Aki and Sheree Relaxing on the Farm

We love to invite Sheree and Aki to the farm with their doggies Puggles and Mattie, to relax and hang out with us. Sometimes we play a game and I cook something nice, and most of the time Aki finds something he can fix - and he is really great at it! Last time they were both watching birds with Robbie and when we looked at the picture I was reminded of the Saint Exupery saying: "Love is not glancing into each others eyes but looking into the same direction ...". They are really lovely people and life is even nicer now that they are around.

Film Team on the Farm!!

A couple of weeks ago, a film team from Germany contacted me and asked me if I would like to be in a documentary on Belize they are making for German TV (MDR). Of course I accepted and they showed up on the farm last week, a team of 4, including the organizer, the moderator, the cameraman and the guy with the HUGE microphone. They went up on the hill with Robbie because my only trekking shoes lost their sole and then they did some filming at the picknick table and around the property. They even have the doggies on film as we leave the front door! It was lots of fun and those guys were really nice. I hope they will send the DVD and that the farm will actually be on it. They had a lot to cover, went to Caracol, a few nature reserves, and spent some time with Ingrid in Hopkins.

Farm Impressions March 2007

Just a few impressions of the farm this month, doggies in the field, flowers (one of my favorites, the heliconia, is just blooming so beautifully) and some colorful trees!

Ruta Maya at Branch Mouth

Right where the two rivers, the Macal and the Mopan, come together in Branch Mouth to form the Belize River, was a great spot for Robbie to take pictures in the early morning two weeks ago on Friday, when the canoes from the Ruta Maya River Challenge came through, shortly after their start in San Ignacio. Robbie went around 7 am and met lots of our neighbours there, because it is a really big and famous event here in Belize. It was a beautiful morning, though a bit misty, but the pictures still turned out great! On some of the pictures you can see the two different colors of the two rivers merging, which I personally think is really interesting.

Alaska Dynomyte Arrived!!!

We have a new puppy!!! When we went to Redmonts Nursery with Aki and Sheree the other day to pick up some plants for the new garden area Robbie is planning, we stopped at The Garden of Eve, a little resort on the Western Highway who we heard had a "Pet Shop", where I hoped I could get some treats and bisquits for the doggies and the cat. Well, it turned out the pet shop only had carrying boxes and what was actually for sale was ... puppies ... And there was this one cutie, a black lab max with beautiful eyes and a funny grin which looked SO comfortable on Robbies arm :-) So I paid them, got a collar for her, and off we went, puppy on Robbies lap, on the way home to the farm. We called the vet right away to have her checked and he made some appointments for all required shots. Alaska Dynomite, which is her final name after we tried a few out, is a very lively and friendly doggie, she LOVES the cat and the two of them play with each other all the time! Kitty even leaves her claws in! Highlander sometimes chases her around and Magic usually growls at her like an old man, wanting to be left alone. Angel tries to ignore that bubbly black thingy that tries to chase her, but all in all the settling in went fine. Alaska figured out how to get into the house through the CAT DOOR really fast and we are now wondering what will happen when she gets to big to fit through :-) She might just get stuck in the door!! Or maybe we build a bigger doggie door ... Spoilt dogs and cats in THIS household? NAAAAW ...

OH, did I mention that she loves to steal SHOES??? My flip flops are her favorites ...

Birds and More Birds!

We have masses of birds around the house lately, and Robbie is out there with her binoculars, the bird book and the camera, having great fun! We even have a group of parrots nesting right now, they make a lot of noise, but it is beautiful when they fly up and create colorful spots in the blue skies!

Two Lovely, Temporarily Orphaned Doggies having a Fun Time at the Farm

Our friends Aki and Sheree had to go to the States for 10 days and we offered to take their 2 doggies and give them a nice "Farm Vacation". The pups were cute and happy and we had a great time with them. Puggles (the brown pug) is a toy chewer and extremely friendly and cuddly, and Mattie, the terrier mix, is wild and stubborn, but also very lovable. She did try to chase the cat ... when she was not watching "chicken and duck TV" by staring at the chicken coop fence. Very funny! Our doggies were fine with them most of the time, they are in general friendly with other dogs and don't make a lot of trouble. Puggles even managed to get the boys to really play with him, after bugging them for a few days. And the kitty fell in love with him, always trying to get close to him to cuddle!!

Village Cleanup in Santa Familia

A couple of weeks ago, another huge village cleanup project took place here in Santa Familia. The bulky trash ("Sperrmüll") was picked up by a big truck, our neighbour Neil hauled large logs from the side of the road with his big tractor, new trash cans were distributed, the bus stops were repainted (as last time, we donated the paint for most of the bus stops, but I picked different colors this time. The rest of the bus stops were painted by the bus line owners.), the road was fixed, the cemetery was cleaned up, and lots more.

Horse Visitors

Every now and then, some neighbours horses roam the roads and finally land in our yard. It is always a very pretty sight, when they gallop through the field or just graze peacefully.

Soccer Winners

David organized a girsl soccer marathon in the village, and Robbie and I donated some things for the winning teams: Robbie gave a set of uniforms for an entire team, including socks, as a first prize, and me a fully packed first aid kit as a second prize. The third prize was a really good soccer ball! The girls had a lot of fun - and so did all the spectators!

Kitty Rules!

Ms Aery, our little calico cat has - with some effort - fought herself into a comfortable position in our household. A couple of scratches on doggie's noses helped so they don't chase her anymore and let her roam around the yard in peace. Unfortunately, she loves to catch birds and we already found a few in the garden ... but I guess that's just what kitty cats do ...



She loves to watch Magic play with his toys and interferes by grabbing the boys' tails, those wiggly waggy things are just too much fun!!