Lighting up

When we were in England we saw a lampshade that we liked at a friend's house. They had bought it from a Swedish shop and we went to find one for ourselves.

The shop near us had only little shades, but we could order a large one and so a box was delivered with our shade in kit form.

We sent it off by sea to the Philippines.

The box arrived a few weeks back now, and today I got round to removing the old ceiling fan. That done, the new light installation was straightforward.

So here it is. It has transformed the room. Rather like a hotel or disco! But also restful and warm. It adjusts from fully closed to open and the photos are with it half way.

We like it so much we are talking about getting the small version for our bedroom.

Lunch from our back garden

Teaching day tomorrow so today we are catching lunch. Here is one that has just been netted.

The fishing activity generated some interest in our relatives across the road who came to watch. All went away with a selection of fish.

I am not sure yet how many we caught, but over 40 is very likely. Mostly tilapia which we wanted, several catfish and some that even the Filipinos asked "what's that?" The small ones were thrown back for next time. 

Right now they are being 'prepared' in the garden, all except the 5 we barbecued earlier.

Terry

Bananas

We bought bananas the other day. 3 sacks of them. This morning Esto came to dig them in.

As you can see, these are reasonably large plants (herbs according to Kew). It appears that Esto started with 100 of them and now has 300; so he has given us some and we will pay him a days wages to dig them in.

You can see one if our new puppies already eating one.

Easter Cake

This cake is baked in the bamboo with coconut plug "baking tin". The ingredients are put in and a hole dug in the sand in which a fire is started. Lots of these are then assembled on the fire and buried in sand for about a day.
It is an expensive process, this example cost 180 pesos (70 to the pound, but 180 is half a day's wages for a worker), so they are made only at Easter.
You open it with a meat-cleaver and club hammer as you can see. And this sticky brown log is the result. Ingredients? Ground rice, coconut, and hard brown sugar. It is unusual to my taste but nice enough.
I put in a picture to show how sticky too.

Sticky fruit

In our brother's garden opposite is a tamarind tree. You can see the fruits on the ground in these pictures.

Although they may look like something the cat left in the gravel, they are in fact very tasty! You can easily crack open the crisp shell and the seeds inside are covered with a very sweet sticking liquid. This is what you eat spitting the seeds out once they are sucked dry.

The tree is very tall so a long pole is a convenient way to dislodge ripe fruits. 

And in the same garden is a turkey. A January turkey, I think, is rare - so here is a picture of a turkey that escaped Christmas! (Too skinny I was told)

Driving License

The crowds gather outside the LTO which is the land transport office. They resemble basking sea lions waiting for the moment to catch a fish. In fact we will catch several different sorts of fish on this single visit.

First to discover the process. I have a British passport and a French licence. After earlier visits I now also have a translation of my licence into English with the translator's signature verified by the French embassy in Manila. Just in case I have my passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate , and several photos.

We collect a simple form to fill in and are instructed to visit the medical office where we are to photocopy parts of my passport and the French original licence.

The medical wants my height, weight, eye colour, hair colour, complexion, build, and blood group. They take my picture and my blood pressure and check my hearing. We return to verify the result and collect a waiting ticket. As someone over 60 I have a priority number. Fish 1 swallowed.

Then they take my photo and signature electronically. We wait again.

The next fish is payment. The cashier smiles and remarks that is is much less than the translation which is true! We return to the basking herd.

Sign against my name on a clipboard. Wait again.

Go to the back room for another photo of me and my finger prints. We check the data entered on the screen giving all my important details. Wait again.

And then back to window 7 for a receipt and the licence, pictured and coded and ready to use.

Done. In about 2hr 20 because I am priority. We leave the younger seals to continue feeding.

I use my new licence twice before getting home. Once in the restaurant and once on the bus. Each time it proves my age and earns me 20% discount. That's going to be the best bit!