Dillies Almost Ripe

I can't believe it. I found a dillie tree, or sapodilla tree, and with fruit on it. And further, the tree is in a public place where I can get some of the fruit. And it is within walking distance from my house.

I love dillies. When they are ripe, they taste like pumpkin pie and ice cream sprinkled with sugar. You can actually taste the nutmeg overtones in the fruit. It is an amazing tropical fruit. What is more amazing, is that this is the tree that gives chicle -- the sap that is the base of chewing gum. That is where they get the word Chiclet for the popular brand of gum.

I was walking home from the bank machine yesterday, and decided to not take the direct route back home, and I came across this dilly tree. I won't even give any clues, because it will be stripped bare if I do. One can pick green dillies and wait for them to ripen. You can bet that I will visit it often in the next few weeks.

Bottle Brush Flower and Tree

Spring has come to the Bahamas as well as the rest of the world and all sorts of things are in bloom. The bottlebrush trees all along East Bay Street are starting to bloom. The flowers look like those brushes that are used to clean bottles. Come to think of it, I haven't seen a bottlebrush in about 20 years.

Here is my Sunday morning music as I write this:

Fake Dandelion Invasion

The Lovely One was off to the highlands of Scotland, and left me a honey dew list. It is " Honey do this" and "Honey do that" before you leave for work in Nassau Bahamas on Tuesday.

If you live anywhere in the northeast part of North America, you will know that we have had an amazing stretch of warm, record-breaking weather. Yesterday it was 27 degrees Celsius or 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Just a couple of days ago, I was chopping ice and snow trying to reduce a huge snowbank left by the snowplow, and now everything is melted away just like my retirement savings after the tech boom crashed.

So after playing handyman for a few hours, I decided to go for a walk in the balmy spring weather. I looked in the ditch near the road, and behold, I saw a profusion of yellow flowers. They looked like dandelions.
They weren't. They were fake dandelions. And they were growing in the scrubbiest of all places -- the ditch.

All of the flies, bees and bugs that hatched in the warm weather





These things seem to like growing in gravel. I have been googling like crazy to try and find a name for these things. If you happen to know the name of them, please leave a comment.

But the surest sign that spring has arrived comes from a picture that I took north of Bowmanville Ontario on Thursday.

I don't know the name of it now, but it is the old Erin Lee Golf Course on Taunton Road a few kilometers after you exit from Highway 115 and before you get to Liberty Street from Bowmanville. The course was open and it was packed.


I didn't see any fake dandelions there. But I suspect there was a lot of fake scores.

The Covered Bridge Today

I went for a walk today on Pine Road which is a couple of minutes from our house in the hills. In a way, I am collecting memories to carry back with me to the islands. What I like up north, is the fresh air, and the eternal promise of spring. There is a cosmic expectancy of the wonderful things that summer brings.

This bridge is at the bottom of a steep hill. The body of water that it traverses, is Meech Creek. Meech Lake is not far away. The photo above is what the bridge looked like today. The air was crisp, and the sun came out in patches only then disappeared behind the clouds. I am saving up memories to take back with me, of space, solitude, wilderness, the boreal forest, birdsong, rushing water and the big karmic hug that Mother Nature gives you in the springtime in a place where you actually have real seasons.

Pour mon ami Yves

I promised my friend Yves who is in the Bahamas some pictures of what spring looks like in the hills of Quebec today.

"Yves, ce sont les images du la belle province car elle jette son manteau d'un autre hiver."

Our backyard is to my right. This is the walk to the Gatineau River.

Further down the road.

Crossing the road, are the tracks of the old steam train from Hull to Wakefield.

The train tracks.

Winter survivor.

Cottage country road along the Gatineau River.

I love Canadian cottages.

The hills are starting to turn green.

Spring is Springing

I am up in the north, still under a blanket of snow, but spring is sprung. It is in the air. The snow is disappearing day by day. Holes in the snow and ice are getting bigger. The air is warmer. The smells of fresh air and newly exposed earth permeate the air.

Spring always creates the impression of optimism, excitement and wonder in me. It is the promise of sunny beautiful days to come. It makes me feel young. Spring is early this year. Bring it on.

And in honour of spring, here is Marilou doing Edith Piaf's big hit "L'hymne a l'amour" at Versailles in France: