Meet Henry Gooding

When Isaiah my 7yr old was 3 he became fascinated with the telephone, (as is usual with three year olds). He would pick up the phone and have imaginary conversations. It was during one of these 'conversations' that my husband and I met Mr Henry Gooding.



Kieth and I would sit and listen as he conversed on the phone and the conversations always ended with Isaiah saying 'ok goodbye' and then he hung up.





This went on for a few weeks until one day we decided to ask for fun who was it he was speaking with, knowing fully well that there was no one on the other line.



To our surprise he replied Henry Gooding. That was strange, we thought we knew no one by that name and he did not have a toy with that name either, we racked our brains trying to think of where he could have gotten that name, to give to his imaginary friend on the telephone!



A few days later he again picked up the phone and started his 'conversation' , this time I listened for him to end the conversation in the usual manner by saying 'ok goodbye', just before he hung up I asked to speak to Henry Gooding, he gave me the phone.



On the line I could hear the operator saying the usual 'please hang up and try your call again this is a recording' It clicked immediately and i started laughing hysterically 'a recording' was Henry Gooding!!



That was more than four years ago but it is still funny to Keith and me up to this day!!



Just a little walk down memory lane, lest i forget!

Buffy's Not Alone (My pigeon saga)

I have a love-hate relationship with pigeons, depends on which part of my life I am speaking about, I should really call it a love-tolerate-hate relationship.

The Love (1) - As a child, my brothers all older than i am loved to take care of pigeons, they were homing pigeons i suppose and they would actually race them, not sure how that was arranged, you know if they would have the sky markers for the 100m or whatever because i was about six or seven years old at the height of the pigeon racing era of my brothers. I loved them because they were contained, and actually I thought them to cute, and the excitement felt by my brothers and their friends over their pigeons was definitely contagious.

The Love (2) As an adult already married and a mom of one (Isaiah) my father developed Alzheimer's, he was a businessman all his life and always on the go, but with the onset of Alzheimer's he stayed at home with my mom who took excellent care of him. there were about three or four pigeons that would sit on the electricity line outside my parents' home and my dad would throw his leftovers for them. Well apparently pigeons can smell a meal ticket a mile away, because the numbers grew and soon it was no longer leftovers my parents were actually preparing rice to throw at the pigeons on a daily basis!! the number of pigeons that would show up for lunch went from three or four, to twenty to well over a hundred! It was truly an amazing sight to see my dad feeding the pigeons then, because the Alzheimer's was progressing and he was beginning to forget the names of some of his 12 children, but he always remembered to feed those birds every day. School children gathered from the neighbourhood primary (elementary) school excitedly on their lunch break to observe the daily gathering of the pigeons. It gave my dad so much joy to see the kids enjoy the 'show'.

The Tolerance - I was very close to my due date of my pregnancy with Isaiah, apparently I have a very comfy uterus because my due date came and went and Isaiah did not budge! So I again visited the hospital this time with bag and baggage as we say in Trini, with out even a hint of pain and declared I was not leaving until the kid is out because i was fed up of being pregnant! Heck i was two weeks over my due date!! So the doctor on duty decided to give me a bed and I can wait for my contractions there, I was just happy not to go back home again still pregnant. So my bed was close to the window and I was on the 6th floor or so and i could see the roofs of other hospital buildings around, of course all old government buildings in the Caribbean has pigeons in the roofs and the buildings i could see were no exception. The one night of observation and waiting for contractions turned to two and stretched eventually to 12! by the third day I was bored out of my skull and before i knew it i was staring at the pigeons and became really fascinated with them. I started naming them, there was Marty, and Beatrice, they were married and had two kids. Another pigeon couple was Delores and Peter, they were newlyweds and lived downstairs of Marty and Beatrice, I had sooo much fun after that because they became a soap opera for me, complete with conversations, depending on how they flew away from the building I would know if they flew away in anger or just to go to the supermarket.

When my sisters visited me I told them about the pigeons and the drama in their lives, but somehow they just did not get it. In fact they looked kind of worried. But those pigeons got me through a super long pregnancy and 12 boooring days waiting for the pain of contractions which never came but that's a whole other blog.

The hate - Well no major hate story but lets face it. they are rats with wings!!

The Micro Mini

A mini vacation is a weekend away, what do you call one day away? A micro-mini! I mentioned to some that the hubby and I were taking the kids to a Beach hotel for the weekend, however on Friday morning the hotel called and informed us there was a blackout in the area and they did not know when electricity would return, so we decided to not to take the chance of staying in a hotel in a remote area with no lights or other stuff, particularly with kids in tow. If it were just hubby and I well........................ that would be fun actually!

We called another hotel and booked for a day-special, where we would spend the day (Saturday) and have lunch and of course use of the fun infinity pool!

This hotel is really lovely, the views are breathtaking and the food is scrumptious!! While we are on the topic of food, did you notice my tummy?? hee hee I actually haven't been in front of the camera for a while and my hair is totally i mean TOTALLY not fashionably combed!!! What business do I have taking pics of me and posting them on my blog?! Well it is my blog and I have friends here.

