Snail danger!!!

We really must watch what we eat and I say this not only for the obvious health reasons, but also to prevent fatalities from happening.

Take for instance the workshop organised by the Ministry of Agriculture here in Antigua in collaboration with UNAIDS and the University of the West Indies. The workshop wants to increase awareness about the Giant African Land Snail, that was sighted in the Jolly Beach/Bolans areas in March of 2008.

The workshop drew numerous participants from the private, business and government sectors to help spread the word why the Giant African snail is not to be trifled with. Minister of State responsible for Agriculture Senator Joanne Massiah called on the relevant agencies to educate students especially those in primaries schools about the danger this snail poses to humans.

To the untrained eye, it looks like any other harmless slug, but according to the experts be very cautious and Do NOT HANDLE with your bare hands!

It feeds on anything ... vegetation, animal excretions and its own dead! It decimates agriculture affecting a country's economy and not only that, humans can contract meningitis(deadly infection which can kill in a few hours).

Dark in colour and growing to huge proportions this is not dinner nor a delicacy to be enjoyed by my Creole or French friends! Any sightings should be reported to the nearest plant protection agency.
www.wvagriculture.org

And to my beloved friends who love smuggling plant cuttings/fruits for the fun of it, or because they look pleasing to the eye ... STOP!! ... as hidden pests and diseases often lurk and cannot be seen by the naked eye. By bringing in these problems you introduce a threat to the local flora which incidentally will not have any known controls for the new invader.

So do the right thing and use the proper channels to import a plant or better still just take a photograph.

Stanford 20/20 cricket for $20m

I will always uphold the peoples right to free speech, but sometimes certain individuals should think before they utter a word!

Take for instance the negative comments from certain individuals about why the Stanford 20/20 for $20 million should be included in the country's independence celebrations!!

Not only has Sir Allen Stanford revived interest among the Caribbean islands through his cricket tournament, but it has also enabled talent that would not have come to the fore thru the West Indies Cricket team be actively pursued!

But say we forget that particular aspect, what about the business it generates with people coming into Antigua spending their money on taxis, accommodation, restaurants and souvenirs! With Big brother America coming to grips with economic recession shouldn't we be thankful that the country is getting some hard foreign exchange that will eventually help government improve the services they continually cry need to be improved?

Some may argue that it is not much , but in my book every little in these times of rising costs helps.

So instead of crying foul especially whenever the Stanford name is mentioned, think about how you can also cash in!

Insightful HIV workshop

I was recently in Barbados for a Live Up the show programming (iliveup.com) workshop for journalists, organised by the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/Aids & the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Usually when you attend such functions you can't wait to finish for the day, but this one held from the 27-28th of October was quite exceptional.

The format was very interactive and allowed media practitioners from Antigua (yours truly), Belize, British Virgin islands, Cayman islands, Turks and Caicos,St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Tobago, Trinidad and not least Nevis to learn from each country's experiences.

Much kudos to the organisers and various speakers who gave of their time and experiences about the need to educate our audiences of the importance of protecting against HIV infection.

My memories will forever be enriched by the brave HIV+ persons who came to speak to us about how as journalists we should look beyond the story and meeting deadlines. The negative images in the past of HIV infected persons have played a part in fostering stigma and discrimination, but nowadays the message should be of love, protection and respect!

Remember it is a chronic illness and if you reject someone because of your misinformation, you may just find yourself in the same place if we don't change our sexual habits.

Get tested today.

College Students in windfalll

The Antigua and Barbuda government in line with its people first policy has rolled out another initiative that will benefit atleast 200 students at the Antigua State College.

In collaboration with Cable and Wireless under the Connect Antigua Initiative, which seeks to make the country's citizens technologically savvy, second year students in the business and A level faculties will be provided with an hp laptop. Apart from this, the mobile company has also pledged to connect each student's home with free internet service for at least one year.

Each student will be required to make a down payment of EC$350, which will be reimbursed if the laptop is returned in good condition.

Makes you want to go back to college and get on the band wagon doesn't it?

Congratulations to the government and Cable & Wireless for investing in our youth. We pray that the students will put the laptops and internet service to good use so that that programme can be extended to other students at the college.

Reprive!!!

