Jamaica - My Homeland

This year is a special year as Jamaica celebrates 50 years of Independence. Below is a poem that I wrote about my homeland.

Jamaica my tropical homeland

Is a place to enjoy sea, sun and sand.

A rich culture here abounds,

Come listen to the pulsating reggae sounds.

Delicious cuisine includes a national dish,

We call it ackee and saltfish.

Spices and herbs provide a sizzling flavour,

A wide range of food you will truly savour.

Blue Mountain coffee is our own,

It has become world renowned.

You will be amazed at the variety of fauna,

Same is the case with our flora.

For sure you will find a big event,

Where many hours will be enjoyably spent.

Artwork and craft items you will want to purchase,

A visit to my paradise will be a memorable experience.

Lily in Sunshine - Wordless Wednesday Linky!

    Welcome to Wordless Wednesday hosted by Clairejustineoxox and Judy H-J's Thoughts where you can link up your Wordless and not so Wordless photo posts.

 

Chicken in Tomato Ketchup - Creative Monday Linky

1 Chicken

1 Onion chopped

Stalk of Escallion,
4 pegs of garlic

4 Tablespoons of Tomato Ketchup

1 Teaspoon of Sugar

1 carrot cut in strips

1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper ( Optional)

Black Pepper,

Salt to taste

Cooking Oil

Directions

1. Cut up chicken in small parts and wash with lime and water
2. Season with onion, escallion, pepper,garlic, salt, sugar, carrots and black pepper
3. Add 4 Tablespoons of Tomato Ketchup
4. Allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
5. Cover pot bottom with oil and place chicken in when oil is hot
6. Cook for about an hour and a half. Every 20 minutes stir pot. Add  a little water in pot and cover it for the final 20 minutes.

       Hello and welcome to Creative Mondays hosted by Clairejustineoxox and Judy H-J's Thoughts where you can link up all your creative posts each week.

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Musical Memories

     Here I am reminiscing on how much my twin sister Janine and I loved a wide variety of music. This specially comes to mind with the passing of 3 of our favourite singers in recent times - Whitney Houston, Donna Summer and Robin Gibbs of the Bee Gees. We liked so many of the songs from these singers. This month also brings back memories of Jamaica's late reggae super star Bob Marley who passed away some 31 years ago on May 11, 1981.

    I continue to love music and listen to a lot of it on the radio and watch my favourite music shows on weekends.  As Bob Marley once said " One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."
    

Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop

    Welcome to Wordless Wednesday hosted by Clairejustineoxox and Judy H-J's Thoughts where you can link up your Wordless and not so Wordless photo posts

Tropical Landscape

Cabarita Island

Cabarita Island and part of Port Maria, St. Mary, Jamaica West Indies

 

Potato Carrot Salad - Creative Monday Linky

      I am a big fan of potato salad and from time to time try new recipes of it. Here is one that I tried recently. It was tasty!

POTATO CARROT SALAD

Ingredients

6 Irish Potatoes cubed

1 big onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, scraped and grated

1 tablespoon of butter

Salt to taste

Black pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaisse

Directions
Add a teaspoon of salt in 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Boil potatoes for about 20 minutes.

Drain the water off.

Add the butter, onion, carrot, black pepper and mayonnaise, then toss.
Spoon into a bowl and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

                                                  

      Hello and welcome to Creative Mondays hosted by Clairejustineoxox and Judy H-J's Thoughts where you can link up all your creative posts each week.


1. Link up your Crafty, Recipe, DIY, Fashion, Creative writing, Photo, Family Tutorials, Favourite, Helpful, Make-up, Outfit or anything creative posts here...

2. Link as many posts up as you like...

3. Please visit a few posts and leave comments

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Happy Creative Monday and have a great week.   


                                                     

Lift Your Spirit!

