It was quite a while when we had discovered that our well pump was broken…apparently by a frog getting caught in it and sliming up the whole contraption (remember the thrilling installment of Pump Vs Frog??). Anyway, we have been thankfully saved time and time again by the Toledo rains. Lately we have been getting dry season weather…you know, that stifling heat with some young plants starting to wilt in the ground. Our water supply is fast dwindling and we are now on red alert ie. back on bucket washes and hand-washing clothes (boo-hoo). What a life…living in Paradise. Anyway, it is about time we started sorting out the water situation!
Well Water Tank.
We have decided to replace the whole mechanism of pumping with an air compressor. This utilises the “air-lift” effect which was a Gnome brain-storm; just so happens to be more elegant plus you can buy all the parts here (which is very important if you live in Belize). Basically, compressed air goes down which in turn, displaces water upwards.
Now to find an air compressor and would you believe it…none to be found in the Toledo region. Looks like we are going to have to take a trip to the big city to get all the equipment. We have to get this done quickly or we will be out of water within a week or less. It’s a race against time!
What to do with leftover rice? Instead of the usual fried rice, I came up with this really easy recipe. It is a bit like a rice pizza made with mozzarella and capers as topping. You can use this concept to create a meat free dish if you are vegetarian.
Yes I think it is about time we had another Paradise Piggies update…you know the friendly bunch of guinea pigs residing at the fictional gated community of Paradise Pastures. We don’t get much feedback on these posts so we wonder if anyone else gets the same amusing pleasure as we do in making up silly stories on Piggies in Paradise and Mayoral elections. We suspect not…but hey…we guffaw over the guinea pig comments and Mayor Gnome antics. I suppose that’s something.
This is an MGNews update bringing the latest thrilling exploits of the piggies in the best jungle resort in Belize. Mayor Gnome has inaugurated the opening of a school in Paradise Pastures. In other words, he’s put a sign up and said a few nice words.
School Sign.
A school to educate the next generation.
Paradise Pastures: The Next Generation.
The piggies are really excited about the prospect of a school. Here are a few comments from the residents of this fortunate community:
Dishawn-Piggie:
” Power to the Piggies. We need to preserve our art, culture and history!”
Penelope-Piggie:
“More science and engineering for the piggies! We need to build rockets to the moon and have one common goal for the good of Piggie-kind!”
Well, this is certainly a good start to the year with lofty and inspiring thoughts. A Big Thank-you to Isabel for the gift of the clay school plaque. The piggies had a good chew on it but quickly realised that it was inedible. They were asking if you could pleeeease make a sign out of gingerbread next time…thanks in advance!
We had an Elixir Tasting last night at Cotton Tree Lodge with a small group of six. The lodge is having a Chocolate group at the moment so we set the mood for the night by starting with Cacao Fruit as the first tasting. This was interesting because it was a new batch and we were curious as to the response from the group.
Cacao Fruit Elixir.
In this batch, we actually increased the sugar content in order to balance the astringent qualities of the cacao bean. The result was a mellow, well-rounded flavour with a definite rich chocolate taste. Overall, the group found this elixir complex, interesting and unique.
This time, we talked more about the medicinal properties of the Elixirs. It was very clear that the Cacao Fruit had mood-lifting and stimulating qualities as the night proceeded! This one got every-one into a talkative and lively mood.
By the end of the tasting, it seemed that the clear favourite was the Grapefruit Elixir. This one is actually three years old and the maturation process brought out such interesting flavours! It was a complex combination of pears, apples and honey. Very silky smooth and unctuous and it had a lovely clear golden colour.
Grapefruit Elixir.
It just goes to show that aging a liqueur makes all the difference. Most of the Elixirs that we have available are about 2 years old now and getting better.
Again, it was amusing to see the response towards the Culantro Elixir…you either love it or you hate it!!
Fresh Culantro.
Culantro is used interchangeably with cilantro in this country in cooking. This herb lends a herbaceous refeshing taste to our Elixir. Some people absolutely love it because they like everything with the taste of cilantro (culantro). Others wrinkle up their nose in dismay and describe it as being “too soapy” or “too medicinal.” The feedback is always very helpful!
For more information on our Elixirs, including taste profiles and medicinal properties, check out our link. For our full list of Elixirs please check out The Apothecary.
