- Contributed
Captain Michael Lyn, left, and Birthday girl, legal luminary Anne-Marie Feanny and hubby, Captain Michael Feanny, at last Saturday's celebrations at the Terra Nova Hotel.
Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
DOVECAKES, Y'ALL know (or should) that Europe had a disastrous summer this year. There were record temperatures that produced fatal heatwaves across the Continent, particularly in France.
Now, you have all heard that it is an ill wind that blows no good! Well, it's an ill heatwave that carries benefits! Already, the pundits are banking on this year being a particularly good year. Or at least for wine lovers. Indeed, the unusually long and hot summer made a later than usual reaping of the grape harvest this year, thus making for riper, fuller grapes, and a simply wonderful make that fabulous year for wines!
Daahlings, when the time shall have come for social historians to review the year 2003, here in Jamaica, let the records show, that indeed, it was a simply wonderful year! In fact make that an absolutely fabulous year. It was the year that saw some of the country's leading citizenry celebrating memorable birthday milestones, and fabulously so!
Now, yesterday, as in Saturday, the absolutely charming Anne-Marie Feanny, legal-powerhouse (specialising in Trademarks and Patents) and social daahling, turned 50. To mark the occasion however, the decidedly fabulous Mrs. Feanny decided on celebrating a week early. This was to facilitate her friend, businessman Phillip Gore, with whom she shares the same birthday, and who turned 60, to have a clear night in which to celebrate his!
Air Jamaica's Capt. Michael Feanny decided on throwing her a party with a difference, to mark the occasion! Mrs. Feanny's celebrations, though, and not unexpected as style is as style does, was in keeping with the trend-setting fabulous style of those who celebrated memorable milestones earlier.
The venue was the très chic and buzzing Terra Nova Hotel and Suites, and for my word, it was a celebration, and then some! And Luvs, the Birthday Girl was in faultless style!
Now, as they say, 'the Devil is in the details'. How true, as indeed it was all about the details last Saturday, and how! Firstly, the invites were simply precious, charging "women to be beautiful, whilst men should be dashing (no jackets)". But the line that was the charmer read: "Your Presence is Present Enough"!
It was like that dripping the hallmarks of fabulousness and style, to make even the most jaded amongst us, just a tad green! Anyway, the party was slated to get under way a-la-poolside, at around 7:00 p.m. The weather forced the hotel managers to move the affair indoors. Indoors however, was seemingly, the entire hotel. And little wonder here, as with nearly some 400 guests in attendance, space was at a premium! It was, and fabulously so, as every-which-where one turned, it was all about celebrating Anne-Marie Feanny's 50th!
Now to be sure, guests were a little tentative in the early stages, but Luvs, that was maybe due to the threat of rain. And so, in the beginning, the mode was a la cocktail party, but as the evening wore into night, it was party, and then some, and right into the early hours of Sunday morning.
Doves, it was a gem of a celebration, and then some!
Now the Terra Nova Hotel is simply one fine place to celebrate anything! Pumpkins, the place is steeped in the rich, cultural, political and financial history of Kingston and then some! So you can all imagine that with its rich social and cultural history, the Terra Nova was the purr-fect place in which to celebrate a milestone as one's 50th!
THE FOOD
Among the ranking dishes that has had palates buzzing is the hotel's Rack-of-Lamb! Now add to this, a fare that boasted crab-cakes, a smorgasbord Jamaican-style, coconut shrimp, skewers with tenderloin; pasta delight; plus garden and vegetable salads and fresh fruits, plus an assortment of sweets, proved way too much for a dieting soul to resist! It proved however, a simply wonderful and winning combination, for a truly celebratory affair!
Now, you have all heard the saying like mother, like daughter! How true, as among the very many special guests who jetted in from overseas for the occasion included: daughters Michelle Feanny, Miami-based lawyer; her sibling Tracy Feanny, who practices law in the Power Capital, Washington D.C., and their baby sister Samantha Feanny, currently a student at New York University.
Wendy Richardson and son, Adam Richardson, jetted in from the UK; whilst David and Joan Smith flew in from Canada; and Livie Riettie, Mary Chandler and Capt. David Brandt and wife Lorraine all jetted in from Stateside, USA.
