Brownie and the yogurt cup

Brownie is still  Brownie for 2017.
He makes me laugh so hard sometimes....his funny antics and mannerisms are hilarious.

Case in point.
An empty yogurt cup with a smidge of leftover yogurt for him to enjoy.

 Determination at its best...rolling that cup over and over until it sits just right for him to begin "the licking process".

 The licking process is an art form that has been mastered by dogs throughout the centuries.

 Keeping the cup steady with one foot to make sure it doesn't roll away.

 Amazing how he gets his tongue inside at all different angles while keeping the cup steady and licking it clean all at the same time.
Seems as if he's getting some help from Pinky Pig.

The cross footed pose which always cracks me up.
The cup is CLEAN upon retrieval.
I use these small empty cups to pot up small seedlings for my plant swaps.
Thank goodness I have my boy to help me get these cups spotlessly clean. 
Thank YOU Brownbie!!!

A Blissful Day

As we all know, daughter dear and I always celebrate our birthdays by going to a "new"(*) eaterie and yesterday was no different.
"Mum for my birthday we can check out Bliss Cafe," she said a few days ago.
"Sure no prob, whatever you want," I replied.
Her cousin Jerae is here visiting on the island as she came in especially to spend Nat's birthday with her...... a very nice gesture.
The two of them are more like sisters than cousins, so the three of us set out for our birthday brunch to celebrate the "old girl".
With our appetites in high gear we arrived at Bliss Cafe located on the south coast in Dover, Christ Church.

Bliss Cafe

Bliss is a family run business with the husband and wife team of Ray and Nicola at the forefront backed up with a very friendly staff.

The Art Gallery wall

The Menu Board took a while to take it all in.
There was so much deliciousness to choose from.
I liked the Vegan Options and the Natural Juices that were available.
We finally decided to try the homemade waffles and boy am I glad that we did.
No fast food here as the food took a little while but that's because it was FRESHLY prepared with great care and I suspect a lot of love.

Birthday girl's plate.

Delicious made-to-order waffle topped with ham, cheese, baby spinach and scrambled egg surrounded by a honey mustard sauce.

The food was definitely worth the wait.

The two cousins were in deep thought as they ate...couldn't get a word out of them until after the first few minutes.
They were enjoying every single morsel.

My plate, the smaller version without the ham and egg.
Everything was fresh and tasty and the mustard honey sauce was the perfect complement for the dish.
It was really GOOD!!!

Of course when we told the staff it was Nat's birthday, a  lovely slice of warm freshly baked banana cake appeared.
That was also delicious.
We ate to our hearts content, and could hardly move afterwards.
"Do you want to drive back?" my daughter asked.
"Don't think so, I'm knocked out" I replied.
We practically rolled out of the cafe.

That was the end of the "mummy" portion of the day of celebrations.
A party was planned for later that night (too late for me) so we headed off to collect the cake.

I spent my night at Jazz with the Oliver Jones Trio (more on that in another post).
Up to now as I write this I have not had any feedback about the party.
I do believe a smashing time was had by all and they're still recuperating.
Happy Birthday to you again Nat!!!
(*) new for us....never tried before. 

 The demise of the birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Daughter Dear!!!

To My dear daughter Natalie!!!!
The best daughter in the world!!!
Gosh time is going by so fast.  I can't believe how old you are already.
May you live to enjoy many many many many many more birthdays with God's blessings.
I LOVE YOUUUU!!!

I made someone nice cry

 Image kind courtesy of pexels.com

I didn't mean to do it.
All throughout the year she had been so kind to me.
I thought I would show my appreciation with a gift.
I had no idea if she was a Christmas person or not, neither did I have any idea of her beliefs, all I knew was that I wanted to gift her with a pleasant surprise during the holiday season.
I didn't even know her name, in my mind she was a kind lady who could easily be my mum.
Every single time I would stop by her stall, she would include something extra.
Whether it was an extra avocado on the small overripe stage or some tiny tiny figs, she filled up my purchase bags.
We all have our favourite fruit and vegetable vendors and she had slowly become mine as the months went by.
Her stall is smack dab at the end of Swan Street outside my favourite carpark when I venture into the city.
I didn't purchase too many gifts for the season either but hers was special.
I chose a token I thought she would appreciate and two days before Christmas I passed by to say hello.
I didn't buy any fruits or vegetables that day.  She probably wondered why I was just standing there waiting quietly instead of calling out my order as usual.
As she turned to me, I handed her the gaily wrapped gift, gave her a smile and said, "Thank you for being so nice to me and my daughter during the year....thank you for your kindness."
With that she started to cry and tried to wipe the tears away, but she couldn't help it.
I smiled and wished her a "Merry Christmas!"
She was surprised that someone had taken the time to extend a kindness, and she was happy and she was crying tears of joy.....at least that's what I'd like to think.
As I turned to walk away the tears were running down my cheeks as well.
I didn't mean to make her cry....but she had made me cry too.
I love making others happy and this was my best Christmas gift ever!!!

Providence Christmas Gift Show 2016

Before the holiday season kicked into high gear, daughter dear invited me to attend the Providence Christmas Gift Show with her.
The youngsters hardly ever have time to spend with us "oldsters" so I was really surprised.
"You have been working too hard recently," she quipped, "So get ready and let's go!"
The Christmas Gift Show was being held on Sunday, November 27th from 10am - 4pm at the Providence School located in the countryside in the parish of St. George....how could I say no?

Francia Plantation House...a beautiful old house built in the early 1900s is now home to Providence School, a private school.

 A regal house built with solid coral stone blocks that has stood the test of time.

The historic grounds of the plantation are well landscaped.
From the Facebook website:
"Prior to becoming a school, Francia was a well-known local tourist point of interest. The school has entered into a partnership with the owner to ensure that those areas of the original building and grounds, which form the main facility of the property, are maintained in their original state for the benefit of the people of Barbados. The school intends to work with other charitable organizations to ensure that the property is made available to hold open days and charitable fund raising events so that the general public of Barbados may continue to enjoy the ambience and history of Francia."

Aged trees mock at the hands of time.

 Teach  Me Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge  Psalm 118:66
This Basilian motto is derived from Psalm 119 (originally Psalm 118)

Wide expanses of shady trees interspersed with classrooms .

On the field many tents with foods of all kinds.

We made a beeline to that centre stall......

 .....where I had my first Tiki Pie...it was delicious!!!

Inside the covered games court was packed to capacity with vendor displays.
With over 130 vendors present, it was quite a lot to take in and admire.

I Love Bajan Dogs!!!

I made a promise to myself that Brownie will have one of these dog beds.

Daughter dear in a hurry to buy her sushi lunch.

PVC garden ornaments

Something for everyone.

My girlfriends Dawn and Juliet also had their plant display at the Christmas Show but somehow I have managed to lose that photo....it was nice to see them.  We are all so busy these days.
A lovely few hours spent in idyllic surroundings enjoying the Christmas ambience....very refreshing.

Memo to myself:
I must go back and take more photos of the scenery of this parish of St.George.  It is one of two parishes that are not bounded by the sea, but they make up for that with their exquisite inland beauty.