We would like to start with a brief tribute to a great Jamaican, Perry Henzell ("The Harder They Come"), who finally ceded a 7-year battle with cancer on November 30. In 1966, Annabella's late husband, advertising executive David Ogden, had finished shooting a Kodak commercial, using the facilities of Perry's fledgling company, Vista Productions. When Perry asked him to find a partner to help Vista grow, David grabbed the opportunity. Annabella followed, and the rest is history. He was a visionary who created the Jamaican film industry, brought reggae music to the attention of the world, a talented writer, and, above all, a great friend. It is no exaggeration to say that Harmony Hall in its present guise would not exist had it not been for Perry. We will miss him very much.

As it is, we made it through the first 25 years, and survived the celebrations! We kicked off with a cocktail party at Harmony Hall on the actual anniversary, November 14, at which we presented Merna and Roy with plaques (and cheques) in appreciation of their 25 years at Harmony Hall.

For many years, we have celebrated our anniversaries over the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, so this year we hosted a cocktail preview and dinner for 40 friends, artists and collectors, several of whom flew in for the occasion, at Toscanini's on the Saturday night. Alas, the weather, which had been horrible all week, was not kind on Sunday morning, preventing many Kingstonians from coming over. However, when the rain stopped at midday, a remarkable number of people turned out, and a great time was had by all.

The cottage at Te Moana has been wonderfully busy. We have just added a 2-seat kayak and new snorkelling equipment for our guests. The much-touted cricket world cup is unlikely to live up to the extravagant expectations of the organisers, but we look forward to meeting the Irish fan, who booked the cottage in May!

Our other big news is that we have sold Harmony Hall Antigua to an Italian friend, resident on the island. As a prominent local developer, he is committed to carrying out our original plan, adding rooms, and continuing to run the restaurant and gallery. It re-opened on November 19, with almost all of the original staff, and chef Antonio Erriu has returned from Sardinia to work his magic in the kitchen. We will continue to keep in close contact, and look forward to watching it grow.

In Costa Rica, we fell foul of the authorities, and building the new house was suspended for four months, pending the proper permits. Construction is well under way, and we hope to finish at the end of January.

We close, as usual, by thanking everybody who helped us through the first 25 years - artists, artisans, collectors, friends and staff - and to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and the happiest of new years.

Peter & Annabella Proudlock