I was born in October but April has always been very significant. My father’s passion/fetish was a flower garden which took second place only to his love for classical music. He imported bulbs and seedlings annually from Holland through an agent, T. Geddes Grant and Company. We would plant dahlias, chrysanthemums, gladioli, tuberoses, gerberas and roses to replace old stock. My dad won numerous national horticultural competitions and became known as the man of flowers.

Yellow and pink poui trees also began to bloom in April, ordaining the land like an array of majestic polka dots randomly distributed among the verdure. This always gave us students the dreaded signal to begin burning the candle at both ends. We had to have a spring in our step, preparing assiduously for examinations in May and June, which appeared proverbially like a thief in the night. Simultaneously, April inevitably began with the most outrageous pranks; being intrinsically naïve and well known as a glutton for ‘taking basket’, I became the laughing stock.

As an adult, another reason for April being sentimental is that my eldest daughter was born plumb in the middle of the month. My interpretation of her birthday is that she would become the fulcrum upon which my Libran idiosyncrasies would forever oscillate, keeping me in a transient state of dynamic equilibrium. And so be it because Rhea is having her first baby this month and I keep being undecided as to whether I would like a boy or girl for my second grandchild! As a practical solution, I would have preferred one of each but this is usually not genetically possible since my father and aunt were twins and I am also fortunate to have twin daughters.

April 2011 begins with me being chosen as one of fifty Distinguished Alumni to receive a special commendation. This is part of an ongoing celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI). I feel humbly proud to be chosen as an awardee. A formal ceremony is carded for April 02 and I had to reassure myself that someone was not playing the old All Fool’s Day prank on me for the umpteenth time!

As a life member of the St. Augustine Chapter of UWI Alumni, I will treasure this accolade forever, having selflessly charted the unorthodox professional career of self-styled entrepreneur. I have been meandering in the wilderness for thirty-something years since leaving the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards in April, 1980. Hence there will be precious little opportunity for reflection as to why I was chosen from a preeminent field of several thousand who’s who.

Finally, my first article for the prestigious online magazine ultraaudio was published on April 01,

2008. I was part of ‘The World’s Best Audio System’ review team in April 2009 with Jurassic

Lunch on Good Friday. Since then I have written 14 features including this new one which, by its very nature, will be steeped in controversy. So there we have it in the shell of a nut. Spring is here once again and I invite you to welcome and enjoy it with gusto.