http://www.floswimming.org/videos/speaker/925-greorge-bovell
I like this interview because it gives a really good sense of George's family and his background. Understated but determined.
He lives in my extended neighbourhood and we are so proud of him.
A very small snake - very big news.
The world's smallest snake, averaging just 10cm (4 inches) and as thin as a spaghetti noodle, has been discovered on the Caribbean island of Barbados.
The snake, found beneath a rock in a tiny fragment of threatened forest, is thought to be at the very limit of how small a snake can evolve to be. Click to read the rest of the article.
A rather rumpled looking MotMot - he was a bit wet and grumpy looking.
I think that this is copper rumped hummingbird but.......
The armoured chest has me confused.......Stephen Broadbridge or Courtenay Rooks....help!
What are you? I think this may be a female Green-Mango Throat but I'm not sure......
Copper Rump- Correct me if I'm wrong-
A rare still shot of the White-Necked Jacobin
In this shot of the female Green Throated Mango, her lovely copper coloured tail feathers are clearly visible and so is her slightly de-curved bill.
Lovely female Green Throated Mango- what a gorgeous name.
Another White-necked Jacobin coming in for a landing.......
Another Copper Rump - Look at those magnificent colours - they are fast and aggressive.
I turned around and there was a MotMot just sitting there calmly looking at me. Completely unafraid. These a so common in Tobago that it's almost possible to become complacent about their presence. 
A lovely and graceful Palm Tanager.
Tobago would not be Tobago without the noisy, pushy, argumentative behaviour of the bold bananquit. They are shameless in their begging and will jump in your sugar bowl if you are unwise enough to leave it on your porch. It is customary to leave a small saucer of sugar on your balcony to attract their interest. This eveninig at Arnos Vale Hotel, they put on quite a show for me as they grumbled and argued with each other.
Move over!!!
There is rain, rain, everywhere.
And no yellow.
This is what I miss most in July and August. Rainy weather comes with red flowers- flamboyant, red gingers and costus. And the dry always brings the yellows - shower of gold cassia - my favourite tree..... So I am taking a walk back through the colours of March.
Shower of gold dendrobium.......
Crotons are spectacular all year round but during the sunny months their colours really become magnificent.
Poui - the yellow poui does not last very long. In fact when it is in full bloom it seldom lasts more than three days but it makes up for its brevity with its heartstopping beauty.
I am definitely a dry season girl.
My flamboyant has outdone itself this year and it is covered in flowers. This is perhaps the most redeeming thing about my garden in July. While I know my garden is happy for the rain, I can't say the same for me. Rain in the tropics conjures images of lush, verdant green - and I would use it metaphorically as well - but in reality, it's humid and bleak when it rains for days on end. But at the moment I am enjoying a red rain of flamboyant blossoms on my lawn, which almost makes rainy July worthwhile. 
The flamboyant is also known as flame tree or royal poinciana. This close up of the flower shows why it is likened to a flame.
According to Wikepdia Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant from the Fabaceae family, noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. Often grown as an ornamental tree and given the name Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant, it is also known as Krishnachura, Gulmohar, Peacock Flower, Flame of the Forest, Malinche[1], and one of several named the Flame tree. The species was previously placed in a genus Poinciana, named for Phillipe de Longviliers de Poincy who is credited with introducing the plant to the Americas.
Thanks Phillipe. There is a yellow variety that I would love to get but these trees need lots of space and I simply don't have the room to grow another one.
This is another shot of red in my largely green landscape. Tapeinochilus Ananassae (Indonesian Wax Ginger) has proved to be a surprisingly robust addition.
It catches easily by piece and the flowers last for such a long time that I am almost tempted to cut to bring into the house which I almost never do. I often buy flowers at the market because I can't bear to lose the colour in my garden. This flower is stiff and hard, not soft and pliable like the shampoo gingers. It belong to the Zingiberaceae family so it is a member of the large ginger tribe.
I think I have cracked the Double Chaconia code.
It is one hungry plant. It likes to be fed weekly, if not more often. At the moment, I am fertilizing the entire garden every Monday with a Phosphogen and I took the chance this week and added some potash as I often have to force blooming as my garden is so shady. We shall we what happens!
The Sexy Orange is in. I am enjoying it because unlike all the others that I have- Sexy Pink, Sexy Red, Rostrata.... this is the only one that blooms only from May to September, like clockwork.
My husband Ross received a much covetted Sexy Yellow that was grown from seed. Excitement!!
Petrea is still one of my favourite flowers. There are three varieties available locally. The older, light lilac one, a new vibrant purple (the one below) and a white one. In Guatemala, petrea are everywhere. Because of the combination of the dip in temperature and the volcanic soil, both petrea and jacaranda really put on spectacular shows. It's been years since I visited Guatemala but I still think of it as a purple country. 
The petreas are just coming in. Blooming usually follows heavy rain after a protracted dry spell.
The ones in North Eastern Trinidad have come in before their Western counterparts- strange- but I am hoping that my own will soon follow suit.
I was able to shoot these lovely blooms at Wendy Lee Yuen's farm where we are finishing up our advanced landscaping course. I really like horticulture. Could I do it as a business? The jury is still out on that one. But chances are that I will continue to write about gardening and see where that takes me. Whichever way, it allows me the exquisite pleasure of coming face to face with natural beauty on a daily basis.
Now that the rain is here, the frogs have been going crazy. These little ones live in my copper and make a racket. You can see their size as the ginger lily is their own party pad. They were obviously under the influence of some rain, birds and bees pheromone. When I mimicked their cry, they both leapt in my direction and I nearly dropped the camera in the copper. Bear in mind this is all being done in pitch black darkness with a torch under my arm.
Aren't they ridiculous? They are so much prettier than the big crapauds that are everywhere. The crapauds looks like big bullfrogs and the dogs are oblivious to the fact that just one bite can be their ticket to heaven. I don't think these little ones have the same toxic effect but who knows? For anyone who is wondering how I managed to have pink gingers in my water copper- they are flowers that I picked a few days ago and thought I would leave in this giant "garden vase" for a difference. The frogs are obviously impressed.
This is just before he took the leap towards me-aaaaarrrgh
Frog on the blog. If anyone can identify these little beauties- please post a response. I would be very grateful.
As I sit typing this, the noise outside is truly over the top. They are all SO happy it is raining. When the first heavy shower came down at dusk yesterday, all the big crapauds lumbered onto the lawn and just sat with their heads raised croaking away at the sky. I had never seen this or perhaps never noticed it before. It was something to see.
