05052023 WEEKEND

The Weekend Fashion Report MET Gala 2023 – “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” Part I

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

SPLIT

Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”)

Karin says: “Famous redhead Jess went platinum blonde for the Met Gala (to look like female reincarnation of Karl?), and I must say it suits her. I love everything about this, right down to the sheer black opera gloves and, of course, the shades.”

Cara says: “I like it. It hits the right notes for couture and elegance, although it’s a bit of a safe choice for the Met Gala. The ruffled bottom may be a bit too much Old Hollywood boudoir robe though. She didn’t make any effort to reinterpret the theme at all.”

FAIL

Serena Williams

Karin says: “Congrats to the pregnant superstar! Sadly, I can’t congratulate her on this Gucci ensemble. It’s unflattering. The mermaid skirt looks horrible with those long puff sleeves. The headband also does her no favours, no matter how sparkly it is.”

Cara says: “OK, I see where she was trying to go: classic flapper Chanel. However, her stylist’s GPS led her to another destination: hot mess. Blame the pregnancy hormones for her thinking this was it; it’s not, hon.”nice way to say I hate it.”

HIT Doja Cat

Karin says: “Leave it to Doja to get the assignment right. Here she is paying homage to Choupette, Lagerfeld’s beloved white cat. The dress is also gorgeous. These are the kind of theatrics we need at the Met Gala (two others also delivered on this front).”

Cara says: “Aww, how cute! I love a double win on a theme: her stage name and a nod to Karl’s cat Choupette. She managed to pull off enough whimsy to be fun, but not make it a ridiculous costume.”

HIT

Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”)

Karin says: “I applaud him for showing a bit of knee, and the bright red coat with matching shirt is very snazzy. It’s also nice to see the men be a bit daring this year. However, I’m not a fan of slicked-back hair.”

Cara says: “I am feeling the pop of red, the skinny black tie (nailed that Karl statement piece) and the shorts for a bit of fun. This is a decent interpretation of the theme.”

SPLIT

Florence Pugh (“Don’t Worry Darling”)

Karin says: “Love the new buzz cut. Love the towering headpiece, but this Valentino gown is just so ill-fitting. It looks like it’s barely holding on and it makes her midriff look weird.”

Cara says: “Again, I can see the Chanel influence on this; the black and white, the simplicity, the little bow. She went for drama with the feathered headpiece. Not sure how I feel about it. Again, it’s like they all just added the black bow with no thought of making a look cohesive of different.”

• For more Met Gala fashion fun, turn to pg 16.

It’s curtain up for “Kids on Broadway” this weekend

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE talented kids of the Clef School for the Performing Arts are ready to take the stage and perform beloved Broadway tunes for a Nassau audience tomorrow night.

Starting at 6pm at St John’s College, the special ‘Kids on Broadway’ showcase will feature famous songs from well-known musicals such as “It’s a Hard-knock Life” from Annie, “Edelweiss” from the The Sound of Music, “Memories” from Cats, and many more.

Aged seven to 13, all the kids can sing, dance and act.

Francyss Pratt, a music educator and the producer of ‘Kids on Broadway’, told Tribune Weekend that it has been a long-held dream to bring these kids together and put on a Broadway-inspired show.

She said she finally found the gumption do so.

The preparation process, which lasted months, has been a demanding one, but ultimately, it’s been a labour of love, she said.

“Preparing for such a grand event such as this was a lot of hard work. There were dedicated instructors who gave up their weekends, parents who gave up their time and children, who added an extra activity onto

their very busy schedules. Lots of sacrifices have been made in order for this to be a success.”

With this being her first big event, Francyss said she is feeling “all the nerves”.

Celebrate the Bahamas during today’s ‘Jubilee

Day’ cultural village

The 50th Independence Anniversary Secretariat will host ‘Jubilee Day’ this afternoon at the Southern Recreation Grounds and Adjacent Lot.

A cultural village will be open from 4pm to 9pm, and there will be an entertainment show from 7pm to 9pm.

It’s a chance to wave the Bahamian flag and celebrate the nation’s achievements leading up to the July 10 festivities.

Earlier this week, school students created and decorated the stage with encouragement from Sea Breeze MP Leslia Miller-Brice, chair of the Bahamas Independence Secretariat.

“It’s nerve-wracking, but also exciting just to think we are just one day away from the event for which we’ve been practicing since February,” she said.

Francyss herself is a graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and has been a musical educator for the past 19 years, but putting on a showcase of this calibre, she said, is still a slightly intimidating venture.

She is encouraging people to support kids in the arts by attending the show tomorrow night.

“I’m looking forward to our fellow Bahamians to gain an even greater appreciation for the arts, especially through children. I also pray that it touches the lives of other children who have been waiting for an opportunity such as this but were too afraid to try,” she said.

“My dream is to unite all of the young people in our nation who have various talents into a community where their talents will be recognised and mastered,” she said.

