.

Once I started working from home, we also started to go walking on a nearby golf course, bright and early in the morning. There are some lovely views toward the water from one of the tees.

As the curfew tightened however, the walks were curtailed. We now have time to play endless rounds of Backgammon …

… and tend to our fragile Hibiscus garden.

Lock-down and curfew!