So off we went, it was a lovely country drive and the kids behaved like angels! Does that mean Isaiah is growing up? I mean usually on our long drives we have to threaten to stop the vehicle countless times! If he is not harassing his sister, he is complaining about a snack he did not get or something else! So I complimented the heck out of him when we got to the hotel and he took it all in and smiled.

It was really a fun day for all of us, we will still go to the beach hotel in a week or so.

.This is the view from the dining patio

Navigating dessert!

Isaiah being Goofy!

A blog waiting to happen...............................

When I think back on the pre-blogging days, I realise how much blogging was inevitable for so many of us, do you guys remember Justine's crazy pics on RMS haaaaaaaaaaa! They were so much fun, but of course they werent apprecieated by all! And who could forget schmecky's backyardigan posts! Girl you were a hoot with those. I too had my moments, I posted pics of my little girl in her Easter finery on RMS and of course recieved a comment like "this is Rate My Space not Rate My Child".

We would have these loooong discussions and the poor RMS authorities did not know what to do! I know many of us have outgrown RMS because of blogland, the love and appreciation shared and felt here cannot be compared. I will always take a peek now and then at RMS because of my love of home decor, however blogland is my first stop on my computer.

Blogging proves that you don't have to be a superstar diva to have others interested in what you have to say or what you do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that we excitedly read about a trip to the grocery store? or enjoy reading the ever popular 7 random things?

So this is just another short post to say hello to everyone, because I am off again for another week! I will be around for the rest of the evening and Monday morning so post early so I can read them before I leave!

Yeh I'm Strange Like That

I have this strange thing, or quirk so to speak that I wish to share with you guys today, because we are all friends here right? and after reading this I know you won't think I'm a weirdo. Right.............right? OK what's with the silence? Any way if after reading this if any of you have the same cumpulsion please let me know. (insanity, like misery loves company)

It has to do with our profile pictures or the picture on our blogs, because I have never met any of you, or spoken to any of you, the only thing I have to go with when communicating is your picture, particularly when reading your comments to my brilliant blogs.

For instance, Justine's pic is of her hugging her adorable girls, in my head whileI am reading her comments on mine or another person's blog blog, I picture her speaking while constantly hugging her kids!

Sheila in Note Songs, boy that smile! It is so open and welcoming you think she will give you a big smothering hug and then take you in her home and feed you, I imagine her voice as sort of high pitched and pleasant. On a recent entry on her blog Sheila mentioned she is always smiling! See I was right!

Bridget becase she looks so calm and serene in her picture I always hear a calm and soothing voice when she speaks. I also think she never gets angry.

Becky because her head is at an angle in her pic, she looks like she is just popping in to say 'hi!' and then maybe her head will pop away from the photo just as suddenly. And she has a mischievous smile in the photo as well which influenced how i see her in my quirky head!

Glenda aka Tootsie even before telling us that she had a high pitched voice I imagined that's what her voice would have sounded like. Her profile picture is of her in her green house, so to me, of course she is always there!

From Kady's photo I imagine her speaking to us 'on the go' because in her photo she looks like she's stepping out to go somewhere!


French speaks to me in a blushing, laughing voice because she is being kissed on the cheek by handsome hubby!

Penny you know what I'm gonna say....... you should speak up! youre so gosh darn far away!! LOL!!


Buffy..................hmm, what can I say, she looks beautiful in her photo, and so sane which is the misleading part because she is such a classifed nutcase!!

Kathy, well actually your blog say so much! Your adventures keep me in stitches and I see that in your picture!!

Deb you look as you sound, you remind me of bridget, calm and fun person!

Ahhh and the faceless?! You are the shy bloggers! C'mon Gollum, damnemptynester, braincoral, jujuboo, show us who you are!! Cuz in my mind you guys are behind these curtains speaking to me and it is not so much fun as seeing you guys!



I started this blog a while ago but had yet to figure out the link thingy! now that I got it (thanks for the tip Justine!) I can link away!!

I thought I would use this particular blog to say 'hello' to all my friends in blogland, because I am not at home during the week for the next 4 weeks, so my weekend is when I can catch up on blogs I missed and touch base with you guys!

Well I'm off to catch up on more blogs and videos!

Who dont like it, lay down side it!

The title for this blog comes from a Trinidadian saying where a mother will cook food for her family, and any member of the household that is not pleased with the day's offering could very well not eat but lie next to the food!! (I never got it either)

The idea for my blog entry today came from a fellow blogger from Jolly old England Squared Off I read of some of the food that England had to offer and some of it looked really gross and some not so gross! Surprisingly some of it I thought was Trinidadian owned like the black pudding! I know pudding is popular in England but that particular type I thought was strictly Trinidadian! Live and learn. It is however really interesting to see what some countries consider every-day fare.