And then there was the august body of guests from snob-society, the legal fraternity, the fraternity of international pilots, and old friends that included mom of the birthday girl, the very charming and celebrated tea-leaf reader, Claire White; brother and artist Richard White and sis, Michelle Mitchell; retail/wholesale tycoon Las Chin and his fabulous Cuban wife, Dr. Eileen Chin; the elegant PJ Stewart and her lovely daughter Jaime Stewart; Commerce, Science and Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell; French Ambassador Pierre Antoine Berniard and his fabulous wife Luisa Berniard; Ambassador Douglas Saunders; his pre-eminence, Robert MacMillan; legal luminary Frank Phipps, QC; Josh Leo Rhynie and wife the charming Professor Elsie Leo Rhynie; Capt. Michael Lyn and wife Social Empress Thalia Lyn; Phillip Feanny and his fabulous wife Sandra; Geoff and Jennifer Messado; Dr. Randolph Cheeks and his charming wife Andrea; Ian and Cecilia Levy; Anthony and Jeanie Bell; Eustacio Perez and his charming wife Nora Parnell Perez; Alston Douglas and his fabulous wife Judith Douglas; Kingsley Chandler; Mr. and Mrs. Winston Chin-See; Norman Wright and his elegant wife Jean; Peter and Margaret Jarvis; Ronnie Coke and wife Ethlyn Norton Coke; Seamus Lynch and the beautiful Michelle Rousseau; Capt. David McRae and the charming Yasmin Chung; Dr. Cleo Taylor; the lovely Marilyn Bennett; Bryden and Marlene McGregor; Bobby and Donna Stephens; Stan and Eulith Markland; Keith and Rose Gentles of Mandeville; the beautiful Annette Francis; Ralph and Pamela Pearce; Frank and Iris Whittaker, she dancing up a tsunami; Winston and Shirley Dwyer; the lovely Sonia Sutherland; former National Footballer, Lascelles 'Muggy' Graham; Yehuda and Avril Raurer. Fay Petgrave; Tony Goffe; and the lovely Colleen Lee-Vendryes; Mike Sharpe, who actually celebrated his 60th birthday that day, and his companion Betty Ziadie; plus several score more!
But it was indeed a memorable night, and then some! Making for a beautiful party!
NEW YEAR
Now, it is universally accepted in this our fair isle that the New Year, traditionally begins on January 1. However, for many, this is indeed, not the modus. There are many of other faiths, creed and customs, who celebrate their New Year, at differing dates to be found on the Christian calendar. Hence, there is an Ethiopian, Chinese, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Bantu, and a host of other New Year dates, inspired by religion. On the other hand, however, there are those who are not beholden to customs, style and or creed, and therefore use their birthdays as the beginning of a new year!
Whatever, the reason, those who chose to celebrate the dawning of the gift of another year of life, do so with reverence and humility. And so, to the gods we bow, not only in supplication, soliciting forgiveness or beseeching mercies, but also in acknowledgement of their generosity!
Luvs, Friday last was the beginning of the Jewish New Year, and as is the case with every New Year, it was a time for renewal, soul-searching, acceptance, celebration, and thanksgiving. To the devout Jew, however, it is also primarily, a deep religious epiphany!
For St. Andrew socialite, the charmingly grand Jennifer Lim, however, it was all that and beyond! To mark the occasion however, the high-society Grand Dame decided on hosting a 'little' dinner party at her St. Andrew residence, not only to commemorate the advent of the Jewish New Year, but also as a time for coming together!
And so it was, last Sunday Jennifer Lim hosted a swellegant party at her St. Andrew residence. It was as fabulous as can be, and then some, bearing the hallmark of haute-snobissimo, and relaxed fabulissimo. Guests out in resplendent regalia were clearly out to share in an evening, dedicated to the beauty and the joys charity!
It was an evening steeped in charm, care and the often-understated power of understanding! It made for a powerful evening of bonding and an appreciation of all things!
With the inimitable multi-talented musician, Floyd Folkes, providing faultless music, the evening wore as effortlessly and as faultlessly as a gem. It made for an absolutely wonderful time!
And as guests gathered over libations, sharing bon mots and decidedly informative anecdotes, it made for an even more charming affair!
Dinner, was a cosmopolitan affair, drawn largely from a Middle-Eastern traditional offering. How sumptuous! Indeed, the entire evening was just that simply a divine affair, made that much more so, by the august body of fab-personalities in attendance!
Indeed, it was Prime Time, and then some! But oh what for an easy and fabulously relaxing affair, and a most charming mode in which to give the gods thanks! Dear friends, it was like that and beyond, with fabulous being the underpinning presence!
Among those out, sharing the occasion with the charming hostess, were: American Ambassador Sue Cobb; the Russian Ambassador and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation Edward Malayan; Spanish Ambassador Rafael Jover; Chilean Ambassador Fernando Pardo and his beautiful and oh sooo charming wife Alix Pardo; Rosio Manerio, Venezuelan Ambassador; the Hon. Dennis Lalor; Her Grace, Barbara Matalon; Paul Issa and his fabulous Spanish wife Oriente Issa; Capt. Michael Lyn and his wife, the charming Thalia Lyn; business dynamo Donovan Lewis and his charming wife Andrea Lewis; leading socialites Anthony and Jeanne Watson; Israeli Romi Suboki of Ashtrom; Air Jamaica's Dave Banmiller and the charmingly lovely Michelle Hussey; legal dynamo George Fatta; NCB's Aubyn Hill and his wife, the beautiful Tamara Hill; JPSCo's Charles Matthews and his lovely wife Brunetta Matthews; Dr. Don and Hyacinth Christian; Russell and Carol Hadeed; the elegantly lovely Valerie Marzouca; the beautiful Dr. Saphire Longmore; the lovely Madge Seaga; the fabulous Janet Farrow; the engaging Liz McAdam and sibling Nick McAdam; plus a number of others.
Indeed, it was one very charming way to ring out the old year and prepare to welcome the new!
