Category Archives: Belize

Pressure Tank Done Broke!

November 20, 2018 Munchkin

Oh the silly little ironies, right? Gnome just finished the plumbing…the sink, washing machine and the bathing area…and now what?? The pressure tank has stopped working. It is filling up but there is no pressure so it looks like there is probably a leak in the bladder. Here in Belize, I have not seen any pressure tank bladders for sale so it looks like a brand new tank has to be bought. The one that we have was not cheap and it is only about two years old.

Well, anyway, we’ve been working through our list of projects quite diligently and the new water tower was not scheduled until late next year. So Gnome said that the best thing to do was to turn this unfortunate incident into a fortunate opportunity to begin water tower construction early. He said that if Munchkin could whine sufficiently enough about hauling buckets of water into the house, he could probably get the water tower up in record time. And so begins the complaining and the whining…it’s for a worthy cause, right? 🙂

It is going to be a big project and no mean feat for a Gnome to accomplish. Water will still be collected in our tanks which are close to the ground…a solar pump would be used to pump water up to a single tank placed on a water tower. The water tower will have to be high enough (Gnome says about 30 feet (10 metres)) to give pressure to the water as it cycles back down into the plumbing system of the house. This new system is a step in our direction of independence as we will harness energy from sun and gravity rather than relying (and paying) for electricity. Okay, let’s see what happens…

We will try and turn this into something good…

Amusing, Belize, Construction

Home Decor With M & G…

November 15, 2018 Munchkin

Hello!! Yes, thought I would squeeze in another Blog post so that you don’t think that it is every 7 to 10 days only!! You know what…time just flies by and before I know it, I haven’t written for ages. Anyway, we are now in November-December time…the last leg of the year when it goes crazy-fast and you are left spinning in a whirlwind. I really do think that from Thanksgiving time to Christmas/ New Year time, time accelerates and if you are not careful, projects come to a stand-still. We are making a huge attempt to hold onto our sensibilities and keep on going!! The veranda is getting its make-over. Master Make-over Gnome has been plumbing and tiling. The sink (love the sink!) and the bathtub are plumbed and working…oooh, look at that…

We also re-located the washing machine-sans-case since the outer white cover was donated very generously by Gnome to the goosies as a nest:

Gnome Decor: attach the control panel to the wall and remove outer covering and lid. Who needs frivolous washing machine accessories like that? The washing machine, believe it or not, works absolutely fine. On the plus side, stripped of its case, it is easier to move and takes up less space:

There you go…I now have all water stuff in one place…we will keep on going….

Here’s a tune for Gnome for doing everything that he does: “Gnome Does It Better.”

Belize

What Have We Been Up To?

November 14, 2018 Munchkin

Yeah, we are still here. Sorry for not writing for a while but have been busy-tired-busy-tired-hot-hot-hot-busy-tired. Anyway, we had a successful Guy Fawkes night despite a deluge the night before and the morning of the event. It was so wet and puddle-ridden, we thought that we might have to call the whole thing off. Luckily, the sun peaked out late morning and we decided that it was worth it to go on. The afternoon consisted of wheel-barrowing stuff over to the pond area (I want donkeys!!) and Master Fire-starter Gnome started a bonfire and fire (pits) for cooking. Here is Guy, traditionally made by Panda every year:

We had our usual merry friends around the camp-fire (did not sing Kum Ba Yah!) and we had a jolly good time. We had roast chicken, potatoes and onions cooked in coals. Very Nice…definitely the best way to cook chicken!

The sitting area was very comfortable and kept bug-free with the fires; Gnome being organised, had set up the shelter the day before and we had a test run of camp-fire food together in a romantic Munchkin and Gnome usual way…

It did not rain on Guy Fawkes night so the shelter was used as the food serving area. All in all, another good year so looks like we will keep the Bonfire Night Tradition going…

Amusing, Belize, Farming

A Few Things…

November 1, 2018 Munchkin

Hello, Good Morning to y’all! We have had a two days of showers and this morning kinda looks bright and sunny (cross my fingers). We are sitting down with a cuppa getting ready for some farm work. Some days, we have our Yorkshire tea and other days we have our own cinnamon leaves boiled for 10 minutes, steeped for 5 minutes and sweetened with honey. It is a natural stimulant and sometimes we choose this over tea when we prefer a milder wake up!

