Tag Archives: Rain

Belize, Farming, Food

Rain!!!

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!!

Bushy Yard.

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:

Canistel.

More Peach Palms:

Peach Palm.

Peanut Butter Fruit; these are just starting:

Peanut Butter Fruit.

Okay, I will write again soon!

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Food, Plants

It’s Horrible Outside!

It is full on rainy season and it is absolutely pouring down.  Every morning we have been waking up to thunderstorms and torrential rain.  Water is flowing in tiny little streams on our farm and we haven’t been able to get out to work  for a full week.  This morning, Gnome said, “…oh that’s interesting…the weather report said it was going to be bright and sunny with a 1% chance of rain.”  Well, looks like we got the 1% or the weather report is totally, wildly inaccurate…I suspect the second.  😉

Anyway, this is the best time for pumpkins, gourds and all manner of curcubits.  The water allows the them to swell up into humongous fruit…and, I think this is the best part…those beetles that like to drill holes into all my tasty, delectable vegetables can’t get out to burrow holes because of the rains!  Ahhh, of course that is the silver-lining cloudy thing that Hallmark people like to point out to me.  😉

These are some bottle gourds harvested from our farm.  We eat most of them young but I have left three of them to mature to use as vessels to store some of our home-made wine.

Bottle Gourd Harvest.

We had our first breadfruit harvest this year; it has taken three years for the trees to start baring.  We probably have harvested about 100 from three young trees.

Breadfruit Tree
Breadfruit

We are eating the fruit as a potato substitute; of course, as all Belizeans will testify, breadfruit is best fried in oil:

We like to cut them into “chip” shapes (easier to eat with chopsticks!) but most people around here have them as half or quarter wedges.

Fried Breadfruit Chips.

Gnome cooked a breadfruit stew with his usual home-made wine, tomato sauce Italian thing.  It was very good:

Chopped Breadfruit.
Breadfruit Stew.

Oh, and Gnome has been sticking coke bottles around coconut trees…what is he up to?

Coke Bottle in Coconuts.
Belize, Farming

Back and Forth…

The weather has been back and forth for the last month or so.  We had sunny-ish weather for the last 5 days so we went out and cleared up a bit more on the farm.  Gnome has been clearing trees at the pond area and I have been wheel-barrowing the wood back to the charcoal area.  It’s hard work for both of us but it keep us both fit and healthy.  Oh, and yes, we have filled up our charcoal store so we are going to build another concrete block storage…

Making Charcoal.

Anyway, we have just done a run of work and today it started raining early morning and has kept on going.  This seems like the typical July weather when you can’t get out at all!  We had planned to go into town but decided to cancel because the rain is coming down in buckets!  We both went outside to have a look and there are pools of water forming everywhere and the water is flowing.

Water Everywhere!!

Gnome saw a goose sitting in a big puddle fast asleep; when he called out to tell me, the goose woke up so I couldn’t get a picture of it…well, here is the goose just waking up from a nap:

Goosie Swimming in Puddle.

This is just after a morning of rain:

There is water everywhere:

Anyway, I know I haven’t been writing so this is a post to let you know that we are still here and we are doing our Munchkin and Gnome stuff as usual!

Belize

It’s a Tad Wet Out Here!

It’s a tad wet out here..

We can’t get out because it is bucketing down.  Here are some pictures of the wetness from the veranda.  It is pouring down and it doesn’t look like it wants to stop…

That’s our peanut field out there.  If you look closely, the rows of peanut are up…but, look at all the water pooling.  Gnome says that when it stops raining (when??) we will run out and put cardboard mulch to soak up the water in between the sprouting peanuts.  We don’t want the peanuts to get water-logged at this point.

This is a picture for Joyce; see the peanuts are sprouting really well.  When I can get out, I will take a picture of the rows close up:

Sprouting Peanuts.

At least the Goosies are having fun…it is absolute bliss for them right now…

Happy Geese in the Rain.