Source: sawdustcityllc.com via JUDY on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via JUDY on Pinterest

Source: luxefinds.com via JUDY on Pinterest

Sky, Sea & Serenity

                                       

7 Ways To Follow Wednesday Blog Hop

       

 Hello and welcome to the 7 Ways Wednesday Blog Hop where you can add the link you want to find new followers for.Add your blog or link and state how you want to be followed in your title e.g Fun for all-Twitter ,7 ways you would like to be followed by Linky Tools,Google Friends Connect,Google +,Networked blogs,Facebook,Twitter or Pinterest ...

The rules are ....

1. Please follow your host Clairejustineoxox by any or all of the above...

2.Please follow your co-host Judy H-J's Thoughts by any or all of the above and don't forget to let us know so we can follow back...

3.Link up your Linky Tools,Google Friends Connect,Google +,Networked blogs,Facebook,Twitter or Pinterest pages...

4. Please check out others on the hop and follow the ones you like....                                                     

Mother's Day Tribute - Creative Monday Linky

      The second Sunday in May is celebrated as Mother's Day in Jamaica and several countries. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to my mother with an acrostic poem that I wrote based on the word STRENGTH. I have no doubt that it is her faith in God and inner strength that have helped her after becoming a young widow in her 40s and losing 2 children - Janine in 2008 and Sutcliffe in 2011.

                               Steadfast in her faith despite life's terrible blows

                               There for her children through thick and thin

                               Resolute in trusting God as her Saviour

                               Enduring tremendous loss on life’s journey

                               Never faltering in her duties as a mother

                               Giving us support when we needed it most

                               Thankful for the children that she brought into the world

                               Here fighting on until her Saviour calls her home.

      Hello and welcome to Creative Mondays hosted by Clairejustineoxox and Judy H-J's Thoughts where you can link up all your creative posts each week.


1. Link up your Crafty, Recipe, DIY, Fashion, Creative writing, Photo, Family Tutorials, Favourite, Helpful, Make-up, Outfit or anything creative posts here...

2. Link as many posts up as you like...

3. Please visit a few posts and leave comments

4. It would be great if you could grab the Creative Monday button and place it somewhere on your blog...

5. We would love for you to follow some way by GFC,Google+,Facebook, Twitter or Email.

Happy Creative Monday and have a great week.

A Book I Must Read!

  

     I am always eager to read books about twin loss from various authors  having experienced it myself. I must therefore thank Jeff Umbro, Digital Marketing Manager of Goldberg McDuffie Communications for informing me about yet another book available on this subject. He is working on the publicity campaign and shared the following information with me:-

   “I hope you have heard of BEGINNING WITH THE END: A Memoir of Twin Loss and Healing by Mary Rockefeller Morgan (Vantage Point; Publication date: May 31, 2012). With the rise in twin births, Morgan’s book is very timely. In it, she shares the deeply candid story of her journey to heal from and accept the death of her twin brother, shedding interesting light on the subject of twin grief.

   When Mary Morgan was twenty-three-years-old tragedy changed her life forever when her twin brother Michael Rockefeller disappeared off the remote coast of New Guinea while on an anthropology expedition. Given that their father was Nelson A. Rockefeller, then Governor of New York, it was a worldwide news event, with repercussions that Mary would confront for the rest of her life: Michael was never found. Following Michael’s tragic disappearance was a twenty-seven-year repression of her grief and unconscious denial of his death, which she allowed to control her relationships and life.

  In BEGINNING WITH THE END, Morgan shares poignant memories of Michael, the one person with whom she had shared everything, while revealing her spiritual healing process. In the course of telling her story, she provides fascinating insight into the subject of bereavement, particularly the complexities of twin loss, which inspired her to pursue her Masters in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University and counsel twinless twins for the past fifteen years. Through her personal and professional experiences, she reveals the anguish and isolation brought on by the death of a loved one and the silent, subtle ways in which it can seize your life in order to open up the dialogue on the grief process.

   A beautifully honest story, BEGINNING WITH THE END will resonate with all readers who have lost someone close to them.

   Mary R. Morgan, L.M.S.W. is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in working with twinless twins. She lectures on the subject of twin loss and has led a bereavement group for twins whose twin died in the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. She is married and lives in New York.”

    As I await my copy I wish Mary success with this book and her continued work with helping twinless twins on a very difficult journey. Persons can learn more by becoming a fan of the BEGINNING WITH THE END Facebook Fan Page at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/beginningwiththeend

Spot The Bird!

     Janine and I have always had pictures of birds among our collection.  In the meantime I have considered taking pictures of birds some day. It has been difficult to get close enough to any bird but I managed to get some of the Cattle Egret.

7 Ways To Follow Blog Hop

  
 Hello and welcome to the 7 Ways Wednesday Blog Hop where you can add the link you want to find new followers for.Add your blog or link and state how you want to be followed in your title e.g Fun for all-Twitter ,7 ways you would like to be followed by Linky Tools,Google Friends Connect,Google +,Networked blogs,Facebook,Twitter or Pinterest ...

The rules are ....

1. Please follow your host Clairejustineoxox by any or all of the above...

2.Please follow your co-host Judy H-J's Thoughts by any or all of the above and don't forget to let us know so we can follow back...

3.Link up your Linky Tools,Google Friends Connect,Google +,Networked blogs,Facebook,Twitter or Pinterest pages...

4. Please check out others on the hop and follow the ones you like....

Favourite Fruit - Creative Monday Linky

      Hello and welcome to Creative Mondays hosted by Clairejustineoxox and Judy H-J's Thoughts where you can link up all your creative posts each week.

                                                          

    My family and I love pineapples especially the Sugar Loaf variety. I prefer them when they are just reaped but sometimes I buy them sold in tins. I enjoyed these pineapple chunks recently. A wonderful dessert!

           

     I also enjoy dishes which include pineapples.  I have tried a few but I prefer them baked. The picture below shows some we baked with cherries. A little sugar was sprinkled on them. 

                                          

Enchantment & Appreciation!

  Thanks to Albert, a student, biologist and journalist  who recently passed on two Blog awards to me. He has a very interesting Blog How To Become An Einstein?  I am truly grateful that you think I am worthy of these two awards Albert!  There are so many wonderful Blogs that I follow!  Well, let me now pass on the Enchanted award to some of them:

*Every Day Is A Country Song 
*Comedy Plus
*Clairejustineoxox
*One Moment In Time
*Yee Wittle Things
*Happy Accidents
*Katherine's Corner
*Where Nothing Good Comes Easy
*Sakura Hakura
*Cheerfulnuts
*The Personal Blog of seriousnuts
*JamericanSpice
*Reflexions
*Judy's Handmade Creations
*The Mommyhood Chronicles
*Home to 4 Kiddos
*momto8blog
*AboutBloggingTime!
*Gumdrop Pass
*Sippy Cup Chronicles
*Skylar
*Flour Me With Love
*Tots and Me
*Notes from the Nelsens
*Mom's Best Nest

          The appreciation award I pass on to the Bloggers above, the followers of my Blog, the Bloggers that I follow and all readers. Thanks for your support. I truly appreciate it.

Lychees Bring Back Memories

    My twin sister Janine and I enjoyed lychees from this tree a few weeks before her death in 2008.  It was planted by my late brother Sutcliffe and is now bearing more than ever.  

7 Ways To Follow Blog Hop

  

   Hello and welcome to the 7 Ways Wednesday Blog Hop where you can add the link you want to find new followers for.Add your blog or link and state how you want to be followed in your title e.g Fun for all-Twitter ,7 ways you would like to be followed by Linky Tools,Google Friends Connect,Google +,Networked blogs,Facebook,Twitter or Pinterest ...

The rules are ....

1. Please follow your host Clairejustineoxox by any or all of the above...

2.Please follow your co-host Judy H-J's Thoughts by any or all of the above and don't forget to let us know so we can follow back...

3.Link up your Linky Tools,Google Friends Connect,Google +,Networked blogs,Facebook,Twitter or Pinterest pages...

4. Please check out others on the hop and follow the ones you like....