Content

Labour Beach Day

Page is part of Blog Jamaica in which you can new article

written by owen on 2009-May-25.

related image

Since I've moved to Kingston/Portmore, Labour day seems to be closely associated with the word "beach". I remember when I lived in the country you couldn't even sleep past 6 o'clock. They put the actual "labour" into to labour day. Now I'm as lazy as the common Joe, mostly because I'm a old man and I'm conserving my fat reserves for the winter. But back in the day "when I was a boy", no rock was left un-white-washed or lime-stoned, (whatever they call that white powdered paint). The multiple little projects and the streets in the my community would be "spic and pan" (clean) by lunch time which was important because man caan work without food.

I guess times have changed. Its hard to organize anything in communities like Portmore when the people who live there are like duppy at a nine-night. Even the movie theatre closed 2 years ago - THE ONLY movie theater. But I guess people got to hustle the money. I imagine that the design of the "quads", adds to the whole lack of "community spirit". When you can see two neighbors but only hear the other two through the walls at late hours of the night building furniture, taking it apart or whatever construction them doing.

Back in the country where we used to have 20 to 30 families living in a circle on the side of hills. I remember one time when the entire community gathered to watch me bath in the back yard, time of my life. Flash forward several years later when people live, like rows of corn and a community has a 100 families living and working at all hours, it would be pretty hard to organize anything, much less build a air of trust and camaraderie with each other. There are are small groups here and there, I not even going to mention church people, thats a whole other post. Times change, people change, money changes, maybe we need a "Labour Week" to get things organized. We have the key in or hands all we have to do is find the lock. Off to the beach!

permanent link. Find similar posts in Blog Jamaica.

comments

  1. >> I remember one time when the entire community
    >> gathered to watch me bath in the back yard...

    Blurt neet! How old were you then, pray?

    by Mad Bull 2009-May-25 

  2. Yo that classic! You prolly were nasty and didn't want to bathe so ur moms call down everybody on u. Did she use a hose? LMAO

    by Tami 2009-May-26 

  3. back in the day when I was 8 or 9 bathing outside was a regular thing. I doubt my moms would organize my public embarrassment Tami. It was was just one of those wrong time, wrong place kinda things

    by owen 2009-May-26 

  4. Times have changed indeed! I can't even recall seeing white-wash on labour day!

    LOL! It seems that entire community pretty had nothing much to do in those days for them to come watch you bathe!

    by Stunner 2009-May-27 

  5. those were pre-cellphone and pre-internet days. people just went home and did chores.

    by owen 2009-May-29 

  6. Sometimes they played games like ludo or something, or watched Dennis Hall read the news, or went for a walk to buy ice cream. That's what I remember my parents doing.

    by Gods Child 2009-May-29 

  7. cricket and football and monopoly and baking. who remembers baking? [nasty]

    by owen 2009-May-29 

  8. I'm about to revive some baking tonight!

    by Gods Child 2009-May-29 

  9. waaant! [cry]

    by owen 2009-May-29 

  10. peach and pear cobbler

    by Gods Child 2009-Jun-02 

  11. ewww that sounds like a fruit salad!

    by owen 2009-Jun-02 

  12. don't u eat fruit Owen?

    by Jamila 2009-Jun-02 

  13. not when they are tortured and baked into a bun. Well except for raisins. Raisins are terrorists.

    by owen 2009-Jun-05 

  14. Yes, Star, we need to put the labour back in labour day!! Nuff respect!!

    by ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID 2009-May-29 


comment