A busy day - Wednesday was!

Today, Andrei and Lisa left for St. Lucia. We got a call later that they were delayed in leaving Anguilla, and would miss their connection in Antigua. However, they would be staying in Antigua overnight -- and they'd be put up so all is not lost.

I emailed their guest house in St. Lucia that they'd be arriving tomorrow instead of today and got a lovely email in reply. Impressive.

And today was one of those days when nothing goes as planned. Theolinda and her daughter, Aline, arrived unannounced this morning about 9:30 and stayed till about 11:30 so we had no recourse except to visit. But that was quite productive and a very good visit.

Theolinda is the owner, and it's nice to deal with her on occasion. She brought a curtain for the bathroom and brought the parts for the hot water heater. She brought a new motion sensor light (the previous one had been stolen!!!) and she brought us a new working wall clock.

Before that happened, the guy for the screens arrived at 7:45 a.m. to measure the windows in the addition for screens. Then he left and promised to return this afternoon with the finished screens. To our great surprise, he did just that. So, now we have screens and we can open up the windows in the addition.

After everyone left, I tried to sit down to work but our neighbour, Pearl, dropped over and we had to have a wee visit as well. She is leaving tomorrow for three weeks to visit her sister(s) and brother in New York. Ed, her husband, is staying here by himself -- so we will look in on him, I'm sure.

And in the afternoon, we had to take Lisa and Andrei to the airport. I'm being an ass in this photo, showing off my new lime-green shoes -- fake Crocs I got in SXM yesterday!



They were very excited about their trip to St. Lucia!

Here they are at the airport. We left them to wait for the LIAT flight to Antigua and then on to St. Lucia.













I am excited because now I feel that I am living in luxury -- so much more than what we had last year. I really do feel COMFORTABLE.

I have my table with the legs we brought from Canada -- but the table that Sir Ralph built for me.

We have the cable television and the Internet - and so far, the Internet is excellent. There was, as always, the setup that was a bit of a hassle, but now I have things sorted out well enough.

I have my keyboard and a brand new EXCELLENT stool that is adjustable and very comfortable. (If I could only find the time to practice...)

We have two bedrooms and two bathrooms -- and the new bathroom is twice the size of the other one -- and it's NEW!

The shower heads are NEW in both bathrooms -- and the water pressure is great! We are still working on cold water (which here is not really cold, but just "not hot") but that is a temporary thing and is quite manageable in the interim.

Our location right on the beach is just the best!

We have a family of puppies outside that we can feed. They will have to go to AARF shortly. I'm working on gaining their trust so that I can catch them. In the meantime, they are just adorable!

We have a new barbecue that we got yesterday in St. Maarten. We have a porch where we can actually sit outside in a protected area -- so we could invite friends over!

We have the use of a washing machine two doors away (with Andrei and Lisa) and laundry becomes very manageable.

We discovered the Merchants' Market and got chicken last week that will do us for a while. That's a very good place for us to shop.

We can get excellent Gouda cheese here -- in large wheels -- and it's cheap compared to what we would pay at home.

I've been able to make a mean chicken stew so that we can eat a very healthy and delicious and easy-to-make supper on top of the stove.

And life is good! It's just good!

Wednesday, December 12

Yesterday was Tuesday, and we went to St. Maarten. Surprisingly, even though we expected a serious lot of traffic, we were pleasantly surprised. We were able to negotiate the trip very easily in our rented car.

The sad thing is that the car rental has increased from $30 to $40/day because of an increase in taxes. Of course that is on the French side, and we know that some time ago, the Euro and the U.S. dollar were roughly equal. Now, we are told that the Euro is devalued so $1.45 or so is what is required to match the dollar. (I hope I have that thought out correctly!!!!)

Regardless, the main point is that the French find it more expensive to shop, and I imagine that is what has happened to the car rental rates on the French side of the island.

We dodged the rain effectively, but there was a fair bit of rain all day -- both in St. Maarten and in Anguilla.

We found the brand new ACE Super Centre -- and we discovered that yesterday was the first day it was open -- so we chose the right day! An excellent place to shop!

It was a good day, and we managed to get everything on our list quite easily. We didn't have everything on our list, unfortunately, but that is not so important! We had a great and successful time.

This is Ralph in the rain in St. Maarten -- Philipsburg - by the welcome sign.


