Bruk Dong III…With A Vengeance!!

Yes, Bruk Dong Monday continues with a vengeance.  If you will recall, on Monday all our machinery stopped working including the weed-eater, the chain-saw, the drill bit broke and our make-shift table (crate) broke.  After that, we decided that the best course of action was to lay low and do nothing.  I even stopped Gnome from mowing the grass.  At about 6pm that very day we heard a funny popping sound coming from outside but we could not determine the source of the noise.  On Tuesday morning, Gnome smelled some smoke in the air and thought that it was a funny time for some-one to be burning at this time of the year.

It all started to make sense when Gnome went to get out the brush-mower on Tuesday morning.  This is what he found:

Bruk Dong Brush Mower.
Bruk Dong Brush Mower.
More Melted Wire.
More Melted Wire.

Look…the wires have all melted!!  Gnome explained that the ignition switch finally gave up and in failing caused a short circuit that melted the wire.  This has also caused damage to many other parts and in short (ha-ha)…it is not working.

Gnome apologetically said:

“Sorry, I can’t Gnome Rig this one!!  We need to bring in the parts from the States!!”

Gnome.Face

And I replied cheekily,

“But Dear, we don’t have 24 hour rush delivery in Belize!”

Munchkin.Funny.Look.Yet.Another

So, no more mowing for a few months until we get the parts.  I guess we can finish the house paneling and the duck coup instead!  Definitely no shortage of work on the farm…

Bruk Dong Monday!

Glowing.Gnome

What a Monday.  This morning, before we had even stepped out of the house, Gnome had said rather aptly (with great humour intended):

“The equipment on the farm works according to the planetary day of the week.”

He started off with the chainsaw and it refused to start.  He even cleaned up the spark plug to make sure. In the end, he told me that the Primer Bulb had broken…I have to say that statement meant absolutely nothing to me….

Together.Munchkin.Annoyed

Next, he started using the weed-eater and it kept losing power and cutting out.  Gnome finally inspected it and thought that there were carbeurator issues (again that statement just went over my head).  When he was trying to open the weed-eater  up, the drill bit broke:

Drill Bit Broken.
Drill Bit Broken.

On top of all of this, the crate (which was a make-shift “work-top” suddenly broke!

Broken Crate.
Broken Crate.

We finally decided at 9am to “call it a day” because everything was done broke.  I did not want to tempt fate by asking him to get the brush-mower out!  I was even eyeing up the huge pile of laundry and sorely tempted to switch on the washing machine.  Having thought about it for a few seconds, I finally said to Gnome,

“Ok Gnome! I think I get the message.  Let’s take it easy!”

Everything Done-Broke!
Everything Done-Broke!

And so we did…just because of the unfortunate conjunction of the stars!

Paradise Piggies: Merry Christmas!!

A Merry Christmas to you all from the Piggies at Paradise Pastures!  Wishing everyone a Happy Festive Season and they are all looking forward to Christmas Pudding tomorrow..

Piggies Are Ready!
Piggies Are Ready!

Message from Mayor Gnome:

“Happy Christmas Everyone!!  And may all your dreams come true in the New Year!”

Mayor Gnome
Mayor Gnome

“Get Ready Piggies For 2016…Gnome Buddy Does It Better!”

This story, all names, characters and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious.  No identification with actual persons, places, buildings and products is intended or should be inferred.

Ready For Christmas?

Christmas.Gnome

Phew…another busy day today in town!  Crazy day with patients, in between dashing into very busy shops.  It was so funny, in the Chinese supermarket, waiting in line and watching everyone buy “Christmas Goodies” including Aunt Gemima’s lemon cake mix, marbles, Pringles and basically anything appearing “luxurious” and decadent.

I walked into the Chinese restaurant:

Lots of Beer.
Lots of Beer.

I looked over at the wall of beer and I said to the Chinese girl:

“Are you ready for Christmas?”

And she replied with a sheepish smile:

“Yeah!”

Well, I suppose with 1898 bottles of beer she is  all geared up for Christmas!  Are you Ready For Christmas??  Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Plants and Mushrooms On The Farm.

