Welcome, Sagittarians

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

And as the Scorpians come to the end of their calendar celebrations, we welcome the approaching age of the Sagittarians.

In so doing, we say happy birthday wishes to the lovely Aditi Dhiman; former head of the European Union, Ambassador Gerd Jarchow, now in Brussels; Javar Barrett; Kimberly Seymour; Theodore Barrant of Morant Bay; Ian Lyn, in New York; the absolutely stunning Vivilyn Lindsey, in Toronto, Canada; Derrick Mills, singer-songwriter originally from Spanish Town, now in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan; the lovely Allean Dallas, now in Goodsoil, Saskatchewan; and Nicola Bestley, now in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who all celebrate their birthday today.

Come tomorrow, among those celebrating will be: Professor Freddie Hickling; the charming Dawn Ruddock; the lovely Shakeria Issacs; Annette Carter, formerly of Port Antonio, now in George Town, Grand Cayman; David Ewan, formerly of Hedonism III, now in Kansas City; north coast habitué Art Murnan, of Oak Park, Illinois; and the fabulous Verity Rushton, now in Laos.

On Sunday, Manley Drummond; Norman Perry; James Wettengl, at Couples Swept Away, Negril; Aldane Mullings, in Ocho Rios, and the lovely Stephanie Merlo, of Scottsdale, Arizona, will share the same birthday. Come Monday, the age of Sagittarius begins. Among the final Scorpians are the affable Garth Henriques; Nigel Pagon, of Challenger Transport; the charming Andi Green; and the fab Heather Patterson-Phillips, now in Tampa, Florida.

On Tuesday, it's all about the Sagittarians. Among those celebrating are the lovely Claudette Chung; the charming Ferne Brown, at Sandals Whitehouse; and photographer and videographer Mike Ricketts. On Wednesday, Alfred 'Frano' Francis; the lovely Kalindra Lyn-Pinnock; Everton Hibbert; Randain Matthews; Ruddy Christian; the fab Heather Cummings-Kendal, now in Boston, Massachusetts; Douglas Smith, now in Houston, Texas, and Troy-Ann Bates, now in the United Kingdom, all celebrate. Also sharing the day is former Jamaica Defence Force captain, Al Jazeera anchor and mountaineer, Darren Jordon.

Come next Thursday, the charmingly fab and eminent Jean Seaga Anderson in Mandeville; Tenny Miller, in Montego Bay; the fab Taquise Gordon-Smith; the affable Arthur McKenley; the beautiful Charmaine Davis; the lovely Kavelle Christie; Kerry-Gale Collinder; the charming Claudeth Henry; the fab Angela Rose-Lee; architect and community activist Carl Neita, formerly of Kingston, now in Baltimore, Maryland; the beautiful Beverly Heron-Ruddock, formerly of Linstead and Treadways, St Catherine, now in Mount Vernon, New York, will all share the same birthday.

And very special belated birthday wishes to the fab Trisha Thompson of Digicel, who celebrated yesterday with an outing to the Big Apple.

Many happy returns y'all, with champagne toasts and beluga treats!

Anniversaries

And speaking of celebrations, felicitations to Len and Debbie Crooks, who celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary recently.

New York publisher Carl Rodney and wife, Fay, jetted into the island and celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary at their Boscobel Beach home a few weeks ago. Buzz is, it was all that and then some, with loads of celebrities and at least one former prime minister along with family and friends in attendance.

And looking on, y'all would never have 'thunk' it, but the affable Brian Pengelley and his beautiful wife, Lisa-May, will be celebrating 40 years of marriage this season.

Mon congrats all around, with many happy returns!

Honours

The illustrious Dr Clover Thompson-Gordon was recently honoured in a gala dinner at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel. It was truly an evening of tributes from friends, past teachers and students. Under the patronage of The Honourable Edward Seaga, they came together to salute the iconic woman.

An educator, social worker, philanthropist and dedicated public servant, Dr Thompson-Gordon gave yeoman service to the west Kingston community and the country through her leadership of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and AFAFOSA, where her commitment to transforming lives through arts and culture is seen in her spearheading the founding of organisations and interventions.

Outings

And speaking of fabulous places, people and outings, luvs, her fans and clients have been demanding it of her, and so finally, internationally acclaimed artist, Judy-Ann MacMillan, has relented. Come December 3, the celebrated artist will be hosting the first in a series of small group artist's retreats at her historic estate, in the cool and breathtaking hills of the Garden Parish of St Ann.

The first retreat will begin on December 3 and run for one week, and is able to facilitate a maximum of six participants. This is to maximise her interaction and personal touch with participants, as it is open to beginners and anyone with a love and appreciation for the arts.

The weeklong retreats will feature one-on-one daily tuition with MacMillan at one of the most spectacular locations in the Caribbean. The property features a 360-degree panoramic view of coastal vistas; lush, hilly tropical landscapes and distant mountain views.

The retreats will include optional day trips to a nearby beach, a final night gala dinner, six nights' accommodation, and transfers to and from Montego Bay airport.

Luvs, MacMillan is one of the foremost Jamaican artists. Her work has received global acclaim from both Caribbean and international critics, and her paintings have been featured at numerous major art exhibitions nationally and in England and the United States - most recently, this summer at the prestigious Jonathan Clark Fine Art Gallery in London, England.

Born in Kingston, the award-winning artist studied in Dundee, Scotland, at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art; and upon her return to Jamaica, focused her work on the ethereal beauty of the island and its people. Her keen eye for detail and deep appreciation of colour and composition was expressed through a magnificent collection of landscapes, exotic tropical still-life and compelling portraiture, captured in her book My Jamaica, published in 2004 (Macmillan Publishing-Caribbean).

Dears, the dates for retreats for 2012 are to be announced in mid-December, but there's no way this here scribe will be missing out on retreat number one, as this is indeed exactly what the doctor ordered as a pre-Christmas outing!