All posts by Munchkin

Amusing, Philosophy

Jungle Lyrics.

As soon as I posted up this morning’s post with “our” Jungle Song at the end,

Gnome said:

“I can’t hear the lyrics…I just know that they are singing about a Jungle and singing “yeah” after each line…”

We decided to check out the lyrics.  So, here they are; they are actually really inspiring (if you don’t think too deeply about it!!).

X- Ambassadors:

“Jungle”
(with Jamie N Commons)

Yeah
Yeah Well it’s too long living in the same old lives (yeah)
I feel too cold to live, too young to die (yeah)
Will you walk the line, like it’s there to choose (yeah)
Just forget the wit, it’s the best to use Oh, Lord
I said, “Oh, Lord”
I said, “Oh, Lord” Won’t you follow me into the jungle (yeah)
Ain’t no boss on my streets in the heart of the jungle (oh, Lord child)
Won’t you follow me into the jungle (yeah)
Ain’t no boss on these streets in the heart of the jungle (oh, Lord child)
Won’t you follow me into the jungle I lost my mind, in the city of lights (yeah)
In the backstreets buildings and the neon lights (yeah)
When I heard the thunder, I could feel the rain (yeah)
It’s the same to me, just a different name Oh, Lord
I said, “Oh, Lord”
I said, “Oh, Lord”

Won’t you follow me into the jungle (yeah)
Ain’t no boss on my streets in the heart of the jungle (oh, Lord child)
Won’t you follow me into the jungle (yeah)
Ain’t no boss on these streets in the heart of the jungle (oh, Lord child)
Won’t you follow me into the jungle

Oh
Oh
Oh
Oh, Lord
I said, “Oh, Lord”
I said, “Oh, Lord”
I said, “Oh, Lord child”

Won’t you follow me into the jungle (yeah)
Ain’t no boss on my streets in the heart of the jungle (oh, Lord child)
Won’t you follow me into the jungle (yeah)
Ain’t no boss on these streets in the heart of the jungle (oh, Lord child)
Won’t you follow me into the jungle

We are ready to fix the wonky gate (yeah)

Need to listen to the tune one more time though…

Amusing, Belize

Happy New Year.

Hello and Happy New Year!  It is soooo cold right now that it is really difficult to jump out of bed and feel the excitement of new projects and finishing projects.  In fact, we are so cold that the first thing Gnome does is to light our home-made charcoal stove and stick it under the table next to our feet.  The cat, of course, joins us at the point when it is all warm and toasty.

Foot Heater (TM):

Charcoal Hob in Action.

The geese are also especially reluctant to their thing and are spending a substantial amount of time loitering outside the house making trouble and noise.  I have to get out and shoo them to the pond but even me with a broom doesn’t get them going!

“Nobody on the farm wants to do anything!!  And there is so much to do!!”

Yes indeed, we need to crank up a gear (or rather, switch the engine back on) and get on with it.

Munchkin:

“Can’t we go by the lunar calendar this year so that the year doesn’t have to start so early??”

(Chinese New Year starts on the 16th of February this year).

Gnome is feeling a bit more driven…we switch roles to keep each other going.  This is what happens when you don’t have a boss…you have to encourage each other along the way.

Gnome:

“We can do it…Munchkin…against all odds!!  We can beat the laziness out of us…”

Gnome Magic.

Oh, if only he could wave the magic wand and all the work was done!!

Anyway,  back to reality… first we need to fix the wonky gate.  Here is our jungle tune to get us going:

Philosophy

Recapitulation.