Here he is along the boardwalk where we had an excellent lunch.
And I went along too.

Tuesday, December 11 - Sint Maarten trip

Happy Tuesday, December 11 --

Sir Ralph and I are going to St. Maarten this morning, but not too early. We have heard horror stories about the traffic over there, and we do want to make a trip for a few things before Christmas. So, the closer to Christmas we go, the worse it will be. That’s why we are going today.

But there is another screw in the works that we have to work around. We want to go to a Rotary training session in St. Thomas on the weekend of January 11. I have never been to St. Thomas, and this will be an excellent opportunity. But to do that, we have to have our passports. So, what is the problem, you ask...

We come here for 30 days. That’s the maximum they will allow you unless you apply for an extended stay. To apply for the extended stay, you have to fill out the application, submit 2 photos (passport size) and turn in your passports until they prepare the forms. That will take up to a week in normal conditions – but this being Christmas, you can bet it will take longer.

We also need our passports to go to St. Maarten – so we have to go to St. Maarten BEFORE we turn in the passports – and we want to have the passports back in plenty of time to go to St. Thomas in January. Our 30 days would expire on January 5. So, with a careful workaround – like going to St. Maarten today – we can probably manage to have the passports back and our stay extended in plenty of time. Keeping our fingers crossed.

**********

We are already enjoying the sunshine. I wish I could send some home for everyone. However, December seems to be the rainy season – and there has been quite a bit of rain already since we’ve arrived.

Here is a website for photos that I've created:

http://ladykit.winkflash.com.

(I've listed the link aboave on the top right in the list of my favourite links.)

There are three “albums” available, but the one you will be most interested in is the Anguilla one. I’m going to be adding photos regularly there.


Here is a photo of me yesterday morning – wet hair after being in the sea for my daily “float.” I was wearing my new colourful wrap to walk to Johnno’s for Jazz. We took the camera with us and took a few photos of changes to the beach since last year.

Here is my first You Tube effort:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G78yHlDE2ig

I took a video with my camera on Sunday at Johnno’s down the beach, and uploaded a video to You Tube. It was my first try – with both the video and You Tube, so the quality is not the best. But I see what is possible now, and I will improve and upload a few more videos during the winter while we are here. That will also be a way to share what we are doing.

You Tube is phenomenal – but of course you do need the high speed connection.

Anguilla, December 5, 2007

We arrived in Anguilla!

The flight left Buffalo about 8:30 a.m. after de-icing. We flew USAirways to Charlotte where there was an overcast sky but no snow. It was quite pleasantly balmy in Charlotte.

We left Charlotte on time for St. Maarten -- and when we land in St. Maarten, that is always exciting. Sunshine. Blue water! Wow!

And this time, we sat in the new St. Maarten airport for about an hour -- and had a look around. It was our first time there. Last year, we flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and from there straight to Anguilla -- so we missed the "experience" of the SXM airport.

The flight from SXM to AXA this year was in a Britten Norman Islander -- a flying bus with very little room for your head, let alone for any carry-on luggage. But the flight was about 10 minutes long, and it was at least half an hour earlier than we expected -- and we were the only passengers -- AND we had all our luggage! So, this was great!

It's now Saturday and we have been in Anguilla since Wednesday evening. We have gone shopping. We have met Maria from St. Maarten and we have paid our rent. And tomorrow, we are meeting up with Maria Forman to go and hear Sprocka at Johnno's for Jazz on Sunday afternoon.



The wee goat from last year -- who last year lost a week-old baby and who was totally dejected last year -- a heart-breaking sight -- has two brand new babies this year -- so I am very happy for her.



And there are three puppies in our area. Here are two of them with the mother -- at our door this morning.

I haven't decided whether I should attempt to feed them or not -- but I will let Maria Forman know about them and she can decide what to do. I'm not sure that anyone owns them, and perhaps giving them to AARF and putting them up for adoption would be the best idea. They are just skin and bones at this point. We think the pit bull behind the other little house is the father.

And that's about all that's happening at this point. We have bought a stool for my piano, a low beach chair, and a lounge chair so we can enjoy the sunshine and be comfortable.


The house is gorgeous. Twice the size of last year. A new bedroom and new bathroom were added. So, this is just great!


Here is a photo of the outside.


And here is the living room in the next two photos.


