The sad news is that we will have to wait three years for the next blue moon, the good news is that our Blue Moon Pizza event was a great success!

For the first time we kept the “smoking pig” fired up the entire day and, despite good intentions, completely lost count of the number of pizzas we and our guests produced. There were many new combinations that we will definitely come back to, and enjoy again. Austin’s cheese stuffed crust was a hit, the only dilemma was how to translate it into Spanish. With the help of Silvio from Nicaragua we finally settled on Corona rellena. Little Chloe needed to stand on a cooler to reach the rolling table but once in place she produced pizza like a natural pizzaiola.With a break to let food settle our guests then enjoyed the nature walk that we arranged for the day with the adventurous ones climbing up the stream bed next to the pizza oven, emerging from the jungle further up the hill, and continuing with the rest of the group up to the lookout point, for a view out over the Caribbean.

Despite threatening rain a couple of times the weather continued fair and as night fell and the oven’s red glow deepened in the darkening jungle, the pizza making got into full swing once more for the evening participants. As bellies filled the atmosphere became charged with anticipation. Finally the pizza making stopped, and everyone put on their headlights and made for the maze and the promise of surprises within. We’ve never made use of the maze at night before so it was great fun to hear squeals and giggling in the dark, noises associated with discovery and frustration as the hibiscus hedges were navigated and the beer and cocktail stations hidden within were tracked down. I can’t remember if the final recipe of our Blue Moon cocktail was ever agreed upon, perhaps we’ll have to have a re-run. Or should that be a re-rum!

Once in a blue moon there’s a blue moon! OK, that sounds idiotic but stay with me please. When there are two full moons in the same month the second is called a Blue Moon, and there is one at the end of this month. July 31st to be precise. So what does that mean for us at Tesoro Verde? Since we already run a pizza night every full moon we wanted to make this Blue moon event something special so in addition to pizza in the evening we are going to cook during the day too, and whether you choose to attend in the day time or in the evening there will be fun things to do as well as eating the finest wood fired pizza outside of Naples! As a further inducement we have kept the price of each to just $15 pp

Daytime

The smoking pig pizza oven will be fired up in the morning to be ready to cook in the afternoon but you are welcome to come around any time after midday and take some time to wander around our property before we eat. There are paths to hike and lots to see in the surrounding jungle  . We will gather to cook and eat around 1pm and you will get the chance to get your hands into the dough if you like and as with our regular full moon pizza nights a free beer or soda is included. When everyone has had enough and your meal has had a chance to settle we will take you on a guided jungle tour where you will learn about the fascinating plants and wildlife in this corner of the Portobelo National Park.

Nighttime

For the night owls the format follows the popular pattern of our normal full moon pizza night where we start cooking around 6pm and continue until everyone has had enough, eating family style with the chance to create your own masterpiece. Your extra activity comes in the form of a “cocktail hunt”. Down the hill from the pizza oven is our hibiscus labyrinth, the Panamaze. You are invited to enter if you dare with the flashlight you brought with you and track down the cocktail stations within. The maze is on a slope so to help with the dry work of navigating it’s puzzling paths you will be given two complementary tokens to “pay” for your drinks. For the adventurous or just plain thirsty there are additional tokens hidden within the maze! Alternatively cash works too!

I find myself often making lists. Lo-priority, hi-priority, with subheadings like daily/weekly/monthly. It’s got worse over the years, more things added as I become a/ more forgetful and b/ there are new things I want to try every day. I periodically set myself rules. Nothing new may be added until something is ‘done’, but what if I forget some wonderful new idea before I am ‘allowed’ to add it to the list? Does brushing your teeth and doing the breakfast dishes really count? It IS two ticks and can get you going in a positive mode for the rest of the day. If something is top of the list for three days and remains undone, should I accept I don’t really want to do it – what is my strategy – delete or somehow inspire or browbeat myself into doing it first thing on day four??

I find myself making a ‘to-do’ list to delay making the decision of what to do first.  Sometimes that’s because the list is vast and overwhelming but often it’s because I am avoiding what I know I should do, in favour of what I’d like to do . There is a virtuous smugness in crossing off things I’d rather not do – clean the stove top, clean the fridge, but a sense of cheating or being lazy if I surf the internet (doing strictly research of course) or repot a favourite plant.

I am supposed to do yoga everyday, a morning walk, a weekly blog – and somehow, mysteriously, it doesn’t happen.

Which kind of links in to something else, resolutions, usually limited to !st January or 8 weeks before a holiday ( vacation). This is my first promise to myself – NOTHING goes into the freezer minus a label ever again!!

….and then immediately felt pressured :-).

It’s been a crazy week. Full Moon Pizza last Thursday, Jungleland Friday thru’ Sunday. Panama City Monday to finally collect those elusive new passports and pick up Josie and Mesha, super new hike to Playa Blanca Tuesday and dashing back to prep the barbecue for old friends and new the same night. Then this morning two massages…. Guess I need another holiday in the San Blas, so roll on AUGUST?????

We didn’t manage our annual trip with Charmer in 2014, just the two trips with TEA, ( photo courtesy of Taylor Simmers ) so feel I MUST get there this year. The San Blas really does feel like paradise. Every second there the clouds shift, shadow the ocean differently, and green turns to azure to mercury. The moment we finally drop the anchor I feel like I’ve never been away and all the frustrations and complications and to be fair, the excitements of ‘normal’ life slip away like shedding a skin. And our only goal is to relax. Beach-combing, snorkeling, swimming, bonfires and barbecues on the beach, fishing, reading, the time goes way too fast.

To get there seems very stressful, prepping the boat, provisioning for five to six weeks, packing all that food away so that the boat can function, anticipating breakages and the spares required to fix them. The last ounce of diesel and water we can possibly cram into the tanks. And I never want to leave…….. Roll on the holidays!