My West Indian Garden

View from the Top

2009-07-17T18:38:00.003-04:00

The southern end of St. Kitts

Too Cute

2009-07-15T15:15:00.003-04:00

This photo of Halle Berry and her beautiful daughter has me contemplating getting pregnant and running off to the hairdresser for that too cute pixie. On second thought maybe I should just consider the pixie for now.

Da Man...Maxwell

2009-07-09T21:07:00.004-04:00

When I was in college in New Jersey I absolutely loved myself some Maxwell. After an absence of seven years, how happy am I that he is back. Check out his new song/video above. For some old school goodness see the video below...

RIP: Michael Joseph Jackson

2009-07-09T20:06:00.002-04:00

We Had Him
By Dr. Maya Angelou

Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing,
Now that our bright and shining star
Can slip away from our fingertips
Like a puff of summer wind.
Without notice, our dear love
Can escape our doting embrace,
Sing our songs among the stars,
And walk our dances across the face of the moon.
In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing.
No clocks can tell time.
No oceans can rush our tides
With the abrupt absence of our treasure.
Though we are many,
Each of us is achingly alone,
Piercingly alone.
Only when we confess our confusion
Can we remember that he was a gift to us
And we did have him.
He came to us from the Creator,
Trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish of life,
He was sheathed in mother love, family love,
And survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion,
Humor and style.
We had him whether we knew who he was or did not know,
He was ours and we were his.
We had him,
Beautiful,
Delighting our eyes.
He raked his hat,
A slant over his brow,
And took a pose on his toes for all of us.
And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.
We were enchanted with his passion
Because he held nothing.
He gave us all he had been given.
Today in Tokyo,
Beneath the Eiffel Tower,
In Ghana’s Black Star Square.
In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh,
In Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England,
We are missing Michael.
But we do know we had him…And we are the world.

Sigh...

2009-07-05T20:42:00.004-04:00

Celerie Kemble

Plants, Pets, & Palms

2009-06-29T18:56:00.006-04:00

Halle is one of the four puppies that was born to Shadow in mid April, she was adopted late last week.....I miss you Hal, xoxo
This is Sadie and Lola. Lola will be leaving me next month and I'm already heartbroken.

Shadow taking a breather from parenthood.

Marley is busy looking out for his kids.

Halle and Lola

Kobe. He has since received a much needed hair cut and can now see again.

Sabel Palm

Christmas Palm. Many of these palms in my neighbourhood have already succumbed to the dreaded and deadly lethal yellowing disease. I am hoping that mine will be spared the same fate.

My newest edition to my growing palm collection, Foxtail Palm.

Another new edition, Bottle Palm.

Bismarck Palm

Areca Palm (Butterfly Palm)

My princess Sadie. I adopted her just before finding out that Shadow was pregnant.

Lantana

Latana and Zinnia

Yellow Allamanda

Sigh...

2009-06-28T19:40:00.002-04:00

Domino Magazine

In Memoriam

2009-06-26T11:01:00.004-04:00

Since hearing of the news late yesterday I have been struggling to reconcile the image of the young Michael Jackson that I grew up listening and seeing on TV to the middle aged man who tragically passed away from cardiac arrest. Through the last 2 decades in fact, I have never been able to equate the Michael from the Billie Jean and Thriller videos to the one whose images were splashed over the evening news during his legal & financial troubles. He seemed to me two separate individuals, or perhaps it was a case of me preferring to see him as that cute, immensely gifted entertainer dancing along side that pretty girl in the Thriller video. What a sad end to a tremendous and iconic talent, the only consolation is in knowing that the man may be gone but his music will surely live on.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Jackson.

Sigh...

2009-06-21T15:40:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day

Summer Reading

2009-06-20T22:05:00.003-04:00

What will you be reading this summer? I just completed The Friday Night Knitting Club, which turned out to be one of those novels that you just can't wait to get home and read. I have just begun, The Rapture of Canaan, I hope that it will maintain my interest as it already has so far. I am longing to read Shanghai Girls, by one of my favorite authors, Lisa See.

So tell me, what's on your list????

Garden Inspiration

2009-06-19T10:01:00.004-04:00

Coastal Living Online
Coastal Living Online

Sunset Magazine

Sunset Magazine

Some inspiration for you to start the weekend off right. Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

Puppy Love

2009-06-16T20:34:00.001-04:00

Remy
Halle & Layla
Halle & Remy

Halle

Sigh...