These are not the best photos, but you may be able to see that there is more room because there is less furniture. The windows are visible without all that furniture!

Ralph is sitting at the computer desk. We brought the legs for the table top with us on this trip -- an IKEA purchase! And behind Ralph is the hallway to the new bedroom and ensuite bath. The new bathroom is twice the size of the old one!

We have walked the Salt Pond twice already -- yesterday and today -- and we have been in the sea floating both days as well.



Life is good!

We met Maria last night at the English Rose. Unfortunately, Sprocka's is not open yet so we were unable to go there after the English Rose. But we did go to the Malliouhana to see Sprocka for a few minutes. And we are going to Jazz at Johnno's on Sunday -- so that will be great.

Lester is off-island for the weekend, so Maria will come with us on our own.

As I write this, I hear rain outside again. More rain. It is intermittent and very pleasant -- but this seems to be the rainy season.

The full moon - October 26, 2007

The full moon over Mill Lake, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.

7:00 a.m. on Friday, October 26, 2007.

Note the shimmer it casts over the water!




From my balcony and from my bedroom window. Wow!



It almost looks like the sun!





Here's the sunrise in the East.

Michael Moore's movie - Sicko

This movie is a must-see for everyone.

If you thought, as I did, that the U.S. health system was okay as long as you had money and could pay for health insurance, think again. It's a sham, and this movie reveals the corruption.

Michael Moore must be thanked and honoured for the information he brings to the public.

Kudos, Michael Moore!

Tommy Douglas Biography

TOMMY DOUGLAS

"My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea." - Tommy Douglas 1961.

For more than 50 years, his staunch devotion to social causes, rousing powers of speech and pugnacious charm made Tommy C. Douglas an unstoppable political force. From his first foray into public office politics in 1934 to his post-retirement years in the 1970s, Canada's 'father of Medicare' stayed true to his socialist beliefs -- often at the cost of his own political fortune -- and earned himself the respect of millions of Canadians in the process.

The child of Scottish immigrants, Douglas spent his formative years in Winnipeg, Manitoba in a home where politics, philosophy and religion were side dishes at the dinner table. His father, a veteran of two wars, worked part-time in an iron foundry. When money was tight, Douglas and his two sisters had to drop in and out of school as they worked occasional jobs to help pay the bills.

His family's socialist leanings were solidified after Douglas was hospitalized at the age of 10. Due to a bone infection suffered four years earlier, Douglas's knee required several operations - none of which were successful.

Without the money to pay for a specialist, his parents were told that the only option was to amputate their son's leg before the infection spread to the rest of his body. But before that could happen, a visiting surgeon offered to operate on Douglas for free, as long as his students were allowed to attend. The surgery saved Douglas's leg - quite possibly his life - and would serve as his inspiration for his dream of universally accessible medical care.

Not long after this, Douglas would witness firsthand the violent end of Canada's first general strike on a day known as "Bloody Saturday". In the summer of 1919, a teenaged Douglas watched from a rooftop as officers fired on participants in the Winnipeg General Strike and killed two men. The forceful and violent end of the strike further mobilized his dedication to the working man.

During his youth, he tried many different occupations: amateur actor, boxer and apprentice printer. Douglas found his true calling in 1924 when he enrolled in a liberal arts college run by the Baptist church. It was here that he refined his notion of the "social gospel," a vision of religion-in-action that he would carry through his life. Following several post-graduation years working as a minister in Depression-era Saskatchewan, Douglas made the move to politics in 1935 when he was elected as an MP in the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, or CCF.

After nine years in the House of Commons polishing his fiery public-speaking talent, Douglas was elected the leader of the provincial CCF in Saskatchewan. With interest in socialism peaking in post-war Canada, the party won a landslide victory in 1944 and Douglas found himself an instant celebrity as the head of North America's first-ever socialist government.

Amid widespread skepticism, Premier Douglas mobilized aggressively, passing more than 100 bills during his first term. He introduced paved roads, sewage systems and power to most farmers and managed to reduce the provincial debt by $20 million. Over the next 18 years he weathered Communist fear campaigns and a province-wide doctor's strike. Elected to five terms, he introduced Saskatchewan residents to car insurance, labour reforms and his long-standing dream of universal Medicare.

