Project #365 Day 23 A dark green bird…
There are times when a point-and-shoot camera totally sucks, like when the object you want to focus on is small…
Sri Lanka
Project #365 Day 22 Where is that wascally squirrel?
This is my second time writing this post. Ugh. Not ugh because the post is so terrible. Ugh because I…
Freaky Friday Spider!
Take a good look at this spider. Notice, first of all, that it really is a spider. The two sets…
Project #365 Day 19 Snail
Slugs and snails seem to be everywhere here. They burrow into plant roots, they inhabit my compost bin, they crawl…
What happens on Eid ul-Fitr?
Eid ul-Fitr is the festival day marking the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims. Eid ul-Fitr is…
Project #365 Day 6 Thebu and Papaya Mealybug
A little over a year ago, our househelper brought some thebu one day. She made the leaves into a sambol…
The parting of the papaya mealybug and the lime tree
I’ve mentioned the papaya mealybug infection in several previous posts. Unfortunately, the papaya mealy bug (Paracoccus marginatus) continues to be…
Cheeky Squirrel!
I swear, every creature in the neighborhood loves these pink flowers. Including, it would seem, this very healthy neighborhood squirrel….
Two images of poverty in Sri Lanka
It’s difficult to understand what abject poverty can really mean. To someone in a relatively wealthy nation like Canada or…
License Plates!
You know how, in places like Canada or the US, there’s a uniformity in the way licence plates look? Different…
My first ladybug
…that I’ve seen in Sri Lanka. I’m sure there are many more. I’ve heard tales of them, after all. 🙂…
Six Years and No One’s Dead Yet…
Today marks our six year anniversary. Six years ago today, Fahim and I met in person for the first time….
Our trishaw driver – rock, meet hard place.
We have a regular trishaw driver. Fahim’s family has been hiring him for years. He’s honest, he does a great…
Customer Service in Sri Lanka
About four or five months ago, we signed up for a new high-speed Internet service in Sri Lanka – AirTel….
Sri Lankan Bats and Bat Houses
I know, I know, I’m strange. I’m considering bats and bat houses. 😀 Here’s the thing – bats eat a…
Shocking News: Most Sri Lankans Don’t Use Banks!
I really don’t get this kind of reporting. I don’t. In a shocking revelation, a Sri Lankan banking expert says…
The Fisher King! Well, no, not really…
It’s the kingfisher, as it’s known in Sri Lanka. More accurately, this bird is the Whte-Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smymensis race…
Spiders… Urgh!
We get a lot of spiders here. Some are small, some, not so much. Here’s one that visited me. Until…
Chernobyl Beetle!
Okay, so he’s probably never been to Chernobyl, or, really, out of this country, so I’m being a leetle beet…
Hassles at the grocery store
Life is an adventure here in Sri Lanka, sometimes in ways you don’t quite – as a foreigner – expect….
Introducing… Pani Kurulla!
At least, I think it’s what’s locally known as. That’s what Fahim told me, but he’s not absolutely positive. But…
Atikukula or Greater Coucal
Here in Sri Lanka, Fahim tells me, no one likes having this bird in their yard because the red eyes…