Reflections on 80.

 The thing about life is that we never know how long we will retain our memory. That is why I am so happy I started this blog about quarter  century ago and record almost everything. (Wish blogs were invented long before though.)

I was reflecting on becoming 80 which sounded so remote up to a week ago.

 But now I will soon move away from that landmark and end up where I wonder?

This is why I am saving these pics to remind me of all who helped me celeberate, from nearby Plantation and Lauderhill to distant Sebring  all in Florida. 

Last year I had big plans with friends to go on a cruise around sections of Southern Africa from Mauritius to Cape Town in 2026, to celebrate this milestone. However, my heart objected, informing me that I have to stay close my cardiologist.

So,  I will be finishing off the celebration next month with my immediate family, on a cruise in the the nearby Caribbean. (Some have school till June).

It is what it is.

To get the celebrations going, we started started in Plantation where my good friend Carolyn hosted a wonderful dominoes session.

 (https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/dominoes-forever.html)

Horace, Carolyn,  uncle Lesly, uncle Ruddy, Hollden at dominoes on my birthday. 

Then it was off  to lunch with my Trini friend Helena.

Not only was the Trini curry goat delicious,  but I have to thank Helena for reomtroducing me to Indian food. For you see, I was in Sri Lanka exactly a year ago, and while it was a great experience,  there they not only curry almost everything,  but the hot spices nearly killed me!🤢. 

I had never met hotter peppers in my life and thus I swore off curry.

But the Trini version was a delicious, gentle reminder that not all curry is hot and my once favorite roti, bussup shut, was most welcome.

Bussup shut.

Next we finished off the celebrations in Sebring where Camille and I drove to,  to spend the long weekend  with my lifelong, bosom friend  Sunshine and my extended family.

Thr Golden girls aka the scrabble ginigogs😁

The octogenerian.

Today (23rd) is Givannis birthday, but that makes him a Gemini, not a great Taurean😁. 

 He turns 13.

Yep it was great to get out of the city and hang around with more "family."❣️💕

Cardiff is extra special too for athough he was born an Adventist so pork has never touched his mouth, he had no problem seasoning and cooking the most delicious pork shoulder for me.😄.

Big up Cardiff.

It was so well seasoned, soft and delicious that I even had some for breakfast next day!

It's been a great 80th celebration.

On to the next big landmark.😉

A nature walk.

 I saw the largest tree I have ever seen in my life today.

They call it a Banion tree. (Banyon?)

It's huge but I couldn't find out how old it is.

I'm lost inside this tree!

Mr. Haton (my tuk driver) swings on the root.

That stringly-looking thing grows down from the branches into the ground and ta-da a new tree grows from it.

A dead monk guards the tree. It is said he was 6 feet tall. Unusual, as most Sri Lankans are fairly short.

Then it was off to see Kaludya Pond.

Most signs are in three languages. Sinhalese, Tamil and English.

This pond is over 3000 years old!

It's in the center of the archiological dig.

Had to do some climbing to get to the site, but don't mind as I need the exercise.

Then my friends came to see me😊.

Also ran into some devotees taking lunch for Buddhist monks who meditate at a building nearby and in the surrounding forest.

It is the custom for devotees to supply breakfast, dinner and supper for the Buddhist Monks in their district.

Inside the "Arms"

The food is prepared in a large room called the Arms.

I had a good lunch today too.

 2 boiled corn and a jelly coconut.

Proud of myself as I have been a vegan for 2 days!

Yup, healthy living but it's because mi fraid a Sri Lankan food, for peppa wudda kill mi.😭

https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2025/05/omg-im-allergic.html?m=1. 

Anyway healthy living won't kill me for 

 there is no shortage of delicious fruits as stalls like these line every road. (Instead of potholes like a Yard😡)

Fruit stalls abound all around Sri Lanka.

For people who like pepper, there are no end of signs advertising rice and curry. 

To go, it's served in banana leaves.

OMG, I'm allergic😩.

 I have always maintained that if I don't learn something new every day of life, it means I am dead!

L-r. Sharlene, "Captain" (the owner), Damith, Joan.

Well it took almost eight decades for me to learn that I have a food allergy.

 That's humbling as I have always boasted how I have a stomach of steel as I listened to my friends list the things they can't eat. 

Let me clarify that a bit because for over thirty years, I have not been able to eat ackee, the most important ingredient in Jamaica national dish.

 But that's not an allergy, for before having my beautiful daughter, I could enjoy that fare three or four times per day, especially if roasted breadfruit or pear was around. 

After she arrived on this earth, I got the message "you have had enough ackee," so even after tasting a little amount, I would end up with a severe stomach ache and retch like hell. 

But that was not an allergy, just something to do with my body's evolution (revolution?) I guess, and since I had already eaten enough ackee and saltfish to last me through three or four reincarnations, I never let it bother my pretty little head.

 I just stopped eating the national dish. 

Well I have news for you, (and me), I now know I am allergic to pepper. But the sad news is though, if I stop eating during pepper during the three weeks I am here in Sri Lanka, I am going to starve to death, for everything they cook here is teeming with pepper.🥴

Seeing my reaction to a little pepper from day one here, my poor host Sharlene has tried her best to "tone it down," but there does not seem to be any prepared seasoning or additive here that does no have an overwhelming amount of pepper! So, while I will be able to cope reasonably well with home cooked food, eating outside will be a struggle as everything fulla peppa🥴.

  I shall overcome however.

My hosts took me to dinner last night at the popular Madara Restaurant and that's when I came to accept that I do indeed have an allergy. Anyway, since since knowledge is power I will overcome.💪. 

I guess somewhere on this sign it says Madara Restaurant. Their alphabet has 62 letters!

Yes I know I am rambling so let me clarify.

This is referred to as a bite of pork!

I hear that for a proper meal, you must spend several hours nibbling on various bites.

Now, in case you never knew, I admit I am I am a pork fanatic. I can eat pork in the morning, pork in the evening and pork at suppertime.

As my favorite dish arrived last night, naturally I jumped right in. And it was absolutely delicious but hot as hell.

It was so nice otherwise that I just could not stop eating.😭.

 But with each bite, my nose started running, I started coughing and sneezing and ended up having to drink four glasses of water and four glasses of red wine just to tackle my lovely pork and get a belly full!

Within minutes of finishing my dear, sweet pork, all the above effects immediately disappeared!

 I have eaten food with pepper all my life, but normally I have other non-peppery stuff to choose from as well, so I have never ended up having to eat straight unadulterated pepper!

But here, there is no such thing as non-peppery stuff, just the degree of pepperness.  

So I guess I will just have to finally accept that I have a food allergy, learn how to face my demons, and overcome🤔.

Nb. We have a lot of fruits and foods in common with Sri Lanka but they consume/prepare them differently.

 For example, I love jackfruits and they have it all over this island. Problem for me? They curry the green jackfruit (with tons of pepper I suspect), whereas I love to eat the ripened fruit. Can't find any ripe ones on sale here though.

But I have found something we call blue draws or duckuno and love it. Can't pronounce  what they call it here though.😊

It's really a kind of cornmeal pudding cooked with lots of coconut milk and steamed in banana leaves.

 I couldn't get enough of that.😋