THURSDAY FAVOURITE THINGS BLOG HOP - MY FAVOURITE BIRTHDAY MEMORY

    Janine and I were born on November 4. This is another birthday that she won't be with me physically but I know she will be with me in spirit. Over the years we enjoyed celebrating our birthday with our family. At times we would journey to various parts of our island,Jamaica. 
      As I think about a favourite birthday celebration I think Janine would agree that it was the celebration of our 21st birthday at the Trident Hotel in the parish of Portland. 
      When one visits  this parish one can see why it is renown for its beauty as the eyes are graced with lush green vegetation and the picturesque John Crow mountains.  It is also the home of the Blue Lagoon and Somerset and Reach Falls. 
     A must for many tourists is rafting on the Rio Grande. In addition it is a haven for those who love hiking and bird watching. One can also enjoy wonderful beaches and coves. It is no surprise therefore that it has been a popular tourist resort for famous writers and movie stars like Errol Flynn and Ian Fleming. 

          As bird enthusiasts we were thrilled to see birds there especially peacocks. It is only a pity that I did not get a picture of this bird boasting its beautiful tail.

  

 I take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Katherine from Katherine's Corner for choosing me to be the co-host this week. Katherine I am glad I met you in the Blogging world and you have helped me to focus on good times as I approach another birthday without my twin.   

Thursdays Favorite Things Hop is where you can link up your favorite post to share with old and new followers!
Here are the rules, yes there are rules. But just a few:
You must follow Katherines Corner. If you’re a new follower, please let her know and she'll follow back. Please also follow my blog too before you start hopping.
Leave a comment when you follow so we all know you stopped by.
No adult content blogs.
Blogs only please.
Follow as many other blogs in the list as you can. Just click and go.
Leave a sincere comment or message on each of the blogs you visit and follow so they know you stopped by.
Now hop on and lets share our favorites. If you’d like to post this blog hop on your page please just grab the linky code . Or if you would like to be a co-host please contact Katherine.


Please grab the hop button to share with others, you can copy and paste the image with a link to KatherinesCorner.com OR grab the code from Katherines Corner. It is on her blog's right sidebar.
It’s always nice to have the hop button on the post you link up.But it is NOT mandatory.

DELICIOUS JAMAICAN PATTIES

     Over the years a very important food item for Janine and me were Jamaican patties. When we were young we looked forward to our mom coming home with some delicious home-made patties made by a lady named Mrs. Thelma McCalla. Since then I have eaten many patties from different outlets but in recent years our favourites have been Juici beef Patties. I eat them almost every week.
      These days there are a wide variety of patties - beef, chicken, cheese, vegetables, lobster, shrimp, soy etc. I have eaten the beef and chicken ones and they taste great.  If you want to have an idea how to make a Jamaican patty check out Jamaican Recipes:JAMAICA BEEF PATTY. Below is a picture of 2 Juici beef Patties just before I devoured them!:)

SO GOOD TO BE INSPIRED!

      A few days ago I opened my kitchen window just before 6 in the morning here in Jamaica.  The sun was coming up and I saw the view featured below. There is just something about it that made me run for my digital camera! Here are 3 of the shots:

      Shortly afterwards  I saw an awesome Facebook status by another twinless twin, Frances Quinn. I immediately asked her if I could share it here as it has lifted my spirit so much as I face a  birthday later this week without my twin sister.  If you have also lost a relative or known someone who died from cancer I hope it helps you also:
     "What Cancer Cannot Do" - "Cancer is limited... It cannot cripple love. It cannot shatter hope. It cannot corrode faith. It cannot eat away peace. It cannot destroy confidence. It cannot kill friendship. It cannot shut out memories. It cannot quench the spirit. It cannot silence courage. It cannot reduce eternal life."

A FACEBOOK FAN PAGE AT LAST!

I have had a Facebook Profile for almost 3 years. Today I decided to take it to another level and start a Facebook Fan Page for this Blog -Judy H-J's Thoughts - a Twinless Twin I have seen a lot of Bloggers with Facebook Fan Pages and even liked many of them. I welcome anyone who wants to follow and let me know so that I can follow you back. If you wish I would also be happy to hear from those who have Fan Pages as to how they have benefitted from having one.

GOOD LUCK AGAIN!

      I won my first Blog giveaway recently and now I have won round #27 in a raffle at Writing.Com and received some well needed gift points.  The Power Reviewers group is an awesome group and we had a wonderful time reviewing poems, short stories etc. in this month's raid. They really rock and I am happy to be a member. 


      Below is a picture of a personal signature that was given to me by a member called Breaker.  He chose 2 birds that he said represent my twin and me.  I like the idea of us heading towards a rainbow!:) For more details about this you can see a post that I published in my early days of Blogging titled A WONDERFUL BIRD SURPRISE

A FAVOURITE WALL HANGING

My twin and I have had this wall hanging for over 20 years. It has graced the walls of our living-room in several places but now it is near to our bird figurine display unit!  Feathered friends flock together!:) It came all the way from England as a gift from a pen-pal. I hope to have it for many more years.

4 laughing babies

Very funny and cute! As someone born one of multiples I asked my mom if Janine and I ever laughed together when we were babies. She said that she remembers on occasions that both of us smiled and laughed at the same time. I know that at times Janine and I not only smiled and laughed together, we even uttered the same words in unison!:)  

FLOCK TOGETHER BLOG HOP 10/25

      Blogging has been part of the healing process for me since the death of my twin sister in 2008. Since I started this Blog in March of this year I have met many persons from around the world who have lifted my spirit on a daily basis with a wide range of interesting Blog Posts, comments etc. I thank all my Followers and the persons who have encouraged me along the way. I look forward to meeting many more persons. I want to say a special thank you to Mikki of Mom's Best Nest for choosing me to be the "Fine Feathered Friend" and guest host of the Blog Hop this week.

HAVE YOU JOINED NETWORKED BLOGS?!

     
    The days are moving so quickly and I can't believe that it is already almost 9 months since I started Blogging. Well, I noticed that several Bloggers are members of Networked Blogs on Facebook .  I decided to add my Blog last Thursday, October 20. I have already become a Follower of some Blogs that are listed there and will join others whenever I come across them on sites that I am following on Google Friend Connect etc.  Are you on Networked Blogs? What are your views about this network so far? I welcome Followers and will definitely follow back.

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY WIN HAS ARRIVED!

       When my brother checked the post office and informed me that I got a small packet from someone with the surname Hankins I said "Yes! The earrings have arrived!" Thank you very much Erin who has a wonderful Blog called Indiana Coupon Savings for having given me this opportunity. I love the earrings! Below is a picture of them. 


                             
                  Earrings have always been a favourite of my twin and me. You can learn more about this from my earlier post EARRINGS - A BIG FAVOURITE! We have worn a wide variety over the years and it was always a joy selecting the earrings that matched our outfits. We got our ears pierced when we were about 12 years old. I can't remember Janine and I being afraid of the needle then!:) Right now I can picture the small gold drop earrings which were given to us by our mother in those early days.