A recurring dream.

The last few days have been spent learning, researching and understanding all about the cultivation of cacao right from the tree to the bean.

As I am shown round some of the local cacao farmers’ fields, I begin to understand how cacao needs to be cultivated and harvested to obtain high quality cacao, which will ultimately influence the taste of fine chocolate.

Looking at the cacao tree, it is hard to imagine that the world’s favourite delicacy starts from here.

The main cacao variety grown in this area is CCN-51, which stands for Coleccion Castro Naranjal, where 51 stands for the cross number of this variety. The CCN-51 is a clone introduced from Ecuador. About 80% the cacao production in the region of San Martin is CCN-51 variety.

This specific variety was mainly introduced as an alternative crop to coca because of its high productivity levels. In comparison to…

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A recurring dream.

Studio Mothers: Life & Art

Sometimes creative angst gets the better of us. How often do you find yourself thinking “I don’t have enough time,” or “My work’s not good enough,” or “I’ll never reach my creative goals”? Here are four simple ways to avoid those minefields and stay focused on what really matters: your creative work.

1. Turn rejection into affirmation. With practice, you can reframe rejection so that it actually affirms your creativity, rather than causes injury. Here’s how. Simply put, you can’t get rejected if you haven’t had the courage to send your work out into the world. And you can’t send your work out into the world if you haven’t reached a level of completion and polish that makes you believe your work has legs. And your work can’t have legs if you haven’t put yourself at your desk or easel or studio bench and actually done the work, for however…

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A recurring dream.

Cereal with a Fork

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A recurring dream.

Dr Sustainable

I was awarded my PhD in January this year following a successful viva in November 2011, so thought I would try and summarise my experiences over the last 3-4 years and see if I could come up with some key points of advice from start to finish…

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A recurring dream.

  First day of summer and the weather responded by climbing into the 90s replete with humidity. Lovely. I’m much better at running in cold weather than I am in heat. At least in cold my body gradually warms up to a point where I’m comfortable running. In the heat, however, it’s easy for your body to overheat and that can be dangerous if not fatal. Yikes!

Here are some tips I’ve gleaned over the years and try to implement throughout the dog days of summer:

1. Run early in the morning – This tends to be the coolest part of the day before the sun has baked the world all day.

2. Dress smart – Wearing light colors that will reflect the sun’s rays away and loose fitting clothing that breathes as you run. Also, fabrics other than cotton that will wick away sweat and keep you cool are…

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A recurring dream.

De quelle planète es-tu?

One of Denver’s most colorful and trendy neighborhoods is waiting for you, right northwest of the city center! Have you been?

This is a neighborhood that has gotten quite big and hip since I moved to Franceland, and while I was back in May, I was so happy to have wandered it with two of my favourite people. The Highlands neighborhoods (Highlands and West Highlands) are located just northwest of downtown Denver. It is known by many for its little colorful houses painted ever so intricately with adorable front lawns, and of course now for it’s trendy vibes and shops and businesses. With a view of downtown Denver and the Millenium bridge, it is the perfect place to go for a stroll right outside the city center where you can feast your eyes.

Allie and Jay (aren’t they just the cutest?) took me to brunch at Duo before we…

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A recurring dream.

Dr Sustainable

I was awarded my PhD in January this year following a successful viva in November 2011, so thought I would try and summarise my experiences over the last 3-4 years and see if I could come up with some key points of advice from start to finish…

View original post 1,136 more words

A recurring dream.

The last few days have been spent learning, researching and understanding all about the cultivation of cacao right from the tree to the bean.

As I am shown round some of the local cacao farmers’ fields, I begin to understand how cacao needs to be cultivated and harvested to obtain high quality cacao, which will ultimately influence the taste of fine chocolate.

Looking at the cacao tree, it is hard to imagine that the world’s favourite delicacy starts from here.

The main cacao variety grown in this area is CCN-51, which stands for Coleccion Castro Naranjal, where 51 stands for the cross number of this variety. The CCN-51 is a clone introduced from Ecuador. About 80% the cacao production in the region of San Martin is CCN-51 variety.

This specific variety was mainly introduced as an alternative crop to coca because of its high productivity levels. In comparison to…

View original post 442 more words

A recurring dream.

This Woman's Musings

We got Suzy over a year ago, when she was still a baby. Once she got used to our smells and our hands, she was a genuinely happy, easy-going hamster. When we held her or played with her, she never bit us, didn’t poo on the carpet, and didn’t chew through our clothes. She could have easily passed for the archetypal small pet, were it not for one outstanding quality. Suzy was dead set on escaping.

The problem was that we housed her in a glass aquarium (with bedding and a igloo home and a wheel and everything), so there was no way for her to get out. She really tried though. First she perfected the “belly polish”. What she did was try to climb right up the vertical, slippery walls of her encasement. She’d jump against the wall, feet and little paws flailing wildly, and slip down, and stand back up on…

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A recurring dream.