But the years spent reforming his home province worked against him when he made his transition to national politics. By the time he was elected to the leadership of the newly formed national New Democratic Party in 1961, many provincial governments had already adopted many of his ideas, diluting his progressive luster. That, combined with a fervent anti-Medicare campaign by Saskatchewan's medical professionals, helped to deal him his first significant defeat in the 1961 federal election. The NDP won only 19 seats, and Douglas lost his cherished seat in Regina.

Douglas continued to promote his socialist policy through the 1960s, but never managed to secure the highest office in the land. The adoption of national Medicare and a pension plan by Lester B. Pearson's Liberals gave him hope.

He took his final and most controversial stand during the October Crisis of 1970, when he voted against the implementation of the War Measures Act in Quebec. The move was devastating to his popularity at the time, but he would be heralded years later for sticking by his principles of civil liberty.

He stepped down as leader in 1971 but he stayed on with the party. In 1979, he resigned his seat in Parliament and retired to a house in the Gatineau Hills just outside Ottawa, where he devoted himself to reforesting his land. He continued to make appearances at NDP functions where he gave his trademark speeches. Douglas died of cancer in 1986.

Tommy Douglas's legacy as a social policy innovator lives on. Social welfare, universal Medicare, old age pensions and mothers' allowances -- Douglas helped keep these ideas, and many more, watching as more established political parties eventually came to accept these once-radical ideas as their own.

Tommy Douglas is Keifer Sutherland's grandfather.

(Source: http://www.hook-a-canuck.com)

Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer In addition to continued research to improve treatment of ovarian cancer, NCI is funding studies to identify disease markers and develop improved screening techniques that will permit earlier detection and treatment of the disease. Though statistics show that only 45 percent of women survive five years after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the rate increases to 94 percent when the disease is diagnosed before it has spread outside of the ovary. ...from http://www.cancer.umn.edu/news/ccstories/iviptherapy.html

My garden challenges

My garden is a challenge. Now it's my hostas.

I found a lovely website that shows some similar damage to what I have, so I need to make mention of it here and also provide another link.


I think, from the photo samples, that I have snail damage. But have I ever seen a snail in the garden? No.


IDENTIFYING THE CULPRITS

So, how can you identify which pest is causing damage to your hostas?


SLUGS

Slug damage shows as lace leaves on emergence and the damage is caused mainly in the spring.


As soon as the weather warms up the slugs emerge to breed and feed. If they find pellets before delicious spring shoots, it follows that they cannot breed. Once your plants are above the ground and the leaves unfurling then slug damage becomes less of a problem. By the way, not all slugs are bad… leave the big black and brown ones as they have a preference for the common grey slugs that do like your plants!



SNAILS

Snail damage shows as large gashes in the leaves throughout the season.


These pests have voracious appetites and can wreak havoc in areas of the garden where they like to dine. However, they do not like to dine in public so don't expect to catch them in the act of destroying your plants. Expect to find them sheltered in cool, shady spots away from the heat of the day. It is a good idea to regularly turn over pots, containers and undergrowth to disturb snails and offer them up to eagle-eyed thrushes.


VINE WEEVILS

Vine Weevil damage shows as notches nipped out along the leaf edges.


This is done by the adult weevil, which feeds at night and does not fly. Its larvae feast on plant roots to devastating effect. The larvae are white, about ½" long, with brown heads. We have found that they are most likely to cause damage in potted plants, probably because they like soft peat. To combat this we always add 20% sharp sand to our potting mix.

(This information taken from ... http://www.mickfieldhostas.co.uk/newsletters/February_2007.htm)
Note on this website: A brief thank you to the RHS and Missouri Centre for Home Gardening for the use of their images and to Andrew Collins for his wonderful artwork.

Aww - a lovely story!

The Hippopotamus and the Tortoise

"Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed" - Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

******

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal
facility in the port city of Mombassa , officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.



"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately , it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond.

They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.

If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.




"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.



"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."



This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another.



We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures.


"Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."







*****

Additional Note about this story:

The Hippo and the Tortoise Who Became Friends After the Tsunami - Truth!

The Truth - This odd pairing really did happen.

According to numerous news accounts the hippo and the tortoise found each other at a wildlife refuge where they were taken after being stranded by the tsunami disaster.

According to the BBC, the hippo is about one year old and was found alone and dehydrated near the Indian Ocean in Kenya.

He was taken to a wildlife enclosure near Mombassa where keepers have named him Owen.

