Garden Blogger's Bloom Day October 2013

 Day blooming miniature yellow

 Day blooming blue

 Day blooming pink

 Night blooming pink

Welcome to Garden Bloggers's Bloom day  where gardeners from all around the globe post what is blooming in their gardens. My water lilies are blooming furiously. The night bloomers are huge 10 inches  or 26cm in diameter. 

Yesterday evening my water baby Sandy was rushed to the vet. I found him drooling from the mouth and walking uncoordinated. That was his second visit that same day. Earlier that morning my hubby had taken him there about a skin problem . He was diagnosed with a type of mange. The vet said that he would have inherited it from his mother at birth and that it was not infectious. She prescribed some shampoo and some skin medication.  Now Sandy is afraid of getting into the car and it was a job for me to get him in. We were concerned that a second trip to the vet would be traumatic for him. The vet suspected some kind of poisoning, I thought he may have bitten a toad. He was given something to vomit whatever he had in his stomach and a muscle relaxant to stop any seizures as well as a sedative. They told us to leave him overnight.  This morning when we called, were told that he was alert and had eaten. They told us that will be ready to go home later in the evening if he showed no other signs of illness.

To see more of what is blooming in gardens around the globe please stop by Carol's at May dreams gardens. Have a great week!

My recent projects

The rustic bajan gardener has been quite busy around the homestead. She has been busy doing some woodwork, like building a potting bench with remnants from the house renovations. The rustic Bajan gardener has quite a collection of tools, tools like a circular saw, a chop saw, a jig saw, nail gun, drills and an electric plane that was her father's.

The rustic Bajan gardener loves DIY and has been in a creative mood recently. She built a potting bench after being tired of sitting near ground level potting plants and always looking for a spot to sow seeds.  So she discovered several websites showing her how to build a potting bench. This dishfunctional site is filled with imaginative ideas. Laura the blog owner is describes herself as a creative artist, jewelry designer, author, upcycler, free spirit, daydreamer, rocker, mom
 Blooming in the garden today are adeniums aka desert roses. 

There are a total of eleven flowers on this stem, this is a first time I have seen so many buds blooming at the same time.

My baby has grown and is now bigger than the pack but still a baby. He is house trained except for the occasional pee pee in the patio in the late evenings. I am happy my diaper watch is over.

He is such a sweetie and mischievous as ever. Anything and everything find its way into the house. Palm fronds, my plastic pots, old pieces of coconuts, old shoes and socks left by my garden helpers and anything that is not tied down. Last week he brought in a very long piece of rope and I wondered about his intentions.

I am still working on the house and I hope to be back upstairs by December.  Wishing all a very fruitful week and be happy.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day September 2013

 Calistemon aka bottle brush in bloom

Old faithful Vanda orchid.

 Bird of paradise blooming for the first time.

 Red mussaenda brightening up under the frangipani.

 Brassavola orchids enjoying the rainy weather we've been having.

Delonix regia aka flamboyant, Royal poinciana, gul mohur still flowering.

Hello and welcome to Garden Bloggers' bloom day where gardeners around the globe show what is blooming in their gardens. It has been hot and humid with heavy showers. I am looking forward to when the nights become cooler and the trade winds begin to do their thing. Meanwhile I just have to brave the heat and look for a shady spot to sit and daydream.  To see what is blooming in other people's gardens please visit Carol at May dreams gardens

Have a great week gardening!

Homestead update

 The rains have been frequent as you can see the palms have been swamped.  The MacArthur palm doesn't seem mind at all.  Luckily the water recedes within a day or two it will be back to normal unless there is more heavy rain.

 One little puppy doesn't mind getting wet at all and doesn't

need any excuse to go for a swim. I believe he is part if not full Labrador. 

 The front patio is nearly completed, the lattice work is up and waiting to be prepared for painting. It will be painted in light green like the sunburst.

 I was really tired of this eyesore and had been itching to replace it.

I told Remington my carpenter what I wanted and showed him a few photos. He went to work on it and this is the results. The wood used is treated Honduras pine, it is a denser and stronger pine than the North American yellow pine.

 I applied Thompson water sealer for outdoor wood to prevent water damage and going grey. I  like the natural wood look and will have to continue to keep it oiled.

 I love my new gate! Thank you Remington! If you need a very good carpenter I can recommend Remington just drop me a line!

 On the other side of the homestead the garlic vine (mansoa alliacea) is making a spectacular entrance.

 

August has come to an end, the garden is now lush from the recent rains, slugs and snails are having a feast. My daily and nightly patrols have taken on a more urgent air. I am using salt to eradicate them. Some people say beer will help but I am not sure. Some have told me to use white lime and I will try it again. I am not sure how effective it is in this rainy season. Any non chemical method you use please share. 

It is also time to start pruning the poinsettias, the snow on the mountain and mussaendas if they need it. Now is the time to weed the garden beds, with all the moist soil weeds are easier to pull in our clay soils.  

Golden apples (spondias cythera) aka pommecythere, june plum are still small and are great for making juice. 

To all who are reading and following this blog have a great weekend!

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day August 2013

 After several weeks of drought we finally had some rain. I had made plans to put a liner in an area where there was a mud pond. I had hired the bobcat to come excavate it and was just waiting on my garden helpers to assist me in laying the liner. But  the rains came before I could put my plans into place. I even had to move the liner to higher ground when the water level started rising.

 My bearsie bear looking at the great sea of water that appeared almost overnight.

 The old pond where I planned to put the liner in.

Looks quite beautiful and luckily the palms can weather the storm.

 After the rains out came the blooms.

Yellow zephranthes aka rain lilies

                          

Pink rain lilies

Hello and welcome to Garden Blogger's Bloom Day where gardeners from around the world show what is blooming in their gardens. The weather is extremely hot and humid and not enough rain for the season as yet. I do hope we get more showers.  To see more of what is  blooming please skip over to Carol at May dreams gardens. Have a great week.

under the cocotiers....finale

While in Martinique I met up with another friend Moris whom I hadn't seen for fifteen years. He met us in Trinité on the east coast and took us around.

Basse pointe  a picturesque little bay on the east coast.

Mountain spring water pool tempted me to  wet my feet.

Sea bathers rinse themselves with fresh spring water

We visited a desolate village that was reclaimed by the sea and the inhabitants were forced to move to higher ground. The shrine above is intact and still used.

The village is known as North village. It was a treacherous descent by vehicle and Maurice had to make several 4 point turns to clear the corners.

There were a few people around  and I assumed  that they were visiting like us when I came face to face with a rather large dog in a doorway. I made a U turn and speedily retraced my steps to a much safer place. So someone was still living here.

The oldest church on the island

We visited Grand Rivere where the water was so clear you could see the fish swimming.

 

 

This mother enjoying the water with her chicks.

This road allows the river to run into the sea. During heavy rains it becomes impassable.

the road above led to these homes on the right.

 

On my next trip back to Martinique I will certainly spend some time with my friends in Gros Morne. I was only able to spend a few hours with Moris and his family. I was able to see his  eighty five year old mother who was overjoyed to see me. I had spent many happy vacations at their house some 30 years ago. Miguel Moris' sister was busy at work but we managed to see each other very briefly.  Moris asked me if it  will be another twenty years before I return to Martinique. He said that the last time I had seen him he had hair  on his head and now he has none. He told me that the next time I visit he may not have any teeth. We both laughed and hugged each other. 

Matinik a bientôt