Thursday 21 March 2013

A Technicolor World

Since early childhood , I have loved that scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy first emerges from her crashed farmhouse to the explosion of colour that is the Land of Oz.  After the previous black and white scenes in Kansas, the vibrant colours of Oz assault the senses.
Arrival in Barbados always recreates those colour sensations for me.
Our southern Ontario winter, nearing its final stage before the advent of spring, presents us with a dreary gray, brown and black world. Soiled snow hugs the curbs resisting the final melt that will see its transformation to dirty slush and ultimately it's disappearance. Bare brown tree branches move in the breezes, almost sorrowful in their nakedness. Low hanging bleak skies cast a barely discernible light on the already depressing terrain. Any grass poking its head through the snow, is what I refer to as "hibernation brown". Even our traditional Canadian brick architecture of gray's, browns, beiges and rust reds adds little to our late winter colour palette.
And then we are transported to Barbados - by Air Canada instead of farmhouse, in this case!  Taxiing to our hotel in Barbados can only be likened to Dorothy emerging from her farmhouse. Blazing colours shock the senses. Jade green palm fronds, set against a baby blue sky and puffy white popcorn clouds, gently sway in the Caribbean breezes. Lime green and beige sugar cane regally acts as road corridors. We round the corner and there it is - the Caribbean Sea, a riotous striated mixture of turquoise greens, turquoise blues and deep royal blues, frothing white as it meets the sun drenched shoreline. Hot pinks, sunshine yellows, fluorescent oranges and scarlet reds pop on the green landscape. The bougainvillea and hibiscus are in full bloom. Cheerful colours, as if in an attempt to emulate the local floral display, decorate Barbadian home exteriors.
Leaving behind our monochromatic existence we have gleefully been transported to the technicolor world that is Barbados. Yup! We are in Oz!

2 comments:

  1. Awesome writing Daphne...makes me really want to be there and not here! Steve

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    1. Thank you Steve and Pam. I have been working on it.

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