Birds of Sri Lanka
This isn’t about all birds in Sri Lanka, but rather, birds that I’ve seen and photographed. I’m keeping a general…
A chameleon on our doorstep!
A few days ago, Fahim called to me from downstairs, telling me to hurry and bring my camera. He wouldn’t…
Teeny tiny little greenish bird
This bird is a frequent visitor to my garden. In particular, to the trees and area outside my kitchen window,…
Poll: If you were holding a pen on the moon…
This is based on an interesting bit I read on a university site. Don’t read the article or the rest…
Growing – and killing – mint in Sri Lanka
You know how, whenever you bring up that you’re growing your own mint, suddenly all sorts of people pop out…
Transporting an elephant
In Sri Lanka, there are many elephants. There’s the elephant orphanage, there are elephants at the zoo, elephants are used…
Recycling in Sri Lanka
Our municipality changed how garbage collection is being done a couple of months back. We now have to separate out…
The latest lizard to invade my garden
This guy was smallish. I say small-ish because, at about 2 1/2 feet long, this lizard isn’t all that large….
Bag Gardening Resources
I came across the following video about a year ago – it’s fairly short and fun to watch. It shows…
Rice-Bag Gardening
I read about using the plastic mesh bags that rice comes in for garden pots – a cheap, readily available…
Sri Lanka’s Colombo Crows
We were visiting Fahim’s brother’s wife’s family in Colombo when I spotted these birds. Of course, everyone laughed at me…
Provincial Council Election Ballots in Sri Lanka
Elections are done a bit differently here. No surprise there. But there was a surprise – to me – when…
Noise Laws in Sri Lanka
About a year or so ago, I remember reading or hearing about new noise laws that had passed in Sri…
Making Non-Petroleum Jelly/Lip Balm
I need some kind of non-petroleum jelly-ish substance, something suitable as a heavy-duty moisturizer for Fahim’s scaly feet as well…
Finding Beeswax in Sri Lanka…
Can be interesting. After much discussion and procrastination, on a grocery shopping trip one day, Fahim ran into an Ayurvedic…
Cows, Magnets, and Magnetism
This definitely falls into the bizarre-for-me category of information. <a href=”http://pics.laurieashton.com/2009/20090322-18.jpg”l target=”_blank” ><img src=”http://laurieashton.com/tn/2009/20090322-18.jpg” align=”left” alt=”” /></a>Thanks to <a href=”https://twitter.com/”…
Transporting Furniture and… People?
This is a more common sight in Sri Lanka than you might think. When goods are transported, be they furniture,…
A Squirrel and A Bird Come Visiting
I frequently see birds visiting the trees outside my kitchen window. They’re a welcome sight. I enjoy watching them flit…
Crafting/DIY As A Form of Self-Defense
I’ve always been a crafter/DIY kind of person – it’s the way we were raised. It’s part self-sufficiency, part economy,…
Purple-Faced Langur Monkey Travelling the Power Line Highway
I took these pics of our neighborhood gray purple-faced langur monkeys yesterday afternoon. It started with a noise up on…
Student Riots And Closing Universities In Sri Lanka
Yesterday, there was another incident of students rioting at a university here in Sri Lanka. It happens with a frequency…
The Yellow-Billed Babbler and Other Birds of Sri Lanka
Confirmed again, I am a geek. <a href=”http://pics.laurieashton.com/2009/20090209-17.jpg” target=”_blank”></a>Also confirmed is that this bird is the <s>Jungle Babbler (<i>Turdoides striata</i>)</s>…
For Your Entertainment. Cows And Garbage And Empty Lots.
Garbage is a problem here. Sometimes, the garbage collectors skip a week. Or two. Sometimes, when they usually come on…
Teeny Tiny Little Cute Froggy Napping In My Lime Tree
When I went downstairs to make lunch, and water the plants and such outside, I noticed a teeny tiny little…
The Papaya Mealy Bug Infestation Saga Continues
I pruned off more of the lime tree. It has about 1/8th the foliage left. All is damaged (the entire…