The last time I was complaining of the restrictions concerning coverage of Antigua & Barbuda's Romantic Rhythms festival, but fortunately for the media some of these have been lifted.

Knowing how some unscrupulous individuals will use footage from the event for monetary gain, the festival's committee and artists management are trying to safeguard their product from being exploited.

So far media personnel will now be able to record audio, video footage and photos of the artists for the first 10 minutes of two songs. This is far much better than the proposed deal where no audio or video was to be entertained.

Also on the plus side, we will now be able to interview the artists for 10 minutes after each show, though in the case of Country & Western musician Kenny Rogers, this will be one hour before he goes on stage on Saturday the 14th of June.

So be cool you will certainly get the scoop on the artists from Antigua & Barbuda's Romantic Rhythms music festival.

Romance is in the Air!!!

Yes Halleluia!!

Antigua & Barbuda's first International music festival dubbed "Romatic Rhythms" seems to be getting off to a fantastic start as local, regional and international media converged on the venue, Sir Vivian Cricket stadium. The journalists will be bringing you the highlights of the festival which runs from the 13th of June to the 15th.

Briefing the media today, the country's Tourism Minister Harold Lovell says while several international artists who include Lionel Richie and Keyshia Cole will perform during the three days, local musicians are also part of the mix. He says the music festival is being used as an avenue to promote economic growth, and it's also a way to showcase local talent and improve production skills in sound, stage and artist management.

Apart from the famous Burning Flames, Claudette C. P. Peters and the Taxic Band, Tizzy Sebastain and the El A Kru band, other local notables taking part are Calypso icons King Short Shirt, and the Mighty Swallow. Several steel pan performances by the Gemonites, Hellsgate and Harmonites steel bands will be part of the festival's mixing pot.

See u where there's Romance in the Air!!

Music Festivals Stipulations

With just a day to go before the start of the first International Music festival in Antigua and Barbuda, the local media is in an uproar about the tight coverage restrictions.

According to the Romantic Rhythms Festival media committee it will not be business as usual for still photographers, radio stations and local TV stations.

Taking of photos is restricted to a particular time, which will be clarified I hope by Thursday before the event takes off on Friday at 7 p.m at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. Video and audio recording is totally banned for the international artists who include Lionel Richie, Kenny Rodgers, Keisha Cole, Damian Marley, Musique Soulchild, Heather Headley, Shaggy and Maxi Priest.

So far we don't expect to have so much tying of the hands from the local artists who include the famous Burning flames, Tizzy Tanzania Sebastian, and Claudette C. P. Peters.

Hope the issues are clarified soon as spectators entering the venue are expected to leave their cell phones at home, in case the performances are posted on Google videos or God forbid YouTube.

Music Festival U.S Airlift

One of the major areas that lead to the successful hosting of any festival is getting potential spectators or revellers to the destination. Well Antigua and Barbuda is already working on this particular aspect and plans are already in place to get the necessary airlift from several major American cities.

The country's U.S Director of Tourism Derede Samuel-Whitlock and her team held a breakfast meeting with one major airline, Delta and several local hoteliers about the coming Romantic Rhythms International Music festival. More information on that can be found at http://www.ab.gov.ag/gov_v2/government/pressreleases/pressreleases2008/prelease_2008apr25_1.html

And last Friday, I managed to catch Etana's performance at Russell's Restaurant located at Fort James. I arrived late due in part to my scatter brained sister who just had to go to the other end of the island to pick up that night's dinner.

Am grateful I was able to listen to atleast 5 songs by the Jamaican artist. I however missed performances by several local artists. The least I can is direct you to where you can get more information about what went down.http://www.ab.gov.ag/gov_v2/government/pressreleases/pressreleases2008/prelease_2008apr28_1.html

Antigua and Barbuda Carnival

The Caribbean's Greatest Summer Festival, Antigua and Barbuda's carnival sporting a new logo, is just around the corner promising alot of fun and no regrets as the new management rolled out what this year's sponsors can get for their dollars.

New Carnival committee chairman Marlon Rawlins and his team hosted several local businesses last evening at a Business forum and cocktail to give them an opportunity to ask questions of how they can maximise exposure during carnival.

