Happy Birthday Mum, my apologies again for not being there.
I’ve only been back a week, and already the frustration level is approaching high. The land at Ranandi is in dispute with Dept of Lands, they class us as agriculture, and the area is rated industrial, so they won’t let the lease go ahead. I’m going to SI Agriculture today to see if we can get a Quarantine License, and then hopefully that will sway the decision. It’s better to have a quarantine area in an industrial site than in the middle of cropland, well, in my opinion anyway. It may work, anything is worth a shot now.
Steve and I and all Steves wantok went diving Saturday, the next beach past Bonegi, the reef has been pretty well fished out, only the small fish left, but the reef did look reasonably healthy. I’ll get an underwater housing and camera next trip back to NZ, and get pictures. It’s been raining since Saturday afternoon now, heavy, steady, the road is a swamp past the house, I’ve had to put the truck over in the carpark, and I doubt it will start without a hill to roll it down.
SIWA still haven’t resolved the water issues, so it has now been a few weeks since Honiara had any water supply, SIEA are having problems with the generators again, so the power goes off without warning, all in all, nothing has really changed since I went away 6 weeks ago.
I was going to catch up on the drawings for the Governor Generals Residence yesterday, but there is so much moisture in the air all my graph and drawing paper is damp, and either rips or smears when I put a pen or pencil to it. It’s 7am, and there is a wall of water falling outside, which made having a shower this morning simple. I stood outside for 5 minutes, washed my hair, lathered up the soap, felt clean and refreshed, waddled inside and left puddles of water over the floor but it felt better than a wash out of the bucket. I doubt the little truck is going to start again this morning, it refused yesterday, so now that it is raining it will take great delight in making me walk down to the road and wait for Tiffany come past with the work truck.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
25th February
I know I’m definitely back in Honiara. The list of problems is getting longer quickly, as is the list of things that can be really annoying if I let them.
Dept Lands is holding up the resource consent for the Nursery at Ranandi, I get the impression it is a personality conflict going on there, without the consent we can’t get the Japanese Grass Roots funding for the building, so we have a meeting at the Japanese Consul tomorrow in an effort to get something resolved.
Lands is the same office that had us removed from the Botanic Gardens, so I think it is just a personality thing happening.
SIWA (Solomon Island Water Authority) have major problems with water supply as usual, although this time it is major. There has been no maintenance on any of the infrastructure since independence in 1976, which leads to pumps failing, pipework crumbling, and no water supply to most of Honiara. I have the problem here with the main tank being below my roofline, so the pressure isn’t sufficient to feed my house, as I mentioned a while back I swapped my feed line over to the main supply line. As SIWA have shut off the water to this part of town, it means I have no water once more, other the rainwater tank below. It could be worse, and I could have no water available at all, so going outside to collect water from the tank isn’t too much of a burden. I tried tonight swapping back to the header tank, but it is well below the level needed to reach my house.
Good news is that MID liked our plan for Commonwealth Ave, I have to have completed drawings and details to them asap, probably Monday at the latest, and it goes through for approval. We should have added more to the cost, the $420,000 seemed a bit low to Ambrose, but we make a bit on it, and there is enough built into it to cover any problems. I haven’t managed to get to the other end of town yet to check on the Post Office, I know it is only a kilometre away, but life has been hectic so far this week. Tomorrow for sure.
I’ve got a few Cordyline australis seeds, and some Campanula var. seeds to try propagating, Jennifer was putting mulch through the Rover Mulcher when we left the Nursery this morning, so I’ll have some fine seed mix for tomorrow to sow seeds into. It will be interesting to see how the Cordyline grow here, I think they should grow a lot faster than in NZ, with the considerably warmer climate and the fairly constant rain. The Campanula should go ok, I’ll plant a few in some of the roundabouts to see how they grow, having plants with 2m flower spikes will be interesting here.
Andrew is reading through the Small Motor Maintenance book I bought in Auckland, hopefully he can learn enough from it to do a knowledgeable job on the machines now, rather than the “Lets take it apart, put it back together and see if that works” approach.
I have to try again with Carann Agencies in Brisbane for planter bags, irrigation equipment, and nursery trolleys. Island Enterprises appear to have lost or forgotten about the order I took to them before Christmas, well, November actually, so we’ll try getting everything shipped on the BJS monthly container from Brisbane. I know I should be waiting till the lease etc is settled at Ranandi, but sitting around waiting has never been a strong point with me. We may as well be doing something in the meantime, at the temporary site, and making some improvements.
