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!