PICKLES

 I caught the pickling bug!

I am pickling everything: cabbage, carrots, green beans, onions. My favourite is pickled red onions. They make a beautiful red colour, are crunchy and go with everything.  Quick and easy, using a basic brine with apple cider vinegar, no cooking, no sterilizing bottles.  They keep well in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

 I have been making hot sauces for a long time.  I grow hot peppers (habanero, cayenne, bishops hat and others), olive oil, white vinegar, garlic, cloves, anise, mustard seed, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and whatever else I happen to have around.  A very hot sauce.

I know it is odd to pickle in the spring, but since these vegetables have no season here and are usually available, I can pickle whenever I am inspired.

Next are beets.........

 

No News

 

                                            Since I have no news, here are 2 recent paintings.

Check out Anthony's website at finescaletech.ca and Nick's at greenstonelandscapes.ca

How Caribbeans Measure Time and Other Phrases

 These do represent actual, measurable time

Just Now- immediately or later, or wait a minute

    I goin' jus' now to cum back - I'm leaving now, and I'll be back right away. 

Soon Come - I am just around the corner or on my way - (actually haven't left yet)

The Other Day - could be last week or 50 years ago

Come Awhile - come here right now

Draf - draft.  They seem to be sensitive to every little breeze that wafts by and blame every ailment on the 'draf'. "A draf catch me"

Kahlik - colic, or upset digestive system

Bad Spirit or Mashed-up - feeling down, stressed, depressed

Konsumshun -  a bad cough

Maga -  thin or skinny

Mashed Up - broken

    It's all in the voice inflexion and raised eyebrows

See November 6, 2023 - Post: You Know You're Dominican If You..

 Pre Christmas Update

We are closing out 2025, year of the Snake symbolizing shedding and looking forward to the year of the Horse, symbolizing moving forward.

To simplify the long and complicated stories:

RE: the Guillet property – there was a possible fraud by the neighbour who was encroaching on McDowell’s family land. This clitch is holding up the survey needed for the title to be registered in McDowell's name.  We are waiting for the surveyor and the researcher at the Registry Office to make their reports.   The lawyer cannot go ahead without these documents.  Probably after the Christmas break.  This little piece of land has been in his mother’s family for generations. In those days nobody had surveys, titles or registration; everything was considered ‘family land’.  Most of that family is either far-flung, old, sick or dead, but he can prove the line. The lot is bounded by the Manicou River and the Pennville Road.

RE: the Bay Street property where we have the house and Bar – the urgent pressure is off. We do have to move, but it turns out that McDowell is the executor of Miss Gwenny’s will, and as such the ‘other side’ can claim the property because they were named in Miss Marion’s will.  However,  until McDowell’s side is heard, the Court cannot rule when, if, or circumstances.  Miss Marion’s will gives the property to them and their heirs, as well as lifetime occupancy to her niece Gwendolyn. Miss Gwenny bequeathed the property to McDowell, although she did not ‘own’ the land.  It was not hers to give.  He will not benefit from any sale, and he will lose the little $300 Canadian rent he gets from the convenience shop on the other side.  Nothing will happen now.  Everyone is on Christmas holiday.  It can take years. Meanwhile we are here.

RE: the Land at Destinee (farm/garden/Zion).  The eastern boundary is causing some problems.  The neighbour is encroaching, i.e. planting on Magloire boundary line.  At long last, we have found one of the rare honest, licensed surveyors in Dominica.  That boundary needs to be redone and reestablished, and will be.

RE: the fond (valley)and acers at Champs Elysee are OK; fallow because there needs to be a feeder road established there to bring out any produce.

RE: Mont Morson acres - for sale

 

This is our thought: to build a little house at Guillet, and to open a small, more upscale Bar/restaurant/ live music venue, at Vance’s property on Bay Street, which has a big back yard and a room for a souvenir/gift shop/art gallery.  Waiting for Vance’s appeal on this, his building, to be finalised so we can make this move. 

AUGUST -2025

So I am home, i.e., in Portsmouth, with my McDowell, in my little old, very dirty, now clean house.  I spent 6 weeks in Brooke Valley, with Anthony, Nick and Samantha and my brother. Peter.  A "BIG UP" to Samantha. I saw the people I wanted to see, did what I went to do, and learned that I couldn't handle the technology.  My phone and the internet became a mystery.  Samantha easily handled it all for me and willingly drove me around.  I made a new friend in Sandra (Peter's lady). I was cold the whole time while everyone else complained about how hot it was!  I did enjoy the little dogs, Savvy and Rocky, the professionalism of the tradesmen and that nothing was rusty or corroded. Perth seemed gentrified. I hadn't been there for two and a half years.

We spent a good deal of time discussing renovations and remodelling. During my time there, I went up and down memory lane a lot (sadly) as I sorted, packed, stored, gave away, and threw out much of my 50 years, raising my children and career there, as well as my own childhood memorabilia. 

