I love spicy food. I have been asked often why I eat food as spicy as I do. I don't know why. But then I do come from an island that was colonized by the British partly for its spices. So I guess we people have a spice gene that needs satiating. One of my favorite foods from the good ...

I love spicy food. I have been asked often why I eat food as spicy as I do. I don't know why. But then I do come from an island that was colonized by the British partly for its spices. So I guess we people have a spice gene that needs satiating. One of my favorite foods from the ...

So it turns out the City does deal with things in a half decent fashion. Good to know, it is after all our tax money that is at work. I got a call from the pool supervisor where our Offspring goes for lessons. She had not been there the day of the incident. She was at the union negotiations ...

So it turns out the City does deal with things in a half decent fashion. Good to know, it is after all our tax money that is at work. I got a call from the pool supervisor where our Offspring goes for lessons. She had not been there the day of the incident. She was at the union negotiations (of ...

Hubby and I had a fright of the worst sort. We took our Offspring for his swim lesson after a three week break (just the way City programs are organised). He loves the water, his swim lessons and was looking forward to seeing his old friends. We had warned him his old friends may not be there and that ...

Hubby and I had a fright of the worst sort. We took our Offspring for his swim lesson after a three week break (just the way City programs are organised). He loves the water, his swim lessons and was looking forward to seeing his old friends. We had warned him his old friends may not be there and that he ...

We had a very expensive meal this weekend. Lamb chops, Australian lamb chops at that. When I say expensive I am not speaking of the money we paid, but more about the cost of production, transportation etc. We do have lamb every now and then, but every time I pick it up at the grocery shop I hear that small ...

We had a very expensive meal this weekend. Lamb chops, Australian lamb chops at that. When I say expensive I am not speaking of the money we paid, but more about the cost of production, transportation etc. We do have lamb every now and then, but every time I pick it up at the grocery shop I hear that ...

While at Canada Blooms (yes, I am still on that, it is my usual Spring highlight, just a tad tainted this year) we were negotiating a really crowded aisle with a sleeping child in the giant stroller when I noticed a man holding out a rose. It seemed like he wanted to give it to me, but he seemed very ...

While at Canada Blooms (yes, I am still on that, it is my usual Spring highlight, just a tad tainted this year) we were negotiating a really crowded aisle with a sleeping child in the giant stroller when I noticed a man holding out a rose. It seemed like he wanted to give it to me, but he seemed very ...

Apart from getting my blog going (which still needs an enormous amount of organizing) and taking care of offspring full time, I have also been pursuing some career options. One of them being an international PhD scholarship to the one place I am certain I am connected to in some cosmic way. I got all the documents done on time ...

Is that even possible? I have, in my efforts to attract local wildlife, tried to find native plants with little luck. Not to mention that anything I do find ends up costing a ridiculous amount of money. But I managed to find some information at Canada Blooms. Perhaps the only useful thing I did while there last weekend. I attended ...

If there is one event I look forward to each year it is Canada Blooms. I have been to the show twice before and both times I was blown away by the creativity of gardeners, florists, bird watchers, horticulturalists...basically like-minded people. I have had great conversations, taken a lot of pictures and simply had a lovely time. In 2009 I ...

If there is one thing I would like to do before I die (actually there is plenty I would like to do before I die) it would be to take a national geographic quality picture of a hummingbird. I won't do much with it, perhaps post it on a blog, if blogs exist until then and frame and hang it ...

Baking a decent chocolate cake spurred me on and I decided to try the recipe for a hummingbird cake. It was also mainly because I had a pineapple at home (an ingredient I am not likely to have on the shelf) and I figured it ought to be better than using canned fruit. I baked the three layers as suggested ...

I have baked cakes successfully for about five years now. However, when I made chocolate cake I had only Betty Crocker to thank for. I finally decided I must try and bake one from scratch. I have a fabulous cook book that Prashani gave me, but I find it a tad intimidating. It calls for half a wine glass of ...

It is always fantastic to spot a bird you've never seen in the wild before. I am getting rather good at spotting new species of birds, if I may say so myself. Here's proof of the flock of cedar waxwings we saw over the weekend. My first ever picture of a cedar waxwing The pictures are misleading, it did take ...

The weekend we put the clocks forward is always tiring, at least since the Offspring arrived. We also pushed our luck with him a bit trying to get a few things done which ended in a scream fest, but all in all it turned out to be a half decent weekend. To be honest I have to force myself to ...

Another sure sign that Spring is just around the corner is losing an hour of sleep! We are on daylight saving time starting 2:00 am. I used to like the idea because the days are long and we could enjoy the backyard, etc., but since the Offspring arrived it doesn't seem like such a good idea. Getting him to bed ...

The Girl is giving a fabulous account of her trip to the US and Canada and she has posted some beautiful pictures of fog/mist along the Eastern coast. It reminded me of home. I am a tropical being in my heart of hearts. I took these pictures some seven years ago when I visited family. I grew up in the ...