BOXING DAY ACTIVITIES barely stood a fighting chance against the grey skies and scattered showers.
Even though some hot spots in St Michael did not boast the usual bank holiday crowd, there were still those who chose to enjoy the day with picnics, sea baths, games and laughter among family and friends.
Damian Clarke and six of his friends continued their Boxing Day picnic tradition despite the constant threat of rain.
“We got four big umbrellas over there, so if the rain comes we prepared!” he told the NATION team, looking up from a quiet but intense game of dominoes, set up on a makeshift game board.
The mixed group of Barbadians and Guyanese gathered at the popular Brandons Beach from 11 on Thursday morning and made sure they had a variety of food and drinks. It was one of the largest groups at the beach yesterday, which was sparsely dotted with seabathers.
Glenroy Alleyne, who was also with the group, believed while the rain was not a deterrent for him and his friends, it was enough to keep others indoors.
Batts Rock, a popular spot on the west coast, had ten cars in its parking lot, with just one family sitting together in the water forming a tight circle.
Patti Derstenfeld thought the weather was still good enough to have a nice beach day. She has been coming to Barbados for the past 40 years. Standing
in line for a cool, sweet treat to go with a fish-cutter, the Montreal native revealed she always spent Christmas on the island. This year, Derstenfeld was in with her spouse, son, brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
“Other than the weather, it was a good Christmas day. We went for a drive in the rain . . . Today we just plan to do some walking and swimming,” she said while at Browne’s Beach.
And then there were those who decided to have their fun a little closer to home. The roving NATION team spotted the Cumberbatch family setting up a “pool party” at home in their President Kennedy Drive, St Michael home.
“We were planning to do it since yesterday [Christmas Day]but it was postponed because of the rain,” ‘auntie’ Renee Cumberbatch readily explained.
Ranging in ages from one to 13 years, younger members of the family splashed around in the plastic inflatable pool as the older ones filled it with water.
“We brought the beach to us,” Cumberbatch added.