The years start running into each other and before you know it, time has passed.  In order to catch the moments and remember them,  I will attempt to write a bit about the past year:

  1.  We had no water worries this year with water tanks placed ready-to-go for dry season.
  2.   We kept a vegetable garden going all year round and had a bucket garden during dry season.  We also made rotating gardens from guinea pig concrete homes.
  3. We reared ducklings in guinea pig crèches with success.
  4.   Gnome single-handedly built a veranda and a wonky looking gate.
  5.   Gnome fixed the washing machine and saved money.  He also removed the cover and gave it to a broody goose to set in.
  6.   The geese are still tyrannical but we are managing to live with them…we love them actually!  They laid some eggs for us.
  7.  We have a camp area at the pond with a spaceship tent.
  8.   The brush-mower finally died on us this year.
  9.   We canned about 200 jars of food in July when it was really wet and depressing.
  10. We added Psychotherapy and Acupuncture to our medical repertoire.
  11.  Panda is settling down better and got a lot better towards the end of the year.  He is doing more rather than just talking about doing.
  12.   Munchkin and Gnome are fine but still need to work on being lighter and more humorous in their life goals.
  13.  I did not blog this because I was so devastated but a possum got into our guinea cages and wiped them all out.   We have to start again in the new year with brand new piggies.  After this happened, we decided that we will eat possum.
  14.  On the balance, we think that 2017 was a good year.

Auld Lang Syne: Three versions to take us into the New Year:

Trance:

Gregorian:

Traditional:

Wishing Everyone A Great New Year!!

Amusing, Belize, Farming

Last Pictures…

It’s a bit like in a British pub when they say “last orders” for the last round before it closes.  These are my last lot of pictures from the farm before the new year.

Toasted bread from Gnome’s charcoal stove:

Grilled Bread.

Akee are in season right now:

Akee Fruit.
Cleaned Plate of Akee.

When you saute sliced akee, they look like scrambled eggs.  Try an alternative breakfast with akee and toast!!

Scrambled Akee and Toast.

Look at these bunch of naughty, thieving blighters!!  Eating us out of farm and home…

Thieving Aracari.
More Aracari.
Aracari.

They are rather cute though so we are not going to war with them…

Belize, Energy Saving, Farming, Saving Money

Tin Smithing with Gnome.

Hello!!  Despite designating this time as “rest period” to get ready for the new year’s major work on the farm, Gnome is still tinkering around.  Right now, we are renovating (actually, we are always in this state and will remain in this state for a long time) and we are back to cold water showering  awaiting the re-location of the hot water shower.  Because it has been so cold (20C/68F), we have resorted to bucket washes with hot water.  Water requires energy to heat up so we were burning through a butane tank like there was no tomorrow (we bathe a lot).  So, Gnome put his “Saving Money” cap on and decided to try making a home-made charcoal burner made out of an old milk tin.  This is a prequel to Panda’s last entry about the Gnome Mk1 Charcoal burner.  We thought that Panda was in a similar situation with hot water requirements, so Gnome also gave him one of these to try out.

Pictures of Tin Smithing with Gnome:

Make holes in tin with hand drill:

Charcoal Hob Making.

Then make air holes, at the bottom of the tin, with a jig saw:

The square air holes are not completely cut out and are bent into the tin to form a shelf for mesh wire.  This is Panda’s picture which shows the air holes:

Captain Charcoal®

Charcoal (filled right up to the top) is then placed on the mesh wire and a fire is started:

Charcoal Hob Testing.

It is important to place a piece of metal on top of the tin to allow partial elevation of the cooking pot; we used an old hob ring.

Charcoal Hob in Action.

Viola!  Water boiling in a kettle:

Boiling Water.

Note: use manky camp-fire kettles and pots.  Do not use your fine cookware on these stoves or you will be scrubbing a lot!!  The tin full of charcoal lasts for about 1 or 2 hours so you can boil quite a lot water and then cook a meal afterwards.  Basic food can be made like toasting bread and cooking thinly sliced sweet potato:

Charcoal Gnome Cooking.

Cooking with the charcoal burner:

Cooking Over Charcoal.

This design is not perfect (yet!) and Gnome is working on a new model with air flow control and a handle.  Watch this space…

Amusing, Belize, Food

Good Food!!