KIDS from the Clef School for the Performing Arts

LESLIA MILLER-BRICE, chair of the Bahamas Independence Secretariat, greets the artistic kids

David Fingland

This veteran angler from the Bahamas has just fulfilled a long-held dream of winning the top spot of a big international tournament. He tells Cara Hunt about his recent adventures off the coast of Costa Rica.

David Fingland has finally reeled in an elusive catch he has been chasing for years.

He is now the first Bahamian to win the Offshore World Championship Sportfishing Tournament.

In the event, which took place last month in Costa Rica, David won the Top Angler award after catching and releasing a total of six sailfish and two blue marlin for a total of 2,200 points.

It was a great honour for the veteran angler, who has participated in the sport for more than four decades.

“I have been fishing basically all my life,” he told Tribune Weekend.

“I grew up in the Bahamas and went to St Andrew’s School, and as a child that was just one of the things that we did all the time.”

David said he loves the tranquility and serenity the sport of fishing offers.

“You are out there on the ocean and you never know what you will find on the other end of your line. Then there is the camaraderie you have with the others on the boat, and then the excitement of hooking the fish.”

And as much as he enjoys fishing on his own, he said participating in a tournament just adds a competitive thrill to the proceedings and takes the experience up another notch.

David has participated in tournaments here in the Bahamas and abroad, both in team and individual events. He has had varying success at these events.

The Offshore World Championship Fishing Tournament is an invitational event, which means participants have to have placed high enough in a prior competition to be asked to attend.

While David has previously been invited to the event and took part as part of a team several years ago, this year was the year that everything came together and he was able to secure an invitation to compete as a solo angler.

“Of course, every time you enter a tournament you go with the attitude of winning, even if it ends up being a long shot,” he said.

“But this time everything was going so well. By the second day, I was in second place, and then it really hit me that I needed to be really focused and I could win it. And by the fourth day that is what happened and it was really great.”

The second-place angler was Yves LeCourt from Team Mauritius, with four blue marlin and two sailfish, and coming in third was James Thackeray fishing for the Fiji Classic team.

As top angler, David also received a Garmin Quatix 7 watch and a Release Marine custom OWC teak cigar box, sailfish mounts trophies, Costa sunglasses, Yeti ramblers, AFTCO Alijos fighting belts and release gloves, Flor de Caña rum, Guy Harvey limited-edition prints, Big-T lures and Coastal Carolina cutting boards.

Like in any fishing tournament, David said there was a certain element of luck involved to help him secure the victory.

In his case, he had initially drawn a spot on what he thought was a bad boat, but that boat ended up having mechanical troubles which meant he had to change fishing vessels.

“I got a boat that was considered one of the top ones and that boat just knew where all the fish where, so there was certainly that element of luck that helped me win the tournament,” he said.

The tournament was held from Sunday, April 16, to Friday, April 21. A total of 29 teams comprised of 138 anglers participated. (There was also a team from the Bahamas which participated but did not place.)

Nineteen countries were represented including, Australia, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Fiji, Grenada, Jamaica, Kenya, Mauritius, Mexico, Panama, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

The tournament followed the International Game Fish Association guidelines, which means that all the fish caught in the tournament are then released.

“The process is that you have to take a video of you identifying the fish, hooking the fish, then it is weighed and then you have to have to have video

this weekend in history

May 5

• In 1921, the now iconic perfume Chanel No 5 officially debuts in Coco Chanel’s boutique on the Rue Cambon in Paris. The new fragrance revolutionises the perfume industry.

• In 1961, Alan Shepard, Jr, becomes the first American in Space after he completes a 15-minute suborbital flight in

verification of you releasing the fish for it to count toward your total,” David explained.

David said he loves catching the larger bill fish such as the blue marlin, sailfish and swordfish.

“I think it is every angler’s dream to land those super large ones.”

It can be dangerous, however, he said.

the Freedom 7 spacecraft.

May 6

• In 1937, while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, the German dirigible Hindenburg – the largest rigid airship ever constructed - bursts into flames and is destroyed, killing 36 of the 97 people on board.

• In 1998, Steve Jobs introduces Apple’s first iMac, a personal computer that becomes hugely successful and helps revive the struggling company.

May 7

• In 1896, HH Holmes, considered the first known

“I was on a boat with one of my mates and he almost got impaled by a swordfish he was trying to reel in. They can get really feisty.”

David said he would love to have the opportunity to fish in places such as Panama, Hawaii and Australia.

serial killer in the US, is hanged. While he had confessed to 27 murders, he was convicted and sentenced to death for only one murder, that of accomplice and business partner Benjamin Pitezel (it became evident that Holmes had also murdered the three missing Pitezel children).

• In 1915, during World War I, a German submarine torpedoes and sinks the RMS Lusitania, a Cunard Line ocean liner, off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 passengers and crew. The Lusitania was nearing the end of her 202nd crossing, bound for Liverpool from New York.

