Rustling leaves hang to the ground creating a lovely, lit space. We were relaxing at home under the graceful green canopy in a cool clump of giant neem trees with the sea wind sweeping hair, birdsong overhead and the dogs lolling at our bare feet. Among my favourite island memories is admiring the sun slowly sinking through the dappled curtain, against the rugged outline of a ruined windmill that once powered the old sugar estates.
With waves lapping at the toes and laughing children playing in the surf, a serene walk on the nearby beach ranks high on the happiness list. As does a gentle canoe ride through the rippling black waters of a Guyana backwater creek, a summery stroll through the fertile “backdams” of my youth, reacquainting with fond friends and fine relatives, or the annual Easter experience of East Coast-kite flying with my excited siblings and the family. Lying on the grass with my young kids cheerfully contemplating the sky and competing to create crazy creatures from cumulus is another that has carried me to content and cloud nine.