I’ve been loading photos into facebook, not a lot, the main amount go into webshots.com, but some anyway. Facebook is under Warren Dennis, webshots is http://community.webshots.com/user/VWKombi if anyone is interested.
Once I look into blog tools I‘ll figure out how to post those links permanently in the blog.
The small truck is still a lethal mix, but I’ll put up with it till we get the parts. It’s been 9 months now since we started trying to get it serviced, the brakes still haven’t been fixed, the fuel pump is still leaking, now the wipers have burnt out, there is a huge hole in the exhaust behind the cab, right where you can’t get at it. Well, not without taking off the manifold and feeding the exhaust system out through the chassis. Or lifting it up through the cab. Either way, it’s been put in the too hard at the moment basket, onto the “soon” list.
The good thing is that anyone seeing me driving it around knows I’m not working for RAMSI or any of the overpaid organizations.
Things are getting a bit on the “be cautious” side in Honiara lately. With the elections coming up in August, there is a fair bit of tribal/village/wantok trouble starting. Security here in the Ba’hai compound have issued everyone with police whistles, to use at night or daytime if there is any trouble. The compound is small enough to be sure someone will hear it, and security walk around with 36” bushknives, so it might be an interesting thing to see, if you weren’t involved. My bushknife sits by the bed at night, and I put chairs across the doorways at night to give me some warning if anyone breaks in. But other than that, it is still reasonably safe here, ok, you don’t go out at night alone, or anywhere off the main street, although even Mendana Ave isn’t that safe at night. I might do what Steve suggested and get a couple of spear guns and keep them loaded at night just in case.
From the Solomon Star this week, since I’ve been back, there have only been 2 murders this week, both kwaso related, people having a drunken argument while holding bushknives. The 3 that attacked the woman in Ranandi about a month ago have been caught, it’s hard to say what they will get, it was robbery, and assault. They stopped her car on the way home, smashed the windows in, cut her face with bushknives, and got nothing from her. They were hoping for the wages for her business, but as usual here, they got the day wrong, and it wasn’t the day for wages.
All the fun of village life up close.
Dept Lands is holding up the resource consent for the Nursery at Ranandi, I get the impression it is a personality conflict going on there, without the consent we can’t get the Japanese Grass Roots funding for the building, so we have a meeting at the Japanese Consul tomorrow in an effort to get something resolved.
Lands is the same office that had us removed from the Botanic Gardens, so I think it is just a personality thing happening.
SIWA (Solomon Island Water Authority) have major problems with water supply as usual, although this time it is major. There has been no maintenance on any of the infrastructure since independence in 1976, which leads to pumps failing, pipework crumbling, and no water supply to most of Honiara. I have the problem here with the main tank being below my roofline, so the pressure isn’t sufficient to feed my house, as I mentioned a while back I swapped my feed line over to the main supply line. As SIWA have shut off the water to this part of town, it means I have no water once more, other the rainwater tank below. It could be worse, and I could have no water available at all, so going outside to collect water from the tank isn’t too much of a burden. I tried tonight swapping back to the header tank, but it is well below the level needed to reach my house.
Good news is that MID liked our plan for Commonwealth Ave, I have to have completed drawings and details to them asap, probably Monday at the latest, and it goes through for approval. We should have added more to the cost, the $420,000 seemed a bit low to Ambrose, but we make a bit on it, and there is enough built into it to cover any problems. I haven’t managed to get to the other end of town yet to check on the Post Office, I know it is only a kilometre away, but life has been hectic so far this week. Tomorrow for sure.
I’ve got a few Cordyline australis seeds, and some Campanula var. seeds to try propagating, Jennifer was putting mulch through the Rover Mulcher when we left the Nursery this morning, so I’ll have some fine seed mix for tomorrow to sow seeds into. It will be interesting to see how the Cordyline grow here, I think they should grow a lot faster than in NZ, with the considerably warmer climate and the fairly constant rain. The Campanula should go ok, I’ll plant a few in some of the roundabouts to see how they grow, having plants with 2m flower spikes will be interesting here.
Andrew is reading through the Small Motor Maintenance book I bought in Auckland, hopefully he can learn enough from it to do a knowledgeable job on the machines now, rather than the “Lets take it apart, put it back together and see if that works” approach.
