Valentine, Pomme d'Amour, Anthuriums, Chocolate and Kisses.

 click on links in green

Saint Valentine's Day,  observed on February 14 honoring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, confectionery, and sending greeting cards. The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages,  when the tradition of courtly love flourished. It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

Anthuriums, lovely anthuriums.

Anthurium Lily,  is a heart shaped tropical flower

and the perfect Valentine flower which can be purchased

globally in an infinite range of colours from the brightest

vermillion to muliticoloured green and white, and fuschia

pink.  They are longlasting and can be used in a myriad

of floral displays.

Anthurium covered pole on our patio 

Chocolate

We all love chocolate, don't we?  So here is an easy, melt in the mouth, chocolately and freezable recipe.

 cocoa pod - antique print



Chilli Chocolate Cake



Pure cocoa



Chilli Chocolate Cake



200 grams dark or cooking chocolate

200 grams unsalted butter

200 grams caster sugar

4 whole eggs

1 heaped tablespoon any flour

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

decorations optional - pink peppercorns, cocoa stick, berries and pomegranate

Break up the chocolate and cut up the butter into rough pieces, melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, in a bowl  over a pan of boiling water.  Remove from heat and the pan of water and add sugar and stir.  Set aside to cool for about ten minutes.  When cool beat in one egg at a time until well mixed.  Add sieved flour and chilli powder.

Put into a non-stick, heart-shaped pan or small muffin pans or similar and bake at 180 C or 350 F for about 25 minutes.  Leave in oven for about 10 minutes after cooking.  Place on a cake rack to cool.
If you have leftover cake just freeze in freezer container or wrap and take out about 20 minutes before eating.  Serve with icecream or whipped cream, and decorate with pink peppercorns, freshly grated cocoa stick, berries and pomegranate seeds.

I like to use  BARRY Cacao.  It comes in 5.5 lbs bars, what I call a happy sized bar of chocolate.  Pure delight.

Chocolates from

FRÉRES  LAUZEA, MARTINIQUE 

Beautiful caribbean chocolates from FRÉRES  LAUZEA, in Fort de France and Lamentin in Martinique, using Caribbean flavours like Rum and Raisin, Citronelle, Soursop and other local flavours.  Try their jellies, also made with tropical fruits like Mango and Papaya.  Deliceux as the French say.



Piment



Menthe Tropicale



 Basilic





Letchi



Passion

Ananas

 

KISSES

Kisses by Llewellyn Xavier. Oil on Canvas





Kisses has been reproduced under licence by the presenter, designer and producer Jacqui Joseph in an exclusive range of homeware featuring the work of Llewellyn Xavier. 

The collection will soon be available globally.  Check this blog or http://www.jacquijoseph.com/ for where to buy. 

Pomme d'Amour

Pomme d'Amour aka Love Apple in St. Lucia - just slice and add to a salad or eat as a fruit.   

PUKKA TEA

Pukka herb teas are delicious organic herbal teas to match your every mood and moment. Specially blended by master herbalist Sebastian Pole, each of the blends is full of flavour and rich in therapeutic benefit.

Valentine Songs and Poems

I will always love you - Whitney Houston  R.I.P.

I just called to say I love you - Stevie Wonder

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth, and breadth, and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men strive for right:
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life - and if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Un di, felice eterea from La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi

I do not know how many times I have listened to this opera, but certainly in the 100's.

Thought this aria was appropriate for sharing.  Un dí, felice, eterea.

Un di, felice, eterea

Mi balenaste innante,

e da quel di tremante

vissi d'ignoto amor.

Di quell'amor ch''e'palpito

dell'universo, dell'universo intero,

misterioso, misterioso altero

croce e, croce e delizia,

croce e delizilia, delizia al cor.

translated

That happy, ethereal, day
when I first saw you,
And from that day, trembling
with a secret love.

That love which is the very pulse
of the universe, the whole universe,
mysterious, mysterious exalted,
Torture, torture and delight
Torture and delight, delight to the heart.

Details of Kisses by Llewellyn Xavier

Don't forget to give diamonds, true love and a hug to your neighbour and forgive your enemies.


photos and images copyright the author
chocolates copyright Freres Lauzea

Champagne, T Zen and Orchids

We now have an interior fern garden which was once the orchid garden.  Recently, the orchid specialist came and said we have the perfect location and should grow them again.  He also offered his assistance.  Great.  So maybe now we can mix the ferns with the orchids.  Orchids, like people, are temperamental, and like to be left alone most of the time. 





The Orchid Garden

  

Orchids in bloom at home

White Orchids oil on canvas painting by Llewellyn Xavier

Champagne coloured cats

Now we come to the champagne coloured cat, once a feral now an imperial creature.  Who says you cannot tame animals?

Also known as Crystal or Champagne or her original name T Zen,  named by our wonderfully clever friend Zeno.  Or Paris Hilton.  Brilliant at times, a little vague and has a penchant for cat nip or dry herbs of the same family.   Her favourite pastimes are being pampered or sleeping or looking down at all the other cats. Apart from ourselves her only friend, in the whole wide world, is our white golden retriever.



T ZEN





T Zen aka Crystal or Champagne aka Paris Hilton having an afternoon rest on her favourite box with her favourite pillow lovingly made by Gabrielle





T Zen and the sugar apple tree



What to do with left over champagne - if you have any!

 (or any white or rose' wine)

Get melon seeds, grow melon.





OXO melon baller

 

I like to use the small melon-baller to scoop out pieces of melon.  And you can use the remainder of the melon.  Just whizz it up in the blender with milk, yoghurt, a soft drink like Sprite or wine.  Very refreshing.

If you don't have a melon-baller just chop with a knife.   Any type Canteloupe, Honeydew, Watermelon, or Papaya, large Mango; any combination, colour etc.  Add a few crushed fresh mint leaves, sugar to sweeten if necessary, then the left over champagne.  Cover and put in fridge for a few hours or overnight.  Serve in shot glasses with the liquid or in small bowls.

Our favourite champagne is DEUTZ  especially the Deutz Cuvée William Rosé but hard to find in the Caribbean.  One of the finest restaurants in Martinique, Cave a Vins,  has a great wine cellar and they receive a limited number of the Deutz Cuvee Rose per year.




Deutz by the pool........................specially served in a beautiful

Dartington Sharon Celebration Flute.

 

DARTINGTON Sharon Glasses - The Sharon collection is crystal drinkware of the highest order. It is of such quality that the Victoria and Albert Museum in London keep it in a display of the 100 greatest ever products. And this year marks Sharon’s 40th anniversary. So raise those glasses and join us in a toast to impeccable crystal design.  

The collection, which is defined by a unique teardrop shaped bubble in the stem of each glass, was first created by Dartington Crystal’s very own Frank Thrower in 1971. To this day the design remains the same, proof if it were needed that great design is timeless.

Victoria and Albert Museum, London  

The world’s greatest museum of art and design

Also at the V & A

Llewellyn Xavier's George Jackson series at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Llewellyn Xavier  - George Jackson series inspired by the Prison letters of George Jackson;   also contributing to the series : John Lennon , Yoko Ono , Jean Genet , James Baldwin , and the Rt. Hon. Peter Hain .