The six Queen of carnival contestants were also introduced to potential sponsors, with three having already attracted sponsors. The carnival committee is very happy with the interest garnered from the business community in contributing to the Caribbean's Greatest summer festival. http://www.antiguacarnival.com/

AntiguaBarbuda Romantic Rhythms International Music Festival

Its being a long time in coming, but following on the heels of the St. Lucia Jazz festival, St. Kitts Music festival, Jamaica Reggae sound splash and another music festival in Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda will be hosting an international music festival from June 12th to the 15th.
On Friday 18th April 2008 several sponsors of the event were introduced at a sponsors launch and include Abi financial group, Antigua Motors, Cable & Wireless, American Airlines, Antigua Hotels & Tourism Association, Liatairline, and Premier Beverages. Several Caribbean and local journalsits were able to interact with the festival's committee members and sponsors.
http://www.ab.gov.ag/gov_v2/government/pressreleases/pressreleases2008/prelease_2008apr22_1.html

In keeping with this Eastern Caribbean island being branded the romance capital of the Caribbean by several international publications, the twin island state will be hosting the likes of Lionel Richie, Brian McKnight, Kenny Rodgers, Keisha Cole, popular local artists who will include Claudette CP Peters and Tizzy Tanzania Sebastian.

Several mini-concerts will be held around the island to give residents and visitors a feel of different venues. To jump start the music festival, a mini-concert featuring Jamaica's upcoming raggea artist Etana will be held this afternoon at the famous Russell's restaurant at Fort James.
http://www.ab.gov.ag/gov_v2/government/pressreleases/pressreleases2008/prelease_2008apr23_1.html

NO SMOKING PLEASE!!!

I went gallivanting on Wednesday April 24Th to Barbados, one of the larger islands in the Caribbean, to take care of some private business. I enjoyed the journey apart for some passengers in the outer area of the Bajan airport, lighting up despite a significant number of No Smoking signs in evidence around the cafeteria area.

This brought home to me how these very people would not do be seen smoking in a public place in their own countries . Unfortunately I also saw an airport employee drawing deeply on a cancer stick in the same area, so maybe the visitors are not to blame!!!

Antigua Folk Dance Festival Launch

The Antigua Dance Academy is preparing to host the second Folk Dance Festival entitled 'Out of the Drum'. The festival has attracted groups from Tobago - Hands of Rhythms, Nevis - I-Afrikana Drummers and Rhythmz Dance Theatre, Montserrat - Emerald Shamioles Masquerade Dancers, Guadeloupe - Kombo: The Heart of Quadeloupe, Trinidad - Shashamane Dance Ensemble, and various dance groups from Antigua and Barbuda.

The Festival will be held from May 22nd to the 25th.

Festival Director and Founder of the Antigua Dance Academy Veronica Yearwood says preparations for the next festival geared for 2010 will begin as soon as this year's festival ends on the 26th of May.

To honour the second hosting of folk dance festival this year, the school has opened an office that will be open to the public from 10.30 a.m to 3 p.m to facilitate inquiries.

Gang ViolenceUpdate

The recently concluded Gang Violence workshop seems to have exceeded the Minister of Justice and Public Safety's expectations.
At least 300 students from schools around the island, instead of the 100 anticipated, turned up to participate in the proceedings. They took part in a survey and simulated scenarios about their perception of figures in authority like the police.
Senator Colin Derrick speaking on one of the popular radio talk shows this morning says the survey should yield insights into how gang violence can be dealt with.
He also says recommendations will be forthcoming in three weeks time. Only part of the report will be revealed to the public, while certain security related strategies will be kept under close wraps.
Looking forward to lessening crime on the beautiful twin island state of Antigua and Barbuda.

Gang Violence

The Ministry of Justice and Public Safety in Antigua and Barbuda recently hosted a two day workshop from April 14th to the 15th, that examined gang violence and its implications on the twin island state.
Drawing on expertise from the Organisation of American States (OAS), the ministry is seeking to come up with strategies of how to deal with the growing problem.
According to Minister of Justice Senator Colin Derrick in his opening address at least 12 gangs have been identified and while the majority of the members come from primarily low income areas, it is not unheard of for members to be recruited from well to do families.

