Dear readers, far and near,
It’s a Saturday night now, isn’t it? Guess what…here I was going to go out, treat myself to a nice dinner – since everyone else is away for the night – relax, have a nice time. But then that nasty thing called Exhaustion got in the way, the close friend of Plastering, who always follows just a few steps behind, lurking quietly, ready to take revenge for one’s time spent with Plastering. I did indeed covet Plastering’s attention all morning, getting quite a lot of progress made; 2 1/2 sections of ceiling, as well as most of the bathroom floor! I seem to have finally somewhat mastered a technique of getting (some) plaster to stick to the ceiling, albeit a slow and painful process during which half of the cement seems to end up coating my face. Unpleasant.
Our new volunteer, Hannah, has not yet run away screaming in terror, so I believe that I can say her stay is going well! She has been making great progress on clearing and planting up by the Nid, as well as learning to mix cement, de-vine trees, and digging trenches for pipes – quite a productive first week despite several power outages, rain from hurricane Gonzallo (we had only a little rain and no wind, unlike poor St Martin, where some 30 boats were wrecked as well as damage ashore – less than 200 miles from here), and Julie’s tumble from a ladder on Monday, resulting in a slow week for her. Julie, sadly, will be leaving us a week from today, after 2 months with us during which we’ve got so much done on the Nid, the garden, and everything else. I’ve no idea how the months have passed so quickly!
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve expanded the Nid clearing significantly: leaving all of the established trees, but clearing out the small (prickly) undergrowth. In the front area we’ve planted Ti (ornamental/shade/privacy though a sweet beverage can be made from the stalks and roots, supposedly), Moringa, Haitian Abricot, Lemongrass, and Spanish Thyme, and will soon add in some Cacao and Root Ginger. I’ll be planting out a Surinam Cherry and a Tangerine tree along with ground cover and chilli bushes once the bulk of the cement work is done on the Nid – until then I risk burning the plants with the cement. Deer are destroying all of my sweet potato plants, chewing the ginger, and trampling or stripping the leaves from the hibiscus starts and the chaya: soon I’ll either have a dog to chase them off, or a freezer full of venison, nicely fattened on hibiscus and seasoned with ginger.
It’s been a busy week, all in all! Not only is Cruzan Gardens maintaining a full stock of Nidulari products, but they are now accepting sourdough bread orders for pick up on Wednesday afternoons, 4-5pm. You may place your orders through them or with me directly – please be sure to specify White, Whole Grain, or Caraway Rye, provide your name and a means of contact, and remember to pick your order up! Cynthia also grows the very best Carambolas (star fruit), along with passion fruit, okra, golden apples, and other goodies. Stop by and check it out! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cruzan Gardens, they are located on Midland Road, halfway between the Mon Bijou stoplight and Annally Farms, across from Sejah Farm’s pastures.
I think that’s about it for the week, and bodes for an early night for me! Old age, I tell you.
Nidulari 
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