Lush And Green - 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.

Special thanks to my SPONSOR Miranda from PURELY BY ACCIDENT. Please visit her blog.

Mangoes Galore - 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.

Question Time

    Every weekend I will have  a blog post where I ask and answer questions. It is  a good way for readers to get to know more about me and also helps me to get feedback on a number of questions.  Are you a patriotic person who knows a lot about your country's history and geography? I  am patriotic and have some Jamaican souvenirs.   Jamaica celebrated its 51st anniversary of Independence last Tuesday, August 6.  I live in St. Mary, a parish situated in the North Eastern section of the  island.  Our national symbols are as follows :- national fruit - ackee, national flower - lignum vitae, national bird -The Jamaican Streamer Tail Hummingbird and national tree - Blue Mahoe.

Candle holders featuring our national bird

   As usual I am participating in Friendship Friday hosted by Create With Joy where the theme this week is Birthdays. What's your favourite way to celebrate your birthday?  Birthdays are rather quiet for me since my twin sister's death. We used to go places, have a special lunch and of course at home there would be cake and ice-cream.  Has anyone every planned a surprise party for you?  I have never had a surprise birthday party. We would go somewhere and not have parties.  What is your favourite cake and ice-cream combination? Any cake with icing and Grapenut ice-cream. Share your favourite birthday memory?  My favourite birthday memory was when my twin and I celebrated our 21st birthday in the beautiful parish of Portland,Jamaica. We had a nice meal at the Trident Hotel and it was great to see the birds roaming around. Here are pictures of that special birthday.

Also linking with:- Thursday Two Questions,Thirsty For Comments Thursday,The Blog Strut Peacock Style,Thursday Thoughts, Friendly Friday, Aloha Friday Blog Hop,You Like Me! Friday Blog Hop,The Weekend Blog Hop,Follow Who? Social Weekend Blog Hop,Riddle Me This, Lovin' The Readers Blog Hop, Weekend Social Mix Blog Hop,I Love My Post Blog Hop,Fun Friday Blog Hop,Make My Saturday Sweet,Let's Get Social Sunday,Show Off Weekend Blog Party,Weekend Wanderings, Let's Be Friends Blog Hop, What To Do Weekends,Breaking Rules Party, Feature Friday and Super Sunday Sync.

Nature's Serenity - 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.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY SPONSOR  - SEW CRAFTY ANGEL. PLEASE VISIT HER BLOG.

Nature's Shades Of Blue - 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.

Question Time

     Every weekend I will have a blog post where I ask and answer questions.  It is a good way for readers to get to know more about me and also help me to get feedback on a number of questions. Do you have pets?  I have always had pets and over the years they have been dogs. At this time we have 6 dogs! Yes, 6 dogs!
  As usual I am participating in Friendship Friday hosted by Create With Joy where this week the theme is This Land Is Your Land. 1.  Which country are you from?  I am from the Caribbean island of Jamaica and have lived here all my life. 2. How much of the country have you visited?  I have visited most of the parishes. 3. Which part of the country you would like to visit next?  I would like to visit Negril. It is on the other side of the island from where I live and has several miles of lovely white sand beaches.

Also linking with:-Thirsty For Comments Thursday,Thursday Thoughts, Friday Chaos, Aloha Friday Blog Hop,You Like Me! Friday Blog Hop,The Weekend Blog Hop,Follow Who? Social Weekend Blog Hop, Lovin' The Readers Blog Hop, Weekend Social Mix Blog Hop,Harvest Of Friends Weekend Blog Hop,I Love My Post Blog Hop,Friendly Friday Blog Hop,Fun Friday Blog Hop,Make My Saturday Sweet,Let's Get Social Sunday,Super Sunday Sync and Weekend Wanderings

Cruising in JA - Wordless Wednesday

Carnival Freedom docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica W.I.

Hurricane Sandy Photos - Wordless Wednesday Linky

Before Sandy's arrival

Sandy too strong for many banana trees

Sandy removed the leaves of these trees

More trees without leaves

This naseberry tree lost several branches

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

Back After Hurricane Sandy! - Creative Monday Linky

   I have been missing in action since Wednesday, October 24, the day Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Jamaica.  My parish, St. Mary, was among the hardest hit areas.  I have experienced storms and hurricanes including some above category 1 but this one was terrible. In my area we had to endure almost 12 hours of strong winds and rain. It did damage to our home and  I got back electricity late yesterday, my birthday! A wonderful birthday gift! Sandy also resulted in loss of life and damage in other countries. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who were affected in Jamaica, the U.S.A., Cuba, Bahamas, Haiti etc.
  Well, I had a quiet yet enjoyable birthday with my family. Here are pictures of my birthday lunch.

Country Style Seasoned Rice
Ingredients
3 cups of water
1 packet of  Grace Chicken Noodle Soup Mix
1 large onion
3 stalks of escallion
Hot Pepper Sauce
2 sprigs of thyme
2 lbs of rice
1 tin of mixed vegetables

Method
1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add Soup mix,onion, escallion, pepper sauce, thyme and rice and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce flame and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is fluffy.
4. Use a fork and stir in mixed vegetables. 
5. Serve hot.

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

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.

Mango Time - 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.

A Time To Celebrate!

     GETFREEIMAGE.COM


   This weekend will be a special long holiday weekend as Jamaica celebrates its 50th anniversary of Independence on Monday, August 6th. Over the years Janine and I eagerly looked forward to this time of the year.  Our favourite events leading up to the big day included the Festival Song or Popular Song competition, Festival Queen Contest, Mello- Go- Roun’, Gospel Song competition, Grand Gala etc. If it meant staying up late at night to see or hear who was the winner of a competition we would do so. Whenever there was a special fashion for festival we would also get dresses made up in the fashion.  This year the Jamaican colours can be seen in many places. 
   Well, what better time to list my Top 10 favourite things about my homeland:

                                                  1. Wonderful people

                                                  2. Beautiful Landscape

                                                  3. Rich and varied culture

                                                  4. Reggae music

                                                  5.Great athletes

                                                  6. Delicious cuisine

                                                  7. Racial tolerance

                                                  8. Democratic country

                                                  9  Flora and fauna.

                                                 10.Tropical climate

Jamaica Skyscape - 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.

Olympic Memories

Flag of Jamaica on Copyright Free Images

   
     I can hardly believe how quickly the London Olympic games have come around. I am here reminiscing about the last Olympics in 2008 when Jamaica did so well winning 6 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals.  My family including my twin sister Janine and brother Sutcliffe were glued to the television for many of the major events. Our favourite has always been athletics although we have shown interest in a wide variety of sports.

    The death of my twin almost killed my interest in sports and it was quite a struggle to regain it.  Nevertheless I have always been determined to do everything to cope. As I write this post and consider how things have changed in my life over the last 4 years I ask myself this question “What would Janine and Sutcliffe want for me?” Without any doubt I know that they would both want me to enjoy these games. That is what I aim to do as I recall this powerful saying "Have faith in God and no matter what happens in life you will find strength." – Catherine Pulsifer

    This year Jamaica celebrates its 50^th anniversary of Independence and we look forward to our athletes doing their best and the Jamaican flag flying high.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken - Creative Monday Blog Hop

    Jamaica celebrates its 50th year of Independence this year and I gladly take the opportunity to share things Jamaican. Jerk chicken is very popular and a big favourite of my family and me.  A great way to find out more about this dish and how it is prepared can be found here - JAMAICA Travel and Culture.com - Jerk Chicken

     

   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.

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.