The workshop is timely but it remains to be seen if government and other community based groups are willing to help curb this problem by actually coming up with viable suggestions /plans and that its not just talking to appease the public.
To find out more about the negative influence of gang violence check out the two websites and maybe you may have some ideas of how to stop it from escalating.

http://www.vpcla.org/factGang.htm

www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/1376.html

Culture Diversity week celebrations

Thank you for visiting my world.
I have added a few more elements to my blog like the slide show at the top to give you a proper sense of life on the island.
Visited Fort James last Saturday when I took my nephew for swimming lessons and walked around the area.
Antigua and Barbuda's beauty never ceases to amaze me, and how blind we sometimes get focusing on work and family.

To appreciate the treasures that we often take for granted I took shots of the Anglican Church in St. Johns on my way from work, and as I go about trying to justify my salary, images that catch my eye.

The Culture Development department revealed their plans for this year's Culture Diversity celebrations week by unveiling several additions to the programme.These include a pageant, schools representing a particular country and 10x10 cricket tournament.

Culture Minister Eleston 'Namba' Adams flanked by Ag. Director of Culture Gilbert Luadat and Participating countries representative Maureen Lee Simon says this year's festival has attracted six more countries increasing the number to thirteen compared to seven in 2007.The celebrations start on April 27th until June 1st.

Please enjoy the Uprising dancers performing at the launch.

Multi-Media Packaging

Sorry for the delay in posting something new for quite a while now, but had exams to write and assignments to hand in before I could take a breath and shout with relief.

My hands off to all those adults who work and are pursuing a certified course all at once, because it takes commitment to have a good grade at school and still produce quality work at your job.

Yes I do go to school! With the constantly changing climate in computer technology, I enrolled with the Antigua and Barbuda International Institute of Technology (abiit.edu.ag) to have a better understanding of computers and their history so took on a course in Webmaster.

Anyway enough about me, as you may have noticed from the heading we are exploring the world of multi-media story telling in Journalism. This is part of one month online course am pursuing with the Knight Centre for Journalism based at the University of Texas.

From a list of 5 websites we are supposed to choose 3 great multi-media packages and explain why we picked them.

I picked

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/?hpid=mmindex

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/forcedout/index.html

'Forced Out': The headline and picture grab your attention first off compelling the reader to explore the story further.
This package is very informative and I was drawn to it because of its interactive nature with links, graphs, video, audio, text and photographs.

Its home page includes narrated photos, graphics showing how landlords use the vacancy exemption clause to their profitable advantage and an interactive map.

The links at the top entitled 'Day 1' - 'About Series' give readers a close look at tenants who are victims and what information was unearthed by the reporter's investigation.

2. http://www.nytimes.com/pages/multimedia/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/25/nyregion/20071125_DNAI_FEATURE.html

'Exonerated, Freed and what happened Then': Have you ever wondered what happens to all those who served time in prison and have now been found innocent of the alleged crimes? Well this package gives you photos, audio, video and text so that you can interact closely with these people.

The package allows the reader to navigate from one person to the other to hear their voices narrate their ordeal. And mind you this also includes life after prison.

Related links show how many are coping with the outside world, as several were incarcerated as teenagers.

It also gives a level of insight into how far government is willing to go to help these individuals and if they received compensation.

3. http://www.interactivenarratives.org/

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=msnbc&tab=m5&rf=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/&fg=&from=00&vid=2109100b-ca09-4ea6-a093-0580592f1721&playlist=videoByTag:mk:us:vs:1:tag:hotvideo_m_edpicks:ns:MSNVideo_Top_Cat:ps:10:sd:-1:ind:1:ff:8A

'Daily Life of Iraq Kurdistan': How many of us have seen stories about post war Iraq or Kurdish life after Saddam Hussein?

This particular package for me was an eye opener as it shows different aspects of the region. Unlike conventional multimedia packages, this is presented mostly in video with special effects, audio (eastern music) with some still photos and little text , the story really grabs you. It leaves you knowing that life has definitely improved for these people despite the tight security measures enforced.

The viewer is taken through various images all representative of life after Saddam Hussein's persecution. You see a boy forced to be the man of the house and provide for his family by looking for scraps.

On a lighter note you see children and teenagers playing in an amusement park. Soldiers in training and how motorists don't mind being searched at check points.

The most compelling video footage the hospital with victims of land mines being attended to by nursing staff.

Microwave Popcorn

How many of us have rushed home at the end of the day and after getting every thing out of the way, sat in front of the TV with a big bowl of microwave popcorn?

