Bits and pieces!

Every now and again I think "I wonder if I've told you about….." so as I'm waiting for a meeting to begin I'll do just that but in no particular order! Started this and then the old mind went blank! So here goes.

• The women here all wear what are called meri [woman] dresses. They are very frilly quite often and are worn over a laplap,[sarong] or skirt. They tend to come to below the knee with a frill. Most often they have puff sleeves and frills! They were designed in the first place for going to Church so that the women didn't breast feed in Church and embarrass the priest!
• In the highlands if a sow has too many piglets then the woman is expected to breast feed some of them as they are a valuable commodity!
• This is a Rugby mad country. All support one of two teams from Australia {Ken will have to fill you in!] Una is talking about the State of Origin ie the Blues and the Maroons. Neutrality, it appears, is not an option.
• Although this is a male dominated culture I was thrilled to watch a Rugby game of girls against boys in Aiome School. What was really interesting is that the boys from the hills would never talk to a girl but here they are playing Rugby!!
• Plants are amazing. Stick in a twig and it grows! The other day I potted two plants up and decided to stick some flowering bits around the edge. Next day they had flowers blooming….I just love this instant gardening.
• Food. The staples are greens, anything even stuff that grows in the ditches. What amazes me though is the use of noodles. I thought that we got them as they thought that western people ate them but no when I asked I was told it was a staple. They then mix noodles in with the greens and they love to add corned beef, my least favourite food [after sago!!] but Ken absolutely loves it and always has.
• Fish is plentiful BUT they sell the fish in order to buy tinned fish! Mackerel and tuna are plentiful here and there are many canning factories but no they eat the tinned varieties.
• In boarding schools the students make the supper over fires in big pots. Remember the numbers are 400 to 600. Now that's a lot of peeling of yams!! They prepare breakfast but that's mainly just biscuits the cream cracker type but twice as thick! Generally flavoured with beef or chicken.
• Bells obviously govern the day starting with a bell at 5:30am waking them up. Then at 5:45 time to garden!! The grounds are so tidy and they grow some of their own vegetables.
• Chickens are mainly for eating not for the eggs.
• Gardens are bordered by lovely hedges of all those plants you've tried growing indoors!!And hibiscus of every colour. Even houses by the road often have colourful hedges.
• Ken had a little incident recently when someone tried to grab his mobile out of his hand. He reacted as we're told not to by trying to hit the fellow! Mobile was dropped but not lost. Lad ran off but what is amazing is that everyone stopped to help, even the traffic!!
• Yes we've had a few earthquake tremors. Not that Ken's noticed!
• Our wee garden has been extended and the fence removed. New table and huge umbrella mean that our dining room is outside!
• House is now white with olive green trim and looks wonderful. Am hoping inside gets done next!
• Liklik house. Toilets. Every house has one at the far end of the garden and quite often separate for men and women.
• Paths are shingle but not pebbles but coral. Quite amazing how much coral is in the soil everywhere. The house here in Malala that we use is about half a mile from the sea and up a hill but still everywhere is coral.
• Coconuts falling on heads is one of the killers in the country! True
• We heard a lady shouting when we were waiting on the airstrip and we were told that she was calling for someone to come and help her carry her load! They shout or bash something like a drum.
• Insects aren't a problem. Don't see many mosquitoes. Sand fleas are the worse for me so I use some heavy factor Australian bush cream!!
• Here one doesn't find clothes or shoes shops and everyone shops at the second hand store! Clothes are from 10 toya [2p] to a Kina 4 [£1] and many are designer labels from NZ and Australia
• Everyone carries a bush knife here! Small kids walking to school have their knives ready to cut the school grass. The grounds are so tidy with flower beds and lawns that look as if the've been cut with a mover.
• It certainly lives up to its name as the "Land of the unexpected"!!