I have to try again with Carann Agencies in Brisbane for planter bags, irrigation equipment, and nursery trolleys. Island Enterprises appear to have lost or forgotten about the order I took to them before Christmas, well, November actually, so we’ll try getting everything shipped on the BJS monthly container from Brisbane. I know I should be waiting till the lease etc is settled at Ranandi, but sitting around waiting has never been a strong point with me. We may as well be doing something in the meantime, at the temporary site, and making some improvements.
I’ve been loading photos into facebook, not a lot, the main amount go into webshots.com, but some anyway. Facebook is under Warren Dennis, webshots is http://community.webshots.com/user/VWKombi if anyone is interested.
Once I look into blog tools I‘ll figure out how to post those links permanently in the blog.
The small truck is still a lethal mix, but I’ll put up with it till we get the parts. It’s been 9 months now since we started trying to get it serviced, the brakes still haven’t been fixed, the fuel pump is still leaking, now the wipers have burnt out, there is a huge hole in the exhaust behind the cab, right where you can’t get at it. Well, not without taking off the manifold and feeding the exhaust system out through the chassis. Or lifting it up through the cab. Either way, it’s been put in the too hard at the moment basket, onto the “soon” list.
The good thing is that anyone seeing me driving it around knows I’m not working for RAMSI or any of the overpaid organizations.
Things are getting a bit on the “be cautious” side in Honiara lately. With the elections coming up in August, there is a fair bit of tribal/village/wantok trouble starting. Security here in the Ba’hai compound have issued everyone with police whistles, to use at night or daytime if there is any trouble. The compound is small enough to be sure someone will hear it, and security walk around with 36” bushknives, so it might be an interesting thing to see, if you weren’t involved. My bushknife sits by the bed at night, and I put chairs across the doorways at night to give me some warning if anyone breaks in. But other than that, it is still reasonably safe here, ok, you don’t go out at night alone, or anywhere off the main street, although even Mendana Ave isn’t that safe at night. I might do what Steve suggested and get a couple of spear guns and keep them loaded at night just in case.
From the Solomon Star this week, since I’ve been back, there have only been 2 murders this week, both kwaso related, people having a drunken argument while holding bushknives. The 3 that attacked the woman in Ranandi about a month ago have been caught, it’s hard to say what they will get, it was robbery, and assault. They stopped her car on the way home, smashed the windows in, cut her face with bushknives, and got nothing from her. They were hoping for the wages for her business, but as usual here, they got the day wrong, and it wasn’t the day for wages.
All the fun of village life up close.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
24th February
I may need to have a holiday soon, we’ve got the revised budget for Commonwealth Ave done, well, Tiffany was writing it up and I was adding or subtracting bits and pieces, and trying to remember what we had started before I left. MID don’t want the pavers in the centre, at this point, but do want the footpath on the eastern side paved, and planter boxes erected around the existing Delonix and for another 8 trees to be planted there as well. The seating is to go on the footpath, and the rubbish bins. It’s down to $420,000 and small change now, I’ve just finished the revised drawings for tomorrow when we have another meeting with MID about it.
The Governor Generals residence is on our to do list for tomorrow morning, followed by the MID meeting. It’s mainly security issues at the GG Residence, no tall shrubs that will obstruct the guards view up the roadway or between them and the house.
Tiffany has taken the Lyndale Nurseries catalogue home tonight, no doubt she will have a long list of plants to import tomorrow. I have to see SI Quarantine this week about what we need to put our own quarantine facility in place at Ranandi, neither of us are happy with having our plants stored somewhere else, although they woul in theory be ok, we don’t feel like spending a considerable amount of money to have them sit elsewhere for 6 months without being able to check on them, plus we could be propagating and growing on while we wait out the quarantine period.
I’ve got cordylines, agapanthus, hebes, some different carex, and hibiscus to import, and if I can find it, some Nandina domestica for the town gardens to give a bit of fresh colour.
I barely got a chance today to check emails, let alone do any browsing, so if anyone is waiting for me to write, please be patient for a bit longer.
Back to the usual stuff now, no water at the house, SIWA have a supply problem again, power cuts all day long at work, for an hour or so each time, which plays havoc with internet connections when the back up generators cut in.
I think the rat that was in the house when I left may have finally succumbed to the poison, there’s been no droppings anywhere since last night, and I’ve found a hole outside in the verandah it may have been using to get in through, so a bit of timber nailed across tomorrow when I get home should help solve that problem for a while.