2009-06-14T19:48:00.003-04:00

Design sponge online

Garden Inspiration

2009-06-05T10:29:00.004-04:00

Sunset Magazine

Today in the Garden

2009-05-29T19:11:00.008-04:00

My little seed grown Coleus
Green galore

Peeking through the palm fronds

Desert Rose - I think this is the best photo that I've ever taken with my meagre point and shoot camera

Little Angels

2009-05-14T13:59:00.005-04:00

These four little angels were born (we think) on April 15th, which also happens to be my son's birthday. My darling Shadow is their overprotective mother and Marley is the proud papa.

What's Blooming

2009-02-10T21:33:00.003-04:00

My Desert Rose was a much more prolific bloomer when potted. I am going to take the hint and repot this one.

White Bougainvillea, this color bouggy is highly underrated, the picture does not do it justice.

I purchased three Amaryllis just before Christmas, two of which have just decided to grace me with their stunning blooms. It was well worth the wait.

My little red bougainvillea, finally throwing out a few blooms.

Poinsettia

No matter how I try, I still can't seem to find any green.

My second store bought Amaryllis 'Red Lion'

The Bougainvilleas seem to be the star of the show this month.

Spider Lilly

Say Cheese!!!

2009-02-10T21:25:00.002-04:00

Hi Kobe! Smile for the camera!
Kobe...hello...give Mommy a smile ...please....

Just one little smile......just one...

Ahhh.....thank you

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2008-12-26T23:08:00.002-04:00

Today in the Garden

2008-11-16T19:49:00.004-04:00

Marley
Shadow
My very slow growing Sago
Shadow and Kobe
What a long tongue you have there, Kobe!
New flower bed with Lantana, coleus, pentas & more...
Hopefully the bed will fill in nicely over the next few months
Such a cutie, that's his 'I need a belly rub' look. I know it well and its hard to resist.
Marley, my devoted watch dog

Unidentified plant, but I love it.

This bed is now a bit overgrown but fabulous nontheless.

Shadow & Marley

2008-10-10T19:53:00.001-04:00

What I'm Reading

2008-10-10T19:25:00.005-04:00

I have been meaning to blog about the novels that I've read over the summer, but I've been lazy, hey better late than never, so here goes....

I already mentioned 'The namesake' by Jhumpa Lahiri, which I absolutely loved and would recommend to anyone who struggle with feeling like they don't belong. My next read was 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini, I also enjoyed this one, although not quite as much as 'The Kite Runner' by the same author. I also read 'Peony in Love' by Lisa See. I was so very impressed by this author's novel, 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' that I did not hesitate in picking up her next novel, however it was not exactly my cup of tea. Next on my list was 'What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day' by Pearl Cleage, this was a touching and entertaining read.
Finally, I am currently reading 'The Grass is Singing' by Doris Lessing. I will let you know how this one goes, it has been pretty depressing so far.
P.S. My son is currently reading 'The story of King Arthur and His Knights'. There is nothing better than a classic.

Summer in NYC

2008-10-09T10:50:00.001-04:00

New Edition

2008-09-30T19:13:00.002-04:00

Here is the latest addition to my ever expanding family, 'Kobe'. His dad is a shih tzu, his mom a chihuahua, and he is pure joy. He loves to eat, sleep, and play with his older yard mates, Shadow and Marley.

Marley & Shadow

2008-08-20T19:37:00.000-04:00

My "Kids" I have no clue how I was able to get the both of them to stand still long enough to take this photo

Shadow

2008-08-20T19:31:00.000-04:00

Shadow is not camera shy, look at the great smile

Garden Shots

2008-07-26T11:14:00.009-04:00

Front garden with Butterfly Palms and what I believe to be a Golden Prince Aralia
Allamanda 'Yellow Bells'
Close up shot of flower bed
Canna Lily and Bougainvillea
Christmas Palm, Canna Lily, Plumeria Pudica, Croton and Bougainvillea

Close up of Crape Myrtle
Petite Pink Oleander
Front Garden
A group of potted plants 'chillin' under a mature Butterfly Palm
Garden Bed with Elephant ear, white Pentas, purple False Eranthemum, Red Ginger, Powder Puff Lily, and Croton

Puerto Rican Hat Palms grown from seed by my Mom
Rubber Tree
PR Hat Palms with ixoras planted in front
Alcalypha godseffiana, still very small
The north side of the garden with some tall Crape Myrtle and bushy Bougainvillea. A couple of Desert Rose plants, a petite Oleander, and a Crinium Lily were just recently added to the mix.