HH Holmes

Pros and cons of uniformity

Good day, gardeners! What is it that inspires you in the garden?

As I spend more time on design and maintenance, the finer points and subtle details of a home landscape start to come to light. Uniformity in a landscape design can be very powerful, but at the same time it can be very boring.

Basic, uniform designs do not serve native fauna well in that they generally do not provide much food or shelter for said fauna, the birds, the bees and the butterflies. Uniformity is great as a foundation, or a frame to work around. It is then that the finer points and details get set around. The highlights, the specimens, the focal points.

Granted, there are situations where uniformity and simplicity may be desired. In a commercial setting or at a modern, contemporary residence, for example, simplicity maybe one of the main goals when installing a landscape.

Of course, there are those commercial buildings where there was zero to little imagination used when designing the outdoor space. Whether that has to do with budget or simple lack of imagination, I do not know.

When it comes to the home garden, we have the freedom to express our own personalities into the garden and landscaped space.

Functionality may take precedence for some, such as security, being able to see over or through the entire landscape. For some, it may be an area for children to play, or a seating area for guests and family to gather outdoors without obstruction. On the other hand, for some, flowing, organic designs, may fit the bill and do what one is seeking.

Whatever your style, or whatever it is that you seek to achieve in the landscape, the air movement and the light both play critical parts when deciding where to place certain materials. Also, a designer ought to consider native trees or shrubs to provide food and shelter for native fauna or seasonal migrants that pass through our islands every winter.

Even if one is not thinking about any of this, the point of a landscape is to beautify, and create a soft natural addition to the concrete jungle in which we inhabit in our townships and capitol. No, I am not claiming to be a master of design. What I am claiming is to spend a lot of time in a wide

variety of different settings, where the owners are as unique as you and I. In and of that innate unique characteristic that sets us all apart from all others (ironically, as it exists in our sameness as humans) comes a wide variety of opinions, desires, wants and needs. Therefore, outside of deed restricted or HOA (Home Owners’ Association) controlled communities, one person’s landscape can be completely and entirely different from another yet serve the greater good.

The one thing that I will continue to beg of everyone is to leave some native trees and shrubs. Clearing an entire property down to the rock is comparable to going to the bank and withdrawing every red cent in one’s account, then walking out of the bank and giving all of that money away, only to turn around and say where’s my money gone?!

The result would be waking up the next day and having to go back to work to make more money to put back into the account so that the balance could be restored, eventually. To me, the idea is regressive and devoid of thought or consideration. But, here we are! Que será, será.

What another does is not for any of us to decide, but, if things are to improve, it requires people that care. That is where I call on you, the gardener and the person that does not garden, you, the person reading this. If you are that person, then my money says that you do care. It’s up to us to do what we can within our own confines, to serve the greater good.

If one subscribes to the readings of organised religion, and do forgive my artistic licence and ignorance, but does each story not include a “garden”; that nirvana, that sanctified space that we profess about to be the place upon which we shall return?

As I ramble on, the point is, it matters, regardless

of the style or form that you grow or inhabit, we all survive only by the whims of Mother Nature, that of which we are stewards given responsibility for our own space. It all serves the greater good when each of cares for or tends to a garden, our garden, the garden. Public spaces included.

Oh yeah, tomatoes are just about finished for the season, who’s ready for mango season! I for one, am jonesin’. As always, I wish you happy gardening.

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at Fox Hill Nursery on Bernard Road. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.

A ‘magical night’ all in white

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

Guests flew in from as far as Columbia, Canada and all across the US, brought with them violinists and branded merchandise, all to take part in the Bahamian edition of the prestigious Le Dîner en Blanc last Saturday.

The surprise venue, which, as is customary, was revealed to patrons at the last minute, turned out to be the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas in Nassau.

In 1988, after spending a few years in Tahiti, François Pasquier wanted to organise a picnic to reconnect with old friends in Paris, France. The concept was simple: “Bring a meal, and bring a new friend.” Seeing as his garden was too small to receive all the guests, he told them to convene at the Bois de Boulogne and to dress in white, so they could find each other. This friendly gathering became so popular that it grew over time. Today, it is a highly soughtafter, international event spanning six continents in which people have a meal, dressed in all white, in a temporary chic picnic-style set-up in a public space - generally an iconic urban location.

Based in Montreal, Canada, Dîner en Blanc International is responsible for developing this secret event over 80 cities worldwide. Each event is headed by passionate local organisers who fell in love with the concept and who wanted to bring it to their city.

Here in the Bahamas, that person is Alicia “Puppy” Robinson of Pupstar Entertainment & Events.

Speaking of last Saturday’s dinner, she said the night was nothing short of magical.

