Garden chores

Another hot day.  Not the best conditions for trimming and pruning in the garden, but it had to be done.
Yesterday, I decided that the McArthur palms needed to be cleaned and trimmed.
Took the step-ladder out to the base of the palms, and got to work.
In another hour the job was completed.

 

McArthur palms (Ptychosperma macarthurii)

Cleaning and trimming the fronds allows for better ventilation and now I can see through the foliage better 

Saw Brownie sniffing around intently by the wall where the Japanese Fern tree is planted.

On further investigation, I found that Brazen had left the remains of a mango that he had eaten.

 Note how clean the mango seed has been eaten, this tells me that Brazen and company are very hungry, since they mostly only take a bite or two and then discard...not this time however. Even the skin was cleanly eaten.
We have been experiencing some serious heat and outside is dry with no rain in sight. The neighbourhood fruit trees are empty, so they're making the most of what they do find to eat.


I then noticed that one of my newly planted angelicas had been pulled out of the ground, and had sustained some damage.

Replanted the poor angelica, knowing that there was no guarantee that they would be left alone, since Brazen and company were seeking water and food, and they would probably strike again.

Note the dry grass and the cracked earth

After cleaning up the palm fronds from the ground, my nostrils were assaulted by a heavenly culinary smell....daughter dearest was at it again in the kitchen.  What could be better than a freshly-baked snack after a hard morning's work?

Hot and tasty baked cinnamon churro

With a cold glass of mauby, the churro disappeared in a flash.
All in all, a good morning.

So what has really been happening

Still no rain on the horizon. The earth remains cracked with earthquake-like craters everywhere. It's windy, a very dry wind.
The ants are all searching above ground for moisture, giving me headaches with my orchids.
The lawn (what lawn?) is a now a patchwork pattern of brown grass and weeds....sigh...
I have been trying in earnest to keep my potted plants and outdoor shrubs alive, by watering sometimes twice a week.
Brazen and company are also trying to find food to eat, as well as satisfy their thirst.

Mr. Brownie had a bath......you know how that goes....he's underfoot all morning, and as soon as everything is in place, he's nowhere to be found....exit stage left.

Freshly bathed and towel-dried Brown Berts

(I barely caught him before he tried to roll around in the dirt)

Beast remains grounded, since the part needed does not arrive at the dealers until early next month.
He has been leaking transmission fluid for a little while...not much at first, but then a whole big puddle....internal seal gone. Garage floor telling the tale of woe.

Transmission fluid leak spot on garage floor

(need ideas on how to clean properly)

 I was going to special order the needed part, but then when I heard the cost, I decided I CAN wait.
My mechanic Frank tells me I can still drive my dear old Beast, but I can't bear to know that he's not 100% well, so I've opted not to drive him, and he's taking a rest over at his shop.

The police are requesting that we don't wear our gold jewelry out in public, since the recent introduction of the Cash-For Gold programs have resulted in an increase in gold jewelry theft.
It is estimated that the value of loss for 2013 is at $1 million for jewelry thefts (we are only in the month of March).

Saw one of my girlfriends in the supermarket recently, and she was jewelry-less.
Quoth she, "Wait, you wearing your jewelry?"
Quoth me, "Yes, I refuse to be living in fear of these thieves."
Quoth she once more, "You've got balls!"
Quoth me back to her, "The last I checked they were still there."

 I guess I should start wearing costume jewelry, but why should I?  I'm not putting away my jewelry, nor am I walking around like some timid old woman. I hate being held to ransom by these criminals.

A new legislation is now on the books....The Precious Metals And Second Hand Metals Act 2013 took effect from January 31, 2013, and it is the intention of the Royal Barbados Police Force to fully enforce the provisions of this particular legislation, which makes it mandatory for dealers in precious and second hand metals to license their business, if not be faced with stiff fines up to $50,000. 
They must now operate from a fixed and registered location, so that the practice of encouraging clients to meet at places other than a registered place of business for metal dealers will be discontinued as it facilitates a criminal offence.
Not sure how much good this will do.......since when have crooks ever adhered to the law?


Two of my close friends have had break-ins in the last week, both instances in the middle of the day, and in one instance someone was at home.
What did they take?  Laptops.
I now have friends who are cowering in their homes, all worried.
Nope, not Me.  I will continue to get up every day and open my windows for fresh air to come in. I will continue to have my patio door open to view the scenery outdoors.
We have to fight back. We can't let the minority of "no-gooders" hold the majority of the population to ransom.
Anyone want to take me on for what is mine, is gong to have a fight on their hands. Yes, I'm going down fighting, because sometimes after you give them what they ask for, they're still stabbing and shooting you to death, so I will be putting up a fight. If we all cower and  withdraw into our shells, where will it all end?
The criminals have more guns than the police force, the drug smugglers have faster boats than the Coast Guard, and the technology that the criminals have access to is endless......
they are always a step (or ten steps) ahead of the law.

