September 24, my mother's birthday, i had a health scare as a result of which i did not post her usual tribute on Facebook. Basically, i was out of comission as i had fainted that morning. I had awoken very early feeling extremely cold, despite layers of bedclothes. I got up, had a cup of hot chocolate to try and warm up my insides and was on the way to the bathroom, when i blacked out. I can't have been out for longer than 2 minutes, though i can't be sure as no one was around to verify. When i was finally able to see a doc at ER and after several tests including blood, brain scan and EKG, he said everything seemed normal and the episode was probably a vagal response. Apparently i had been deprived of oxygen from a combination of poor circulation and low blood count (anemia associated with the lymphoma), so the vagus nerve, our second brain, shut down the body. Lying on the floor with my head lowered, eventually caused more blood to reach my brain prompting a recovery.

Subsequent consultation with my cancer doctor did not indicate a relapse so resuming chemo was not warranted. So i am back on watch and wait. Still, i am grateful to have been in remission for 4 years and counting. I have been sleeping with my feet raised to help with circulation and ensure blood flow to my brain. It seems to work as i don't get cold feet so much and have had no recurrence of fainting.

I would much rather get bouquets now when i can appreciate them than wreaths after my departure. I have been honoured by JFLAG twice this year by inclusion, first in a mural at the centre, and then on the cover of the 25th anniversary edition of PrideJA Magazine. Thanks to all who were behind this. It is good that we are documenting our history and honouring our own.

Mural at JFLAG.

PrideJA Magazine 25th anniversary cover.

Last year's Christmas cake with banana peel resurrected.

Escoveitched eggplant.

Eggplant and chickpea tagine.

Haven't had the will or energy this year to do Christmas cake. Have a half of one in the freezer so that will have to do. Who knew it would be so hard to find cognac here, accustomed as i am to Martell or Hennessey? Having found brandy de Jerez from Spain as a decent substitute for cognac, i will make my father's recipe for eggnog, or my vegan version of eggless nog, as i have adapted it using nutritional yeast in warm soy milk with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. The brandy is essential.

Escoveitch eggplant, successful experiment. Cut eggplant in fish filet size pieces, season with salt, pepper, lime or lemon juice, dip in batter, and bake till tender and brown. Broil onions in a little water, add julienned carrots, chocho and sweet pepper, seasoned with salt, pepper, annatto, pimento and seaweed flakes till veggies are tender. Add 1 T vinegar and 2 t brown sugar and simmer, adding more water if necessary. When done add 1 t coconut oil. Pour escoveitch mixture over eggplant and serve.

Eggplant and chickpea tagine, served with spinach and pickled beets over couscous. Don't have a proper clay tagine so made this stew in a covered ceramic dish in the oven. Harissa, which i inherited from a previous tenant, and lemon juice, give it the Moroccan flavor. Now i can add another cuisine style to my repertoire of Jamaican, Hakka, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Cuban, and Thai. And fusion of any of the above.

Once Arjuna signed up with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, we've had a constant flow of volunteers come through. One team, led by Lucas from Germany, completed the paving of the terrace in front of my flat using tinted concrete to approximate brick in a herringbone pattern. I've wanted to do this for years but bricks are surprisingly costly here so this was an effective, affordable hack. My flat i've named Niervana, so the terrace is Pieza Niervana, the good, old Jamaican word nobly derived from the Italian piazza. Another team led by Silas from Baltimore worked on the circular stone walk in the herb garden.

In the interim between birth and death, we come across other manifestations of not-self with whom we connect, resonate with, have affinity for. One such was Karen McMorris, originally from Kingston, but domiciled in Maryland. We were introduced in the DMV by mutual friend Suzette Gardner who thought we should meet as we were both headed for Thailand. We never saw each other as Karen repaired to Koh Samui and i headed north to Chiang Mai. Next thing i know is that a year later she was relocating to Lisbon just as i was preparing to move to Portugal, settling in a small town in the north.

Karen travelled a lot and would ask me to house sit to take care of her dog and her collection of orchids. I would take the train from Porto to Santa Apólonia in Lisbon, then a bus to Belém where she had her apartment. Thus i was introduced to the capital and eventually decided to move there. Eventually she moved north to Porto but we kept in touch. She had been afflicted with a number of conditions and passed in April. She was the only other Jamaican i knew in Portugal.

Nature, body, and mind go to death, not we; we never go nor come.
~ Vivekananda ~

Mike Morrissey and i have tagged each other for years. He arrived as a teacher in Brown's Town shortly after i had left. Years later he tracked me to Kingston where he was attached to UWI. He would come hang out at Gallery Way. Then when i moved to Thailand, he was in Jakarta where he hosted me in royal style. We met up a couple times in Bangkok where he would come for meetings for his job as educational consultant for Southeast Asia. I was taken by surprise at his passing in July as i had not known him to be ailing. He will be missed by many, particularly young creatives whom he mentored.

Karen McMorris, 1956-2024.

Mike Morrissey, 1948-2024. We were in Bangkok at the Thai National Museum.

Gillian with her beau and me at the National Pantheon, Lisbon.

Justice and me.

Passing through Lisbon in June was Gillian Royes and her current beau. We met up for lunch near the National Pantheon, then toured Sintra. Gillian was for a time a partner in Xaymaca Craft, my distribution business in Kingston. I spoke at her wedding to Eden Shand. We began SPECTRUM together with other friends. We went our separate ways but still kept in touch. It's that sort of connection. She's now a successful author, scriptwriter, and 3rd stage dating guru practising what she preaches.

Justice Nnana first came to the quinta as a b&b guest, and we quickly became friends after he had learnt of my sustainability and social justice work. What clinched it was my mention of Grace Lee Boggs. Justice is a Nigerian-American documentary filmmaker from LA/NY, fervently trying to change the world. He respects my planetary index thesis but is skeptical of its implementation any time soon, and he is right. He bought a quinta nearby and visits me regularly when he comes out from Lisbon to do work on it. He's often accompanied by assorted idealist activists, providing me with fresh inputs and welcome opportunities to discuss ideas. This way i get to know wat a-gwaan and won't get stale.