I would like to introduce to some of my local dishes and delicacies, and give you some idea of what goes into it and how it is prepared.

I must add that our population is roughly 1/2 Afro-Trinidadian and the other 1/2 East Indian-Trinidadian. So that Indian food is commonplace as well as African food!

My first dish is called 'doubles' it can be a snack, breakfast or even lunch! It is bought only on the street and is made up of two flat bread filled with curried Channa or what you guys may know as chick peas or garbanzo beans. What makes it delicious is the fillings like mango chutney and pepper!!

Another is calalloo I spent a long time looking for a picture of calalloo online until I remembered that I cooked calalloo today!! Pardon the pic though I used my camera phone as a friend borrowed my regular camera. Calalloo is made from a green leaf that has as it's root a ground provision called dasheen, so the dasheen grows in the ground and the calalloo bush grows above the ground and it is all used! To the calalloo bush you add okras, pumpkin, chive, celery, garlic and salt to taste you can throw in a few pieces of crab and even some salted pig tails for the extra flavor! It is a traditional Sunday dish that has it's roots in Africa.

So this is the dasheen 'bush' that grows on top of the dasheen that we use to make our calalloo.
And this is the ground provision that grows in the ground underneath the callalloo bush, we boil this 'dasheen' and eat it as a starchy part of any meal. It is usually blue when it is boiled and it tastes great with your Sunday meal or in a soup!

Coo-coo is another African dish that is very popular and goes well with calalloo, it is made with okra, carrots and seasonings and corn meal is added, it is somewhat like a bread, maybe similar to cornbread! (btw I made coo-coo today as well!)

Another immensely popular Indian dish is Roti, similar to doubles except the wrap is firmer kind of like a pita bread but softer and the wrap has split peas in it. In the wrap you normally have the chick peas as well as curried chicken, or beef, or goat! as well as curried potato. It is heavenly and very filling and fattening! (but all the good stuff are!)

I hope you enjoyed a taste of Trini cuisine, and I was also glad i could share 2 of my home-cooked local dishes with you guys today!!

Floating popcorn

Isn't mother-hood grand?? I mean the joy of counting your babies toes for the first time, is just unmatched. I will forever cherish the memories of seeing my son's first smile and my daughter walking for the first time (at 16months) I might add. We've all been there haven't we?

Young women ask me 'should i have kids?' they ask because they look at me and admire the way I come up with fun activities to do with my kids. So I go 'of course!!'

They ask 'what about child birth? I say 'oh it's not so bad'. I think if we accurately describe childbirth to young women there will be a drastic drop in the worldwide population!! As I am sure you have all been asked this question from those younger than us, i wonder at times if I should warn them about the..................... floating popcorn??.

Trinidad is hot, most of the time, and there is nothing I love more than a tall glass of iced water and a good book, but how is it my kids are aware they are thirsty only when I am settled with my glass of just-enough-ice-to-crunch-after water!?? This happened to me today, at high noon, of course the hottest time of the day, Miss Gabby asked me for some popcorn and I obliged, she was so happy she sang all the way to the kitchen

"la la la la la!

we're getting poooopcooorn!!"

"Mummy sing too!!"

so we sang, i microwaved the popcorn, took a bowl for myself as well and decide it will go great with a magazine and a glass of super cold iced water, I carefully combined my ice and water, looked at it lovingly, grabbed my latest issue of 'O' magazine to arrive and headed for the porch, I set my water down and begin to read, giving the ice enough time to do its magic.

Up comes Miss Gabby

'mummy can I have some of your water?'

'Ummmm............., sure, here', she takes it and drinks, then gives it back to me, i look at it, EEP!! a gazillion bits of popcorn is floating down to the bottom of my glass! I know, I know all mummys go through it but I really was looking for some relaxing time with my mag and my ice.

Oh well, ya gotta love them right!

Old vs Young

I cannot help but share this joke that was emailed to me today, of course I added the pics!!

A farmer rears twenty-five young hens and one old cock. As the old cock could no longer handle his job efficiently, the farmer bought one young cock from the market.Old cock to young cock :

'Welcome to join me, we will work together towards productivity.

'Young cock :

What ya mean? As far as I know, you are old and should retire.

Old cock : Young boy, there are twenty-five hens here, can't I help you with some?

Young cock : No! Not even one, all of them will be mine.

Old cock : In this case, I shall challenge you to a competition and if I win, you shall allow me to have one hen and if I loose you will have all.

Young cock : O.K. What kind of competition?

Old cock : 50 metre run. From here to that tree. But due to my age, I hope you allow me to start off the first 10 metres.

Young cock : No problem ! We will compete tomorrow morning.

Confidently, the following morning, the young cock allows the old cock to start off and when the old cock crosses the 10 meters mark the Young cock chases him with all his might.Soon enough, he was behind the old cock in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly,Bang!!!!Before he could overtake the old cock, he was shot dead by the farmer, who cursed' *$@ing *$@ing hell !This is the fifth GAY chicken I've bought this week !!