Soooo much water.  Gnome has told me to keep a tab on all the puddles (ponds??) that form on the farm during times like this.  When it gets drier, we will plant vetiver which helps to stop soil erosion:

I guess we have to stay indoors today…..

Amusing, Belize, Farming

The Sun is Out!!

I know, I know, when you live this lifestyle, it is all about the weather.  Your days on the farm are dictated by whether you can get out or not.  The last six days, we have had grey skies and a whole tonne of rain.  Great for the plants…but, at some point there was so much of it we were worried that our peanut field would get washed away.  But alas, today we saw the first signs of peanut germination…we are pleased to see hope in our efforts to grow our own food.

The sun is out today with lovely rippling blue skies.  We ventured out today to fill up tyres with seaweed to plant an assortment of roots.

Seaweed Tyres.

We felt better for moving about.  The last week we have been stuck indoors trying to do indoor activities in a tiny space.  We made serious attempts to not drive each other potty!!  We have become used to a certain amount of daily physical work…(Gnome says this is what keeps us young plus plenty of sleep)…so that we get really crabby cooped up indoors.  Well thank goodness, the sun came out today.

Gnome planted two rows of okra between the peanuts:

Gnome Planting.

The month of June is very fickle and unpredictable; you don’t know whether to plan outside or inside activities because you never know what is going to happen.  Gnome reminded me:

“…don’t get your hopes up too much for a work schedule in June…June is as fickle as a Wo….”

Munchkin:  “What?????”

Gnome: “…Wombat…that is what I said…”

Munchkin: “Hmmmm.”

This month drives us crazy because of this but hey, we can’t complain when all our water tanks are full again and the pond is half full from just six days of rain.  Needless to say, the goosies are having a wonderful time splashing about in puddles and have started trooping out to the pond again.  That’s good because they can get out from under my feet…they are like a bunch of school children…

The Pond is Nearly Full Again.
Amusing, Belize

Stuck At Home!!

Hey Everyone!!  We are stuck at home because a huge monster pandanus plant fell on our gate last night.  There was a big blustery storm at 3pm last night…it was really scary because things were flapping about everywhere…the roof tops and any type of top.  The tops of the little goosie cage whipped off and the charcoal top came off leaving all the charcoal exposed to the torrential rain.  The rain came down in buckets and in the middle of all this, the gutter went all wonky so that the water (which we dearly needed) did not flow into the tanks.  Gnome had to get out and do a quickie DIY.  On top of all this, our little goosies got totally drenched and I had to go out in my rain-coat (no point really, I got soaked anyway) to rescue the 4 day old geese).  In the midst of all this, I was worrying about my (big) geese…perhaps they would get swept away in the wind?  I screwed up my eyes to try to see through the rain and this was what I saw: big fat white geese in single file heading towards the pond  lumbering like gorilla geese in the mist!  Gallivanting; the geese went off gallivanting in the storm!!

Anyway, we have spent the whole day fixing up the mess…otherwise, we are doing fine!!  After all that, we were too knackered to clear up the big monster plant blocking the driveway.  Apologies to Panda and Mum for not making it out to meet up for lunch!

Blocked Driveway.
Belize

Back On-Line…

Yesterday (Sunday) was quite a day!!  It started off with very early morning rains with  black, heavy grey skies and it poured down all day.  There was a power cut in the wee hours of the morning (no idea what time it was but it was still very dark).  In fact there was no electricity all day (and we were not expecting it to come back because the weather was so awful …I don’t blame the BEL guys for not wanting to come out in torrential rain…and it was a Sunday and nothing happens on a Sunday here).

Oh, and we also got flooded in at the Jacinto junction so there was no way of getting onto the Highway (unless you swam or procured a canoe).

We were stuck.  We couldn’t do anything!!  So we sat with lots of candles (it was very dark inside and the sun was completely blocked by black puffy clouds) and talked all day.  It was actually quite refreshing not to have a computer (with noise, constant clicking of the mouse, silly stuff on FB and the constant Internet distractions).