“The biggest thing for me was the international exposure’ that makes it successful, because you have people travelling for the event. Considering this is my first major event since 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, I am truly happy about the turnout. It felt really good to be back. Overall, I am satisfied and I do believe it was a total success,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“I am still receiving calls and messages from people who have never been to an event of mine before.

Just talking about how well it was executed, and the whole feel of the event; not realising that a space that they pass every day could be transformed into what it was.”

Highlights of the event included a “best table leader” competition where patrons competed for the top spot.

“Table leaders are persons that volunteer to assist with the event. And then they kind of get their own

groups together and compete. So, we had a table that was just completely uniform from start to finish. They had their own violinist, branded merchandise, a baby’s breath theme. They had their own four-course meal that they made from scratch. They totally went all out,” said Alicia.

“The event itself, you could either do it picnic-style or you can bring your own meals. It was absolutely stunning. We also had best-dressed competition, the sparkler dance, napkin wave and so on. This helps it to stay interactive; people are constantly engaged.

One attendee, Lazar Delorenzo Charlton, noted: “I’m always so

impressed with the events put on by Alicia and Pupstar Events. The visuals as soon as you walked in were amazing, and the event was fantastically well-organized. I’m very much looking forward to the next Dîner en Blanc, as well as the next Pupstar event.”

Alicia said she and her team will be dreaming about Dîner en Blanc until next year. She is thankful to all the supporters for their dedication and enthusiasm.

“The elegant fashion, creative tables, outstanding menus, and true joie de vivre, made this experience memorable for everyone,” she said.

(Photos/Clifton Barry Photography for Pupstar Entertainment & Events)

literary lives

Sleeping with leopards

Sir Christopher Ondaatje recounts several exotic experiences with leopards in literature and on jungle safaris in Africa and in the Far East.

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?

The Bible Jeremiah 13.23

The author Rudyard Kipling in his mesmerising 1908 Just So Stories tells us the simple tale of how the leopard got its spots – a make-believe story that brings man and beast together. According to ancient lore an Ethiopian and a leopard hunted together successfully on the dry high veldt plains and with their skills found it easy to blend into the North African background.

But the animals they hunted moved away to safety and changed their appearance – and it was harder to hunt them. So the Ethiopian and the leopard had to change their appearance too – the Ethiopian changing his skin to a nice working blackish-brown colour with a little purple in it, and touches of slaty blue – for ambushing in hollows and dark places. And with the black left over after colouring his skin the Ethiopian “put his five fingers close together and pressed them all over the leopard, and wherever the five fingers touched they left five little black marks, all close together. Sometimes the fingers slipped and the marks got a little blurred; but if you look closely at any leopard now you will see that there are always five spots – off the five fat black finger tips.” And the Ethiopian, happy with his black skin, and the leopard with his new spots, continued hunting successfully as they always had done.

Leopards are solitary and territorial animals, but become emboldened to attack people or other animals when threatened. They are carnivores and prefer medium-sized prey and other herbivores. They rely on their acute senses of hearing and vision for hunting.

“One hot night a leopard came into my room and lay down beside me”, Anna Kavan wrote in a short fiction “The Visit” about her days in Burma.

“I was half asleep, and did not realise at first that it was a leopard. I seemed to be dreaming the

sound of some large, soft-footed creature padding quietly through the house, the doors of which were wide open because of the intense heat. It was almost too dark to see the lithe, muscular shape coming into my room treading softly on velvet paws, coming straight to the bed without hesitation, as if perfectly familiar with its position.

“A light spring, then warm breath on my arm, on my neck and shoulder, as the visitor sniffed me before lying down. It was not until later, when moonlight entering through the window revealed an abstract spotted design, that I recognised the form of an unusually large handsome leopard stretched out beside me.

“His breathing was deep though almost inaudible. He seemed to be sound asleep. I watched the regular contractions and expansions of the deep chest, admired the elegant relaxed body and supple limbs, and was confirmed in my conviction that the leopard is the most beautiful of all wild animals. While I observed him, I was all the time breathing his natural odour, a wild primeval smell of sunshine, freedom, moon and crushed leaves, combined with the cool freshness of the spotted hide, still damp with the midnight moisture of the jungle plants. I found his non-human scent, surrounding him like an aura of strangeness, peculiarly attractive and stimulating.

“My bed, like the walls of the house, was made of palm-leaf matting stretched over short bamboos, smooth and cool to the touch, even in the great heat. It was not so much a bed as a room within a room, an open staging about 12 feet square, so that there was ample space for the leopard as well as myself. I slept better that night than I had since the hot weather started, and he too seemed to sleep peacefully at my side.

“The close proximity of this powerful body of another species gave me a pleasant sensation that I am at a loss to name.

“When I awoke in the first faint light of dawn, with the parrots screeching outside, he had already got up and left the room.”

Leopards are featured throughout ancient mythological tales, its multi-coloured hide and behaviour being the basis of allegorical stories. Mystery, mysticism and magic have always been attributed to the sometimes

melanistic feline – arising from an abnormal development of the dark pigment melanin, resulting in the animal’s coat being very dark or black. In medieval times the black leopard was said to be friendly towards all animals except the dragon, which it lured to its fate by exuding a particularly sweet odour. Later it was the symbol of Christ, until its savage nature became more widely known.

Then it became a symbol of evil and hypocritical flattery. In art and legend, a beautiful and courageous woman is often symbolised by the black leopard or panther – and is usually incensed signifying fierceness, fury, impetuosity and remorselessness.

In ancient Greek mythology, the leopard was believed to be one of the favoured mounts of the God Dionysus, the god of wine who wore a leopard skin and is accompanied by leopards as he travels the earth, teaching the art of wine making. In the myths of Dionysus, the leopard is a symbol of unleashing desires, and thus the awakening of Kundalini forces of the union of Shiva and Shakti.

In Egyptian mythology, the goddess Seshata, who invented writing, is shown in a leopard hide – the spots on the skin thought to represent stars –which symbolised eternity. Seshata not only kept track of all sacred and mathematical knowledge, but even the number of years allowed the Pharaoh on earth.

In China there were five mythic cats. The dark one reigned in the north with winter as its season of power, and water its most effective element. This token encompasses all the various feminine archetypes: child, virgin, seductress, mother, warrioress, seeress and wise woman. The black leopard spirit awakens the deepest, most hidden aspects of our being. Leopards are embroidered on the robes of generals to endow them with the leopard’s famed ferocity.

Even Guiseppe di Lampedusa used The Leopard as the title of his famed Sicilian biography. The leopard was not only the name of his book, but also the symbol of the House of Salina, Prince Fabrizio’s aristocratic family. Leopards symbolise the power and grace of the Italian aristocracy that goes all the way back to the Etruscans, who were the first inhabitants of Sicily.

It is not surprising that leopards inspire both fear and awe. They are enigmatic creatures that possess grace, power and elusiveness. Their vision and hearing are far superior to that of human beings. They can move in the darkness using only their senses to guide them.

leopard in the Serengeti, risking both prosecution and mauling, taking photograph after photograph for my early book Leopard in the Afternoon. I have tracked the notorious man-eating leopard of Punanai in Sri Lanka, using the creature as a metaphor for an uneasy relationship with my tyrannical alcoholic father in the jungles of old Ceylon. And I have tracked and photographed a rare and melanistic black leopard in the wilds of Lewa Downs in northern Kenya – perhaps the only time this rare beast has been seen in East Africa for nearly a century.

I have also had a fitful night’s sleep back in 1996. While nearing the end of a three-month journey tracing the footsteps of the Victorian explorers in East Africa. We had reached Kasese at the foot of the Ruwenzori Mountains in Uganda. My quest was to unravel the mystery of the source of the River Nile, which was mistakenly designated as being Lake Victoria by John Hanning Speke in 1858. But the next day Kasese was in semi-chaos. Rebels – possibly from Zaire – had crossed the border only six miles west of the town and were moving down the Kazinga Channel, which runs between Lake George and Lake Edward. Armed men were everywhere. So were refugees. Without understanding a word of the language being spoken we could tell that Kasese was in a state of alarm.

We pitched camp in a small clearing in the Semliki forest, completely surrounded by tall cane grass, some fifty yards from the rugged mountain road we had driven along. Walking further south into the jungle we found a small group of Bamba and Bakonjo people, often referred to as pygmies.

However, nightfall was coming so we headed back to camp, ate dinner and settled for the night – I on my own in a small plastic tent about thirty yards away from Thad Petersen and our two Tanzanian bearers in a larger tent. Under the forest canopy the night was exceptionally dark, and I was lying on an uncomfortable ground-sheet, being bitten my minute insects known as bukukums. The bites left painful welts, particularly around the eyes and ears. Sleeping was difficult. But eventually I dozed off.

Maybe only an hour or so later, there was the jarring sound of gunfire, yelling and shouting on the mountain road. I lay motionless, a virtual prisoner in my tent, thinking about the mayhem I had witnessed a few hours earlier in Kasese. What we did not know was that only hours before Laurent Kabila’s troops had made their first attempt to overthrow the dictatorship of President Mobutu in Zaire.

Over my long and eventful life, I have had varied encounters with leopards – both directly and indirectly. I have driven over eight hundred miles in Tanzania in search of an elusive female

It was an ordeal to listen to the sounds, because I had no idea what to do. The nocturnal turmoil lasted for a good hour, then quietened down somewhat. I silently unzipped the front flap of the tent and shone my torch into the long grass on either side of the narrow path that led away from the clearing. Imagine my surprise when, instead

RUDYARD Kipling’s ‘How the Leopard Got its Spots’

IN ancient Greek mythology, the leopard was believed to be one of the favoured mounts of the God Dionysus

of shadowy rebel soldiers, I caught sight of two bright orange eyes shining back at me from the edge of the clearing. From long experience I knew such eyes could belong only to a large cat, perhaps a leopard.

I shone my torch steadily at the eyes and saw a motionless figure, which was still gazing at me. Then, without moving its feet, the stealthy predator turned its head and looked down the narrow path towards the sound of the crowd on the mountain road. In the torch beam I recognised the tawny hide and rosettes of a full-grown female leopard, with a long twitching tail, staring at something I couldn’t see in the distance. I remained rooted to the spot. But I kept shining my torch on the beast.

After some long moments, perhaps even a minute, the leopardess slowly, soundlessly, moved away from the path onto the centre of the clearing towards an invisible spot behind my tent, concealed from the road.

I dared not move or create a sound, but very slowly and silently crouched down again on my ground-sheet and shut off the torch. The sounds of the fleeing rebels seemed finally to be moving away, the danger becoming more distant. In due course, I heard only the forest noises, sharpened by my now-acute alertness. There was the occasional rustle of wind in the trees, the whir of cicadas, the drone of a persistent mosquito. And then I was aware of another sound. Right next to my tent. I strained my ears and there could be no mistake; I could hear a low guttural breathing, only a few feet away. Had the leopardess sought protection or cover from my tent, away from the threat of the people on the mountain road?

This was hard to believe. Yet there seemed to be no other reasonable explanation. I tried to shine my torch through the thin plastic of the tent wall on to the creature apparently lurking nearby – but the task was hopeless. So I simply crouched down and listened.

Her relaxed breathing continued. After a while I felt that the two of us had formed some undefined, unspoken bond. As if, together, we were less vulnerable to any passing intruder.

Suddenly more voices. Some way off, but coming closer. At least two men were walking along the path towards the clearing. I could not see any light moving; they appeared not to have a torch. I dared not shine my torch for fear of giving away my position. On the other hand, the night was so dark it seemed likely the strangers would fail to see the tents and would trip over the guy ropes holding our fragile shelters upright. The voices grew louder still and I knew I had to do something. I thought of running – but that seemed like a kind of suicide. What if the men were armed? And how would the beast react? Neither of us had moved. Then, when the voices were almost upon us and we were nearly certain

to be discovered, I had a rasping warning from the leopardess – an unmistakable snarl, only inches away from my left side. The talking stopped like a switch being flicked off, and a second or so later came the sound of footsteps running back along the path.

There was no further communication from the leopardess. For the rest of the night, I lay motionless on my ground-sheet listening to the unhurried breathing of my strange companion against the eerie noises of the night.

In fact, I must have slept a bit, because when I awoke there were shreds of daylight heralding dawn, straggling through the upper branches of the forest. The front flap of my tent was still open. I was too frightened to move, but at long last, as the morning became lighter, and the greeting calls of the jungle birds became bolder, I plucked up the courage to peer out of my tent towards the spot where my night-time companion must have lain.

Needless to say, she had gone. There was nothing to be seen – not even a scratch in the dust or a claw mark on the small anthill that had been her uneven resting place. The leopardess had vanished as silently as she had come.

A few minutes later, a concerned Thad Petersen called across our clearing: “Are you all right, Chris?” “Yes”, I called back. “Did you hear the commotion on the road?” “Of course,” he replied, “but they seem to have gone now.”

Indeed, there was no one else around. I suppose the rebel exodus across the border took place at night to escape detection. “I think it’s fairly safe now”, he added.

I went over to his tent. “Did you see the leopard?” I asked. “What leopard?” Thad enquired. “Oh, I thought I saw her last night some time before midnight, after the commotion started. But I may have been mistaken.” My intimate encounter would have been too difficult to explain. And perhaps even more difficult to believe. So I never mentioned it to Thad Petersen, or to anyone else.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial.

IN Egyptian mythology, the goddess Seshata, who invented writing, is shown in a leopard hide

The Ephemeral Islands

An email from reader David Watson inspired me to revisit David G Watson ‘s 1978 book ‘The Ephemeral Islands’ describing the natural history of the Bahamas, in words and sentences that roll so easily off the tongue.

The opening chapter, ‘The genteel pleasures of urban natural history’, sets the stage for a delightful narrative:.

“Most people harbour the misconception that the adventure of Bahamian natural history lies over the horizon: among the glamorous flamingoes of Inagua, in the pigeon metropolises, at the bottom of the sea or on lonely beaches, where the green turtle nests. The rewards of nature appreciation are, however, only a function of the observer’s imagination – and patience. There are natural dramas and items of striking beauty in even the drabbest of environments: man’s cities.

“Any backyard, any weed patch will do, whether in Bain Town or on Bay Street. Turn over a stone or glance into a nearby tree and, by careful observation and study, you will find a hint of wilderness.

