Gone Sailing!

I've been MIA of late, the more i do the less time there is to blog about it. Lots of pictures taking, just no time to chronicle it all. I'll be back to the shootouts as well shortly.

Last weekend was a marathon one with dinners and dancing and sailing with very little sleep sprinkled in for good measure. I went to Tintamarre for the first time , it's a little island off the coast of St Martin, un-inhabited and right in the middle of the Reserve Naturelle (nature reserve)

Our trusty Skipper taking us out
We had a lot of kids on board more kids than adults actually. Fourth from the left is Laurie my GodChild
Chillin' ........
........while others raise the main sail
Voyager headed to St Barths
It looks flat from here but it's rolling out there.
Oyster Bay hotel

The Reserve Naturelle installed buoyes sometime last year i think to accommodate all the traffic to the island
Taken from the dinghy
Ashore



I was looking forward to the mud baths all though I'd heard about the ban


Didn't look very inviting, so we didn't do it.Headed back to the yacht for some lunch
This guy washed ashore, after some doing they were able to dislodge and were soon on their way again.

A great way to spend a day.

Today I'm off to the 3rd annual agricultural fair an Children's parade to kick off carnival season, so more pictures to come.

Indian Cooking Class

I took an Indian cooking class (conducted by Fusion of Spices) on Saturday, it was informative and delicious! Turns out indian cooking isn't that hard (reminds me of a line from 'Legaly Blond': You got into law school? Elle: What? like it's hard?)

This is the first thing I will be trying on my own:
Aam Ki Lassi
A mango yogurt drink, so easy and pure bliss.
1 cp mango pulp
3 cups yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
cardamom powder
safron
mint
Blend and Serve chilled, Easy!

What i did realize however, is that Indian cooking has a lot of 'mushy' stuff that can be eaten with Roti (which we also made but i have no pictures as I was too busy eating) or nan.

Masala Moong Dal



Green Chilly peppers showed up in many of the recipes we made

Clock wise from the top:
Chicken Makhanwala (butter chicken)
Raita
Gajar Ka Halwa
and Palak Paneer
Gajar Ka Halwa
Carrot based desert dish, yummers

This is the batter for Onion Pakora


Once we were fed class participation was compromised, it was delicious and all concentration went to eating.
Roti dough

This wheat flour, some water and oil and presto! Roti dough.

Oh! we also got packets of spices to take home and use. A great way to spend a Saturday morning. I will be going back for more.

RIP Milou

Miles 'Milou' J. passed away today.

He was 13 years old and only the best dog a girl ever had.

R.I.P. boy! You were a good boy.

Loterie Farm, Xtreem course

Last Thursday we embarked on a team building exercise with our new sister company. We had lunch then were taken by taxi to Loterie Farm to do the zip lines. I have to admit i thought many of my fellow co-workers would not actually do the course, but they surprised me and 20 of us did and it was loads of fun.

It was my first time doing the Xtreem Course, I've done the Fly zone many times.

Adrenaline junkies? The Xtreem course is a must do!



hmm are we actually doing this?



what makes me think these guys aren't going to do the course?

all harnessed up and ready to fly





Ok if we lose one of them up there, what's the plan?
Safety briefing
And off we go!!





Robert our trusty guide


After 2 hours, drink time!!!!!!

Friday My Town ShootOut: Sounds in your town

This week's Theme is 'Sounds'. An interesting theme for a picture shootout.

More participants of the My town shoot out can be found here and here

"There are two versions of this theme. First, the simple one. We’ve been treated many different aspects of what your town looks like. Treat another sense: what makes your town sound like your town? Traffic? Kids playing? Birds? That annoying dog next door? Fill our senses with a different perspective.

The complicated version (and I apologise for not giving you more lead-time on this) I have heard called a ‘blind hike’. Find a trusty partner. Wear a blindfold (no peeking!). Get your camera, and with the help of your partner, wander around noticing what you hear. Take pictures (no peeking!) while you’re at it. It’s quite fun to do, and the photos will surprise you. Enjoy!" NanU

I did the first version.

Here is my favorite sound in the whole wide world!

this is a common sound around the island