"I Love This Bar" in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Yesterday evening when Rose and I were driving back from our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize we ‘bumped’ in to Carlo Segura. Carlo is one half of the (deadly) duo that is opening a bar & restaurant on the opposite side of the road to TMM. I broke (sounds dramatic doesn’t it) this news exclusively with a ‘teaser’ in last Tuesday’s edition and followed this up with further information in last…

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"Good Times" in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Up slightly later yesterday morning at 5.15 am. The ‘penalty’ for going to Pedro’s Inn last night to see and hear the Midtown Violets. We are really pleased that we did. Two very talented girls playing a mix of the ‘classics’ and their own stuff (which, by the way, was very good). After a couple of mugs of black coffee I felt that I had rejoined the land of the living and headed off to Estel’s…

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"Mother's Little Helper" for Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Didn’t get up until 7 am yesterday morning. A real lie in! Probably the consequence of going to the Roadkill Bar the previous night and having one (or two) drinks too many! I awoke with a clear head though. Which was just as well because I had received some draft schedules for a contract from an ex-colleague in the UK that he wanted me to review. So with the essential mug of black coffee made I…

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“Magical Mystery Tour“ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

“Magical Mystery Tour“ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Since publishing the last edition a load of people (OK, I’m exaggerating , it’s two people ) have contacted me asking how ‘things’ are going in Q Gardens so I thought I should ‘knock out’ an edition to provide an update for those of you (that’s all two of you ) that are interested. For regular readers of this blog I’ll jog your memory as to what Q Gardens looked like when ‘we’ left it. Fairly…

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“Homegrown Tomatoes” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Homegrown Tomatoes” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

In the last edition ,under supervision by the Head Gardener, Rose, I hung the string on some of the hooks on the roof beams and Rose got to work fashioning a trellis for some of the tomatoes and cucumbers we are trying to grow . We then waited for the plants to entwine themselves with the trellis and grow , hopefully produce flowers that would help to pollinate and eventually producing tomatoes…

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“Puppet on a String “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Puppet on a String “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

If you read the last edition (if you didn’t then you SHOULD ) you’ll recall that I was slowly but surely (and, I might add, very tiredly) filling up the raised beds with soil. As I toiled with the soil (nice ring to it that, doesn’t it ) Rose, the Head Gardener of Q Gardens, watched on intently. Or perhaps impatiently is the word I should use for her emotional state at that time ! She had…

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“Stronger” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Stronger” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

With our greenhouse built and named it was time for the hard work to begin. Covering the tree trunks and branches in the raised beds. But first to organise a delivery of soil (or , as it’s colloquially known in Belize, black dirt ). I did what I always do when we are purchasing something that will run into hundreds of dollars. I contacted the suppliers to get prices . And then see how much I can…

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“Love Letters” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Love Letters” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

A few editions ago I mentioned that Rose and I had drawn up a list of things in and around Highbury House that we wanted to tackle. Well, when we discussed our greenhouse project initially with Moses we told him what we wanted done and asked if he could do it . He answered, as we fully expected, in the affirmative. One aspect of the house that had virtually always seemed incongruous to us – yes,…

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“Little by Little” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Little by Little” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

If you read the previous edition , which by the way I ‘knocked out’ , shortly after I’d got up around 04.30 hours , while I drank a couple of mugs of back , unsweetened instant coffee, you know that the next stage of work on the greenhouse was connecting electricity and water. First though we had to have the hugely rust ridden D Switch replaced. Nicholas, Moses’ younger brother, was going to…

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“Big Log” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Big Log” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Knowing that windows for the greenhouse were about to be fitted I woke up slightly before 04.00 hours, made my mug of black, unsweetened instant coffee and read what Mikel Arteta, he’s Manager of Arsenal had to say the previous day at a press conference. With the season my team is having I was looking for any good news ! I didn’t really get any, it was more of an injuries update. Oh well, at…

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“Look Through Any Window “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Look Through Any Window “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

I can’t say that I got up bright and early. At the time I usually get up – anywhere between 04.00 – 05.00 hours – it’s dark, very dark. Ideal conditions for a mug , or two, of black, unsweetened instant coffee. And some quality time on my iPad before showering, dressing and heading down to Estel’s Dine By the Sea ((every day apart from Tuesdays (they’re shut)) for my breakfast. You’ve had enough…

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“When It Rains It Pours” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize .

“When It Rains It Pours” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize .

For as long as I can remember I’ve been an early riser. This probably stems from when I was around twelve to thirteen years of age and did an early morning newspaper delivery round (in the ‘dark ages’ when I was growing up you didn’t need to get dispensation to be able to work ) . The habit obviously formed. But since Covid 19 I am waking up even earlier. So, yesterday I got up and took my first…

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“Bringing on Back the Good Times “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Bringing on Back the Good Times “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Up bright and early this morning around 04.30 hours . Well I think it was around then but I can’t be precise because I don’t have a watch at the moment. I sent it to London (the place of its origin) in February for a service fully expecting to collect it in April when Rose and I made our annual visit to London . But we all know what happened then. Long term readers may recall that I started…

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“Don’t Stop Me Now “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Don’t Stop Me Now “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Yes, yes, I know. Another edition . Unbelievable isn’t it . But don’t stop me now because I’m having such a good time ! I could just publish all of the photos I took of the greenhouse being built in one edition but I’m not going to do that. Of course I’m not. I’m going to drag it out. And drag some of you along with me. So here is the next installment! In the last edition ‘we’ left the would-be…

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“I’m a Believer” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“I’m a Believer” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

The day that Rose and I had been waiting for eventually arrived. We got a ‘phone call from Moses. He was ready to start work on our greenhouse and I needed to order the building materials on the list he was going to send me. The list arrived as promised . I knew it would because I’m a believer and Moses always keeps his promises and I placed the order and the delivery was made. And I got to…

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“Still Waiting” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

“Still Waiting” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

In the last edition I wrote about the wood chipper I’d bought to be able to create a covering for the floor of our planned greenhouse and as a mulch for some of the vegetables we would eventually be planting. This ‘baby’ turned out to be a hungry Horace. As fast as I pruned the trees and bushes the wood chipper magically (OK I did have to ‘feed’ it ) turned them into mulch. And eventually I ran…

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‘“ The (Green ) House of the Rising Sun “ in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

If you’ve read the last two editions know that when Covid 19 struck Rose and I decided to involve ourselves in a number of projects from rejuvenating Highbury House to having a composter constructed. Enjoyable as our tipple sessions on the east facing veranda have been there is little doubt that ambitions became bigger and bigger as Rose , on either Belikin or Pinot Grigio and me with my Hyper…

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