Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 11  Latille Garden Waterfall & Fish Spa In Micoud (Mikou)&New Jerusalem Mineral Bath (Hot Warm & Cold Pools) Soufriere (Soufwiye) Charles Dickens’ enthusiasts, please allow me an indulgence. For this tale of two waterfalls.  It was the best of times. It was the most wonderful of times. It was beyond the beauty […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 10 Canaries(or Kannawi in Kwéyòl) Disclosure: My mother’s family is from Canaries. They lived there until the late fifties, and I really do love the place. In the early seventies a violent Hurricane took our family home and the road it stood on, all washed away and taken to “Davy Jones Locker.” What’s […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 9 Choiseul (or Chwazèy in Kwéyòl) Choiseul Art Gallery: Hattie and Leo Barnard Drive South on through Canaries, and Soufriere – past the Sulphur Springs on your left, then on to  the magnificent Petit and Gros Piton, keeping along the coast road, one arrives at the stunning and tranquil village of Choiseul. ThereI met […]

Capital City Castries (In Kwéyòl Kastwi) Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 8 There shall be many vignettes about Castries over the lifespan of these blogs. It’s the capital city of St Lucia. There are an infinite number of interesting topics and stories to write about this bustling, thriving, energetic, and surprisingly beautiful city. Looking Down On Castries Harbour View […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 7  Anse La Raye & Canaries (or Lanslawè  & Kannawi in Creole) Even those close to me would not know or appreciate that I’m the product of a mixed-race marriage. My mother is from Canaries and my father is from Anse La Raye! Rival neighbouring towns, no more than six miles apart on the west coast […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 6  Way Down South: Laborie  (or Labowi in Kwéyòl)Meeting The Artist Jonathan Guy-Gladding.  Laborie is the most “Lucian” of all St Lucian towns. Located on the extreme south-western tip of this island paradise, sitting on the Caribbean Sea coast of Saint Lucia, it is absolutely “jaw-droppingly” gorgeous. Laborie is undeniably exceedingly […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 5  Looking Back At Vigie Beach, And Cemetery. Beautiful Vigie Beach. Very few days out, conjure up the childlike promise of joy, like a day at the beach. Vigie Beach is a stunning golden-white sandy beach: absolutely, exquisitely very beautiful, in every way. The beach is totally organic and natural, no interference […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 4 Castries food-market (or Kastwi manjé lapels in Kwéyòl) The world-renowned Castries food-market, located in the centre of the city. It was ranked third “Best Food Market in the World” by National Geographic Magazine in 2022. Which is a huge achievement and something to be proud of and celebrated for and […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 3 (21/3/21) Friday. Its Party! Party! Gros Islet.  Gros Islet or (Gwozilé in Kwéyòl) To me St Lucia is the great mystery and illusion of the Caribbean. Being African, English, French, and somewhere in-between at the same time, while being so completely different from anywhere else on Earth.St Lucia has a familiarity that […]

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 2 Wednesday. Being Wednesday, the housekeeper is due to arrive. I have a limited window to undertake my ablutions and vacate the premisses, so she can have a clear run of the house. Not that I’m scared of her!Its extraordinary how grown men lose all their bravado and confidence when confronted […]