I think breakfast is my favourite time of day on this holiday. I get to sit on a verandah overlooking the bay and watch the waves crashing on to the shore. I don't know why the sound of waves is so soothing. I like to fancy it is because we have some genetic memory of a time when we were creatures who lived half on land and half on sea - an early form of crab perhaps -but I am aware my fancy makes no sense, especially given the fact that the waves are at best an annoyance to the crabs and certainly a stressful factor in their lives. But maybe it relaxes us humans because we are no longer crabs. I am pretty sure humans evolved from crabs- it went fish, crabs, dogs with shells, dogs without shells, dogs that lived in trees, dog monkeys, monkey dogs, monkeys, monkeys with shells, normal shell-less monkeys again, man. I am no expert.
Anyway breakfast overlooking the blue sea, with the breeze in my face is the best part of the day.
Today a small bird flew into the restaurant and landed on my table. It chirruped a little song for me. All creatures love me. I am like a farting Francis of Asissi - a Francis of Ass-issi if you will. I had finished my breakfast and had no food to give him, but searched the tables for crumbs, but by the time I had found one he had gone. He had not come expecting food, he just wanted to share his song with me for free. I can't be sure, but I suspect if I could translate what he was saying that it would have been a telling satire of the greediness of the birds of Trinidad, who would probably swoop down and steal your breakfast, unlike the good Tobago birds who would only take what they were given.
The island was alive with World Cup fever today. I wore my red T shirt to show support for the brave Soca Warriors. I genuinely hoped they would get through. They deserved it and their spirit and fight have been a true inspiration for these small islands. I went to a beach in the morning and as usual there weren't too many people around. A local with a small steel drum on a strap around his neck came and asked me if I was English and if I was supporting T&T. I said I was and that I hoped England would deliver their part of the bargains and beat Sweden. He then plahort and faintly incompetent solo on his drum. I smiled along for the first 30 seconds and then hoped it would end. It had none of the spirit of the cab driver or even the little bird and was clearly a cynical attempt to extract money from me. I was disappointed after he had seemingly been interested in my footballing opinions that he saw me as just another 20 dollars. "If you enjoyed that, please put some money in the drum" he said.
I hadn't enjoyed it, it was rubbish, but he is the only person I have had hassling me on the beach in this entire holiday and so I gave him enough money to go and hire a pair of farty wellies for an hour. I doubt he spent it on that though. He is the only person I have met in Tobago that I don't like and for that at least he deserved some kind of reward. My guess is he was probably from Trinidad. If a bird can sing for me for no payment then you would hope a man might play a drum for merely the pleasure of entertaining me.
Alas T&T lost , but England weren't up to the task either - not that I could find a TV set on the island that was showing our game. Still the Soca Warriors are true world cup heroes.