Next thing is how to stop all the neighbourhood dogs from sleeping on my steps in the daytime while I’m at work. They all look like an encyclopedia of dog diseases, mange, scabies, runny eyes, conjunctivitis, fleas, broken limbs, underfed, I’m not happy with finding them on my steps. You can smell if they have been there as soon as you get near the steps. Another photo subject I guess. None of the dogs are neutered, so there are constant fights when there is a bitch in season, which seems to be every week, and always a bitch in pup or feeding, with several undernourished pups trailing behind.
I mentioned I think about buying a dehydrator, and in the best tradition of men with a new toy, it has been in continual use since I unpacked last night. I bought a hand of bananas, a couple of pawpaw and pineapple at Kukum Market on my way home from work yesterday, and so far the banana slices have dried well, it is full of pawpaw now, tomorrow will be the pineapple. Mixed together it should hopefully make a good lunch to nibble on, instead of the usual fried fish and cassava chips Tiff and I were surviving on at Christmas.
I was a bit annoyed this morning, I missed out on the NZ High Commission Feb 6th Waitangi Day Celebrations, nice invitation and all as well, as only High Commissions do, all gold edging and delicately understated elegance. I probably would have got into an argument over something from one of the looney left lentil munchers though so it may have been for the best I didn’t get there.
Young David that we hired to do the cleaning down Commonwealth Ave is still working away steadily, and still smiling and happy. He’s on $5 an hour, turns up on time, works till 5pm every day, and seems to be enjoying the job. It says a lot for the place when a street sweepers job is a huge status symbol for a 17yr old. He is probably supporting his wantok with his wages, I don’t think anyone else in his family are working, and he has younger brothers and sisters still in school, so a fair chunk of his wages would be going to school fees and food.
Friday I have another meeting with the Post Office about the designs for the inner garden area inside the fence, I’ve settled on a crab claw sail design with woven stainless bars fixed to stainless steel poles, adjusted slightly from a picture I found in NZ Gardener magazine. Plus Kennedys canoe prow shapes and the shrubs trimmed to wave like curves. We’re using river stones in the flower beds along Commonwealth Avenue as well, as a decorative edging, again, I took a lot of pictures while I was back in New Zealand, and now David can understand what I go on about with large boulders used as effect in a garden. It makes life a lot easier if he can see where I get my ideas from, explaining something in english, then translating to pijin isn’t always an easy option.
I’m going to try for some old ships anchors if I can find them, and use them along Commonwealth as well, to tie in the wharf area with the business section of town at the top end of Commonwealth.
The Governor Generals residence is on our to do list for tomorrow morning, followed by the MID meeting. It’s mainly security issues at the GG Residence, no tall shrubs that will obstruct the guards view up the roadway or between them and the house.
Tiffany has taken the Lyndale Nurseries catalogue home tonight, no doubt she will have a long list of plants to import tomorrow. I have to see SI Quarantine this week about what we need to put our own quarantine facility in place at Ranandi, neither of us are happy with having our plants stored somewhere else, although they woul in theory be ok, we don’t feel like spending a considerable amount of money to have them sit elsewhere for 6 months without being able to check on them, plus we could be propagating and growing on while we wait out the quarantine period.
I’ve got cordylines, agapanthus, hebes, some different carex, and hibiscus to import, and if I can find it, some Nandina domestica for the town gardens to give a bit of fresh colour.
I barely got a chance today to check emails, let alone do any browsing, so if anyone is waiting for me to write, please be patient for a bit longer.
Back to the usual stuff now, no water at the house, SIWA have a supply problem again, power cuts all day long at work, for an hour or so each time, which plays havoc with internet connections when the back up generators cut in.
I think the rat that was in the house when I left may have finally succumbed to the poison, there’s been no droppings anywhere since last night, and I’ve found a hole outside in the verandah it may have been using to get in through, so a bit of timber nailed across tomorrow when I get home should help solve that problem for a while.
Next thing is how to stop all the neighbourhood dogs from sleeping on my steps in the daytime while I’m at work. They all look like an encyclopedia of dog diseases, mange, scabies, runny eyes, conjunctivitis, fleas, broken limbs, underfed, I’m not happy with finding them on my steps. You can smell if they have been there as soon as you get near the steps. Another photo subject I guess. None of the dogs are neutered, so there are constant fights when there is a bitch in season, which seems to be every week, and always a bitch in pup or feeding, with several undernourished pups trailing behind.