The good news is it tastes good, but now I hear there's some bad news associated with the treat.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer http://health.howstuffworks.com/popcorn-lung.htm eating microwave popcorn has serious consequences. A chemical called diacetyl to give it that buttery flavor causes a severe lung condition. To get more information about what is going on click on the link.

No work, no flat belly !!!

It’s intriguing to realise that we are now more than ever being suckered into paying for the so called gimmicky diet pills, and belly fat burning offerings in the form of abs gadgets and trendy diets. Without learning our lesson that very few actually work!

I got onto the subject of abs after I saw this article that was warning readers about fad diets and pills. While promising me the secret of how to get flat abs, the said article had me read pages of print before telling me that the information I was seeking has a price tag attached.

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/flat-sexy-stomach.html


Am sure you have also been taken for a ride by such adverts in the past, thinly disguised as timely help.
How many of us through genetics, poor diet and just plain laziness succumb to letting our figures deteriorate that we are ashamed to wear close fitting clothes. We resort to very baggy clothes and call it fashion. The fashion and film industries also give a false sense of what the ideal body should look like contributing to making us feel even less attractive!!


Flat abs is all about working hard and eating right. I for one have a weakness for pastries and this unfortunately has been my downfall.


I do try to pace myself, but Lord its hard!
Fruits and vegetables, and mind u not that pre-packaged or canned stuff, but if u live near a fresh produce market or fruit farm, make time and get some. The effort will be worth your investment. This alone will not get u flat abs, but it is a start.


Before u go off to buy that recently advertised, enticing gadget that will give you the abs u desire, examine your diet as well. If it’s composed of sugary, salty and fatty foods you are doing yourself a disservice. Take heed and don't rush through your shopping to get what you are used to. Look closely at the type of food you are about to drop in your shopping cart or basket. Does it have too much sugar, salt or fat? If yes, look at different products you may have overlooked that are healthier and contain less of these offerings.


If you have the fortitude to work out aggressively, go ahead, but this will involve several months of hard work and not the three months that is often touted in advertisements.


A good looking body is usually about hard work and a commitment to keep looking good no matter the cost or sacrifice.


Get a good instructor, who has been in the business for a good while and actually know what they are talking about, if your pocket is able to afford one.


All in all my point is don't waste your money on quick fix solutions to solve your weight or flabby belly problems.

The 5Best and Worst Web news or blog headllines

Today is the last day to hand in our online assignment for the week and it called for participants to research and list the 5 best and worst web news or blog headlines.
This was very time consuming as it involved really digging into various news outlets online and individual blogs. Otherwise it was interesting as it also showed the variety of styles when it comes to writing headlines.
THE 5 BEST HEADLINES
1. Virtual Sex Toy Thefts Result In Real-Life Court Settlementhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,340469,00.html - The headline is very good and says exactly what the story is all about and lures the reader to read further.
2.Immigration agent charged with demanding sex for woman's green cardhttp://www.kdbc4.com/Global/story.asp?S=8052494&nav=menu608_2_1 - Readers will want to know how the immigration agent was caught just from reading the headline.
3.Another Day, Another Bill Clinton Quote http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/ - With the American election debate heating up, especially the race between Clinton and Obama, readers will always be drawn to anything that hints of gossip.
4. NBA players Need College? Prove It. http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop - Straight off the bat the reader was engaged in what the story promised in the headline.
5. Man hit by police Taser: "That's all you got?" http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Man_hit_by_police_Taser_That_s_all_you_got - makes you want to read more after reading the headline.

THE 5 WORST HEADLINES
1. my weekend http://employeecomedy.typepad.com/news/ - very cryptic doesn't say much and left wondering if author writing to themselves.
2. Score http://theupstatelife.blogspot.com/ - was under the impression that it dealt with actual scores of a game.
3. BVI to consider environmental legislation http://caribbeannetnews.com/news-6764--29-29--.html - The headline is not very effective in grabbing a readers attention as seems so dull.
4. SENTENCED TO JAIL ... Bedminister brothers receive combined 12-year prison term http://www.antiguasun.com/paper/?as=view&sun=375223018503232008&an=334824038803202008&ac=Local - more effective headline would be 'Antigua's lawn tennis hopefuls sentenced to 12 years for attempted murder'.
5. No magic wand - Shaw http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080323/lead/lead5.html -
The story is compelling as it tries to explain that it will be no easy task to replace revenue that is being scrapped, but the headline is very vague.

