tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77746604073776292562011-12-27T15:13:17.620-04:30Writing my garden and my life.My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-78404349471614752702011-02-21T21:07:00.010-04:302011-02-26T09:33:32.124-04:302011-02-26T09:33:32.124-04:30

My Jade Vine is flowering. This is an unexpected gift because this vine shares a trellis with my odontadenia macrantha. I bought the jade vine as a sapling about two years ago and never took it out of its bag. I placed it next to the trellis in the cool and promptly forgot about itWe noticed the first flower one week ago and since then we've had three blooms.The colour is striking. My pictures do

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-85991653691539516272011-01-14T23:51:00.010-04:302011-01-16T17:45:32.173-04:302011-01-16T17:45:32.173-04:30

A few Saturdays before Christmas, my friend Jeannine and I came across a small crop of "monkey pots" for sale at the side of the road.Locally known as Trinidad Brazil nut, they are in fact related to the conventional Brazil nut as they all belong to the lecythis family (Lecythidaceae) which also includes the cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis). The pod-like capsule is heavy and solid rather

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-25182407046919184952011-01-14T09:11:00.007-04:302011-01-14T22:49:32.682-04:302011-01-14T22:49:32.682-04:30

I was lucky to be in Cambridge MA for the big winter storm that swept through Boston on Wednesday. The storm was dramatic and beautiful. It is remarkable to see a landscape transformed so completely. I am just here for a week so I feel very fortunate to have witnessed a true winterscape. Coming from the tropics, it's wonderful to see nature in action in such a powerful way.The winter dormancy is

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-11340726804081502282010-08-18T14:20:00.009-04:302010-09-01T21:44:09.076-04:302010-09-01T21:44:09.076-04:30

There are few things as relaxing as an afternoon beach walk. The magic hour is between 5.30 and 6.30pm. In the tropics, dusk is almost a memory when it arrives. We don't have a romantic hour of the gloaming; our dusk is accelerated but still very beautiful. The beach at Balandra is perfect for this type of walk. On this day the tide was right up and the beach full of driftwood, palm seeds, and

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-26987135924630259392010-08-17T22:29:00.008-04:302010-08-18T14:19:18.031-04:302010-08-18T14:19:18.031-04:30

No trip to Toco is complete without visiting the lighthouse that sits on the north eastern tip of Trinidad. This is the edge of the island that looks out towards the Atlantic. The terrain on this coast is rocky and scrubby. The black rocks that line the beaches look like ancient lava. It is an evocative landscape that has something of the otherworldly.On the day that we visited, we met Clint, the

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-5623694721605092622010-07-31T22:06:00.020-04:302010-08-02T15:06:52.322-04:302010-08-02T15:06:52.322-04:30

Erle Rahaman-Noronha is serious about permaculture. He spends his time working on his farm, Wa Samaki, where he implements key permaculture practices but he also moves around the country documenting and sharing many of our unique flora and fauna characteristics.Erle and friend, Rory O'Connor I recently bought some heliconias and torch lilies from his farm Wa Samaki (located not far from Rory

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-33377812463991802242010-07-14T11:49:00.006-04:302010-07-14T12:13:18.497-04:302010-07-14T12:13:18.497-04:30

I'm going home. I began moving back to my old home and the chutney garden on Monday. It's been a bittersweet renovation and we've made significant changes to the garden and the house.Over the last 18 months, I've started an MFA, built a new garden in a rental house, and renovated our home.I've thought a lot about the idea of space and how it affects the things that engage us. While I loved living

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-40236335249433651612010-02-23T20:52:00.006-04:302010-03-02T19:45:45.189-04:302010-03-02T19:45:45.189-04:30

I've always liked Crown of Thorns.Perfectly symmetrical, the way the bracts fold against each other. Another xenic plant that does very well in rock gardens where it is one of the few succulents to actually sport foliage. With sticky poisonous sap, it is designed for rough living and one of the quickest ways to kill it is to pamper it with too much water.The Crown of Thorns is also an emblematic