Hello Everyone!!  We made it through the Camp-fire chickens and Camp-fire turkey!!  The 8lb turkey turned out to be rather big (bigger than an 8lb chicken??) and I had to literally squeeze and squash it into the cast-iron pot.  The thighs were monster-humongous…. anyway, this one took two hours to cook under coals.  We dug up some sweet potatoes in the morning and cooked these in the coals also.  Cooked turkey  under coals was a success; the turkey was delicious and succulent.  I lined the turkey with bacon (modified Jamie Oliver recipe) which added to the juiciness of the meat.  I did not take any pictures because I thought that a squashed-up, lop-sided turkey would not be appreciated…Ha-Ha..what would the neighbours say??!

Cooking Over Coals.

Oh, but I do have other pictures to make you go Ooooh and Ahhhhh!!!

By the way, a Gnome is not just for Christmas…(sorry, couldn’t help sticking this one in…I think I am being really funny…you probably think I am just plain silly).

Christmas Gnome Fairy.

Home-made bamboo Christmas tree with decorations.  Munchkin and Gnome went all out this year:

Tropical Christmas Tree.
Christmas Tree Close-up.

Oh, and a Christmas duckie too.  How auspicious…

This one is very well-behaved and sits quietly.  No Star Trek with this one.  In fact, not much noise at all because we haven’t been watching anything.  This will be a New Zen-Christian Duckie…

New Duckie.

Christmas Duckie.

Christmas Chicken bites with citrus peel:

Christmas Chicken Bites.

Oooooh….prosciutto, salami and cheese courtesy of Gnome’s Mammy and Papa…thank-you so much:

Salami, Proscuitto and Parmesan Cheese.

Ahhhh…oh yes, I did get my salmon…at last.  I have been dying for smoked salmon.  This is a lovely Gnome display!  Salmon also a gift from Gnome’s parents!!  Oooooh and Ahhhhh!!!

Smoked Salmon.
Amusing, Belize

A Quiet Day…

We had a Pre-Christmas camp-fire dinner last-night with friends including Panda.  We had everything perfectly timed because we had rehearsed the cooking about five times already.  The bread was 15 minutes and the chicken was 90 minutes under coals.  It came out really well.  But, now I think that I have stuffed myself rather prematurely and I am not sure if I can make it until Christmas.  Gnome:

“…but we haven’t had the Christmas Day extravaganza yet!!”

I know, I know!!

I need to keep on going…for this…(Ha-Ha).

Today, I am strictly on water and fruit only!!

More Christmasy Pictures:

Oooh, spotted another one in the sorrel:

Angel in the Sorrel.

Oh, another one in the vegetable patch:

Okay, peppermint water is the order of the day today…

Amusing, Belize

Garden Varieties…

Oh, look what I found in the mustard…how did it get there?  Anyway, must be that time of the year when they come out.  The Garden (Variety) Angel…much like the Garden Variety Munchkins and Gnomes that come out all year round.  I guess you just have to pay attention and keep an eye out for these special ones…

Christmas Angel.
Amusing, Belize

Left Overs…

Hello!!  I mean left over pictures…there are no “left overs” at our place since we started cooking over coals…I had to post this picture again because it was very nice indeed.

Camp Fire Chicken.

We have decided to kinda wind down for the year so have been taking a few leisurely photos around the farm.  (The gate can wait until the new year!!)  Also, have Festive Season pictures to get us all in the mood.

Big Bossie Goosie Richard II.  The King of the Wheel-barrow.  He actually flew into the wheel-barrow during meal time the other day because he was so excited.

Goose in a Wheelbarrow.

We have a bed covered with these wild edible mushrooms: bamboo pith aka stinkhorn.  They start off as these round eggs (witches’ eggs) and then blossom into these interesting looking mushrooms.

Stinkhorn Eggs.
Stinkhorns for Christmas.

Christmas mugs are out courtesy of Papa Dudley (Merry Christmas Papa).  🙂

Christmas Mugs.

When you don’t have a Christmas tree…

Christmas Decorations.

And yes of course. His and Hers for Christmas!!  Can’t wait to put on my new wellies!!

Christmas Wellies.

Okay have a lovely day!!