The eastern side of the garden
A small newly planted Caricature Plant
Firecracker plant
Firecracker plant close up
Sliver Buttonwood and Puerto Rican Hat Palms

Currently Reading

2008-07-26T11:02:00.005-04:00

Although I haven't finished reading this wonderful second novel by the notable Jhumpa Lahiri, I will go ahead and say that this is one of my favorites that I have read this year. I am enjoying it so much, I can't hardly wait to go home from work to continue reading it, but then I dread reading it too often and unfortunately I'll come to the end. Sigh, what's a girl to do?!?

Garden Benches and Seating

2008-07-24T14:59:00.004-04:00

I like the organic shape of this bench
Loving the privacy this affords
The lushness of the potted plants would draw me outside everyday
A bench in a totally unexpected color
What a great view
A cosy retreat from a hectic and stressful day
Nice idea
I like the idea that the vines have a place to wrap themselves around
A great rustic look, this is one of my favorites
A secluded nook

Thanks to all the websites for the photos

Garden Arches

2008-07-24T11:45:00.003-04:00

I can guess that in the mind's eye of every gardener there is the image of what should be incorporated into a garden in order to achieve perfection. For some its creating perfect garden beds, to others it could be gathering a collection of as many variety of palms(enter your own favorite plant here)as possible. Occasionally in my post I will allow little glimpses of what I think will create a winning garden. As I have said before, a girl can dream can't she.

OMG!!! Too Cute

2008-07-19T13:35:00.003-04:00

This is one pretty puppy. Not mine, I spied it on pop sugar and just had to share.

Music Video

2008-07-18T09:36:00.003-04:00

Now I know this has nothing to do with gardening or books but I just had to post this new Vid from Fonzworth Bentley called 'Everybody'...looks like fun times

What's Blooming

2008-07-17T19:28:00.008-04:00

Red Ixora
Desert Rose

Yellow Ixora
African Blood (Powder puff) Lily

Lantana
Ant on Flower
Caladium in bloom
Mother in Law's Tongue in bloom with a surprizingly heady fragrance
Plantation Lily

Garden Fountains and Ponds

2008-07-17T11:26:00.012-04:00

A lovely garden path

I am not sure why I like this, there is something unique and still familiar about it.
A classic beauty
Nature's best
This one is just cheeky and fun
Ahhh, a quiet and secluded spot

This one has a very Zen and contempory look about it
Hmmm, it seems that I have a thing for frogs
This one is from one of my favorite furniture websites, Horchow.com. A girl can dream, can't she!?!
Lovely stream
The garden pond of my dreams

I especially like the look of the foliage cascading down the sides

Another classic style

This is the inspiration for this post. I saw it on TOG of Coral Gardens Daily Blog.
Fanciful

Puppy Love

2008-07-14T19:07:00.008-04:00

Here are two of the reasons that I haven't blogged recently;

Reason number 1
Shadow, my sweet and stubborn baby girl

Reason number 2

Marley, my mischievous little boy

My Current Favorite Things

2008-06-10T20:51:00.006-04:00

My Bridal Bouquet (Simply Lovely!!)
Nisbet Plantation Beach Club
Now Reading: Atonement by Ian McEwan
Nuf said!!!!!!
Favorite place I have never been - Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens, Coral Gables, Florida
This photo of my Mom
My new teak garden bench
Bismarck Palm (my most recent garden addition)

Up Close

2008-06-09T18:35:00.006-04:00

Alocasia sanderiana
Solandra Maxima (Cup of Gold)
Cup of Gold
Jasmine
Plumeria
Desert Rose
Heliconia
Pentas lanceolata
Canna lily
Allamanda

Nevis Botanical Gardens - Part 3

2008-05-19T17:42:00.005-04:00

"Polly want a cracker?" Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Lipstick Palm. I love the the unique color of this palm.

Autograph Tree. Vistors leave their names scratched into the leaves of this tree.

Nevis Botanical Gardens - Part 2

2008-05-16T21:29:00.006-04:00

Nevis Botanical Gardens - Part 1

2008-05-09T18:09:00.012-04:00

Acalypha godseffiana 'Heterophylla'

This is especially for my husband's boss, Mrs. M., do enjoy.