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-11247226672128948162010-02-12T07:42:00.008-04:302010-02-12T09:26:57.373-04:302010-02-12T09:26:57.373-04:30

It's easy to forget how frightening Blue Devils can be. As a child I was terrified of the devils who would surround you and demand small tokens of money before moving on. Sometimes they had other devils on chains; others wore hideous masks.That the 'mas' has become sanitised is beyond dispute. The issue of "beads and bikini" mas which has taken over the streets is still a sore point for many

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-83129433758251769592010-02-09T22:05:00.006-04:302010-02-10T06:53:48.446-04:302010-02-10T06:53:48.446-04:30

Xeric is not a word that I come across often.I can add it to my word hoard. I didn't know what it meant until I began looking for the common demonimator of all these plants. They all grow in Xeric environments.Xeric means relating or adapted to an extremely dry habitat. Succulents such as cacti, aloes, and agaves are xeric plants,Adenium obesum, commonly known as Desert Rose is one of these

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-80479401485132900272010-02-08T20:08:00.004-04:302010-02-08T20:35:38.559-04:302010-02-08T20:35:38.559-04:30

Some parts of my garden still remain. A few of these are old photographs but many of the plants are still in the garden struggling along. Miniature pineapple is one that I have managed to leave there AND I have bought a few with me for security. Particularly at Carnival time, I am always amazed at nature's palette. Who would have thought purple tips? I have seen this colouring on bromeliads

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-52370397317880889282010-02-03T21:13:00.005-04:302010-02-03T21:34:01.264-04:302010-02-03T21:34:01.264-04:30

Jump and wave.Or raise up your knees.

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-67018424374030925082010-02-03T13:22:00.006-04:302010-02-03T13:44:41.135-04:302010-02-03T13:44:41.135-04:30

I think that what we have in our waters is the Rhopilema verrilli or"Mushroom jellyfish" . According to the site http://dockwatch.disl.org/glossary.htm this jellyfish seems to match the description below.Clear, translucent or creamy white bell, some reddish-brown pigmentation on bell margin. 48 lappets form bell margin. It does not have tentacles, but does have long, finger-like appendages

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-1563963096409525192010-01-25T17:52:00.024-04:302010-02-11T07:09:08.583-04:302010-02-11T07:09:08.583-04:30

Carnival time in Trinidad. The season begins right after Christmas. In fact, it would eclipse Christmas if Trinidadians did not love their Nativity season so much. What we have now is a mix of seasons in strange new musical genres such as soca-parang. But once the creches are packed away and the trees put away, Carnival fever kicks in.I love the traditional characters such as the sailors, the

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-92208754328722486852010-01-23T17:02:00.004-04:302010-01-23T19:38:20.408-04:302010-01-23T19:38:20.408-04:30

The heliconias have survived so far. But the garden as I knew it is gone.It's strange to look at these photos now - most of the plants have made the move with me but many have just begun to catch and take root.This costus is still up at the house struggling along.

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-9160254046979297042009-12-31T15:53:00.009-04:302010-01-02T16:19:55.094-04:302010-01-02T16:19:55.094-04:30

Auld Lang SyneShould old acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind ?Should old acquaintance be forgot,and old lang syne ? CHORUS:For auld lang syne, my dear,for auld lang syne,we'll take a cup of kindness yet,for auld lang syne.And surely you'll buy your pint cup !and surely I'll buy mine !And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,for auld lang syne. CHORUSWe two have run about the slopes,

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-85988265681620039752009-09-29T20:34:00.004-04:302009-09-29T20:53:48.103-04:302009-09-29T20:53:48.103-04:30

My friend Debbie is a very talented artist. These are just a few of her pieces. Her sense of colour and shape is beautiful.Glass is a challenging medium but also an extremely rewarding one. Colour becomes translucent and vivid. I like glass - stained glass, mosaics, blown glass - I like the idea of controlling a medium that has the potential to be fragile, beautiful, and dangerous. It's no secret