Since it is generally drying up, Gnome has started a big mow again…the pond area was done first in preparation for our yearly bonfire for the the 5th of November (Remember, Remember…the 5th of November). Ooooh, I wonder if Gnome will do a double bonfire again!! It is an evening that we have friends around with bonfire(s), food cooked over coals and home-made wine. We also undertake a little tradition every year that involves burning a
symbolic representation of an aspect of our life that we no longer
feel is necessary. Hmmm…I am not sure if I am ready to burn the Pringles…it is one of my last links with consumerism!! 😉 This is the Guy from last year:

What else…oooh, exciting stuff…sink is plumbed and we have a bath-tub/ trough for bathing…hee-hee.

Gnome asked me,“…it’s not exactly Martha Stewart…are you okay with it?”

Munchkin reply: “…who’s Martha Stewart anyway?? That is exactly why I love it!!”

I will have a better picture for you next time. Fine decor with Munchkin and Gnome where Practicality is all that matters. What do you think…can we market this lifestyle??!! 😉

Anyway, I will leave you with a picture of a morning gift from our Beloved Cat (he is like a son to us: lazy good-for-nothing-but-we-love-him and uses the place like a hotel). Cat:

A Gift from the Cat; he left this outside the front door and nonchalantly walked into the house to his eating area. If he could talk, he would say: you guys can have the rat, I will have the gourmet liver that Munchkin serves up everyday, ta very much!

This is what I said to Gnome: “…we could eat it…I have seen enough episodes of Alone to work out how to prepare the rat for food….”

Gnome: “…hmmm…don’t tell me you are starting to think you are an expert on survival skills from watching television!!”

Ha-Ha!!

(Alone is an American reality TV series where people are left to survive in the wilderness by themselves and expected to use their skills to hunt and forage to survive. Many of the contestants have ended up catching rats to eat.

Belize, Farming, Food

Munchkin And Gnome On The Farm!

October 23, 2018 Munchkin 2 Comments

I am writing today because I seem to have a bit more time and I also feel like writing. This morning started off with very dark and ominous clouds; despite the warning signs, I pushed ahead and made the decision to work outside. Panda came with a pick-up truck of sawdust and emptied it in record time. It started bucketing down at about 9am and I had never seen Panda run so quickly to get out of the rain…but he forgot his shovel in his haste! Anyway, thanks Panda for the sawdust which we are putting around the house to raise the ground up. The rains and big, flat goosie feet have caused so much erosion that we have lost about a foot of dirt all around the house!

We are officially on Possum Alert right now. A couple of nights ago, we awoke to the din of goosie squawking and Gnome ran outside immediately. He managed to spy a predator and with the aid of a flash-light, he could make out the silhouette of a possum. Yes, they are back: Back with a Vengeance! The traps are out and we have warned the goosies to stay close to the house and not to go out in the dark alone after 9pm…fat chance they will actually listen!! We haven’t caught anything yet but are already talking about having a nice possum curry.

The big rain this morning lasted about an hour and now it is sunny again. Gnome has been doing a spot of plumbing because we would like to move the sink out of the house and onto the veranda. I was going to take some pictures but then I stopped and wondered if anyone actually wanted to see a picture of pipes! Ha-Ha!!

Well, here is a prettier picture for you! I never thought that I would be so happy with dandelions…but, aren’t they lovely…Dandelions in Belize.

We have been enjoying dandelion greens in our salads. We plan on growing a whole bed of dandelions for roots and greens and are collecting the seeds right now in preparation for this project.

That’s all for now folks!!

Amusing, Belize

More Work and Floods!!

October 22, 2018 Munchkin

Hello! It is a lovely, sunny day and there have been no night rains for two days. We are crossing our fingers and hoping that we get another run of dry days. If we do, Gnome will be digging…digging holes for fence posts to fence the geese out of our house area; the geese are getting messy, rowdy and noisy and our previous unfinished walls (tyres and concrete blocks) have not worked since they can jump. There will also be more digging for grey water ponds to the back for a banana and plantain area. Once the ground is dry, we will have to mow again with the brush-mower; however, we do have a slight problem because the v-belt has broken. I am sure if we lived anywhere else, this would not be an issue but finding a 50 inch belt in Toledo is proving difficult…we went to the Farmstore last week…they had v-belts sizes in 62″ or 67″ or 102″ AND there was the usual palava!! This time, there were no lengths written on the v-belt packaging and we had to try measuring loops with a straight ruler. Needless to say, we never found the right size and Gnome walked out of store muttering something about “Belize-Rigging again.”

