Shibby-fest 2013

Today was....Shibby-fest!  It was as awesome as it sounds.  What is Shibby-fest you may ask?  Well, a Shibby is an Irish girl who lives in Bermuda and spends a lot of time doing things for other people.

This is a Shibby...waiting in the spa lobby earlier today

If you show up at her house to give her a lift somewhere, she will probably make you eat at least a tuna sandwich before carrying on.  If you drop in for tea, there will likely be an assortment of munchies that appear for you to graze upon, usually ranging from nuts and chocolate to crisps, and other irresistible things.  If you have a cold she will appear with medicinal supplies as well as traditional Irish cold supplies (lemons and whiskey).  If she goes away on a trip, she brings you a present.  If something good or bad happens, she gives you a gift.  One day when having a particularly bad run of bad news, the poor girl trudged over with a whole bag of presents to give me for each event.  So a Shibby is a generous, outgoing, and caring thing -- but also a good friend and partner in crime.

The Shibby with some of her other partners in crime, Allison and Karen under the moongate today

This particular Shibby in question was born a Siobhan across the pond one December 23, really not so long ago.  In past years in Bermuda, her birthday has been combined with Christmas gatherings and meals, to which of course she says it's no bother and she wants no fuss.  I decided this would have to change in 2013, and so about a month ago I promised her that this year, we would have "Shibby-fest!", a day dedicated to her birthday and not Christmas.  Unfortunately I could not get Monday off for her real birthday, but since I had today off, we celebrated Shibby-fest early and make her a Princess for the day!

Princess Shibby -- crowned at the start of Shibby-fest at the entrance to the Hamilton Princess Hotel this morning

I got a Princess hat for the day too!

We decided to make it a girly day.  One of the girliest things to do on the island is High Tea at the Hamilton Princess.  To give a brief history of this, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess is THE oldest hotel in the global Fairmont chain, opening its gorgeous doors in 1885.  Now, Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise (who resided in Canada I might add) fell in love with Bermuda in 1883.  When the Fairmont opened, it was called "The Princess" in honour of the royal visit.  After it's opening, Mark Twain was a regular guest, and it is said that Ian Fleming based the bar in his James Bond movie Dr. No on the bar at the Hamilton Princess where he was also a guest.  Now, high tea is an English custom dating back to the 1840's.  It was a little hard for the ladies to actually eat in their tight corsets and through the need to put on dainty and delicate airs in high society of the time.  So afternoon tea used to be served in the bedroom -- where the lady could get some sandwiches, scones, and deserts before dressing for dinner (which she presumably couldn't actually eat).  It is called High Tea to distinguish it from the working class custom of afternoon tea.  The hotel says that Princess Louise ordered high tea during her stay, and it has long been offered daily at the hotel.

Princesses Shibby and Moira through the tiers of High Tea (once most of the goodies had been cleared out of the way)

But first -- we decided to add a trip to the Hamilton Princess Inverurie Day Spa as a start to the day, as High Tea is not served until 2:30.  So, we put on some dresses and heels and headed out for a pedicure to start off Shibby-fest.  It was a gorgeous day outside, bright, clear, and warm as early summer.  We spent an hour having our feet pampered before letting Allison and Joy take over the pedicure post.  I must recommend the spa to anyone who needs a quick and convenient treatment in town -- I have to admit I did not know that it existed before today, but it had some reasonably priced spa services (for Bermuda) and they treated us very well.  Siobhan and I had an hour while the other girls had their treatments, so carefully walked in our fancy dresses and flip flops (I had to use the disposable spa flip flops) through the fancy lobby and into the hotel bar for a glass of birthday Proscecco, and then carried it through the courtyard to 2 oversize wooden chairs overlooking the harbour.  I knew Shibby-fest was already a success when she walked out of the hotel lobby and into the sunny courtyard in her fancy dress, sunglasses and flip flops with a glass of bubbles and said in her Irish accent "I feel like a posh b...."  Goal achieved.

Look at that Posh .....!

I had a wee Shibby-fest gift of spa-credit and this awesome little "Cosmopolitan" in a can that I found at Marks and Spencers.  We made good use of it to refill our Proscecco glasses with a nice pink cocktail from our lawn chairs -- and I had to comment that she actually looked happier with her smuggled "cosmo-in-a-can" than posh Proscecco, and she said "yeah....I like to feel a bit naughty."  She better hope Santa wasn't listening!

Pedicures and Bubbles in the sun

After getting in a little more sunshine, and possibly even turning a little bit of color from our time in the sun, we headed back indoors to meet Karen, Moira, and reunite with Allison and Joy.  When we were seated for High Tea, we were not in the normal windows by the courtyard, but upstairs in the same room where we had the reception for the Caledonia Ball.  Much to our surprise, we were seated in the midst of the Annual Teddy Bear Tea, where families bring their children dressed in their Christmas best, with their teddy bear's, for holiday tea and treats.  It was, as always, a delicious assortment of scones with clotted cream, mini sandwiches, and decadent deserts (I finally met a chocolate too rich for me to eat...my candy nemesis), and a good time to get some nice pictures and chat.  In one of my favorite moments of the day -- Santa came!  He sat patiently while all the little girls and boys sat on his knee and whispered their Christmas wishes.  As he began his jingle his way out of the Teddy Bear Tea, I caught Santa's eye with my most innocent smile and pleading eye. As he stopped by me, I pointed at Shibby and threw her under the bus, saying "It's her birthday!  Can I get a picture?"  Although it may take her a few days to forgive me for that one, it was absolutely worth it as Santa took it one step further and asked her to stand up so that he could take her chair and have her sit in his lap.

Oh yeah, now she's bashfully remembering that comment in the courtyard about liking to be a bit naughty

Is it me or does Santa look a little disconcerted?  Wonder what she asked for!

In a room full of tiny princesses, Princess Shibby was the envy of the room.  Plus I like to think it will help some of the little ones believe in both Santa and eternal Princesshood a little longer.

As the lovely afternoon of Shibby-fest came to a close, we got a few more pictures in the courtyard with the whole crew, and then this Princess decided to take a nap with the last hour of her afternoon.  Tomorrow, the figurative glass slippers (aka disposable flip flops) will once again be replaced with running shoes and the Donna Karan will hang in the closet while the shapeless faded blue cotton scrubs once again take charge of the wardrobe.  For another couple of days anyway.  Until then, am glad that we rocked Shibby-fest!

The Cast of Shibby-fest 2013