Whenever a patient comes to me complaining of symptoms including insomnia, agitation, headaches, palpations and/or poor concentration the first thing I advise them to do is to stop caffeine for a trial period. I usually get a strange look because I am not reaching out for prescription pad to offer a “quick fix.” Yes I am a doctor who uses empirical evidence to gather data in order to determine whether habits may be causing health problems. I am not just a “one trick pony.” I would like to explain to you my interesting observations on and off caffeine (tea or coffee). The purpose of this anecdote is not to persuade you that what I say is true. But rather to persuade you to test what I have to say.
We have been opportunistically observing ourselves, patients and people in general whilst on coffee. It is interesting to see people very “speeded up” with rapid speech and hand gesticulations just after one cup of coffee…and having absolutely no insight into this behaviour. In fact most people just think that it is part of their personality and will make statements like, “I can’t keep still…I am just that personality type.”
Well let me tell you about my personal observations of on and off coffee. It is very interesting how this actually happened. Like any Scottish person, I like a good cup of tea in the morning and so I have over years, just got into this habit. Anyway, for a change, we decided to drink these novelty “coffee sachets” bought from the Chinese store.
Coffee Sachets.
After about a week, we realised that we were not feeling the usual effects of a cup of tea; these included immediate up-lifting of mood, loquaciousness, occasional palpitations and the general feeling of “needing to get things done…NOW!!” This is when we realised that these coffee sachets probably didn’t contain real coffee (ie.caffeine) and were made up of chicory or some cheap alternative. That made us laugh and we started calling these sachets “Coffee For Kids” as a joke!
Anyway, we continued on our “Kid’s Coffee” for another 3 weeks. Yesterday I decided that it would just be nice to have a good cup of tea to hit the spot. In fact I had two cups of tea back to back. This is what I observed: I felt the sudden urge to move about and do things…wash dishes, do laundry, pack soap and label and do everything all at once. This doesn’t sound too bad but I felt that all these “needs” became a huge pressure in my head and then manifested as palpitations in my chest. It came as a surprise to me that I did recognise these symptoms…it was how I always felt after a cup of tea or coffee. Previously, I had attributed these feelings to my circumstances (pressures of farm work and business, etc, etc). No, it is actually just the physical effects of caffeine…wow, what a revelation. As a consequence to this, I was on my feet until about 5pm before I settled myself down. I noticed poor concentration and lack of focus. Caffeine seems to be good for repetitive “brainless” tasks so in some respects can be useful. I also could not get to sleep which is unusual for me.
Interesting…
Maybe some of us are actually operating at a sub-optimal level from the negative effects of caffeine?
In summary, I think that caffeine (coffee or tea) can be useful in many circumstances which include long hours of repetitive work requiring little concentration. It is also good as a “social tool” because it makes you more talkative. If you are physically and mentally tired, caffeine can certainly perk you up; if your energy levels are fine then you can experience anxiety and agitation as negative effects. Like everything in life, it should be used with awareness of the tasks at hand. In other words, do not use it as a habit and a matter of course. I have written this post in the hope that some people may find these observations interesting and try to test these ideas for themselves. In doing so, it may give people more understanding of control, awareness and self.
Hello There!! We are still here but experiencing some technical problems, amongst other things. First of all, my faithful little hp Notebook died. It gave one last exhalation, the lights blinked on and then off. Alas, rest in peace my dear computer which has been our companion for six years and used to accompany us into town during our Internet cafe years.
RIP Computer.
And so we have one computer to share which is actually “Gnome’s Laptop.” it has been hard to get a Munchkin schedule on the computer because Gnome is temporarily out of action. Yes, the hand is still swollen…
Gnome’s swollen hand wrapped up in scarf.
Gnome has been watching films back to back because he can’t do anything with a swollen left hand. I really didn’t want to take the computer off him because he was seriously climbing the walls with boredom. Anyway, the hand is getting better and I am sure we can work on a computer schedule so that I can write posts on a more regular basis!
Oh, and in addition to the computer breaking down (what next, huh?), the printer has carked it too! So now we have to do “labels on-the go” as we get orders. This means that before delivery, we have to go to the Internet cafe to print out labels. We then cut and paste the labels in the car before we pack everything up to send.
Cutting and Labeling in the Truck.
The other day I forgot the glue stick so had to do another circle around town to pick up glue and return to Tropic Air to stick on the labels. Last minute packing is done in the car-park at Tropic Air!!
Label and Pack Before Delivery!
Despite all this, I would like to think we are delivering the best service!!
