Sunnyside Garden

The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer Gods heart in a garden, Than anywhere else on earth.

(Dorothy Frances Gurney)

Inscribed on the back of an old wooden bench in the garden, I think this is one of my mother's favourite sayings. She and my father have toiled tirelessy over the past almost 40 years to develop and maintain what is now known as Sunnyside Garden. Although both had busy working lives, they immersed themselves in the garden, with my mother focussing on feasts for the eyes and my father on food for the belly.


Sunnyside, originally part of a larger property called Darlington was purchased in the 1920s by my grandparents. In the early '80s my mother bought the land next door, and began the herculean challenge of creating a vibrant tropical garden from bush. The feel of this second phase was far more tropical and less formal that the earlier Sunnyside phase, but is still fully integrated into the overall "Sunnyside Garden".

An old 'copper' or 'taiche' provides a container for some lilies. The zoysia grass in this section is left to bulk up, so it's about knee high.

A romantic and serene resting place? The reality of the tropics means that if the hammock were to be left out in the weather, it would be mildewed and rotten in no time...so it goes in at night.

A profusion of colour provided by a bed of various bromeliads, alocasia, cordylines, sealing wax palms and..that's it, that's all I know...In the background is the trunk of perhaps the only Baobab in Grenada, who knows how it got there...

Palms, cashew trees and a mango jostle for space with a mahogany, maybe over 100 years old, whose base is covered with bromeliads. See more photos of Sunnyside Garden here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=227403&id=555683267&l=ab41e5748a

 

Saying Goodbye Is never Easy

Yup, it's been sold. After sitting in the garage, sometimes not, for close on 5? years, I finally washed and shampooed it, changed the fuel pump, and another bit, and it eventually started, and ran like a baby (where does that saying come from?). Sounds easy but it was quite some hours...at times I despaired and almost called Fatman to come and take it for free....
From this angle, you can't tell that the windshield was bent from the kiss of a bulldozer blade, or that it rolled over one day when it was left on an incline in neutral with the handbrake down...or that the front was the really rusty bit.
There were lots of enquiries. Does it have a top? Does it have a/c? How many miles on the clock? (Its 20 years old - what do you think...). Eventually this guy came round to have a look. I'll give you $5,000 he said. I said, hmm, you want me to start it for you? You want to drive it? He didn't.
I said, it isn't licensed or insured...He handed over the cash, I wrote a receipt on a piece of paper and he drove off....

The Cooper and the Barrel

The art of coopering is an important process in the art & science of rum ageing. The Cooper is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the barrels used for ageing rum, all once used oak barrels. This hammer and purpose built chisel are used for driving the hoops down the barrel.

Once used oak barrels being prepared for filling with rum. Straw helps seal between the staves. Once the hoops are knocked down they'll be filled with rum which is then left to age for anywhere up to 25 years. Ageing in the tropics is about 3 times faster than in temperate climes, so expect the flavour to develop much faster and to lose up to 10% every year from evaporation - the Angel's Share..

Rivets, punches to fasten the hoops

Proud team of Coopers

Piggy Goes to Market

Caught Redman's Sow sticking her nose through the gate of her pen, apparently she does it for all visiting photographers....see how the hole is worn round

Hard to believe, but the runt in the corner is one of this litter "lassie", the last one to come out. Looking at the picture we can imagine the exclusionary behaviour from its larger siblings, access only to food scraps inhibiting growth...scary, animal farm-like...

Evening of Words at Spice of Life

An evening of words and song, Sunday May 31st. This is a mood shot, handheld, no flash.

Varia emphasising a point

Karen does a mixture of song and lyric. Click here to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQz6VbIOmMg

Another mood shot with Alison Sealey Smith on stage (verandah), complete with extra lighting installed by me the same day.

A collection of the pieces:

Bad-johns

These guys were sitting on a wall outside a show I was attending. They were like - hey man, what you doing with that camera? I only have it for style I said, so I could get into the show for free, it wasn't even working....they almost fell off the wall laughing, so did I, it was really funny - you had to be there. Anyway after that they were happy to pose for a shot, or to be shot. Someone from the show asked if they were bothering me, they have a reputation, he said....

Israel Lovell Foundation Fundraiser

Varia drums with the Israel Lovell Foundation, a comunity group. They're raising funds for a trip to Guyana and these are some shots from the fundraisng dinner dinner show all for the princely sum of $25.

This is shot a without flash, gives it more mood. They're preparing to start their piece.

Everyone else is pretty serious, but Varia is in the groove, happy as pappy.

The cast on stage for the finale

Here's a second video: