MARCH--LADIES DAY, A NEW STAINLESS ARCH, & HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASH

MARCH HAS FLOWN BY !!!!

Organizing a LADIES DAY our first stop was Laura’s Herb & Spice Garden.

Loraine our guide, took us on the ½ km walk sharing her knowledge of the many herbs and spices along the path. Unfortunately, I cannot begin to remember all the amazing information she shared with us.

This Tamarind tree is full of edible Indian fruit. It’s young fruit is very sour and acidic, often used in many a savory Indian, Asian & Caribbean dish. The ripened fruit is somewhat sweeter and not as tart. Tamarind can be found in Worcestershire and HP sauces. We have tried Tamarind as a preserved candy.

Tamarind medicinal uses are the leaves in a herbal tea for reducing malaria fever along with being used for gastric and /or digestion problems, and cardioprotective activity.

Coolie Pawpaw….(A type of Papaya).

Poor man pork Basil is a low growing herb tasting similar to anise with a strong, sweet pungent smell. There are many types of Basil with distinctive essential oils and here we saw a number of different plants.

Both Basil and Oregano contain large amounts of E-Beta-caryophyllene which have been used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases and arthritis. Scientific studies have established the compounds in Basil oil to have potent antioxidants. It is traditionally used in India as a supplementary treatment of stress, asthma, and diabetes.

Big Thymes. A good source of iron.

Thymes medicinal use includes being an antiseptic. It is the main active ingredient in Listerine mouthwash. In the past thyme was used to medicate bandages. It has shown to be effective against the fungus that commonly infects toe nails. Medicinally, thyme is used for respiratory infections. Infusing the herb with water can be used for cough and bronchitis.

Albe - Part of the Forget-me-knot family

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the medicinal benefits....Possibly memory??

Hope and Marie France

Kathy, Paula & Hope

I just loved this plant. Looks like a thistle , but again I can not remember its name or benefit.....Maybe this plant was good for memory loss.

Herb Drying Room

Then on to the Bel Air Plantation for lunch.
This tranquil setting is on a four acre Cliffside Park with 11 private Villas and Cottages.

One of the cottages.

I particularly liked this Infinity Pool rock wall.

And the pool.

Bel Air Plantation over looks St. David’s Point

We all really enjoyed lunch. The food was not only delicious its presentation nice but I also made a number of new friends.

March 15th. So, after being very disappointed with the stainless company out of Prickly Bay we have had a completely opposite experience with Francis and his company F & G METAL FABRICATION SERVICES. Francis was very professional. We received a quote in writing which included two days moorage at Port Luis Marina in the Lagoon, St. Georges. We arrived on the weekend so we enjoyed exploring the Carenage by dinghy.

Everything is closed on a Sunday in St. Georges.

Our home for a couple of days will be beside the huge yacht where the cat is.

Randy with Francis. There was a couple of power issues they had to solve but other than that all went well.

Fitting all the pieces together and tacking in place before Francis takes back to the shop for the final welding.

Bringing the completed welded arch back by dinghy.

We are very happy with the outcome. We are able to stand on the sugar scoop and raise the dinghy higher than before.

Always time for a break, we met Kathy, Kerry and their guest Barb for a walk through town and then lunch.

March 18th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASH

We are taking advantage of being tied to the dock having access to fresh water giving High States a real good scrubbing top side and hull.

Mar. 20. Couldn’t pass up access to Port Louis’ pool during our stay.

Going to the local market we purchased Sapodilla. This small fruit looks like Kiwi but not fuzzy and we were told it tasted like Rootbeer. Randy in fact thought it tasted fishy and I found it really sweet.

March 21st. Kathy and Kerry invited us on a day trip up near Sauteurs for lunch at "Almost Paradise". Kathy’s sister Barb was in Grenada for a visit and wanted to see some of the island. We would meet them in St. Georges and take a local bus. Well, the bus that picked them up at "de Big Fish' offered to be our bus for the day as he said we may have trouble making regular bus connections. Agreeing on 35 EC each he not only took us up to the northern point of the island and then waiting for us to enjoy our lunch, but then he took us down the East coast road crossing the middle of the island up through the rainforest.

The restaurant is perched on a high cliff with beautiful views our towards Carriacou. There were high winds and seas.

Sure a gorgeous spot.

March 25th On one of our last trips to the local market we visited with one of our favorite local ladies who sells spices. Her name is Therese. I mentioned how I heard there was a “vegetable” that is dried and made into Loffah sponge. She knew exactly what I meant and said she had them growing in her back yard. She explained her son was planning to go into agriculture and was growing them. I said I would be interested in buying a few so I could dry them myself to understand the process. Well, the long and the short of it was she said she would bring a few for me free. We explained, no we were more than willing to purchase them, so she finally agreed to a donation for her sons education. Unfortunately the ones she brought were already in the drying process so all I had to do was clean out some remaining seeds.

These are the loofahs. The loofah grows as a flowering annual vine and is in fact a type of gourd. The loofah can be used to clean anything that can not be scrubbed with steel wool. The loofah is shredded or powdered and added to the local soaps. I have read the flowers and fruits are soft and edible when young and are sometimes eaten like spuash or okra, but do so at your own risk. The flowers have a flovour similar to celery and cucumber.