Thursday 2nd July

Wednesday 1st July

Got a mid year package from VSA Auckland branch today, copy of the Listener, Whittakers peanut slab, packet of pineapple lumps, 2 Nestle cappuccino, tiki key ring, which was all appreciated. I’ll have to mention not to send chocolates again though, especially to here, both the peanut slab and the pineapple lumps were soft and melted, but an hour in the fridge and they are firm again, lost the shape a little, or a lot, but very nice.

David and I tried sorting out the rear wiring on the little truck this afternoon, it’s due for a warrant of fitness tomorrow. In the distance between the 2 tail lights, about 3’, there are 20 or more joins all with different coloured wire, different sized wire, and several inline fuse connectors. We’re taking it to the auto electrician first thing in the morning. If we could get new cable it would be easy enough to fix, but here it’s just a case of using whatever insulated wire you can find, household included.

There have been thunder and lightning storms on and off all day here, no rain in sight though, the lightning has been impressive, and the thunder really rolls across the landscape like a tank. The trees actually sway, and the ground vibrates under you when it rolls over.

I’ve still not figured out the water system in the house, after 6 months it is still a mystery. The last 2 weeks there has been no water in the afternoons when I get home, till about 10 or 11pm, but in the morning there is water to spare and high pressure. I’m used to it now so it can just be one of the things to accept.



Thursday 2nd July

Almost another week over with. The little truck failed the road fitness certificate, the lights decided to go on strike, and the rust in the tray and sides was a bit too much for them to accept. I took the sides off today, so we have a true flatbed now. David and I are going to strip the tray completely off over the weekend, and next week we’ll build a timber deck and sides for it.

After so much rain when I got here, I thought I’d be happy for the dry season to start. A week without rain and everything is parched, the trees are showing wilting signs, any small shrubs are just dried leaves and bare branches. It almost rained today, but just turned into thunder and lightning, and a dark heavy oppressive feel to the air. I think I’m used to the temperature, I don’t notice it so much anymore even when it gets to 35*C. The good thing about the dry season is that you don’t feel as though you’re in a sauna all the time, and you don’t seem to sweat as much.

Recalling the saga off the Cattle Development Fund that went missing, the Govt are still finding bits and pieces of the $8million tucked away in various bank accounts, so now it’s just $2.5 million missing, and for here that’s really close accounting. I still feel that they are going about it with the wrong type of cattle, European breeds, when we have water buffalo all the way through Indonesia and Malaya that thrive in the conditions here.
David at Rove Prison gave me a good lead for funding to get the Nursery into native plant production today. He worked in Vietnam for a while starting up nurseries and seed banks for indigenous trees that were under threat from logging. It’s a Danish organisation, and they seriously fund facilities for forest seed collection and propagation. I may get everything I want one way or the other.

Tiffany and I have a meeting with the UN Development Head tomorrow with Wills, going over their criteria for funding. I’m losing track of what we’re applying for, and from whom, and exactly why we’re applying for funding. And also the constant bending or altering the purpose of what we do. I’m hoping it will all settle down once we get one set of funds to start with, so I can start doing something rather than just make shift stuff to keep busy.

It looks as though we’ll know by the end of July about the Japanese Grass Roots Funding for the Nursery building, and I think from what Wills mentioned the UN Grants will cover classroom equipment, which will give us good resources for teaching, over head projector, powerpoint set up and text books, and a good photocopier. I shouldn’t mention powerpoint presentations, I have a disconcerting habit of falling asleep within 5 minutes of sitting in front of any. I said as much to Steve a few weeks back, and he replied that he’d seen me do exactly that at VSA in Wellington at one of the orientation meetings. The ones I’ve had to endure have always been such ponderous, boring, dull presentations, and as soon as they start showing bullet point style stuff, one point at a time, I’m usually snoring by the second slide.

I’ll have to remember that if I get to doing them here.

I was a bit worried driving home tonight. I had Maelyn in the cab with me, Sarah, Jepthath, William, Jack and Angela on the tray behind me, with no sides only the tip tray rear still there. Drove through Honiara in rush hour, police everywhere directing traffic, and not one of them thought anything unusual was going past. Everyone on the back thought it was a great laugh, I think a few of them just wanted a ride to Central Market on the truck for the fun.

There was an accident in Papua New Guinea a couple of weeks ago, 2 trucks collided head on, 60 people injured, a few killed. After seeing how everyone rides the trucks here to market, or just to work, I can understand now how so many people can be involved. I’ve counted 40 people in a truck, and yes it was full to over flowing, people sitting on the sides and doubled up on the floor, plus all their market stuff in bags and boxes. Doing 60 – 80 kmh along Mendana Ave. The funniest one I’ve seen was a truck with about 30 people on the back. They had loops of rope tied to the cab, and everyone was standing in between the loops, going all the way to the rear of the tray. As the truck swayed around the corners of the potholes, the lines of people swayed sideways, like a wave travelling down the truck. As always, everyone was laughing or singing loudly.

Mendana Ave is reverting to pot hole alley again, very quickly. If the Romans could build roads that are in some places still in use, why can’t we build a road that lasts longer than 3 months before falling apart????

There are a few more letters in the Solomon Star asking why the betel nut sellers are still selling in Honiara township, after Council banned them late last year. Along with the associated spitting and betel nut juice everywhere, there is the mess from the nut husks, and the rubbish that accumulates around the stalls. It’s going to take a while I think before Honiara starts to recover properly.

I’ll get pics of the stalls through town this weekend, Pauls’ little roadside stall at the end of my street is typical of the street ones, the ones in town are nowhere near as flash.