This is a long holiday weekend, as tomorrow is "Anguilla Day", our independence day. There will be lots of celebrations and boat races, and a day off from work.
Miss Jimmy's is blessed this weekend with a friend and artist from St. Martin, who is staying for a few days. St. Martin is a 30 minute ferry ride from Anguilla, with ferries running about every hour throughout the day, the terminal being on the French side of the island. I don't know which is more fun, having a visitor from St. Martin or visiting St. Martin! Visiting is like going to Paris for the day, Marigot is a charming town that reminds me of New Orleans. It is full of cafes', bistros, restaurants, boutiques and shops, but laid back Caribbean style. Island hopping is fun, from St. Martin you can hop to St. Barts, or hop to Saba, Stasia or St. Kitts. You can see the islands from our eastern shore.
Yesterday we went shopping here in Anguilla, and shopping here is a unique experience. My find of the day, I bought a handmade palm broom for Miss Jimmy's house, for $8.75 EC! EC is Eastern Caribbean currency so the broom cost $3.28 US. What a geat buy,there is something special about hand made. US dollars and EC dollars are interchangable here, no need to do any exchanges, the shops take either one. The rate of exchange is $2.68 EC for 1 US dollar.
To make the weekend even better, my friend is an excellent French cook! I happen to hold the title of world's worst cook so this was a special treat for me to have a wonderful dinner prepared by her.
St. Martin has a rich and vibrant art community,and my friend brought me the lastest copy of Soualig' Art Magazine, a monthly publication in both French and English.
My quilting projects have been abandoned temporarily to enjoy the companionship of my best friend. Last week I worked in a frenzy with African fabrics and pieced 2 quilts and a wallhanging! I need a break before tackling the job of hand quilting them. Enjoy your weekend wherever you are!