It was lovely to have nothing.  The silence was welcome and we really enjoyed each other’s company.  I am thankful for these days that affirm that “we don’t need anything except for each other.”  Sometimes, you just think it is it is sentimental stuff that is just things that you say without meaning it.  Well I mean it…Munchkin and Gnome really do get on well with each other!!

The electricity (surprisingly) came back on about 6pm.  We were just about to call it a day and go to bed!!

Rain!!

On a different note, Gnome has unfortunately hurt his hand (tried to lift a very heavy thing, lifted the heavy thing and ignored the pain in his hand whilst lifting the heavy thing).  He is currently out-of-action with regards to physical, heavy work on the farm.  Family (particularly Gnome’s Mother) and Friends, please do not be alarmed.  This just means that he has sit around for the next few days until his hand gets better.

Belize, Farming, Philosophy

More Farm Stuff!

2 Comments

Hello, Munchkin here again!  We had a terrible week of heavy rains and now it’s starting to get drier.  I shouldn’t complain but I will!  I’ve been having an awful time trying to get things done on the farm because it is sooooo wet.  I just end up getting covered in water, mud, dirt and feeling sorry for myself.  The other day, I thought of a mantra to keep myself going and it went like this: “I am a store-house of creativity….I am a store-house of creativity….I am a store-house of creativity.”  Ha-Ha, I need to laugh at myself now because when I actually write it down, it sounds like a repetitive loop which totally lacks lustre and inventiveness!

Anyway, yesterday, whilst walking around on the farm, caked in wetness and dirt, I wasn’t exactly feeling great.  Instead of the mantra, I was wailing and flailing with occasional huffing and puffing!! Gnome hid behind a tree nearby and stuck his yellow welly out at me and said cheekily:

“Munchkin!!  Are you a store-house of creativity??!!”

He guffawed and laughed at my mantra whilst shaking about in a little dance.  His yellow wellies were flailing up in the air…dare I say…like River Dance.  It was such a stupid sight that I did have to laugh and that snapped me out of my dourness.  So, I did get stuff done (happily) in the end…

Transplanted the tomato plants:

Tomato Seedlings.

Cleaned the Pigtail buckets…I get these from town and they start piling up under the house until I get fed up and do a huge wash up.

Pigtail Bucket.

Did the laundry in the Gnomified washing machine:

Spent some quality time with the little creatures on the farm.  Whilst doing all that, I forgot about repeating the mantra and just got on with it.  Better when the brain doesn’t get in the way sometimes!!

Duckie and Piggies.
Amusing, Belize, Farming, Pets

Cold And Miserable Out Here!!

munchkin-amazed

The weather starts off kinda sunny and cheery in the morning and then by about early afternoon, black clouds move in and there is a huge downpour.  At least that has been the weather pattern for the last few days.  It ends up being really cold and miserable…reminds of good old Scottish weather!

Anyway, we all need to keep on going despite the greyness.  Here are some pictures from the farm taken on better sunnier days.  This one looks a bit startled but honestly, this is a happy, gurgling guinea pig:

Cheery Guinea Pig.
Cheery Guinea Pig.

Geese are fine with the rains and don’t really know what all the fuss is about:

Who Are You Looking At?
Who Are You Looking At?

Duckies: What’s Munchkin upset about?  This is Paradise….

Duckies.
Duckies.
Belize

Hurricane Alert!

TogetherIt’s the quiet before the storm; we  are preparing for Tropical Storm/ Hurricane Earl.  This one is really for friends and family because communications may be down for the next couple of days.  Well, we have everything boarded up, kerosene lights ready and plenty of food.  I baked a whole tonne of bread today too!  Gnome will hold a special meeting with the fowl this afternoon to remind them to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground…with demonstrations!  Got to get some humour in it otherwise we could easily whip ourselves up into a frenzy!!  Good Luck to all of us in this position!