I mentioned I think about buying a dehydrator, and in the best tradition of men with a new toy, it has been in continual use since I unpacked last night. I bought a hand of bananas, a couple of pawpaw and pineapple at Kukum Market on my way home from work yesterday, and so far the banana slices have dried well, it is full of pawpaw now, tomorrow will be the pineapple. Mixed together it should hopefully make a good lunch to nibble on, instead of the usual fried fish and cassava chips Tiff and I were surviving on at Christmas.
I was a bit annoyed this morning, I missed out on the NZ High Commission Feb 6th Waitangi Day Celebrations, nice invitation and all as well, as only High Commissions do, all gold edging and delicately understated elegance. I probably would have got into an argument over something from one of the looney left lentil munchers though so it may have been for the best I didn’t get there.
Young David that we hired to do the cleaning down Commonwealth Ave is still working away steadily, and still smiling and happy. He’s on $5 an hour, turns up on time, works till 5pm every day, and seems to be enjoying the job. It says a lot for the place when a street sweepers job is a huge status symbol for a 17yr old. He is probably supporting his wantok with his wages, I don’t think anyone else in his family are working, and he has younger brothers and sisters still in school, so a fair chunk of his wages would be going to school fees and food.
Friday I have another meeting with the Post Office about the designs for the inner garden area inside the fence, I’ve settled on a crab claw sail design with woven stainless bars fixed to stainless steel poles, adjusted slightly from a picture I found in NZ Gardener magazine. Plus Kennedys canoe prow shapes and the shrubs trimmed to wave like curves. We’re using river stones in the flower beds along Commonwealth Avenue as well, as a decorative edging, again, I took a lot of pictures while I was back in New Zealand, and now David can understand what I go on about with large boulders used as effect in a garden. It makes life a lot easier if he can see where I get my ideas from, explaining something in english, then translating to pijin isn’t always an easy option.
I’m going to try for some old ships anchors if I can find them, and use them along Commonwealth as well, to tie in the wharf area with the business section of town at the top end of Commonwealth.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday 23rd February
I’m back in Honiara, arrived 2pm today. Things aren’t looking good for Mum, I know it’s been the last time I’ll see her, I probably should have gone back when I intended and stayed over at this end instead of going early. I’ll go back for the funeral, whenever Mum decides to give in to it.
Tiffany and David met me at Henderson, dropped my baggage at home and went back to Ranandi to see how things are there. We still haven’t got a lease signed yet, but it is looking closer. The pricing I was hoping to have done from Island Enterprises is still floating around somewhere, some of the MID Commonwealth Ave contract has been altered, Imelda has left and got another full time job, we’re down to 10 working crew now, but the good news is that all the palm seeds Hendry and Sharon planted a couple of months back have all sprouted, so we have a few hundred palm seedlings, all Archontophoenix, at the 2 leaf stage now, and should be ready to transplant into growing on bags soon.
The rat in the house has been having a party by the look of the kitchen and floor. I think it may have finally succumbed to the poison, there weren’t any fresh looking droppings, but I had to throw out a bag of flour, and onions and kumara that had been nibbled at while I was away, plus the edges of the cupboard shelves.
I may need to get a cat.
I’ll gradually get back into posting again as things progress this week, at the moment settling back here is a bit of a jolt after Auckland, where the water is available and the power doesn’t cut off at odd times. As usual I’m out of water in the house, I’m hoping it may come on later in the evening, although it is now 8.15 pm, and no sign of anything happening.
The rain is still here, 4.30 it started again, after a brief burst of thunder and a few token lightning flashes. Steady rain today, not the usual bath tub all at once that we get in January.
I’ll have a look around town tomorrow, Tiff said the Post Office gardens are looking good now, David got a load of chippings spread over the copra sacks, and everything is growing well. I’m not expecting things to have changed much in 5 weeks though, the rubbish is still everywhere, we really need some better method of getting everyone to understand and stop dropping rubbish everywhere.
Tiffany and David met me at Henderson, dropped my baggage at home and went back to Ranandi to see how things are there. We still haven’t got a lease signed yet, but it is looking closer. The pricing I was hoping to have done from Island Enterprises is still floating around somewhere, some of the MID Commonwealth Ave contract has been altered, Imelda has left and got another full time job, we’re down to 10 working crew now, but the good news is that all the palm seeds Hendry and Sharon planted a couple of months back have all sprouted, so we have a few hundred palm seedlings, all Archontophoenix, at the 2 leaf stage now, and should be ready to transplant into growing on bags soon.