Some time ago, one of my neighbours chased a woman from her property who was taking a bath using her hose in her garden. In days of yore, one could take a chance and allow some poor wandering soul to indulge on your kindness with a meal and a bath, not anymore....now it's all a ploy to get into your house...they work in gangs.
Another neighbour bought a flat-screen tv, and instead of tearing the box to pieces and placing in the garbage, he put out the whole box and leaned it up quite picturesquely alongside his other garbage....need I say what happened next?

The house construction in the neighboring village is moving right along...roof is almost finished.

and, oh yes, "We have a new Pope".....Pope Francis I  was chosen as the successor to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis I ( Jorge Mario Bergoglio) from Argentina has become the Catholic church's 266th pope. The first Latin American Pope.

The world is a-changing, so it is.

My doorman

Recently, Mr. Brown Berts has taken to prostrating in every doorway available to him.  Whether it be my bedroom door where he can see in every direction of the house, to the front door where he lies with the curtain billowing over him every second the wind blows, he makes himself comfortable and dozes off to sleep......"Keeping guard".
This way he will know when I enter or exit my room in search of a snack....very smart I must say.

 Keeping guard by my bedroom door

Are you going for a snack? I'm coming with you......

Brownie guarding the front door

(note the annoyed look when I called his name and distracted him from his lookout command)

If anyone can tell me how to foil this smarty pants (or should that be paws), I'm listening.....

I can't believe....

Last night as I was channel surfing looking for something interesting to watch, I came across a movie which I had not seen before, and to my delight, one of my favourite actors was starring.
Being an Anthony Hopkins fan, I thought that I had seen all of his movies, but somehow, I managed to miss this one, "Legends of the Fall" (1994).....how was this possible?
It was already quite late (for me) in the night and when I looked at the running time, I knew I would probably fall asleep towards the last portion of the movie...don't you just hate when that happens?
However, the background scenery and the actors all pulled me in, and before I knew it, I was totally immersed in this wonderful movie.

From the imdb website:
"Set in the Rocky Mountains of Montana in the early 1900s, this is a tale of love, betrayal, and brotherhood. After being discharged, Colonel Ludlow decides to raise his three sons in the wilds of Montana, where they can grow up away from the government and society he has learned to despise. The three brothers mature and seem to have an unbreakable bond, until Susanna enters their lives. When Samuel, the youngest of the three, returns from college he brings with him his beautiful fiancée, Susanna. The eldest son, Alfred, soon finds himself in love with his brother's fiancée, and things get worse when he discovers a growing passion between Susanna and Tristan. Colonel Ludlow's favorite son, Tristan is willful and as wild as the mountains. As the brothers set out to fight a war in Europe, suspicion and jealousy threatens to tear apart their once indestructible bond."

I watched it till the end without a nod in between.
I have no idea how this Anthony Hopkins movie slipped below my radar for so many years. My goodness it was released in 1994 for crying out loud!!
I thought I had viewed all of his movies....I guess not.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will probably add it to my collection....it's a keeper.

Easy peasy

As promised some time ago, I would do a post on the picking of coconuts by the coconut vendors.
My neighbour's coconut trees were fully laden with nuts, and I knew that the vendors would soon show up to purchase them.
Well, yesterday was the day. I heard the van drive up, but paid no attention at first, since I was watching "The View".
When I did pay attention, the guy had already scaled the first tree and was almost half-way through.
So for all of you who were wondering how the wayside coconut vendors obtain their produce, here goes......
To their credit, this crew had a system which worked very well for them, and made quite light work of the process.
There were three guys.  No machinery involved. All they had was a long piece of rope with a noose on the end, which went up the tree with the coconut picker. He had a sharp knife in his hand as he scaled the tree in three seconds flat.  It always amazes me how they do this with no ladder required.
The other end of the rope hanging off the tree is controlled by the second guy who then  pulls or releases depending on whether coconuts are attached are not.
The third guy waits below to detach the bunches of coconuts after they're lowered to the ground and places them on the back of the truck. The three of them made it look so easy.

This takes some skill to hang on, and still cut the coconuts and load them on to the rope noose.

It was quite windy too, so he made sure to hang on tight

As he was about to climb down I heard my neighbour yell out to him, "The other guy cleans the tree, so clean the tree!"
The guy then sliced off all the superfluous branches from the tree leaving it nice and neat.

Here is the "cleaned" tree

The guy on the truck loading the coconuts

A bunch of coconuts being lowered on the rope noose. (see the guys hand on the left controlling the rope and the descent of the coconuts)

The guy controlling the rope noose.

All filled up and ready to go.

 Moving on to the next group of coconut trees to reap more produce.

I'm not sure how much they pay the owners of the trees, all I know is that they make a good living this way. 
Easy peasy.