New 2012 Dominica Food and Drink Guide now available

Crabback
Originally uploaded by Tropical Ties

The publishers, Leeward Consultants, are busy distributing the new Dominica Food and Drink Guide 2012. Packed with interesting articles, information, photos and listings of places to check out.
At the back of the guide you'll also find the latest Homes and Lifestyle issue.

Copies should be available from all participating establishments but can also be viewed on-line here.
Dominica Food and Drink Guide 2012
Homes and Lifestyle
Congrats to all those involved.

Small Axe Organic Farm, Dominica

Small Axe Organic Farm, Dominica
Originally uploaded by Tropical Ties Dominica

"There is love in every little thing and each tear is an ocean of love..."
Check out this blog post by Small Axe farm in Dominica
Small Axe Farm - Love Drops

For some photos taken at small axe farm click here or click play on the slideshow below.

Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair 2011, Dominica

Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair 2011, Dominica
Originally uploaded by Tropical Ties Dominica

Well, that's it for another year, it's been a week already since the Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair. The festival takes so much planning but is over in a flash. I was really pleased to see an increase in book fair traffic, younger generation attendees and an increase in the attendees for the weekend event workshops.
So thanks to the organisers, sponsors, supporters, volunteers, book donators, local and overseas guests and performers, competition entrants, the media and especially all those who came out in sometimes very inclement weather. It's definitely a festival with a difference in Dominica's annual calendar of events, but with lack of funding and volunteer resource I do hope it is able to continue.

Click www.flickr.com/tropicallytied/LiteraryFestival for some photos from this years Nature Island Literary Festival event or click play on the slideshow below.

Get Ready for the Nature Island Literary Festival 2011 Aug 5th -7th

Click play below for this year's jingle.



A stimulating range of workshops have been arranged, starting from Tuesday August 2nd. Take advantage of this free opportunity to exchange ideas with experienced writers, poets and playwrights. All workshops will be held at the UWI Open Campus, Elmshall Road, Roseau. Click www.dominicalitfest.com/workshops for further details on the workshops or to register.

The full programme of events for the festival weekend will be published soon but meanwhile do check the website for more information on the invited guests this year.
Click www.dominicalitfest.com.

Click www.flickr.com/tropicallytied/LiteraryFestival for some photos from previous years or click play on the slideshow below.

Dominica on the Map

Sky Views map Front Cover
Originally uploaded by Tropical Ties Dominica

Geography and directions are not my forte. In the days when I lived in UK and visited Dominica on "far too short" holidays, I had no idea where places were or the directions to some of the most common visitor attractions...errr...like Trafalgar Falls (don't laugh). Driving from Roseau to Portsmouth, my husband would get fed up with me asking "where are we again?" after every village we came too.
It seems ludicrous now, having been back for several years and knowing the island pretty well, but back then (I am soooo embarrassed to say) I did not know Mahaut from Marigot . I still get Dublanc and Dubique confused and I'm sure there must be two Savanne Paille's ;-)
Nowadays, I take driving all over for granted but I can so imagine what it must be like for a first time visitor landing at Melville Hall, picking up their hire vehicle, and being faced with the daunting task of finding their accomodation in somewhere like Wotten Waven or even Roseau.
Anyway, for an island so small, trust me, it's easy to get lost and driving "into" Roseau on the "out" bridge is not for the faint-hearted. So back then, as soon as we landed, I would search out a Sky Views pocket map. Not only were the maps essential for me to get around the island and save the sanity of my husband, but I was always drawn to the images or artwork of Dominican culture and landscape on the front cover. This was way before I came to live here permanently and discovered my passion for photography, so it never even crossed my mind that one day photographs of mine would be on the front cover of these maps.
I have kept a copy of each map since 2005, it's a good chronicle of things that have changed on the island. I just wish I had kept the maps from when I used to visit.
Things have improved a lot from all those years ago and many companies have sponsored much needed road signs but a map is still an essential item if you are new to the island or have not visited in a long time. So thank you Sky Views for literally putting Dominica "on the map" and my images too. :-)

Cricket Lovely Cricket

Test Match, West Indies vs India, Dominica
Originally uploaded by Tropical Ties Dominica

Well it's been cricket fever here in Dominica with our island proudly hosting the third test match, West Indies vs India, at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium. I went for a little while on Sunday and again although I did not always fully understand what was going on, shame on me ;-), I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere.
It was an inpsired move by the organisers to offer concessionary tickets to those over 60 and to children as it ensured that the matches were pretty well attended during the week.
I went on the last day, Sunday, and the stadium was packed with an enthusiastic and optimistic crowd. Our Dominican fans really showed some love and appreciation to the West Indies team, cheering them on and when WI got a man out LBW on the first ball the stadium erupted with massive cheering.
Much praise needs to go out to all the people behind the scenes who made this event possible; those who kept the pitch in order, made sure the stadium was ready and not forgetting the sponsors.
Although the match is over, the cricket theme extends this Saturday 16th July with a showing of the hit film 'Fire in Babylon', at Alliance Francaise in Roseau (part of the third Traveling Caribbean Film Showcase).
The film trailer can be seen here.


It would be great to see West Indies cricket return to those glory days again. Maybe if we all keep spurring the team on and inspiring that passion again, it can really be that simple.
Anyway Dominica got some great publicity from the event and our fans got some well deserved praise.
WICB president hails Dominican fans for massive support
Series comes to dead end
Kudos for Dominica fans
Check out the rest of the photos from the day here - Photos of West Indies vs India in Dominica

By the way if you're wondering where the blog title "Cricket Lovely Cricket" comes from, it's from a calypso song "Victory Test Match" by Lord Beginner.
You can hear it here.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I have always thought that to truly appreciate and understand the multi-layers of Dominica, the landscape, the culture and the people, you have to get out of your vehicle. For me that normally means walking but the other day I saw Dominica from a totally different perspective. This time I saw the island from "Ma Honey", a motor cruiser run by Keith (Yardee) and Janet from Titiwi Inn.
The boat and crew can be hired for moonlight cruises, fishing, snorkelling or a little coastal siteseeing and that day Captain 'Yardee' took us on a fun trip from Citronnier to Scotts Head. This is a stretch that I drive down many times so I know it well from the road but it was eye-opening and interesting viewing from the sea and I loved this window into normally hidden Dominican life.
We glided by the fishermen in their colourful wooden boats, the young boys fishing on the traditional rafts called pwi-pwi's, our scuba diving operators, coastal hotels, bars and restaurants, lines of houses, the humble wooden traditional ti-kai's and the larger concrete newer additions, the Galion hillside decorated with red African tulip trees, the imposing Pointe Michel and Soufriere churches, watchful like village sentinels, the ongoing sea defence project at Pointe Michel, excited local kids being taken on a catamaran boat trip by Anchorage hotel, and visitors swimming at Scotts Head bay. All this was great to see but I also saw aspects of the island which were not so nice; rubbish and old appliances dumped off cliffs or left on the coast and the quarry, which I appreciate is an economic, "job providing" necessity but I still can't help but wince when I see this scar on our nature island landscape.
But these blots were by far the minority sights on what was a really scenic and relaxing trip and as we headed back home I wondered how much this stretch and the lives of those living and working on the coast, would change over the next few years.
Here are some photos of Dominica taken from the sea.
Boat trip from Citronnier to Scotts Head