Blue Velvet Sectional

Greek yogurt pancakes. As someone who spends as much time as possible on Harbour Island, I feel a kinship with others who love it there and return frequently.  Kinship isn't the right word; that implies some sort of equal status, which I am very well aware I don't share with the Harbour Island people I follow on Instagram: India Hicks ,   Annika Von Holdt , Alessandra Branca , Amanda Brooks , and Marie-Chantal of Greece . Aside from the fact that I am pretty much the only one of these women with any measurable body fat, let's not even get into the gulf between our economic statuses.  (Then again, being the poorest person to regularly holiday on HI, and now to have a house on Eleuthera, is not one of the world's saddest tales, I know). Take Marie-Chantal, or MC, as her friends (and someone who prefers to type only 2 letters) call her. One of three daughters of  duty-free magnate Robert Miller, she married into the deposed Greek royal family in the 90s, and is...

Well hello, three people who read this blog! I haven't managed to post yet this month; thank goodness I get that extra leap year day... I was back in the Bahamas from the 9th to the 17th, without any TV, and just spotty Internet (and water and power). Naturally, after a relaxing, tropical vacation, one returns to a shit show- cold weather, traffic jams, fraught relationships, work deadlines... remind me again why I don't decamp to Eleuthera full time? Oh right, I work for my money.  Well, back at it tomorrow.  Still, I hope to find time to write something interesting or funny (or neither, but I try) over the next few days.  I am literally losing sleep over the US presidential elections, and need to find a way to become less obsessed with my disgust for all the GOP candidates.  Until then, here are some vacation shots, should anyone want to look at sunshine, blue sky and clear water. At least Donald Trump can't ruin that for me! Setting up shop at Rainbow B...

I don't wear much jewelry.  I figure it's a reaction to how I dressed in high school.  Back then, I looked like a Madonna impersonator, or an extra in a John Hughes movie.  On an average day, I wore brooches, rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, all stacked high.  I tied the look together with a big black satin bow in my curly hair. You could probably hear me coming a block away as I jingled under the weight of so much fake Chanel-style jewelry. I routinely set off metal detectors at airports (and once at the Canadian Parliament!) I'd say I looked ridiculous, but hey, everyone did in the 80s! That's obviously not my style anymore. Now, I have three things that I feel naked without- pearl and diamond stud earrings, and two simple pieces that remind me of Harbour Island. A few years ago I found this silver ring at The Sand Dollar, a lovely store on King Street in Dunmore Town.  I love it because the "stone" is actually beach glass from nearby Pink Sa...

My favourite thing about The Cove, Eleuthera  used to be that Lenny Kravitz  supposedly lives nearby.  I first had dinner there in 2010, and the place was, to put it mildly, dated.  The food was good, the views were lovely, but the restaurant had that Golden Girls vibe  that used to permeate southern interior design.  It was a bit run down, too.  No one had shown it any love for years. When it closed for renovations, I had high hopes, but wondered what sort of commitment the new owners would make to the island.  Big developments had a way of falling through in the Bahamas. See  Baha Mar  as the most recent example.  So, when the Cove reopened, I was excited to see what an amazing job the new owner did. Still, I worry, because the man who did the renovations has already  sold  it.  I can only hope the quality is maintained by the new owners.  The island deserves it. The whole complex was completely transformed...

Well, I pulled my bags out of the various closets they were stashed in. All together, I have 24. This doesn't include a few small clutches, laptop bags, and an insane collection of canvas bags, the most precious of which are obviously from the Pigly Wigly in Harbour Island (pic below), and my Vandelay Industries tote.  Honestly, with those in my arsenal, why do I even have all these other bags? I imagine this number repulses some people, yet it's a drop in the bucket for others. For me, it feels like too much, but is there anything I can do about it?

The first time I walked into the  Dunmore , I practically squealed with delight.  It's SO PREPPY! I felt like I had gone back to 80s Burlington. It reminded me of everyone's sunroom, but much better, of course. Lunch on the terrace provides one of the best views of the pink sand beach and water, as you can see above.  The food is amazing, and they make particularly good mojitos.

In February, we spent 5 days on Eleuthera before heading over to my Happy Place, Harbour Island.  Yes, I am a creature of habit, and the trip was mostly things we'd done before, but if you are lucky enough to be doing what you want, why change?  After the boat ride from North Eleuthera, we dropped off our stuff at  Runaway Hill , went for lunch at  Queen Conch , and then off to  Rock House so Fluffy the bartender could make me a slammin' Goombay Smash, (my first of many over the next 5 days). We watched the sunset, then strolled back to Runaway along the pink sand beach.  If that doesn't seem like something you would want to do more than once, I don't think we can be friends.  That being said, there was one place on Briland that I had somehow never been to, and wanted to add to my routine- the Ocean View Club . Ocean View Club

I think I have the smallest bathroom legally allowed in North America.  Yes, on House Hunters International, one occasionally comes across those bathrooms where the shower is the room, with a drain hole right there in the middle of the floor.  Anyone with a bathroom like that can skip this post, since you have it worse than I do. I have a tub, a sink, a toilet, a mirror, a cupboard under the sink, and a few shelves.  No medicine cabinet.  The tub is too small for me to have a relaxing bath in, and I'm 5'4".  When I lived in a really old building in Forest Hill Village, I had a great old porcelain tub with a slanted back and room for two.  You could easily fit a basket of magazines and a glass of wine on the edge.  Whenever I get too nostalgic for that bathroom, I remind myself of the sink, which had those separate hot and cold taps, possibly the stupidest thing ever invented... There's really no room for anything in this bathroom, but the older I ...

Last week, Town and Country magazine posted this article about Harbour Island, which contained a link to a  previous  post where the author wrote about what she wore on her recent visit:  Tory Burch tunics, vintage dresses, Oscar de la Renta earrings... yeah, that's not how I roll. It's an elegant but casual island, so the idea of showing up for 10 days with a load of suitcases packed full of designer clothes seems ridiculous to me.  Maybe if you're  Marie-Chantal ... That being said, as a dedicated carry-on only packer, I have made some straight-up hideous sartorial choices, especially on a trip to Italy as admitted  here .  I've gone excessively casual on HI before as well (if you saw me at Cocoa Coffee House or Bahamas Coffee Roaster, I may have been in blue flowered pyjama bottoms. Sorry about that.). This year, I am planning to do a bit better. I'm still not breaking out my Tory or DvF, but I'm upping my game from the too-casual wear of th...

That head you can barely see is me. No one else around! Harbour Island is, for me, the physical embodiment of that place you’re supposed to go to in your head when life is about to give you a rage-induced stroke and you need to calm down...