Monday 28th December

I hope everyone survived Christmas. It was remarkably quiet here, with half the population of Honiara away to their home province it makes for a strange feeling to go through town the last few days.

We managed to get the copra sacks down on Thursday before we finished for the day, $2 each and with 20 we got 10 extra free. Still not quite enough for all the gardens, but it will be a good way of showing David how effective having a weed cover on the soil will help keep it moist underneath. He isn’t too sure about the things I do, I have the impression that anything I or anyone does here is only effective as long as someone is here to make it happen, once I go it will probably revert back to how things were done before I changed things. Anyway, I’m trying simple things, that work, so hopefully the different ways of doing things will keep on being done. Still in the words of Stupid Bloody Johnson, “It may look a mess now, but just you come back in 500 years time”, I’m hoping it looks ok in 6 months, let alone 500 years.






Christmas Day was nice and quiet, I caught up on the washing, cleaned the house out, made some samoosa to take to Barbara and Terrys, and slept a fair bit. The last week has been a bit of a panic getting everything done in time, and working till midnight or later a couple of nights puts me into sleep deprivation mode. My new bread tins work well, I’ve finally got loaves that look like proper bread, although “proper” is just what people are used to, bread can be any shape, but the tins are great. Plus using cold pressed coconut oil give an oomph to the flavour.

Barbaras Orphans Christmas Party was really good. 11 of us in the end, Adele, Nicci and Paul, Jason, Dennis, Shabnam and Rana, Gabby, Barbara and Terry. A fair amount of alcohol was consumed, some very good methode champagnoise (however you spell it) from NZ, Morton Estate, quite a lot of beer, and I’m fairly sure there were other wines as well. The samoosa and the chilli sauce I took were greatly appreciated, I have a list of email addys to send the recipes to now, including Shabnam and Rana, Shab is vegetarian, and the chickpea/lentil pastries were all she wanted. I ended up having Barbara and Terry drop me at home after, I doubt I could have made it to the bus, so it was lucky that they were going to another function in the afternoon at the High Commission.






I managed to get hold of most of my family on Christmas Day, Telekom wasn’t the most co-operative as usual, but finally got hold of Rose and Mum. Left a few messages on answer phones, and will try to get Damian tomorrow for his birthday.

I made another batch of chilli sauce yesterday, after shopping at Kukum Fish Market. I’ve only got the use of Adrians blender till he gets back from Brisbane, so I’m making the most of it. There’s still 4 bottles in the cupboard, I gave one to Barbara and Terry, I owe Adrian one for the blender, and now I have 4 litres in containers in the freezer.

I mentioned a few weeks back about handling chillies, and how the oils from them can be quite hot, and how my hands were feeling more supple instead of the usual aches and stiffness from all the injuries. With all the chillies I’ve been using lately, my hands have not stopped feeling hot, and I can close both now and grip things, so I thought I’d see how nimble my fingers are and pulled out the crochet hooks and cotton. Another “things to do to stop going mad” hobbies. My Gran taught me so long ago I can’t remember when, but it was when we were living in Lippiat Road so I would have only been 4 or 5, then I kept it up every now and then ever since.
Anyway, 1 bikini for Imelda in exchange for her showing me how to make shell necklaces.



And speaking of shell necklaces, this is what Imelda made for me, $800 worth, and she is going to make me the full costume set over the next year. I’d rather pay her for them than the street traders, similar prices, but knowing and working with her I’d rather she had the extra income.


Another 3 day week, we only work Tuesday till Thursday this week, 3 day weekend then back into the mess full time next week. We still haven’t power on at Ranandi, I was being excessively optimistic last month, Telekom connected the phone, but SIEA are now saying they don’t have any meters available so we have to wait. It had better be soon, Tiffany and I are going spare in at BJS, it is too far away from the Nursery, and we don’t have any contact with the work crews during the day.

I’ve booked for the 9th of February till the 23rd to go to New Zealand for a break, so I have to everything finished before then, all the costings and sketches, plans for the Governor Generals, Post Office design, costings for Commonwealth Ave, everything that got put on hold before Christmas, that hopefully will get done now that everyone has had their holiday and are back at work. I think I’ll be looking forward to a holiday by February, although the work is good fun, it can get frustrating. Plus actually get started with the Nursery, once we get permission from Lands Dept for the development, I think Hasting Deering have a problem with arrears in rates, although they have the receipts, Lands are saying they owe for the past 5 years. Hopefully they haven’t been paying in cash, and have the tracking for cheques.