He and a 100-year-old tortoise named Mzee struck up a friendship and have been partners ever since. Keepers say they are inseparable and that the tortoise has been mothering the baby hippo.

Our hail storm, July 18

Rain! Did it rain! and hail! Wow!





This photo was taken of our balcony from inside our living room.




And we opened the door slightly for this photo.



Here is the hail, collecting as ice out at the front by the steps and in the garden!


Andrei and Lisa tried to avoid getting wet by coming in the back way. Not a possibility!



And they were wet!

Andrei and Lisa visit - July 16

Andrei and Lisa stopped in for a few days, Monday, July 16 through to Friday morning, July 20. We got to go out on the boat.



Here are Ralph, Andrei, and Lisa on the boat. For a short time, the weather co-operated!



Andrei actually climbed up onto Gibralter and jumped off. But it's only 90 feet deep here!





This boat is a great boat -- perfect for Mill Lake!

Steve Molitor needs respect for the victim's family

Letter to the editor - re Steve Molitor

Many viewers in this area may have seen a local boy do well at Casino Rama last weekend. Steve Molitor successfully defended is World Featherweight Crown against South African fighter Takalani (The Panther) Ndlovu.

Michael Traikos, CanWest News Service; National Post stated that

“Saturday's title defence was the first time in more than 20 years that a world championship bout - involving a homegrown world champion - has been held in Ontario. It was also the first time a world title fight was televised by TSN, which broadcast via satellite to Canadian troops in Afghanistan, Egypt, the Netherlands and the North Sinai desert.”

How wonderful for Steve Molitor to gain such renown!

According to Steve Buffery at slam.canoe.ca,

“Steve Molitor perseveres through the harshest hurdles.” He writes, “And then there's Molitor's biggest burden, the incarceration of his brother, Jeremy Molitor, who is serving a life term in a Kingston penitentiary for murdering his girlfriend, Jessica Nethery, in 2002 back in Sarnia.

“The crime devastated both families and remains a dark cloud over the town.

“But the brothers remain close and Steve is hopeful that Jeremy will be able to watch his fight against Ndlovu, which will televised live on TSN.“

The trouble is that anyone who saw the event on July 14 at Rama saw Steve Molitor proudly wear a T-shirt with his brother’s name emblazoned both front and back. We must all be horrifid and outraged. Whatever passes between the brothers should remain private!

The horrific crime was perpetrated in May of 2002 and still, after 5 years, it still hurts like hell to remember. Does this public display indicate that Steve Molitor condones his brother’s actions? Are we supposed to feel sorry for Jeremy?

That whole story is a tragic one, and is as fresh as if it were yesterday. Steve should have enough respect for the victims of the crime to avoid placing his brother in the limelight again.

Jessica Nethery is not just a statistic to be forgotten. She was a most lovely young lady. How dare anyone feel sorry for the older brother’s plight! Steve and his brother may exchange letters once a week – according to Joe O'Connor of the National Post in an article published online on November 4, 2006 – but Jessica’s family will never exchange letters with her.

Regardless how talented is young Steve Molitor, he will lose fans and lose respect if he continues to publicly include his brother in his fights.

Summer bugs - strange

Two identical plants, but they don't look identical. Why is the one looking so sad while the other flourishes?

A closer look reveals some very interesting wildlife on the sad plant.



The first seems to be a gypsy moth.



The other is a luna moth, so says the wikipedia.


It's hard to believe that the bugs are there but don't "jump out" at you clearly.





It had to be a really close look to see these winged creatures.

Flowers

Flowers are gorgeous when they grow well. I have a great expertise at doing a poor job of growing colourful flowers. So, a picture at an optimum time can show that I try.

Ha, ha!

This window box is on our newly-sided garden shed.

Nassau

In May, Sir Ralph and Ladykit travelled to Nassau for Rotary. We are members of the Rotary Club of Anguilla, District 7020. The get-together in Nassau was to celebrate the incoming District Governor, Richard McCombe.

We attended 3 noon-hour Rotary meetings as well as the Friday-evening reception for DG Dick. We met some very lovely Rotarians.

Next year, 2008, the District Conference is scheduled for Nassau.

Just the bear facts - Summer, 2007

2007 was my first experience with the bear. What a great bear he was too!

He showed a rather remarkable agility on my balcony.



But he was quite close enough, thank you!