Construction

Along awaited essential piece of construction has taken place in Corn Buck this week.
Materials being at a minimum, T, as ever, rose valiantly to the occasion.
Not enough old galvanise for the door? No problem.... weave your own.

Of Food and Shelter

Today was close and humid and the thunder began to roll just as I finished weeding the okra and T gave the grass to the cow and her calf.

I peeled the tania and onions whilst T went to the river to fish, returning a few moments later
with enough crayfish for the pot, which he combined with the above, together with dumplings, split peas and basil. It was delicious.
Xena, hating thunderstorms, ran for cover, unimpressed with today's menu.

Happy Days

We almost finished
weeding the lettuce
and the pak choy
this morning.

I prefer to weed and mole
as I go


















and T likes to weed all
and then mole.





































After an early lunch,
we made the rounds
and picked nutmeg
and mangoes with our
all time favourite
fruit picker.













Whilst taking some shade
and a five under the Julie,
we sat and admired T's
ability to persuade water
to run uphill,
all the way from the river,
which is way down below
the shed, the roof of which
can just be seen below him.









The cow was happy too.

On the Mend

T and 'The Back' much better today.
Three beds forked for eggplant and
lettuce weeding commenced. Lots of
rain and the river came down.

May Day

T has not been
feeling too well
these past couple
of days. I think
he has been
overdoing it.
This morning
we came up to
Corn Buck just
to cut grass for the
cow and come
home.

I cutlassed below
the top nutmeg
which is bearing
now. These are
the last few remaining
trees following Ivan.
Afterwards, I went
higher up the
track and cut some
broom to sweep with.
Today was hot and sunny,
with a nice breeze,
just hope T is feeling better soon.

Good Intentions

This morning,
as the sun peeped
over the mountain









and T decided
to trim the bamboo,
whilst cutting grass
for the cow,








I resolved to
weed the lettuce.


My back,
however,
had other
ideas.




So we took
ourselves
off to the
river,
and sat,
with this bank
behind us





and
contemplated
Job's Tears.

Cocoa, the love affair continues.....

Me and the cocoa
from yesterday.
Of course, the big
cocoa farmers
have drying sheds
with special platforms
on wheels, facilitating
an easier withdrawal,
should a rain fall.
T gave me a large
piece of plastic that
next door's new bed
came wrapped in.
Works for me
and, best of all,
the sun is
shining.

Of Irrigation and Cocoa

I have sadly neglected
this blog and am cross
with myself for having
done so. It was not my
intention, just time and
stuff, I suppose. Not to
say that Corn Buck has
been neglected, quite the
opposite in fact. We have
been able to abandon all
chemicals and now fertilize
using only the pen manure
from the cow.The irrigation
system that T set up has
been invaluable with the
dry spell that has been in
evidence this last week
or so. No real dry season this
year so far but the basil were

glad of the extra wetting.


The highlight of my week
was purchasing a cocoa knife,
something I have longed for.
Finally, I am able to pick
cocoa unaided. The trees
themselves are few and far
between, old and diseased
and damaged by Ivan, but I
am very fond of them and
love making our very own
hot chocolate.








T cut a long bamboo
and fixed the knife on
the end and reminded me
how to use it and how to
tell the pods that are ready
from the ones that are
not.
The knife has two blades,
one straight edge that you
push up to cut and one
hooked, that you pull,
depending on which is
appropriate for the
individual pod.
Sometimes a combination
of both methods.
It is also helps if you
cutlass below the tree first
in order to see where the pods
land.

Beautiful aren't they?
Just to crack and
put them to dry
tomorrow.

January to date

January has been surprisingly wet, we have had a lot of rain that has
enabled us to keep planting when we may have been spending a lot
of time with irrigation , however, a main drain required re digging.
Dasheen and tannia, sweet potato, saffron, (turmeric) ginger, cocoa,
nutmeg and the first mangoes, are all ready.
A bountiful if busy month lies ahead.

We picked the cocoa that was ripe and put the beans to dry in the sun,
on a piece of galvanise that we put back in the shed if a rain falls.
I try to limit myself to one turmeric plant per day, wash off the soil in
the river, before bringing the tubers home, to scrub, chip and dry on a tray
in the sun. When they are totally dry I will grind them, a little at a time.
The dwarf beans, either from weeding or virus, have developed a similar
mildew as sometimes afflicts the pumpkin and cucumber, but we had a
good crop and they were delicious.
We have started to weed those beds now, to plant corn and


















T has planted carrots were the sweet potato were and we began cutlassing below
the remaining 8 nutmeg trees.
The seed tray behind the house is full of cabbage, tomato, more lettuce, eggplant,
basil and oregano seedlings, I wonder if it matters that they are bedded together?
They should be ready for transplanting next week. The cauliflower that were
planted the other week are doing well, those that have not been eaten by a night
time visitor, and the celery and okra are fine. T went to town today and sold 50
lettuce and a box full of basil, which is really becoming popular now that people know
who he and what it is .
Now if we could just resolve the access road situation and maybe,
just maybe, buy a donkey.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, especially to all small farmers,
may it be a bountiful one. Today found us restoring some order
to the bamboo that T cut last week by the river
where it was barring the light and the breeze.

Caution has to be exercised when cutting bamboo.

It likes to cut you back.

We also weeded the basil

Which will be moled and given pen manure this week.
The weather was very kind to us today, misty with drizzle and cool.