How does your garden grow?

It’s been a while since I posted anything on the gardening section of Safari of the Mind.  I just know I have to remedy that right away.  Believe me when I tell you though, it’s not as though I haven’t been posting all my hard work on social media 🙂 This year especially, I’ve been extra diligent, wanting to stay a few steps ahead of the game.  It took quite a lot of work to get both the front and back gardens cleaned up from the ravages of winter.  This past winter was pretty brutal on the East Coast and as a result, the garden needed extra sprucing in the spring time.  This post will probably be a pictorial one, sit back, relax and enjoy all the colors and vibrancy that flowers create around this time of year.

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Chilli-rubbed chicken with Scallions, Sweet Potatoes and Chimichurri

Today’s post takes one on a tour of Mexico, no it wasn’t my trip, but a blogger friend Johanne, who blogs at French Gardener Dishes. She recently posted a travelogue of her trip to Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende to take in the culture, the art and the stunning architecture.  I enjoyed reading her post and as I often do, I make mental notes of places visited for future reference and this particular part of Mexico intrigued me.  So rest assured, we hope to check it out in the not too distant future. I remember a trip to Mexico when I was single, but it was at a beach town in Puerto Vallarta and you know what happens in beach towns, eat, drink and be merry.  I do hear through my other sources on Trip Advisor that the actual town of Puerto Vallarta (not the beach) is a place where a lot of Americans and Canadians have settled and is definitely another place I’d like to check out. Click on Johanne’s link above to read her post on the area.

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Cherry and Pistachio tart and a pastry lesson

OK why was my blog space on the back burner for a while?  Why did my readers not receive any new posts for so long? Who has been so busy these past few months that the blog took a backseat?  Sheepishly I raise my hand “moi”.  I apologize readers, it’s been a crazy past few months, from a winter getaway to Jamaica in February (well, I did write up a couple of posts on that trip). Also visitors from abroad.  Then came our trip to New Orleans with a group of friends for JazzFest.  Wow what a trip that was, Rod Stewart and Sting – need I say more?  I’ve got a post coming up on the beautiful Garden District in New Orleans, so be sure to tune in.  Then came the arduous task of getting the garden up and ready from its slumber, needless to say that has kept me occupied for the past 3-4 weeks. But now I’m back.  I have been posting on social media though, so I guess all’s not lost. The lazy, hazy days of summer have started, and that’s the time I usually hibernate, although I must say, it’s been lovely working outside as the humidity has not yet hit the area.  So here I am with a beautiful treat in store for everyone.

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4th Annual Curry Cook-Off

If you’ve been a regular reader on Safari of the Mind, you’ll know that we usually host a Curry Cook-Off during the winter, just so we can get friends together, chase away the winter blahs and get a competition going.  Theme inspired parties are so much fun aren’t they?  We have friends who started a “Chilli Cook-Off” in the Fall, so I guess we thought why not get a Curry Cook-Off going in the winter, and that’s how this theme was born.  The first one was a huge success as were the succeeding ones, so the tradition is here to stay.

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Jamaican Curry Goat

Spring on the East Coast of the USA is sure taking its time making an entrance.  We’ve had a few “warm teaser days” and then a week later, we find ourselves still warming ourselves by the fire?  A few weeks ago we were enjoying the sun, sand and cuisine in Jamaica. I’m sure glad we went when we did, at least we got a taste of that warmth that we hope to experience here any day now (hint, hint).   If you haven’t yet read the post on Jamaica, I urge you to take a look at the previous post and be transported to that beautiful island in the sun.

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Island in the Sun

Anyone remember the song ‘Island in the Sun’ by Harry Belafonte?  I had this playing on my desktop computer as I wrote this post on Jamaica.   We had just returned from a beautiful 10 days on this fourth-largest Caribbean island surrounded by mountains, rain-forests and reef lined beaches.   I had always wanted to visit Jamaica ever since I lived in London which is home to probably the largest Jamaican population outside of Jamaica.  The reggae music, the food, the warmth of the people attracted me to this island in the sun. I was familiar with names such as Montego Bay and Kingston, but had never heard of Portland, the area we explored.

A local friend who lived in Portland Parish many years ago encouraged us to seek it out.  So in my usual fashion, I went about  researching the area, I asked around and jumped on the Trip Advisor forum, my faithful source for seeking information from travelers who have actually been there.  Portland Parish is on the northeast coast of the island.  When researching Portland, I found that it was a mixture of lush green countryside and beautiful beaches, rivers, caves, coves and waterfalls.  I’m so glad we checked it out, it was all that I had read and researched about and so much more.  We felt we had experienced the real Jamaica.   Below are just a few highlights of our trip to paradise.

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Turkey Taco Spaghetti Squash Boats

Why oh why is this winter dragging its heels?  We got a taste of spring a couple weeks ago that got me so excited about digging in the dirt again, but then it all changed lickety-split!  Just like that!   I’m so glad Bert and I escaped to Jamaica for 10 days last month to feel the warm sun and luxuriate on that tropical island.  We came back renewed and relaxed hoping that winter would be gone by the time we returned.  Surprise!!  Winter was still here and IS still here.    It’s just wonderful to be able to take a trip to sunny shores when winter is around don’t you?  I think from now on, since these old bones refuse to co-operate, I’ve advised my husband that we need more trips in the winter time.  He’s not a snowbird type, but going away in the winter is a good compromise – 2 weeks is all I need in the throes of winter.  Why go away in the summer when it’s sunny and hot everyday in our little corner of the world?  Well, I suppose being retired has its advantages 🙂  Well stay tuned my friends, the post on Jamaica should be up pretty soon.

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