free spirit

Is That Time Again.........

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:51:00 +0000

This year's cocoa
was dry and ready
to roast.
We had to wait for a
hot, sunny and breezy
day.

The trusty
Porkert grinder
was dusted down
and assembled.

and the
still warm beans
shelled,
(by him with
the big hands)
ground.
(by her with
the muscle)

and then
rolled into balls
in the palm of my hand.
The house was full
of the scent of
chocolate.
Our ears rang with the
sound of people passing
and saying
"I want some of that
when you're done."

Decisions Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:26:00 +0000

Painting

drawing

sketching

research

experimentation

illustration

construction

cooking

looking

erasing

finding

losing

thinking

doing

taking

all of the above, flicking through old magazines and making a scrap book to remind me of where to put the energy.

Roger Subirana - Point of No Return

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:33:00 +0000

Fun

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:02:00 +0000

When I made my New Year's Resolution, I knew then that, as flippant as it sounded, it was not going to be an easy one to keep. I know that fun can be found in everything that we do, from washing wares and clothes, letting the suds foam in our hands, feeling the stream of water from the pipe flowing through our fingers, to the watching of stars and playing cards by candlelight to the sound of the river and the song of the tree frogs under the moon.
The thing is, for some reason, sometimes I forget. I forget to get up,step up, lighten up. I forget to step outside my head, that tangled interior which is mostly full of dreams and incessant narrative, and look around. This year I promise myself to remember, to deliberately set aside time for, to partake of this small sounding thing that costs nothing and yet is priceless.

Pet Projects

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 13:01:00 +0000

I give you Buffy and Max, the source of my resolution for 2011, .....to have fun!

Acrylic on canvass 11" x 14".

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:11:00 +0000

Yey! 365 new pages!

Wikileaks or Wakiflood?

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:05:00 +0000

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell.

..... here is one reaction.......and closer to home, perhaps a more laid back and realistic approach.

Can Big Brother find a plumber?

Town

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:52:00 +0000

Having completed our monthly trip to town to pay bills, the heat got the better of me.We found a shady kerbstone and there, on the other side of the street, was this building. It is half way up St John Street on the left hand side. I wondered all the usual questions..... how old it is, who built it , who lived there, who designed and made the fancy facing board, who sat on the veranda, who sold what downstairs, what does it look like inside? The building held on to all secrets and T was getting irritated, so we made our way down the hill to the bus terminal and went home. If you know, please tell...........

Janelle Monae - 'Tightrope' -

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:27:00 +0000

KASSAV - DOUBOUT PIKAN

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:22:00 +0000

Changes

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:25:00 +0000

.......are long overdue and here seems as good a place to start as any. Now if someone could just tell me how to put my own images in the background.........

Dead Witches.

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:02:00 +0000

Thanks to Father Sanchez I believe these giant visitors to be Black Witch Moths. It would seem that whilst feeding on this night scented plant their proboscises got stuck in their search for nectar.

Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:43:00 +0000

BP Portrait Awards and the Ripple effect.

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:03:00 +0000

While BP is busy painting its' very own 'portrait in oils', and as worthy as the winners of the BP Portrait Awards no doubt are, please spare a thought for those artists who are doing their best to create a Ripple.
( with thanks to Surfrider for the wave photo)

The Felling of the Breadfruit Tree

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:02:00 +0000

With the arrival of the Hurricane season on June 1st, T decided 'it was time'.

The breadfruit tree behind the house, having fed the family for many years,

survived three hurricanes, various infestations, old age and neglect,

finally succumbed to this year's drought.
P.S. If you visit D, the first shot, click and magnify please, is for you .xxx

Of football and flights of fancy.

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:47:00 +0000

We went up to the pasture to watch the football on Sunday. We had a great time, our team won 5-2 and the commentators were as colourful as the game.

The pasture is up the road from where we live and it was lovely to have a change of scenery and a day out.

On the way to the rum shop, with the promise of music and talk and lambie waters, T showed me this.

The Art of Mary Fedden RA

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:44:00 +0000

MARY FEDDEN

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Mary Fedden is one of my favourite artists. She is 95 years old and still painting.
How I wish I could go to see this exhibition.

RECENT WORKS

Portland Gallery now represents Mary Fedden and is holding an exhibition of new paintings, to be sold on her behalf

27 MAY - 11 JUNE 2010

Images and details of the paintings to be featured in the exhibition may be viewed now on our website via the link below.

Paintings are for sale prior to the opening of the exhibition and may be viewed by appointment. Please do let the gallery know if any paintings are of interest as we are able to place a protective reserve on works for you. If you are interested in any paintings already reserved, please do not hesitate to contact the gallery as these may become available.

View paintings: http://www.portlandgallery.co.uk/pages/exhibitions/238/works.html

For further information please contact Emily Johnston or Benjamin Walton

emily@portlandgallery.com or benjamin@portlandgallery.com

Portland Gallery

8 Bennet Street

London
SW1A 1RP

0207 493 1888

Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm

The View From The Shed

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:40:00 +0000

T left early for Corn Buck this morning. The rain
met me just as I was about to make the fourth
and last river crossing. Taking cover in the dry
leaf mold below the old tree, I realised this was a
'whole day rain' and was just thinking of making
a dash for it when T arrived, in chivalrous fashion,
bearing a whole piece of old galvanise above his
head, in order to shelter and escort me across
the river and into the shed, where we drank hot,
sweet, strong coffee from the flask and shared our
riotously ambitious, rain inspired, dreams for the future .

Rain

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:21:00 +0000

It is raining.
Beautiful, big,
tropical raindrops
join together to form
vast swathes of grey,
slow moving,
opaque sheets of
heavy wetness.
A rhythmic,
suserrant fanfare
announced their
imminent arrival.
A thrumming,
on broad leaves,
calls time on the
interminable drought,
soothes heat brittled nerves,
rehydrates soil and soul.

The Charcoal Burners

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:07:00 +0000

A number of trees in the garden had mealy bug

so R and K came and cut them down
and made a coal pit.
After fencing it in with fig stalks and galvanise

they then lit it, covered it with earth and left
it to smolder for a few days.

They checked it every day to make sure it did not burst
and when deemed ready, they opened it and raked out the coals,
only using a little water and mostly earth to out the fire, in order
that the coals would 'ring' .......

...... the tinkling sound that tells you that the coals are nice and dry and will burn well.
Making coals is really hard work, T and I did it once after Ivan but this time we just supplied the wood and got some free coals and good company in exchange. A bucket of local coals at today's price will cost you $15 E.C.

Shelling Peas

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Taking another pod
she makes it
pop
and
using her nail
to split it,
she then
frees the peas,
with
the slide of
her thumb,
into the
stainless steel bowl.
Letting
the empty shell
fall to the floor,
she picks another one.

Burning Bush

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:04:00 +0000

Up here in the hills
dry season is traditionally
a time for clearing land
and burning bush
but this year, it has come
with an early vengeance and
the breeze is all of a bluster
to fan the flames.

Home Grown

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:28:00 +0000

We are picking the cocoa from
the few remaining trees in
Corn Buck,

fermenting the beans in a bucket,
which seems to work fine,

and then drying them in the sun.
Xena has kindly allowed us to use
her house as the drying shed.
T has shown me how to 'parch'
or roast them, over the fire and then
we will grind them and make cocoa balls
for cocoa tea.

...but secretly, I would really like to do this......

Independence

noreply@blogger.com (zooms) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:14:00 +0000

Children from Constantine school parade through the village to celebrate Independence Day. I especially love those cool shades and the green shoes........