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-61201129179565503072009-09-19T09:48:00.004-04:302009-09-19T10:03:41.025-04:302009-09-19T10:03:41.025-04:30

It was strange having a garden blog with no garden. When I moved out of my house in February, it was sad because the garden as I knew it will never exist again. I am really glad that I documented so much. It will be lovely once we have completed the renovations and I have managed to save a lot. But the fringe benefit was that I got to start all over again with a new space in my rental home. When

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-62630916759225372872009-09-18T13:30:00.010-04:302009-09-18T22:37:39.618-04:302009-09-18T22:37:39.618-04:30

It's not hard to see why I love orchids. Orchids belong to the jungly, over-heated place that identifies where I live and where I come from. As simple as that. They belong to the land that I have claimed as my own. It's the only home that I know intimately. Several of these orchids are are indigenous to Trinidad. The delicate purple one above is Encyclia bractescens.Above is the famous Oncidium

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-46950162768240498312009-09-17T21:25:00.003-04:302009-09-17T21:59:22.503-04:302009-09-17T21:59:22.503-04:30

Trinidad is a complicated home. But when someone picks up a cuatro on a jetty down the islands and begins to sing old time calypsoes, a very tangible patriotism reminds us of what makes us all Trinidadian. Thanks to Laughing Gull for the lyrics below. Click on the lyrics to see more of where this came from.By Lord Funny (1966)Foreigners always asking meWhy in Trinidad people so happyWhat to do,

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-27797599721549841792009-09-16T17:55:00.011-04:302009-09-16T22:08:00.950-04:302009-09-16T22:08:00.950-04:30

Chacachacare is the largest of the small islands that lie off the northwestern coast of Trinidad. It has an interesting history as leper colony. The original Leprosarium was located at Cocorite but with the discovery in the early 20th century that leprosy was, in fact, contagious, the colonial authorities moved to establish an "off-shore" leper colony on the relatively remote island. According

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-58148433190884210482009-06-14T13:36:00.010-04:302009-06-14T16:47:23.800-04:302009-06-14T16:47:23.800-04:30

Last Sunday, I was very lucky to experience a sacred river festival celebrated by the Hindu organisation Hindu Prachar Kendra called the Ganga Dhaaraa Teerath.According to Creedopeida The Ganga is personified in Hinduism as a goddess: Maa Ganga (Mother Ganga).When Bhagiratha, one of the descendants of Sagara, son of Dilip, learnt of this fate, he vowed to bring Ganga down to Earth so that her

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-33739455323483688092009-06-09T21:01:00.013-04:302009-06-10T13:10:28.821-04:302009-06-10T13:10:28.821-04:30

My sister Jennifer is an interior designer, but she has many talents not least of which is the ability to lure monarch butterflies into her garden with delicious milkweed, nurture them to maturity, and even hold an umbrella over them so they are not crushed by their first rainfall. My sister, the butterfly midwife. This is the email that she sent me about the butterflies - I intentionally

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-90370552928960199102009-06-09T13:44:00.006-04:302009-06-09T21:01:49.177-04:302009-06-09T21:01:49.177-04:30

My sister in Coral Gables Miami just sent these (the pictures, not the butterflies) to me. The total email reads "I had to look up the plural of chrysalis...its chrysalides."She has been rearing (?) monarch butterflies and they are just beginning to emerge from their cocoons.We have lovely monarchs here in Trinidad as well but I have been advised by my friend Courtenay that it would be very

My Chutney Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729456232318829085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774660407377629256.post-58129200675600265412009-06-01T16:44:00.008-04:302009-06-01T17:26:05.868-04:302009-06-01T17:26:05.868-04:30

My new garden is a very different space. It's all about the sunshine. This garden is very sunny and this has proven to be very challenging for propagating. My cuttings and gentle plants like my impatiens burn and quail; but for the first time, I am growing sunflowers. And not by design.These flowers have popped up where we throw out the dregs of the birdseed. All the sunflower seeds that the

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