Beautiful Kerala 4 - SPICES

Kerala is an amazingly prolific part of the world. Almost everything good seems to grow there....



We made a list part-way through our holiday of the spices (and other things) we had seen growing during our holiday



it was a long list



pepper, tea, ginger, curry, cinnamon, papaya, cocoa, sandalwood, turmeric, cardamom, coffee, tree tomatoes, chilli, aubergine, green beans, nutmeg, vanilla, rue, allspice, mahogany, clove, coconut, jackfruit, banana, coconut, pineapple, paddy (rice), tapioca, rubber



and we certainly didn't see everything growing which is produced there.




















Truly a land of plenty, in some ways.

Beautiful Kerala 2

Backwaters are a particular feature of Kerala - interconnected lakes and rivers, lagoons, inlets, canals... there is a map here.





We had a couple of boat trips around some of these beautiful waters during our visit.



As well as wonderful trees - coconut and banana everywhere - and flowers - pond weed and lotus in the water, orchids on the banks -





there was wildlife everywhere : kingfishers, cormorants and kites, cows and goats wandering around,



beautiful butterflies and dragonflies / damselflies.

And there was also human life by, around, in and on the water.



There are houses along the banks of the various waterways





and the landscape was peacefully busy with colourful washing fluttering and people washing themselves, their clothes



their food



their pots and pans



and generally coming and going around on their everyday business.

distracted by dust

dust in the house.
I have resumed DIY work on our dining room. Stripping began in June/July 2008. Work has progressed to the sanding stage. I'm itching to slap some paint on those walls but constrained by family perfectionist traits which prompt me to prepare the surface as well as possible.
So - its dusty and it will be for some time.


dust affecting our IT.
Or something is. We've had intermittent internet problems over and since last weekend.

I think its not entirely unconnected with our lack of net access that I spent a couple of luxurious hours sitting in a deck chair in the sun at the weekend (I did have to dust off the deck chair first...) reading the weekend newspaper and dozing.

Which was A Very Good Thing.


Additionally, M's computer has gone caput and is off in Mac hospital, so we're currently into a computer-sharing scheme.

Which I suppose could give me more time for dusting?
(there is a very dusty empty space on M's desk at the moment)





dust in the national consciousness
We're in the midst of the national election campaign here in the UK.

Actually its not been too dirty so far, but its definately dusty: hard to tell what lies beneath the rhetoric and what colours would be uncovered if a thorough clean was done; whether theres actually anything there of lasting and substantial value; what any of the parties might really do once in power.

It'll be done and dusted by May 7th or so [if the vote is significantly split and we get a "hung parliament" (we might wish, hehe) it may take a while for the dust to settle on who exactly is in charge] but its hard to be hopeful really for public spending and services, fair taxes, closing of tax loopholes or significant moves towards great equality and social mobility in our society.






dust in the atmosphere
I should be flying to Jersey, Channel Islands, tomorrow for a very good friend's 50th birthday celebrations, but who knows if I will get lift-off? On Monday it looked more hopeful. On Tuesday it looked less likely. Now, Wednesday morning: well, maybe. Latest news is that the dust may be less dangerous than previously. So I will after all be going up into the loft to get down my suitcase.

I could certainly do with sea breezes to blow some personal dust away.


"Mankind" by Eric Gill, in the Victoria & Albert museum, London



And, all this talk of dust makes me realise that its been too long since I read Philip Pullman's Dark Materials.... I shall find volume 1 to take to the airport with me, something tells me its worth taking plenty of reading with me.


So I hope to be absent from blog-land for a while and will miss Theme Thursday and Sepia Saturday this time around... (and if I don't miss them, you'll know I've been defeated by the dust).

see you in a week or so!




(PS who knew you could buy motorised dusters? yes, its the green one)

(pictures should all link to their source, if clicked)