Monday 5th July

I appear to have lost all the geckos in the house while I was away, I haven’t seen any since I’ve been back. Pity, I got used to having them around.

Our compost heap is heating up slowly, you have to dig down about 6 inches to feel any heat, but I have no doubt the centre will be hot already. I managed to get the mulcher working again, so tomorrow is going to be mulching and making potting mix for all the seeds we have. Cordyline, Sophora, Jacaranda, Tamarillo, hopefully we’ll get them growing in time to plant out for the South Pacific Arts Festival in 2012.

We’re getting the tender documents tomorrow for Parliament House and Gardens, big job, we’ll have to hire subcontractors for some of it, roading and paving, and the art work, but so long as we can line them up and get some sort of pricing done we stand a fair chance of getting it. It will probably turn out like most government jobs though, they start big, then when they see the cost, the job shrinks from a superliner to a row boat with oars. Still nothing ventured, nothing gained, and we should pick up something from it, even the landscaping alone would be worth it.

Finally caught up with Zoe online today, and heard about the illegal fireworks going off around her neighbourhood for 4th July celebrations there. Takes me back to when we used to do the annual firework display for Stanmore Bay School in the 1980’s. Good fun, well, until you have a star mine go off in your face. Thank whoever for all the safety gear we wore. Another interesting episode in the life and times etc. Nothing beats feeling a 6 or 8 inch mortar shell going off beside you, and watching it rise and explode. A huge thump in the ground and a brief flash as it clears the mortar tube. All good boys stuff.

The weather has cleared again, it was decidedly cold the weekend, probably down to 22*C, I know I ended up pulling the sheet over me a few times in the night, and turning the fan off for a while. Meanwhile, it was floods, rain and storms in NZ with a high of 12*C. Funny how you adjust quickly.

We may have more work over in Auki, if so I’m going to go along for the rise this time, and have a break from Honiara and see a bit more of the country instead of being stuck here.



Pics of Jennifer and Naiomi bagging plants and the work crew at 4.30pm packing up.