Oh and I have to tell you about Saturday morning!! It was our town day so we had a leisurely morning at home and didn’t think anything at all about the continuous rains the night before. Well, it does rain most of the time! When we got to the Jacinto junction which joins onto the Highway to Punta Gorda, there was a parked truck, lots of people and the dory was out!! Yes, we were flooded at the junction once again! The water looked deep so we decided to wait. After a while, a young guy drove down in a Missionary bus and offered to drive in front of us and as he said, “…part the waters…” We thought that it sounded like a good idea so we followed…

There were a few issues….arghhh!! Firstly, the bus went as slow as a snail across the water and instead of “parting the water” it was pushing water towards our truck causing a lot of resistance. Usually, Gnome can control the acceleration to get out of the water quickly but this time, we were forced to go at a sluggish pace. There were some crazy moments with deep forward and sidey-way dippy movements. It was sooo Scary!! I was praying all the way through but I still felt confident because Gnome looked like he was handling it in his usual cool, debonair manner.

It was a bit of “touch and go” at moments but we managed to pull through. I think there was a lesson in that…never go behind a bus in a flood!! I said to Gnome…

“…wow, you were sooo cool!!”

Gnome replied,

“…what??? My leg was shaking all the way!!!”

(Well, I guess I was looking at his face…not his leg!! Ha-Ha 🙂 )

Belize, Farming, Food

Rain!!!

October 17, 2018 Munchkin

It has been pouring down everyday since Sunday and we have been stuck indoors. Thank goodness, we got our planting done on Saturday…for the first time we seem to be synchronising with the weather. We are starting to plant new fruit trees in rows…I know…how about that for a novel, organised orchard! In the past we have planted our fruit trees in a haphazard sort of way: “how about there…in that space!” and now that the trees have grown, we are finding that they are in the wrong place, too close to the house, too close together, blocking the path, blocking the driveway, etc, etc. You name the planting mistake…we have done it!!

So many trees everywhere!!

Anyway, we live and learn! Well, the last few days have been all day rains so there has been no hope of continuing with projects right now.

Nevertheless, we can’t complain about the continuous food on the farm. It is canistel time again:

More Peach Palms:

Peanut Butter Fruit; these are just starting:

Okay, I will write again soon!

Belize, Soap

Making Soap!

October 14, 2018 Munchkin 6 Comments

It is that time of the year to make soap. This time we have decided to go for the Chocolate Swirls (and blobs) with clay from the Bladen area.

The clay comes in different colours: reds, pinks, purples, yellows and whites. It is really quite beautiful to go to the Bladen area to ogle at the colours but once you step out of the car to start digging, that’s a different story…the usual hot, sweaty work!

Lovely Colour:

Gnome is the designated digger of clay:

We finally got the chance to use the soap-cutter which was presented to us as a gift from our friends, Erin and Jim. In simple words, Jim can make things and put them together…a bit of gnomishness there methinks. Anyway, when he heard that Gnome was cutting each single soap with wire (like cheese) he set himself the task of making a soap-cutter for us. Oh, and we are soooo pleased…it does the job and eases our pain and sweat!! This is Great. Thank-you Erin and Jim for this wonderful gift!!

And this is what we have been making:

Okay, have a great long weekend!!

Belize, Farming

Farm Update.

October 7, 2018 Munchkin

Hello Everyone, I haven’t written for a while just because I have been too tired! Despite rain and mud and puddles, we are charging through like little troopers trying to get things done. The last time I wrote, we had about 10 days of glorious, dry weather. Straight after that, we had heavy rains. As soon as the first night rain started Gnome exclaimed (in his sleep): “…the peanuts…the peanuts…we must harvest the peanuts…”

And so we did…the next day of course…not in the middle of the night! The following day happened to be a dryish, sunny day so we had the weather on our side. Panda helped out too and we managed to collect the peanut in about 4 hours. The peanuts were washed and laid out to dry in a sheltered area. Well, thank goodness we did the harvesting because after that we had torrential rain for days…we would have lost the crop if we waited! Here are some pictures:

Oooh Peanuts:

In the last week or so, we have had heavy evening rains and dry days. Because our coconut area is on higher ground, we have managed to clear up the place; I went through and collected fallen coconuts(400!!). I have placed them in a shaded area to allow them to sprout. Panda (he’s been a very helpful trooper) cut and removed dead fronds and laid them in mulch piles. Then Gnome went through and bush-hogged the place. With all this co-ordinated work, we cleaned up the coconut area in about 2 1/2 days which is a record time for us!!

