WHERE HAVE I BEEN???

WOW! More than a month since the last posting. I know, totally unacceptable ... but there's so much to do that sitting in front of the computer does not always rank in the #1 spot. Spring weather has generally been so nice that outside is the place to be after work and on weekends. Today is an exception. It seems there is some "frontal system" that blew across the islands last night so there is a blanket of clouds and it's pretty windy. This is supposed to continue for almost the next week. Wellllll, like weather forecasters everywhere these folks seem to not always get it right. I suspect the clouds will be here for the week-end, but not through next week too! There's too much wind for them to linger THAT long.

I found my way to the beach two weekends ago. No more dried seaweed blown onto shore (as in the photograph) from last winter; but beautiful sand and contrasting colors of light blue, tourquoise, and deep dark blue as the water goes from shallow on-shore, across the coral reefs, and on to the deep ocean depths. While I enjoy the beach, especially swimming, there was a pretty good crowd of the non-swimming sun-worshipers. You know, tanned guys playing volleyball and tanning women soaking up oh-so-many warm sunny rays (very near the guys, as it so often happens). There is plenty of beach for long walks, sloshing through the surf, enjoying the sun, scanning the pink sand for seashells, and of course - people watching.

When not tickling my toes with the sand and surf, I have often been in the gardens. Brocolli is headed and ready to pick, many squash and cherry tomatoes have gone the way of the tummy - as have many lettuce leaves and tender small herbs. The cucumbers are abundant but still not quite big enough to pluck. Pumpkins are blooming, and radishes are occasionally big enough to eat, but mostly getting bigger - as are the beets. Well, enough of that...it's clear that rich soil, sunshine, and plenty of water have already produced a thriving veggie crop!

The banana groves are still fun to explore. I used a garden rake yesterday to reach up into the tall (18-20 feet) Jamaican trees to "pick" some of the ripe bananas on a pod that I couldn't reach any other way! They are a smaller banana and a bit more triangular and wider, and they have a rich taste. The peel is golden with flashes of burnt red when they ripen. The smaller trees in the larger grove has been steadily bearing fruit for morning breakfasts or afternoon snacks! These are the kind of banana you probably get in the local grocery, except they are fresh and ripen gradually day by day until...

Oh, on a different topic - I learned that indeed we are to use British spelling as the official language useage. So:
Program = programme
Center = centre
and a whole boatload of other words, including all that batch that have "z" instead of "s" ... ahhh, non come to mind just now, but they are abundant and still somewhat frustrating to a non-Brit speller!

You have my apologies for such a delay in posting, but absolutely no promise of doing any better. This has been spring and it took me from the computer, so I can only imagine where full-blown SUMMER will lead me.

Enjoy reading!

Vocabulary

While there is a distinct local vocabulary -- that I'm only beginning to know -- I had wondered about word use here before I arrived. Because Bermuda is a U.K. Overseas Territory, has strong ties to Canada, and is in close proximity to the USA there is rather a melange of terminology. I expected words like "lorrie" to be spoken when I would use "truck" but that doesn't happen. Just to keep observations, and conversations, interesting -- here are a few I've noticed:



Elevator = elevator or lift

Yield = Give Way

Book Truck = Trolley [carts used in libraries]

Diploma = Leaving Certificate



Obviously, there are many more -- I picked up a small pocket book titled,
"Bermewjan Vurds" that is packed with vocabulary and local expressions. Many of these seem to spin around the bar and drinks and the atmosphere of a couple of colorful authors enjoying their display of local night-life terminology. It is an interesting collection, but the few I listed above are some I've noted in daily conversation. I'll add more from time-to-time as I hear them said.

Top Heavy Trees

Apparently banana trees are known to be top-heavy. They have great long broad leaves, and of course some have long pods drooping toward the ground with bunches of bananas.

As you might suspect, after about a week of very high winds and rain, several banana trees blew down. Although the groves are very close to my garden, and two tall Jamaican trees feel, they didn't squish my budding tomatoes or other garden plants. It was quite sad to see two tall trees -- about 18-20 feet tall -- toppled onto the ground. The sad thing was that both had several bunches of bananas just forming, but too young to be saved.

A day or two later two other tall trees, and one short one on the other side of the garden, also blew over. Banana groves need to be thinned out from time to time. These need thinning and care. If they hadn't been so close the first one that fell may not have hit another and taken it down too!

Otherwise the recent days of wind and rain didn't cause problems, and did fill water storage tanks for dryer spring time ahead. The garden seems to be thriving and with this rain it is all I can do to hoe the abundant weeds before they are everywhere!