That's me under a huge Ficus tree (good shade though)

Beautiful colors
Interesting statue - needs to be rated at least PG 13.

Some photos taken during my visit to the Nevis Botanical Gardens last weekend. More to come...

Strange Palm

2008-04-15T18:28:00.000-04:00

I noticed this palm for the very first time while visiting my favorite place for purchasing plants. It does not have a noticable trunk and I have no clue what type of palm it is. Any help in identification would be appreciated.

Happy Birthday, Baby

2008-04-15T18:21:00.001-04:00

Time flies. My son is 9 years old today, seems like it was just yesterday that he looked like that sweet baby in the photo above.

St. Kitts Music Festival 2008

2008-04-11T19:54:00.006-04:00

The 12th annual St. Kitts Music Festival takes place from June 26 - 28 2008, although all the performers have not yet been announced by the Festival Committee, this year's event promises to be one of the most spectacular. Already on the line up are Billy Ocean, Kassav, and non other than ................John Legend.
"Did you say John Legend?"
"Yes!!!! is John Legend I say!!!!!!!"
"All together now, we're just ordinary people, we don't know which way to go...la de de"
Ok, I can't hold a tune, that's no matter, I can hardly wait to be singing out of tune along with these top notch performers. Did I mention John Legend will be there!!!?!!!
Just check out the the official website for the Festival, and I'll hope to see you there....
http://www.stkittsmusicfestival.com/

Carifta Games 2008

2008-04-11T18:58:00.007-04:00

The Official Program of the Carifta Games

Some photos of the recently held Carifta Games in St. Kitts

Team Jamaica out in front!
Team Jamaica out in front, again! Are you detecting a theme here!?!
Some of the participating athletes from Martinique, or as I like to call them, the loudest cheering section in the history of cheering sections.

Go St. Kitts!!!!!!!!!!

For the first time in the thirty seven year existance of the CARIFTA (The Caribbean Free Trade Association) Games, St. Kitts has had the honor of hosting the games from March 21 - 24 2008, at it's newly constructed athletic track and field stadium. From it's inception in 1972, the Carifta Games has steadly grown into an exceptional athletic competition in the Caribbean. The yearly held Games showcases some the most talented and up and coming junior female and male athletes between the ages of 14 - 19. This year, St. Kitts welcomed over 700 athletes from around the Caribbean. Not to boast, (well maybe just a little), but St. Kitts is the smallest island ever to host the Games. St. Lucia will play host to the 2009 Games.

Easter Blooms

2008-03-25T11:12:00.014-04:00

Hibiscus
Caladium
Yellow Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica)
Not sure what this plant is, but it spreads easily. My fiance insists that it is a weed. Well, weed or not, I still think that it is pretty.

Orange/Gold Canna Lily. I will just let that burst of color speak for itself.
Spider Lily ( Crinum ??)- first bloom

Copper plant (Acalypha wilkesiana)
Brides Bouquet (Plumeria pudica)
Ti Plant or as we West Indians call it, Red Sister. I love this plant, not just for its brilliant color, but it seems almost indestructible, I haven't come across any insect that dares to interfere with it, at least not so far. (fingers crossed)
Red Ginger

Bibliophilia

2008-03-25T11:12:00.012-04:00

'Bibliophilia is the love of books. Accordingly a bibliophile loves books, but especially "for qualities of format." A bookworm loves books for their content, or otherwise loves reading in general. Bibliophilia is generally considered to be incorrect, but some would say it is a new, recent, usage. The practice of loving or collecting books is dubbed bibliophilism, and the adjective form of the term is bibliophilic. Also, a bibliophile may be a book collector.' ~from Wikipedia

OK!!!! I love collecting books and reading books, I even like reading about books, this is no secret, at least not to those who know me well. Recently, while reading about books on my favorite website, Amazon.com, I came across this blog stream called 'A cure for bibliophilia?' My first thought was "wha, it's a disease!?!" My second thought was "why would I need to be cured!?!"

Reading further I found that it was a blog stream of persons, who like me, share a sort of perverted passion for books. We buy books when we already have a mountain of them, waiting to be read, on shelves and various other objects around our home; we steadily cruise online looking for the next great bookstore; we refuse to go to the library because, of course, these books must be owned, not simply borrowed; we categorize them according to author or by fiction and nonfiction, or by read or unread, etc.