New.Munchkin.Gnome.Yellow.Boots

The morning started off with a torrential rain which filled up our tanks.  Yay…this means that we can continue to have long hot showers and keep on using the washing machine.  We are thankful for small blessings!  After the rains, we walked together with a wheel-barrow of seedlings to plant out (gosh…this is Munchkin and Gnome romancing!).

We planted out Carob seedlings.  We are especially excited about these because these can be a nutritional chocolate alternative and the seeds are a source of guar gum.  We planted these on high ground because they are not supposed to like “wet feet.”

Carob Seedling.
Carob Seedling.

We also planted some good varieties of mangoes…I know that this sounds rather mundane for the tropics but on our farm we have NO mango trees!   This also happens to be our favourite fruit so we are trying to catch up.  When we first came to Belize ten years we spent all our time planting unusual edible tropical fruits and forgot about the ubiquitous mango.

Freshly Mowed Field Ready For Mango Planting.
Freshly Mowed Field Ready For Mango Planting.

We have found from our own personal experience as wannabee farmers that the best way to plant a seedling is to cut the bottom off the plant pot and set it in a shallow (6 inches) hole.  This ensures that the roots are not disturbed and also you can weed-wack around it without damaging the plant.

Planted Mango.
Planted Mango.

Ooooh look our betel nut is flowering…not sure what to do with it so we will have to do some research on that one…

Betel Palm Flower.
Betel Palm Flower.

And, last but not least, the mushrooms are coming out with the rains.  This is Turkey Tail mushroom which can be boiled up for a tea and is rich in anti-oxidants.

Turkey Tale Mushroom.
Turkey Tale Mushroom.

This is Chicken of The Woods.  We are waiting for them to get bigger so that we can harvest them to eat.  When you cook them up, they taste just like chicken.  Yummy…can’t wait!!

Chicken Of The Woods.
Chicken Of The Woods.

What exciting things on the farm!!

Gnome In A Strop!

Poor Gnome!
Poor Gnome!

Oh what a day…phew I am glad that I survived it!  We had a whole load of Christmas deliveries to send out today and guess what?  The truck wouldn’t start!

This is when the Italian Gnome came out with lots of gesticulations towards the sky, gesticulations towards anything really…even the goosie got caught in the cross-fire.  Goosie sort of looked at the ranting Gnome and edged away into the coconuts (now, that is something for a very aggressive goose who thinks that he is boss of the farm).

Mr. Goosie.
Mr. Goosie.

There was a lot of muttering about the “starter” and “connections” and then I slowly edged away too.  It was all rather emotional, hairy with some heavy breathing.  Not something a Munchkin can cope with so off I scurried  into the house to look busy!!

Munchkin.Another.Funny.Shot

It was really “touch and go” for the while!  Eventually the car did start and I didn’t ask any questions.  We just loaded the packages into the truck quick smart so that we could get a move on.

Poor Gnome…what a strop he got into…the emotions of an Italian can sometimes get so hot and overbearing (a bit like the dry season in the Tropics).   Anyway, I finally got Gnome into  a better mood with a coffee by the sea:

Punta Gorda Seaside.
Punta Gorda Seaside.

Thank Goodness for the Duckie Bag!!  Phew…saved by the Duckie Bag…all problems solved with a hot drink and plenty of love and encouragement by the sea!

Travel Bag with Thermos.
Travel Bag with Thermos.

Big Cute Terrapin!

Gnome.Boot.TM

It is a Saturday night and I am posting up pictures of terrapins…ha-ha…I have “tagged” this one as “Friday Night Stuck At Home Post.”  As you already know, Gnome has been hard at working cleaning up the farm.  The other day, whilst he was mowing, he found a big terrapin in the grass.  These are so big compared to the tiny ones that I used to have as childhood pets.

Terrapin Top View.
Terrapin Top View.

Here are a few pictures of this lovely, cute friendly beast.

Terrapin Side View.
Terrapin Side View.

And, another one…

Terrapin.
Terrapin.

Anyway, if you are also at home this evening, here is a tune to listen to whilst sipping a glass of red wine or port:

A tune for reminiscing…

Pictures From The Farm.