Popeshead Street

Living in Antigua and Barbuda I have grown to see things that make you wonder why people are so irresponsible when it comes to road safety issues.

If you have visited the Island and looking for action of the sexual kind, everyone knows that Popeshead street is the place to go and get your sexual fantasies satisfied.
As you know the streets in St. Johns are really narrow and parking on both sides of the street is a no-no especially on the side streets.

But listen to this, these patrons park on both sides of the road and even go further by double parking. The driving on this tropical island is atrocious and navigating this street is like driving thru a field of land mines.

Makes you wonder what the police are doing at night, or does the traffic department closed for business at this time? Can you imagine how much the government coffers would be able to accumulate just from one night??? Maybe someone should whisper into the new Police Commissioner's ear?

Blogs I like

1. The blog tastememory appeals to me as I love food and have always had an interest in preparing dishes that are visually pleasing and leave u craving for one more bite. I picked this particular blog because there is no conflict involved and its all about pleasuring the senses. Apart from that it grabs your attention with the well placed pictures. http://www.tastememory.com/

2. In the second blog http://blog.orbitz.com/ I was fascinated that I was able to travel to other places and get a feel of what they are like through other peoples eyes. I was able to learn about life after Katrina and how you can enjoy your vacation without being stuck to the confines of an all inclusive resort.

3. The 3rd blog caught my attention because the bloggers involved don't hold their punches when addressing issues e.g The Story behind the Story: The Clinton myth. I like the layout which gives u an idea of what the story is all about and where it falls in the scheme of things.

http://www.technorati.com/

This blogging thing is really interesting once u are able to manage your time properly and get the information you want promptly.

Comments on blog

This post is in response to an online Journalism assignment where we had to set up blogs and comment on other student's efforts.

I tried to look at several of my fellow participants blogs to get a feel of what each of us has done. I could not make up my mind about what should be put on the blog and started out with several issues that are close to my heart.

I tried to access Brenton's and Claudine's blogs with no success. Did anyone else have this problem?

Earlier in the week I looked at Vernon's and and Nazimar's. Which I found to be very informative as they are angled towards news (world and Caribbean). I preferred Nazimar's website which has more graphics and is more appealing to the eye in terms of layout. Vernon's website set up for the class assignment is too spartan in terms of looks . I much prefer his other personal blog
which also shows pictures from his life and travels.

RSS Reader

I am currently taking part in an Journalism 2.0 online course, which is showing me that I still have much more to learn about using the resources available thru the web.http://moodle.communication.utexas.edu/onlinelearning/moodle-1.6/english/

My second skills assignment involves setting up a blog which has been very interesting. Participants were instructed to set up a blog if they don't already have one and set up an RSS reader. I choose The Google Reader as I already own an email account.

As I like the style of writing used by BBC, I subscribed to their BBCNews/Latest published stories/World edition.

Baby Machine

Am only 36 years old and have decided am not having anymore children. I already have a 17 year old, and the other died 12 years ago as a baby.

What makes people thing they have the right to dictate how many children i should have!!! Is it such a social misnomer not to want anymore.

Parenthood is so time consuming and challenging, and in today's world so filled with so many temptations to lure the young from their youth.

Why can't I be considered a person in my own right without some busybody looking over my shoulder wondering when am going to increase the country's population figures?

The next time someone asks me the same old question of when am I having another child, i will look then in the eye and tell them as soon as we have a legal contract that they will contribute 75% towards the child's upkeep!!

I wonder how they will respond.

LostGranny

Life sure is funny I just buried my grandmother on Wednesday 12th March and I couldn't cry! I cried the day she died on Wednesday 27th February, but other than that I just could not cry. It seems so hypocritical, since 2006 after a minor stroke she was never the same!

She shrank in size and was not too mobile, making her very frustrated as she used to be such an active person.

I remember her as always ready with a smile and offering you a plate of food whenever you visit. Its hard to know I will ever see her again, but one good thing is she is no longer in pain and has shed the frustration of being tied to her bed and chair watching the world go by.

I will really miss her.