How thrilling it is to find that I am not the only one plagued with this affliction. If there is ever a cure found for this disease called 'biblophilia', kindly refrain from informing me, as in this case ignorance will surely be bliss.

Say your peace at the amazon blog stream:

http://www.amazon.com/tag/fiction/forum/ref=cm_cd_ys_rt_tft_tp?%5Fencoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1X9OILUVOYVZ7&cdThread=Tx3SKYEVJ72LF47

By the way.....currently reading 'Astrid and Veronika' by Linda Olsson. I realized recently, that I have a preference for novels which feature women as the protagonist. Guess that comes from being one. This novel has mixed reviews, some seem to love it while others were left feeling a little unstatisfied at the end. I have only read the first few chapters, but so far I have a good feeling about this one.

Garden Shots

2008-03-20T20:49:00.007-04:00

Canna (pre bloom)
Canna in bloom and absolutely lovely. I have been waiting for months for this plant to bloom. Loves it!!!!
A mix of purple and fuchsia colored bougainvillea
Close up of Duranta erecta. The varigated leaves of this plant make it a special treat in my garden.
Hibiscus

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum)
Pygmy Date Palm ( Phoenix roebellini) and a very small Sago Palm on the leftPurple Bougainvillea and Duranta erecta (Pigeon Berry)
I love this shot of the front of the yard taken on an angle.
Christmas Palm and Bougainvillea

Trip to Brimstone Hill Fortress

2008-03-19T14:37:00.014-04:00

At the Base of the Fortress

Heading up

View of the town of Sandy Point from the Fortress

Cannons

Above are some photos taken during my son's school visit to the Brimstone Hill Fortress, located in Sandy Point, St. Kitts. It is one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring locations on the island and is one of the major tourist attractions. My son and his friends had a good time exploring it's length and breath.

Examples of Carib drawings (earliest inhabitants of the island who were eventually eradicated by the English and the Spanish)

Heading back down to the base

According to the website,

"The Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of historical, cultural and architectural significance: a monument to the ingenuity of the British military engineers who designed it and to the skill, strength and endurance of the African slaves who built and maintained it. One of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas, it is located on the island of St. Kitts in the Federation of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean."

You can learn more by checking out this link.

http://www.brimstonehillfortress.org/

Garden Shots of my West Indian Garden

2008-03-15T22:19:00.007-04:00

Here are some shots of my yard taken over the past few weeks.

Small selection of plants at front entrance of house.

Plumeria Pudica (Frangipani) and Red Ginger (Alpinia Purpurata)

A Papaya tree (one of two in my garden) which is still very young, not sure whether it is male or female. It hasn't started bearing any fruits yet. Unfortunately, if it is a male I won't be seeing any fruits from this one.

Beginnings

2008-03-13T11:13:00.007-04:00

This is my first post and my first day as an official blogger. Break out the champagne!!!! Wow, I'm actually a little nervous about this, not to mention excited. Ok then, well let's get started. Of course, I must start off by mentioning what I am currently reading .....drum roll please...."Breath, Eyes, Memory" by Edwidge Danticat. Pretty good read so far, it is actually one of the few books I have read this year that is borrowed and not owned.

Yesterday, during a bout of depression, I broke my new year resolution to not purchase any more gardening books, at least not until summer, by ordering not just one but three books on tropical plants from Amazon.com. Sure they were all under $15 but still.....I have no will power. I currently own two books devoted to the subject, "Plants for Tropical Landscapes - A Gardener' s Guide" and "Paradise Found: Growing Tropicals in your Own Back Yard." Both are pretty good in their own way, the latter is full of simply gorgeous photos of tropical plants, it also offers some suggestions on design. The former provides a more comprehensive list and breaks them up into sections, such as, ground cover, small shrubs, large shrubs, palms, etc.

Here is a photo of one of the books I ordered yesterday....now tell me how am I supposed to resist not buying it with cover photo as rediculously sumptous as this....Anyway that's my official excuse, the cover was too irresistable.

You must be saying to yourself, for her to be sucked into buying a gardening book based almost solely on the cover design, she must be new at gardening, well to that I will say, "yes, you are correct" I am new at it, however I have always loved a beautiful garden, it's the feeling you get, a sense of serenity and awe. It's what adds color to life