Anyway, we are on a roll here and the next place to clean up is the back space with the sapodilla trees. This may prove difficult because the area is really wet and boggy; we will probably start by cleaning the fence line because the bush is encroaching on the territory. We are trying to get the sapodillas back on track since they have been neglected for about two years due to machinery failure. They used to look like this:

Oh, and we have had more machinery problems which have held a few projects back…this time it is the chainsaw which is giving the headaches. We took it to the Farmstore in town to get it fixed and got the usual palava:

“..not sure which part needs to be replaced…will order part but can’t find part in Belize…maybe try to get part in Guatemala?? Or States??? Anyway… might take until December to get part from States…do you want to Belize rig it?? “

Anyway, these were the conversations that we were having for the last 2 weeks. Don’t get me wrong…this is not a complaint…this is what happens in Belize and these are the things that we have to live with. Anyway, we have the chainsaw back (not fixed) and Gnome says he will take it apart and see what he can do. No guarantees of course. Arrrrgh….we have so many trees to cut down!!

Okay, so we will keep on going… 🙂 Here’s another picture of our peanuts. 🙂

Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

Farm Food…

September 19, 2018 Munchkin

Hello! We have had about 10 days straight of dry, sunny weather and we have been working our little butts off! Today, we are sooo tired that we have decided to take the day off. This is how we look at the end of the day: Oh, so knackered, just want to sleep…

Please note that the Cat has not been physically working and looks like this all the time!!

Anyway, I have managed to wrestle back control over the trees in the yard and the pond area. They have been cleaned up, mulched and fertilised and now on a maintenance schedule. The next battle is the orchard at the back which was overgrown for two years because of machinery failure. Now that Gnome has brought the grass/bush back down, I have been piling up all the debris and branches. A big thank-you to Panda for helping out with this bit! This was the orchard…very bushy. Now, it has really opened up. The orchard mostly consisted of sapodilla trees but from cleaning up, it looks like we may have lost about 6 out of 20 of the trees. We will probably replace with a variety of fruit trees including golden plum, mango and rambutan. This is a picture of “before”…don’t have “after” yet…

Meanwhile, Gnome has been preparing the veranda for electricity and plumbing. We are moving the sink out of the house (not enough space) with a view to moving the kitchen out too (not enough space!). To add to all these plans within plans, we have decided (work in process and will take a couple of years to establish) to have two cooking areas. We will have a cooking area on the veranda with dedicated charcoal stoves…mostly set up for Gnome for Italian slow-cooking, wine-making and whatever he feels like cooking up. At some stage, I will have an outside Munchkin kitchen with a fire/coal pit so I will do most of the cooking over coals. There will be a dedicated sheltered sitting area outside for this and a little kitchen-bunker made from used tyres. 🙂 That’s the plan…

Anyway, the farm keeps on producing and each season brings something different to the kitchen table. We have a blackberry bearing right now; very difficult to harvest because the tree is so tall so I have to wait for the berries to fall to the ground. I tried thrashing the branches about with a big stick but I got too tired. If I can collect enough, I will get Gnome to make some wine:

It is also the season for peach-palm. The geese love these and actually wait underneath the palms for the fruit to fall and when this happens, this sets off a rugby-type game that they play. It’s fun to watch amidst the goosie shrieks and carrying-on. Run Goosie Run!!

We are eating them too. I cut them in half, remove the centre seed and boil them for about 45 minutes. Since, I do this in large batches, the cooked fruit is stored in the freezer ready for stews and soups.

Oh and the malabar spinach looks very healthy and has taken over a whole bed:

Aubergines (eggplants) are starting to produce; Pantry Cat is also looking after the vegetables…he keeps the iguanas away during the day…good boy, remember to wake up if you hear any stealthy crunch-crunch noises!!

Casa Mascia Apothecary