A Taste of Great Grandpa's Early Days

Wake up in the morning, yawn and stretch

Turn up the radio, fix that morning breath

Pop that pastry in the microwave or make a bowl of flakes

Hop right in the shower 'cause I can not afford to be late

Grab my jeans, plug in the iron, pop it out- forget that

My clothes will keep their wrinkles, stuff my books in my back pack

Wake my computer up, check what Facebook notified

Check my BBM groups, see what happened last night

Glide into the Toyota or take the bus if the car gets me annoyed

Yes, this is a typical morning in the life of crazy Lloyd.

            An extract from "Crazy Lloyd": story written by Jaci Jo

I'm sure, thanks to the many new technologies that surround us, that Lloyd's morning is pretty similar to that of many other people. However, as you may know, in earlier years waking up to a radio or checking your Facebook was unheard of. Heck, even taking a shower was out of the question.

Barbadians at one point were very poor and the average man could not buy a bicycle far less a Toyota (I don't think they were even created yet). Indeed, times were very different some four decades ago.

Like Lloyd, children went to school however, they weren't...fortunate enough to be able to just get up and go. They often had to wake up early with the rest of the household and do chores such as feeding the chickens, fetching water or cleaning the chimney (yes, some houses had chimneys then).

Breakfast wasn't taken lightly either. After chores, there would be "bakes" and porridge to chow down on or maybe tea and biscuits. It was a must to have something filing and warm in your stomach before you left home on mornings.



A Man Washing At A Stand Pipe

Of course people didn't shower but they did clean themselves. They would sponge bathe. The water that was brought in from the stand pipe on mornings would be boiled (or maybe left cold) and poured into a basin and a piece of cloth or sponge would scrub the morning's work away. The stand pipe was a very big part of Barbadian communities and not just because it provided a means for people to stay clean. It was a place of gathering, where people would line up with their buckets and basins waiting to catch water and gossip or quarrel.  It was also used to wash clothes and pots and pans. There was one in every neighbourhood.

A Chattle House

Another aspect of our past that was found in every neighbourhood was of course the Chattle house. These houses were built to withstand the heavy winds that come with hurricanes and was home to many a person during those days.

A Sculpture of a Donkey and Cart

Now I know for a fact that if I were to ask you to come with me and walk all the way to St. Lucy you would ask me if I am crazy. Truth is, that's what happened in Barbados decades ago. People walked every where! As I said, not many where able to afford a bicycle or car. However, those who were fortunate enough to have a donkey would hook a cart onto him and go about their ventures. A donkey and cart were a blessing, especially for those who had to carry produce to and fro.

Hopefully, by now you would've gathered that times were pretty rough back then. They earned little (well in this day and age we would call it that) and paid little as well. If you had five dollars as a child you were rich because fifteen cents alone could buy you enough sugar cakes and 'rolly pollys' (a sweet) to feed a whole army of friends! Sadly, that wouldn't occur because at the end of the week 5 dollars (give or take a couple cents) was all that was earned and it had to feed the entire household.

People in those days had none of the luxuries that Lloyd (and many others) consider to be part of every day life. Ironing clothes meant heating up the stove and leaving the iron on it to get hot; no plugging in and plugging out then. Radio eventually did come about,(Redifusion) however there was only one station and it was more an element of entertainment and not so much morning company.

They're so many interesting and lovely things about the lives lived by our great grand or grandparents that one blog isn't enough to share it in. I do know however, that our hearts and minds as Barbadians would be great places to store and document the beauty of the life past. The communities were like no other, they were full of sharing, hospitality, unity and peace. The way of life for those in the communities is one that shouldn't be forgotten. It's full of life lessons, humor and history that has caused Barbados to be the way we know it.

*Picture Of Man At Stand Pipe taken from courses.vcu.edu
  Picture of Chattle House taken from worldatlas.com