Winter Time in Belize.
Winter Time in Belize.

Since we have been doing a super clean up of the farm in this fabulous weather (bright and sunny with no rain) I thought I would take this opportunity to share some pictures of the farm.  It is remarkable how great it looks when it is not all bushy with high grass!

When we first came to Belize, 10 years ago we ventured into the bush in search of rosewood seeds to start a grove on our farm.  Over years, there has been much logging of these magnificent trees and they are dwindling in number.  We have set up this grove as a “seed bank” so that there will still be opportunity to cultivate these trees in the future.  Our rosewood trees are looking good and gives a shaded place for a cool picnic area.

Rosewood Trees.
Rosewood Trees.

The first young fruits of the soursop have just started  which is a much-loved fruit of the Tropics:

Soursop
Soursop

And this is roseapple which tastes of rose petals.  They are actually very hard to spot because of the green colour…if only they would turn pink or red!  I think all of our resident birdies taste of roses since they are the ones eating most of them…

Flowering Rose Apple.
Flowering Rose Apple.

Last but not least, our lovely pond area where we would like to house a gaggle of geese!  One day, we shall have loads of geese a-honking in our pond!!

View Of The Pond.
View Of The Pond.

Gnome Rigging in Belize!!

Gnome.Pushing.Up.Glasses

Gnome-Of-All-Trades is doing all sorts of things.  You would think he was a super hero or something with all the work that he is getting on with.  Super- Gnome (TM!!).  Mmmmm, with all the Super Hero films that are being churned out of Hollywood maybe they would consider this as a movie…Ha-Ha!!  Could be plausible…after-all, they have done an Ant-Man?  What’s next…Mosquito-Man?

Anyway, excuse the rant and let us move swiftly onto the subject of Gnome-Rigging.  This is what happens when something breaks and there is no 24 hour Amazon delivery to get parts needed urgently.  The main switch for the brush-mower has fallen apart (from age, tropical weather, somebody else borrowing it and not using it properly, etc, etc) so now Gnome switches it on by fusing two wires together (like hot-wiring cars).  Like so:

Gnome Rigging.
Gnome Rigging.

The main switch does not work anymore…so connections now have to be made manually.  Hence the reason for the “bird’s nest” of wires attractively sticking out the back of the mower.  Artistic…

Bird's Nest Wiring.
Bird’s Nest Wiring.

Please be warned that Gnome-Rigging does not comply with safety standards and regulations.  Yes, you better Belize it!!

More Gnome Rigging: No proper table to work on so he balances plywood on two crates:

Gnome Working.
Gnome Working.

Against all odds, he is doing it all on the farm!  He is also panelling the inside of the house!  Yippee!!  Of course, all this work is intermittently interrupted by hissy fits from a poor frustrated Gnome trying to get things done despite all the imperfections of living in the bush!

Are you sure you want to….Follow us into THE JUNGLE??….

Monster Christmas Chaos Cake.

Munchkin.More.Another.Funny.Shot

Oooooh!!!  Munchkin was let loose in the kitchen to make a Christmas Cake!  If you follow the Blog, you will know that there have been many baking disasters in the past…especially around the Festive Season when she has good intentions in baking but they never turn out!  This “Christmas Stollen” was fortunately rescued and morphed into a Monster Christmas Chaos Cake!

Trying to work yeasted dough for baking in a 35C (95F) kitchen is bound to end in disaster.  The sticky dough expands within seconds, doubles in bulk within minutes and if you don’t get it into the oven quick smart…it is bound to explode all over the place.  Not a pretty sight to see a red-faced, hot Munchkin anxiously trying to mix dough quickly before it all splatters on the walls!  Arrrgh!!!

Anyway, the Stollen was rescued and become a gorgeous Christmas Cake decorated with dried sapodilla from the farm:

Christmas Chaos Cake.
Christmas Chaos Cake.

Enjoyed  indulgently with vanilla glaze drizzle.  Mmmmm…what a save!!

Christmas Chaos Cake with Vanilla Glaze.
Christmas Chaos Cake with Vanilla Glaze.

Also something festive for the Duckie Bag!!