I have arrived in Trinidad & Tobago as British High Commissioner. What utterly gorgeous islands! Two weeks quarantine then I can start to explore this wonderful country. 🇹🇹🥰
I had the great honour to present my credentials (a letter from Her Majesty The Queen) to Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes, President of the Republic of T&T 🇹🇹 Many thanks to the Office of The President for the wonderful pictures and making it such a special experience.
One thing I love about
#KillingEve
above and beyond the general brilliance is that the older women are powerful, well-dressed, respected and sexy. Yes, I do want to be Carolyn when I grow up.
🔈 Sinopharm (Beijing) vaccine will be accepted by the UK for arrivals as of 22 November. This means those vaccinated with Sinopharm in 🇹🇹 will now count as “vaccinated” for the purposes of 🇬🇧 border entry 🔈
Proud member of
#TantyTwitter
...cus we 30 plus and fine. Think I’ve managed to nail the transition from gym rat to
#RichAunty
with help from
@shoesbyFIS
too 💅🏾💃🏽
It’s exactly one year since I landed in Trinidad & Tobago and what a year that has been! Here are my Top Ten Fave Things about 🇹🇹 starting with the wildlife in my own backyard 1/10
How’s this for a birthday horror story. Went to
@massystorestt
early for celebratory cupcakes. I get home and someone tells me it’s SENIOR CITIZENS only before 8am!! To be fair I’m not at my best in the morning but still...someone could’ve at least tried to deny me entry 😢
I never knew a cocoa pod looked like this, that the pulp tasted so fruity, or that 🇹🇹 has such a unique and flourishing cocoa industry. Thanks to
@ortinolaestate
and
@TTFineCocoa_Co
for the education!
UPDATE: From Monday (11th Oct) 📅 I’ll be cutting 47 destinations from our red list – including South Africa, with just 7 countries and territories remaining ⚠️ - all others will be included in the “rest of world” category 🌐 [1/3]
This
@expressupdates
headline is thoroughly misleading. You will be able to “immediately enter” 🇬🇧 from 🇹🇹 with Sinopharm. You will need to self-isolate for 5 days (with test & release) at home or wherever you’re staying.
If you’d told me 2 months ago that I’d be running a mile in a global marathon in a face mask in the SNOW in May. I might not have believed you.
#diplomile
Boston are a GO participating in
#diplomile
raising funds for the NHS and Unicef! Not rain nor risk of wind shall stop us from our endeavours!
@harryvx
is about to pass the baton to The British Embassy Wash DC.
@psdifabio
is passing it to (Big Papi's home of) Dominican Republic!
I made a trip south today with an amazing photographer (Roger_Neckles on Insta). Look what we found 👀 and yes this is my photo! My love for 🇹🇹 just got a bit bigger now I know you have toucans just hanging out in trees!
#birdphotography
Breakfasting on multiple hash browns before getting under way again on Project SEACAT - this time from Plymouth to Las Palmas (via Oeiras/Lisbon hopefully).
Posting about our progress here:
#TrinidadBound
I was delighted to celebrate with our outstanding 🇹🇹 2022 Chevening scholars, Ashlee Burnett and Joshua Hamlet, last week.
They will both be heading to the UK shortly to study for postgraduate degrees fully funded by the 🇬🇧. Look at those smiles! Congratulations to both!
Hope you’ve noticed that today’s Google Doodle celebrates Claudia Jones, T&T-born activist, feminist, journalist, and community organiser. Among her accomplishments, founding the UK’s first, major Black newspaper and first Caribbean carnival. 💪🏾
Wow Trinidad & Tobago that was an incredible and utterly unique Carnival!
Congratulations to everyone who made it so special from the creatives, to the organisers, to the washroom attendants and so many more. Roll on 2024!
It’s done! Went well. This is not a gorgeous off the shoulder designer cotton dress but an NHS sheet but beggars can’t be choosers. Thanks for the good wishes. ❤️🩹
#ChD
#ACHD
Reading the T&T 🇹🇹 news this morning about the murder of a young woman by her former partner, I can see work to help local grassroots organisations tackle domestic violence has never been more important.