“I live, for example, in a rambling old Bahamian house, with high ceilings and sagging balconies. In a particularly shaded part of the balcony, overlooking the yard, hangs a sun-bleached red hammock. Over the years, the rain and elements have frayed its borders until, today, it looks as if it were woven from Afghan wool. I welcome this process, for it has weakened the coarse Indian sisal and made the hammock all the more comfortable.

“I am not, however, the only one to take advantage of the weathering. For the past three years, during March, a female woodstar hummingbird has used the fuzzy hammock as a source of nest material. I think she was first attracted to the hammock by its red colour; hummingbirds often investigate red scarves and other clothing, mistaking them for nectar-rich flowers. Suspended on invisible wings, she tears fibres from the hammock, without alighting.

“Hummingbirds, perhaps the most dazzling of all bird families, are certainly the most accomplished

flyers. The great eighteenth-century ornithologist, Alfre Newman, called them ‘gems in nature’s lapidary’. Indeed, hummingbirds have amazed naturalists for over three hundred years.

“Of the 319 varieties of hummingbirds, found in a variety of habitats, from Patagonia to Alaska, only two are commonly observed in the Bahama Islands: the Cuban emerald and the Bahama woodstar. Woodstars are endemic to the Bahamas, found throughout the archipelago, with a distinct local race on Inagua. The slightly larger Cuban emerald hummingbird (its iridescent green plumage defies the lustre of any emerald) coexists with the woodstar on Andros, Abaco and Grand Bahama …

“The woodstar is the only hummingbird commonly seen on New Providence. It is white-chested, green-backed, and rufous-topped, the adult males endowed with scintillating throat feathers. Woodstars flicker from flower to flower, like

sourceless flames, here and there hovering motionless in the air, inserting their long and flexible tongues into corollas, to suck out nectar. Between sips of nectar, they dart at small insects, which they pick from the air, with their curved bills.

“Though only three- and one-half inches long, male woodstars (which are distinguished from females by a forked, instead of rounded, tail) will defend their territory against avian intruders, many times their weight and size. Like impudent jewels, they even repel gentle mockingbirds.

“For centuries, naturalists have marveled at the aerial adroitness of hummingbirds, but it was not until the development of highspeed troboscopic photography that scientists were able to analyse the flying technique.

“The ruby-throated hummingbirds have been clocked at 50 miles per hour; in order to maintain this velocity, the have to beat their wings 200 times per second (by comparison, a pelican beats its wing a little over once per second) … hummingbirds can also fly sideways and backwards, feats which no other birds can accomplish.

“Relative to their size, their pectoral muscles are the strongest in the animal kingdom… Bahama woodstars breed all the year around, with a peak of nesting activity in April.

“Each female lays two large white eggs and assumes total responsibility for incubation and raising the young.”

• For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@ gmail.com

THE BAHAMA woodstar is a small hummingbird

Animal matters

Kim Aranha

Royal rescues

As we trudge into the month of May looking furtively back, wondering whatever happened to January, February, March and April…did we just fast forward to May?… Alas, we didn’t; the days just fly by faster than we could ever imagine.

The weather is getting warmer, Summer is fast approaching. We know what that means: please make sure your animals have a cool, shady spot to hang out, lots of clean and fresh water to drink unendingly. This is also a reminder to those devoted owners who take your dogs for long walks and runs on the road… you are wearing shoes, your dog isn’t. The temperature of the asphalt can be very intense … check it out, they can burn their pads and it is painful for them. Be considerate and treat then with thought and kindness.

Thoughtfulness and kindness –two qualities that do not necessarily make up the qualities of all mankind. Time and time again I am gutted with the haphazard way people treat their pets.

Some wonderful news that’s come out of all the chatter about the Coronation tomorrow is that King Charles and his wife Queen (consort) Camilla have two rescue dogs. These will be the first rescue dogs ever to live in Buckingham Palace. What a wonderful boost for shelters all around the world. Beth and Bluebell are both rescued Jack Russell terriers and I am sure that they tear around the palace at full speed just as we would expect a terrier to do.

The Queen always had lots of dogs around, but they were corgis and most of them were born and bred by the Queen herself or family members. Do you suppose the people who gave the King’s dogs away in the first place recognise them? I hope not.

So, we now have royal rescues and presidential rescues (President Joe Biden has a rescue dog). Who will be next, I wonder?

It is nice to have good news to

PET OF THE WEEK

A dog named Dougal

By The Bahamas Humane Society

One-year-old Dougal is rather timid around other dogs and would love a home where his humans are around for some or all of the day to reassure him things are going to be okay.

Dougal loves going for the dog walks and seeing the world around him.

Do you have the calm personality that Dougal needs in his life? Then you might be his person! Come in to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet him or call 325-6742 for more information. Dougal looks

share because it has not all been easy the last few weeks. Puppies and kittens are being born at an alarming rate and no sooner do we airlift one batch than the next wave of needy babies is brought in.