I spent a bit of time today catching up on cake recipes from the Festive Season for Belize Wild Recipes. I simply had to write about them because this year, for the first time ever, they actually worked out. This is a typical baking disaster…this one was Christmas Spice Cake:
I have also posted up a “Black Cake” recipe which was very kindly given to me by Barbara Nightingale. I haven’t tried the recipe yet…it will have to wait until next Christmas!! And sorry no picture because we polished it all off before we could get a photo!
You might recall that in a previous post which was written about 2 months ago, I had expressed the need for a desk lamp. In fact, I had been quite explicit about it because the post was named “I Need A Desk Lamp.”
I had actually posted this at the time because I was really rather desperate for one as I wanted a close-up light to hand-sew. At that time, Gnome advised me to ask for it directly in order to prove or disprove the idea of “ask and you shall receive.” I was a bit cynical but decided that it was worth the try…besides I couldn’t find one in Belize.
On New Year’s Day I reminded Gnome of this intention that I had made and rather glumly said to him that I did not receive a desk lamp so I had to disprove the theory. Gnome replied by saying,
“Maybe it just hasn’t come yet.”
I shrugged my shoulders and let it go.
Then this happened today. Whenever we get all sorts of computer stuff that we no longer need to use but still works, we usually give it away to guy in Punta Gorda who “does computers” so that he can add it to his graveyard of electronics. Anyway, we went to see him today to give him stuff and he was so appreciative that he offered a “free room” in his shop on the off chance that we were stranded in town for the night. He also gave us this:
Solar Desk Lamp.
When Gnome saw this, he beamed a knowing smile at me. When I saw this, I grinned back!!
Too funny, right? And this guy has never read my Blog or seen my statement of intent. What are the chances of that?
Anyway, Thank-you!! And another big Thank-you to Paul for his gift of speakers. Now we can listen to our favourite songs in the middle of the jungle.
Yesterday was bright and dry and we managed to maintain good humour despite all our machinery being broken. I planted a bunch of seedlings including some lemons which had been left at our gate on New Year’s Day by somebody (we think we know who the gift bringer was…so thank-you Dave).
Assorted Seedlings.
Gnome was in top form and got out the manual lawn-mower…look at that…the sheer motivation of Gnome to get out there and do something.
Manual Mower.
But of course Gnomes are rather ingenious creatures and the tinkering of machinery is what life is all about. So he has started reading a book on small gas engines (thank-you to a Hawaiian Gnome for giving us this book) and he has decided that it would be a lot more efficient to attach the tiller engine onto the manual lawn-mower in order to motorize it…watch this space for more Gnome Rigging.
This morning was not so bright and cheery since Gnome woke up with a swollen hand. About two weeks ago, a huge prickle penetrated his left knuckle area. At the time, he managed to pull it out but unfortunately, part of it actually got stuck inside. We had to cut the area open in order to remove the foreign body. However, with the way life is on the farm, Gnome never really got round to resting it completely in order for it to heal. Hence we have a Gnome unable to do any work but sorely tempted to do work. We had to end up wrapping the hand in a scarf so that he couldn’t move it at all…looks a bit like a sock puppet! Here is a picture of him holding our new year’s baby. This is a straight haired lemon agouti guinea pig.
When we first came to Belize, 10 years ago, we had decided that we wanted to eat all our own food off the farm ie. become totally self-sustainable. We have planted all manner of food plants including root vegetables, greens and fruit trees. Everything is bearing and we have loads of fresh food to feed ourselves with.
Root Vegetables.Bunch of Green Bananas.Plenty of Greens.
The start of this year has indeed been a time of great contemplation for me as I step into the kitchen and I am confronted by all this processed, packeted and shop-bought food (all imported, no less!):
Basmati Rice.Ramen Noodles.Guatemalan liguini.
Looking at all this made me realise that I was not living my philosophy and I have allowed the insidiousness of convenience to edge into my life. Don’t get me wrong…we do eat mostly our fresh food but I use packet food as a “back-up” when I don’t feel like getting out and digging something up (when it is raining or it is bug-ridden). We would like to get completely self-reliant and not feel that we even need a weekly trip into town to buy food (at this point our grocery bill only amounts to about BZD$30 (USD$15) a week so we are not doing too badly.
Live The Philosophy!
We would like to live our philosophy so we are going to address this habitual need to buy products. We have decided to finish off every single packeted food in the house until there are none and we are not going to buy anymore products from the shops. Once we polish off every single packet, we are going to switch over to farm food only. This will lead to an even healthier lifestyle with continual planting, digging, harvesting and preparation of enough food to feed us 365 days of the year. And of course we will save money from not needing to buy any groceries from the super-market.