The trip home was easy, again thanks to Samantha.  It was easy, but the plane from Ottawa to Newark left half an hour late. I would not make the connection to Dominica as I knew I had to change terminals, which meant a bus/train to the international terminal. Luckily, I had booked a wheelchair which met me at Newark and took me directly to my flight. A good half an hour walk. I would never have made it without the assistance. She even took me to my seat on the plane. The Ottawa agent should get a mention, too. She went out of her way, was kind, understanding and helpful. Fly United Air! 

Boarding the plane to Dominica was startling.  It was filled with Caribbean people, and you could sense it.  Vibrant, colourful, and noisy. 

So here I am ....now what?????  Stay tuned 

Here's what I came back to:

The plants were alive and in good enough shape.  The garden had gone wild and was horribly overgrown. All the habanero, scotch bonnet and bird's eye cayenne peppers were bushy and loaded, the sorrel died, and the anise had gone to seed. My little pomegranate tree is now knee high, the sugar apple and guava are over my head, and I think the cashima will survive. The house was very dirty and dusty.  Dominica had had a week of heavy Sahara dust storms, so there was grit and sand everywhere, in every corner of every cupboard. In my absence, McDowell did his best, but couldn't keep up with it.  It took me a full week to bring it all under some sort of control.  The garden is weeded and the kitchen is clean. I feel I can relax a little.

It is very hot.  Thankfully, Tropical Storm Erin veered north and hit the Virgin Islands, but the sea is high, and the bay is full of cargo ships bobbing up and down at anchor.  All the fishing boats are on shore, all the sailboats are gone.  The pounding waves are undermining the beaches.

We have 3 months before we have to move. We don't know where to, but there are several very good prospects.  I am not worried.

🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴                                                                                   🌞

 ANOTHER UPDATE

For those interested......

McDowell has decided not to sign the document, which states that we have agreed to vacate by December 31, 2025.  We have a place to move the Bar to and live, but it needs to be cleaned up, and major repairs are required, which we will undertake in exchange for rent.  This is under appeal, too, so both places are awaiting the court's decision on the various appeals.

I have a brand-new passport, and I am looking forward to buying a ticket home.  I am aiming for not later than the week of August 11.  We will live in our house and do business from our Bar/Restaurant until we have to go.  I will cope with losing the garden and the sea.

Otherwise, I am OK, and packing up the Brooke Valley house.  Hard physical work, but mostly heartbreaking.  So sad.  50 years of memories, mementoes, things, photos and beautiful, beloved books that nobody wants.  The house needs attention, the roof needs repairs and the fascia must be replaced.  Nick and I are trying to decide whether to remove the additions which will not survive another long, wet winter and are too much space to heat and not needed anyway.

It seems as though I will be packing for the next 6 months.

 

May 26, 2025

Written after the hearing on May 19. 2025

The way that the case was presented is not the way it happened.

Miss Gwenny and I might have done wrong by spending all we ever earned on a property that didn’t belong to either of us.  But should we end up with nothing after all these years? Should I end up with a debt?  She only wanted to show her gratitude to her friend and caregiver.  She was a mentor for me.  I followed her instructions; she gave me her Power of Attorney.  Her aunt brought her back into her will by saying she should get a quarter of any sale or lease of the property.

The law says that Miss Gwenny could not give what she didn’t own. She thought that since Miss Marion’s will gave her guaranteed lifetime tenancy and called her the “legal owner” she could make her own will. She knew no other way to secure anything.  Mr. Clitus Angol, the Justice of the Peace and Mr. George Royer, respected senior citizens of Portsmouth, were both witnesses to her will.  Could they have stopped this tragedy?

The chain of executors has been established.  Ownership of the property has been established.  The beneficiaries of Miss Marion’s will were all dead at the time Miss Gwenny wrote her will.  She alone was left standing.

There is nothing of Miss Marion’s, Miss Kitzia or Miss Gwenny’s in the house.  There is no furniture, no objects, no glassware, no keepsake, no books, or religious pieces.  Everything has been destroyed over the years by various hurricanes, earthquakes and finally Hurricane Maria. Not even the house was standing in liveable condition. Miss Marion had died in 1988, Miss Kitzia, months after in 1999. Miss Gwenny had to sell her grandmother’s Meb bed to bury Miss Kitzia.  Ma Dewhurst bought the bed. 

It is not a true statement to say that I did nothing after I received Mr. Alick Lawertence’s letter. I took the letter to Miss Gwenny’s lawyer. Para Riviere.  After his death the situation was moved to Noreen John, who was still with Legal Aid, then Hurricane Maria came, and so I continued with her at her private office. She was communicating with Michael Bruney looking for a solution.  After Noreen John died nothing at all was ever heard from them until the Bailiff, as a surprise, came from Dawn Yearwood’s office.

I am at the Court’s mercy.   I am about to be on the street with no where to go or live.  I didn’t know what was written, or how the law was interrupted.  I didn’t force Miss Gwenny to do anything.  What she did was from her good heart.  May she rest in peace.

I wonder how Miss Gwenny and her aunt are getting along in heaven? Miss Marion, Miss Kitzia and Miss Gwenny are looking at this confusion from heaven with dismay. May their souls rest in peace.

McDowell Magloire