I recently had to deal with a person who was leaving the Bahamas and going to a new country. At the last minute they ascertained that pets were not welcome where they had chosen to move to… and of course I get the last-minute “do something” phone call. It all had a tremendously sad ending and left me feeling bruised and battered by my fellow man. Walking out on your pet after years of dedicated and loving companionship is so wrong.

Is it that difficult to try and imagine what certain situations are for other creatures and people? Animals deserve consideration and love. It must be dreadful to see the people that you have trusted all your life, who have fed you, played with you, and spoken to you, suddenly, walk out of that door and no matter how long you wait they never come back. In my opinion it takes heartlessness to a whole new level and we at the Bahamas Humane Society have to deal with this kind of callousness almost daily.

We always consider May to be kitten season and this year is no different to the previous years. Boxes of babies are left on our doorsteps. We

Rescue terriers

Beth and Bluebell are enjoying palace life (Photo_ Clarence House)

forward to meeting you!

(Dog walks are Wednesday and Saturday at 10am. Please check out Animal Lovers Nassau on Facebook to join in!)

• The BHS Thrift Shop is open and ready to sell you all kinds of wonderful things, from housewares to giftwares, to books, clothes, and much more! Open Wedneday/Thursday/Friday, 11am to 3pm, and Saturday 10am to 2pm. All proceeds go to the BHS! The next Jewellery Sale is tomorrow, Saturday, May 6.

keep appealing to the public to bring the momma too so that we can spay her to avoid any more unwanted pets. Never take the babes from the mother when they are really small; they need her to feed them and care for them.

I know I sound nuts, but quite honestly, if you apply the same principles to animals as you do humans, you cannot go wrong. You would never take a newborn human baby away from their mother; both baby and mother would be devastated. Exactly the same thing applies to animals.

We are all shocked and horrified when old people get sent to a home for the aged with no contact with those they love, no familiar touches, no familiar voices. Animals suffer from similar behaviour, but somehow, we find it near to impossible to apply the same consideration if the victim cannot speak.

The inability to communicate has always encouraged the insensitive and uncaring to treat the mute poorly. They cannot speak, but that does not mean that they do not possess intelligence; it does not mean that they have no feelings. If you do not cry out in pain does that mean you feel no pain? There is a wealth of double standards out there and many people find that burying their heads in the sand resolves the problem. Maybe for them, but not for the victim.

I would remind them, people around them see, hear and watch what they do. Please be kind.

(PHOTO/JUDY YOUNG)

The Weekend Fashion Report

MET Gala 2023 – “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” Part II

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

SPLIT Lizzo

Karin says: “This is just overall way too much. I know the pearl harness was inspired by a 1991 Chanel collection, but it’s A LOT. While the curly updo is nice, the flat fringe is a bit weird. I do appreciate the nod to Karl with the fingerless gloves though.”

Cara says: “Yes, girl, come through with your pearls! I really love this look. It is simple yet stunning. What I love about Lizzo is that she is usually very classic in her style, but she always just adds that slight twist to reflect her personality. i.e. the chunky bracelets and ankle boots.”

FAIL

Olivia Wilde (“Don’t Worry Darling”)

Karin says: “What a major fashion faux pas…another celeb was wearing the exact same dress, just in black (and wore it better). Anyway, it’s hideous either way. I think it’s supposed to be a guitar motif, but it looks like a maxi pad.”

Cara says: “She missed the assignment. I am getting Roman gladiator wearing a breast plate vibe rather than Chanel/Karl Lagerfield vibes. Her dress looks like it is the enemy attacking her.”

HIT Rihanna

Karin says: “Rihanna was so late that most people had given up on her making an appearance. But we think it was worth it? I like that it’s so big and dramatic, but it’s ultimately just a long white gown. The best thing is the white hood with the Chanelinspired camellias which then turned into a stole.”

Cara says: “Yes, she made a super late entrance, but she definitely brought the glam with her. You can’t fault her for the combined drama of the train and the camellia cape. It is such a diva moment!”

FAIL

Mary J Blige

Karin says: “I’m sorry, but this is just plain tacky. As if this blue floral nightmare with the painful looking cleavage wasn’t enough, she had to go and pair it with matching thigh-high boots. Horrible.”

Cara says: “I don’t know what event she was headed to, but this misses all the marks. The fabric is really pretty, I have to say, but I really just don’t care for the cut of the dress. We have seen it so many times.”

HIT Lil Nas X

Karin says: “A another feline tribute to Choupette. We know Montero will always go out of his way to be overthe-top and shocking, and he did not disappoint with his silver thong, body paint and jewel-encrusted mask. Kudos to him, honestly. He’s the only one who could pull it off.”

Cara says: “If anyone can pull this off, it’s him. I mean, it’s bold, it’s daring, it’s one-ofthe-kind, and it really is a work of art (despite barely any fabric being used). His body is on display like a canvas.”