Supporting women’s rights and grassroots organisations on the ground is crucial.
Today I announced that 🇬🇧 will provide an additional £1m to the
@UNTrustFundEVAW
to support long-term projects helping female survivors of violence during
#COVID19
. 2/
My first reptile! This is a Northern Turnip-tailed gecko. According to
@Wikipedia
it can change colour and shed its tail to deter predators. The name comes from its swollen tail, which is used to store fat (me and this beautiful lady have something in common 😉)🦎
One of the first things new UK High Commissioner Harriet Cross did when she arrived on September 1 was to tell Twitter about it (her handle is
@harryvx
). Since then she’s acquired a couple of thousand followers locally, and now has over 6,000 in all.
I’m looking for a brilliant person to provide admin & executive support as my Personal Assistant. We value difference and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation etc
What an absolute thrill to see toucans in the wild here in T&T. Managed to catch a photo of this one with a berry in its beak. This was in Couva near La Vega.
#BirdTwitter
#birdphotography
I am so happy to report that the
#diplocats
have finally arrived in 🇹🇹!!Mavi has already started research for his role as Vice-Catsul for Hummingbird Relations and Claudius is planning his first High Catmissioner VIP dinner (copious treats will be served).
Since Sept 2015
@foreignoffice
has posted 1st 🇬🇧 woman head of mission to 🇧🇸🇧🇩🇧🇿🇰🇭🇨🇦🇪🇹🇫🇯🇬🇲🇬🇷🇭🇹🇮🇹🇯🇴🇰🇪🇲🇼🇲🇩🇲🇦🇳🇵🇳🇪🇳🇬🇲🇰🇸🇳🇷🇸🇸🇬🇸🇮🇸🇸🇸🇭🇸🇪🇹🇹🇹🇳🇹🇲🇺🇦🇺🇳🇺🇸🇺🇾🇻🇺; 🇧🇲🇩🇯🇩🇪 & 🇵🇱 just announced; that’s 36 countries, 2 OTs & 1 intl org; 14 more ready to be announced; 38 (of 179) still to go
#Equality
Visiting beautiful Tobago today. I’ve had some excellent conversations about health, tourism, sustainability and how we can best promote Tobago to 🇬🇧 visitors and businesses. 🇹🇹 🌴 🌊 🦅 🎶 ☀️
Reading the newspapers, seeing articles about sex education and thinking 🤔 if it was home economics you’d argue that people will always grow up and cook food at some point so you might as well teach them how to do it well and safely. It’s kind of the same principle.
A Merry Trini Christmas to my Twitter buddies! So happy to add 🇹🇹 decorations to my tree to go alongside my 🇾🇪 🇺🇸 🇲🇦 🇬🇧 🇸🇦 ones. Wishing you all light and joy in these tough times. 💫
Proud to have been able to walk (and dance) in my first 🇹🇹 Pride parade with the LGBT+ community and their allies + other
#DiplomatsForEquality
from 🇳🇱 🇨🇦 🇩🇪 🇦🇺
Wishing Trinidad & Tobago a very happy 60th Independence Anniversary. Long may this beautiful, proud and accomplished country thrive.
And what a parade! It blended military precision with exuberance and style that was Trini to the core. Congratulations to all involved!
I pass this school sign in Port of Spain every day. Why are females subject to over twice as many dress code rules as males? There is no reason for this other than
#EverydaySexism
.
#EducationDay
#GenerationEquality
Decided I was going to be a dead alive thing tonight. Spiders 🕷 from Starlite and wound from an afternoon of YouTube videos. The thousand yard stare is all mine.
#halloween2021
I was delighted to get the opportunity to speak to Prime Minister Dr the Hon Keith Rowley earlier today. I assured him of the continuing UK 🇬🇧 commitment to strong and enduring cooperation with Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹
Prime Minister Dr the Hon Keith Rowley received a courtesy call from newly-appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Her Excellency Harriet Cross (
@harryvx
) at Whitehall today.
