DAYLIGHT ROBBERY!

5th September 2009

The dry season has arrived well and truly.The nights are very cold as the sky is clear and the daytime heat is exhausting.Sometimes though, there is a lovely breeze, which makes life bearable.The water tanks are emptying all around us and we have been advised to put a lock on ours, as otherwise the neighbourhood will empty it in no time.The children love it though.In the mornings we quite often hear the little boy next door yelling at the top of his lungs, as his mother douses him under the water tap outside for his morning wash - poor little devil!!Now that the tank has dried up, the children are taken to the river, (Warra Simbu) for their wash, which I know our little neighbour much prefers to the water tank in the early morning (see photo).They sing all the way there and back and have a great time and for a little while there's a bit of peace and quiet around the place.

It's not only water that we've had stolen though.A pair of John's jeans has disappeared off the washing line in broad daylight, a beautiful hydrangea plus pot has gone as well as a spade from the balcony, two hurricane lamps and various items of fruit, which we hang outside to avoid fruit flies coming inside.

However, the pinnacle of cheek happened this week. We were working in our school for the day and I popped back to collect some paperwork I'd forgotten, to find a young boy lurking about.He said he was looking for his father who worked as a carpenter on the campus and he needed to find him to ask for some money for his school uniform.I had no idea who this was and directed him to the building site.He returned a few minutes later saying he couldn't find his father and he was hungry.I was in a hurry to get back to school, so I furnished him with a biscuit and a glass of milk and told him to go to the security guard on the gate when he'd finished his drink, as he would know everyone on campus.I left instructions for him to leave his glass on the low coffee table we have on the balcony and to be sure to close the balcony gate to stop the dogs getting in.He assured me, with the most disarming smile, that he would do this and thanked me profusely for the biscuit. I returned at the end of the day to discover that not only had he made off with my glass but the ruddy coffee table as well!!!You'd think I'd learned by now to trust no-one, especially not a raskal with a disarming smile!What a mug am I?

It's two weeks before the end of term, so everyone has just about given up.We've organised another Head Teachers' Conference, the final one for the year, on the last two days of term, so that should put paid to early holidays being taken by heads, although maybe no-one will turn up!!Yes it does include another role play with a star studded cast and if this one doesn't get an Oscar nomination, nothing will!! We then have to attend a conference in Goroka during the holiday week, where the Minister for Education will be in attendance and, as I speak, John is preparing a power point presentation to be delivered by the Senior Standards Inspector for Simbu.After that, we're off again.We're going to spend a week in Alotau.This is a little place on the most Easterly tip of PNG, renowned for its beauty and of course diving.The lengths we have to go to for John to get away from me for a bit of peace and quiet!I suppose the bottom of the sea is as good a place as any!

Then we're into the last term of the year, so not much will be undertaken by anyone apart from interminable 'sitting meals', laid on for the school leavers (I can only assume it's called that because they don't normally sit on chairs for meals).On these occasions, washing up bowls appear- not for their utilitarian purpose, but to be filled with food - you can forget plates!And of course, it's the graduation season.Endless rounds of graduation ceremonies, to which we are sadly, invariably invited as honoured guests.I'm always afraid we're going to be asked to give a speech.We've escaped so far, but our luck can't hold!

These affairs never start on time and the organisation is non existent - things just seem to happen quite by chance, if you're lucky.Several hours into these affairs, you can find yourself beginning to seriously hallucinate about snow and cool mountain streams, as the speeches go on and on ad infinitum. Rigid boredom, a numb backside, caused by sitting for endless hours on a plastic seat and dripping wet clothes, make life seriously uncomfortable. That's the moment when you're asked to present the 106th prize.Rigour mortis has set your face, your legs have gone numb, so you stumble from your seat on the stage praying your legs will enable you to negotiate any steps which may appear unexpectedly, proffering a hot, sweaty hand towards an equally bored student, whilst revealing to all and sundry an attractive wet patch on your backside - great stuff!!

Well, schools will have resumed by now, so no doubt the weather is glorious and the Indian Summer well underway.The Bearded One is polishing his snorkel and I'm unearthing my cossie, looking forward to some sea air and R and R. The school truck has returned with hundreds of singing, shouting, waving children, so I'm off to turn up the volume of the CD.They look all smiley, shiny and clean - not for long I suspect!

Love from us both and hope life is treating you well.