Just opened a parcel from my Mum. Literally nothing else in there but 400
@YorkshireTea
teabags. No need for a note as for a 🇬🇧 person sending teabags means I ❤️ you.
A gorgeous early morning at Caroni Swamp, watching the sun rise, the Red Ibis, egrets, and flamingoes fly, the snakes uncoil, and learning about the importance of the 🇹🇹 mangroves for
#carbonremoval
Happy Halloween to all celebrating! As a pagan at heart I do like to mark All Hallows Eve. This year COVID is all the horror I need though, so this is from a few years back.
Being a diplomat is brilliant. But it’s tough having to move all your stuff every few years. CDs and yes CASSETTE TAPES are still moving with us 🤷🏼♀️also the steamer I bought in Morocco in 1998, and the sewing box my Mum made up for me when I first left home 🙌🏻
Goodbye 🇺🇸 it’s been a wonderful 4 years. Thank you to every single person - Twitter pals very much included - who made it so much fun and so rewarding.
I am heartbroken by the death today of Her Majesty The Queen, the only Monarch most Britons have ever known, so long was her service.
She championed the Commonwealth and loved the Caribbean, visiting T&T in 1966, 1985 and 2009.
Thanks to all conveying their condolences today.
Ever had one of those days when you put your mask into your bag with your lunch and your onion soup leaks all over everything and you are now a walking French bistro? I have. 🧅 🧅 🧅 🇫🇷
My first ever taste of 🇹🇹 breadfruit. Marinated and deep fried it. So good! Looking forward to experimenting with other ways of cooking it. Recipes welcome!
I was happy to hear PM Rowley talk about his travels in the 🇬🇧 Lake District just now. Here’s the road sign he was talking about (taken from filmphotographyblog). You Have Been Warned! 😱
#COVID19
Today I was diagnosed with glaucoma at 1230 and by 1300 they had squeezed me in for laser surgery. Massive thanks to all
@YSTeachingNHS
Eye Clinic. As usual I cannot praise
@NHSEngland
enough. My taxes pay for this brilliant care and I could not be happier to pay them.
Any male diplomats driving a car with dip plates ever been asked if their Dad is an Ambassador? No. I thought not. Much as I would like to believe it’s because I look 18, I don’t so...
#EverydaySexism
Spent tonight binge watching The Crown. Time well spent. Had to dig out my Diana memorabilia afterwards. Yes that is a Cambodian stamp featuring Mother Teresa made into a brooch.
#TheCrown
It's not because I'm a terrible boss that I've got another opening in my team - honest! Our driver of nearly 30 years is retiring so we are again looking for someone AWESOME! Spread the word! (cannot guarantee cat applicants will be interviewed). Details:
So, in South Asian culture we call all our elders Aunty or Uncle out of respect
They should be at least 15-20 years older than you for you to do this
Today I got called “Uncle” by a lad who looked the same age as me, and now I need new moisturiser
Republic Day Facts 4/4:
Trinidad & Tobago officially became a Republic on August 1st 1976.
So why do we celebrate this occasion on September 24 then?
⬇️
View the images below for the answer.
Have a safe and joyful Republic Day Trinidad & Tobago from
@PlanningTT
.
Come work with me! I’m not looking for a “certain type” of person. Just someone who is awesome. We are an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination.
📢 VACANCY: Political, Press & Public Affairs Officer
🇬🇧🇹🇹Our High Commission in Port of Spain is seeking a dynamic self-starter to contribute to the delivery & public presentation of UK activities in T&T!
👉🏼Full details here:
⏰Deadline: 3 May 2021
So we did a 🇹🇹 Carnival video for British visitors to T&T. Thanks
@ainkaWill868
for being so professional & super fun! 🙏
To 🇬🇧 visitors: Read
@FCDOtravelGovUK
advice For consular emergencies contact +1 (868) 350 0444, choose option 2, then option 1