The rat in the house has been having a party by the look of the kitchen and floor. I think it may have finally succumbed to the poison, there weren’t any fresh looking droppings, but I had to throw out a bag of flour, and onions and kumara that had been nibbled at while I was away, plus the edges of the cupboard shelves.
I may need to get a cat.
I’ll gradually get back into posting again as things progress this week, at the moment settling back here is a bit of a jolt after Auckland, where the water is available and the power doesn’t cut off at odd times. As usual I’m out of water in the house, I’m hoping it may come on later in the evening, although it is now 8.15 pm, and no sign of anything happening.
The rain is still here, 4.30 it started again, after a brief burst of thunder and a few token lightning flashes. Steady rain today, not the usual bath tub all at once that we get in January.
I’ll have a look around town tomorrow, Tiff said the Post Office gardens are looking good now, David got a load of chippings spread over the copra sacks, and everything is growing well. I’m not expecting things to have changed much in 5 weeks though, the rubbish is still everywhere, we really need some better method of getting everyone to understand and stop dropping rubbish everywhere.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Monday 25th January
I'll be posting sporadically for a while here.
I'm back in New Zealand, my Mother has inoperable stomach cancer, and at the moment the best prognosis is 4 - 6 weeks.
I'll try to find stuff to fill in here with, it may be a bit of introspective rambling, or something to keep my mind from wandering too far away.
Initial impressions on returning to Auckland after a year away is how little it has changed, or how it is still the same, if both of those thoughts can be viewed as seperate things. I'm finding a strange disconuity between knowing I left Honiara last Thursday, after a year, and it seems so unreal to be here and nothing has changed.
I have places to get to for work, a couple of nurseries, a few suppliers, and once we have somthing settled with Mum I'll get back to work.
I'm back in New Zealand, my Mother has inoperable stomach cancer, and at the moment the best prognosis is 4 - 6 weeks.
I'll try to find stuff to fill in here with, it may be a bit of introspective rambling, or something to keep my mind from wandering too far away.
Initial impressions on returning to Auckland after a year away is how little it has changed, or how it is still the same, if both of those thoughts can be viewed as seperate things. I'm finding a strange disconuity between knowing I left Honiara last Thursday, after a year, and it seems so unreal to be here and nothing has changed.
I have places to get to for work, a couple of nurseries, a few suppliers, and once we have somthing settled with Mum I'll get back to work.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Wednesday 20th January
There will be a gap here for a while, I have to return to New Zealand urgently tomorrow for some unfortunate family concerns.
Once things settle I will be back.
Take care
Once things settle I will be back.
Take care
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Thursday - Saturday 16th January
Thursday 14th January
I really have to walk into work more often. Going in this morning I got talking to another guy walking into Honiara, well, he started talking to me, initially. By the time we got to ANZ roundabout at the bottom end of town he had me booked to go to Morovo Lagoon School in Western Province where he is the Deputy Head. They are wanting to start horticulture courses there, more crop growing and sustainable food production, all Level 1 &2 courses, at Form 2. And possibly adult ed classes as well. I figure a couple of weeks every few months would be good up there, do the initial ground work, get small things started with whatever they have there, then go back fairly regularly to monitor and expand the programme, rather than a one off dump everything on them and have it all fall apart. Anyway, he is going to contact me with details, Tiff said “No, all you want to do is go fishing” I have no idea where she gets that idea from.
If he contacts me before February I’m bringing back a good soft bait rod and reel to take, they have huge fish in the lagoon, and on the outside reef, and unpolluted water, unlike Honiara.
I start to feel as though I’m just overloading on everything, but it all seems to get done somehow, even though all I do is make suggestions. Being basically lazy, I don’t do a lot, I’ll make suggestions, chase stuff up a bit, and guide things along a bit, rather than do it all for everyone and have them expect me to do it for them.
Frank Haiku called in yesterday, the Port Authority have commissioned a large statue from him for the Port end of Commonwealth ave, and he’d heard that we were pushing for the upgrade contract from MID. He is really annoyed with Heritage Hotel over his carvings there, the ones I posted about a bit before Christmas. I’d warned him about dealing with Heritage when they got him to do the carvings, he knew anyway, after the time we’d spent drawing up the original landscape plan they stole off me and used anyway without paying. They stiffed him over payment as well, and he lost a lot of money over it, as well as seeing his work placed as it is without all the other landscaping around them that they need.
Anyway, we’re moving on from that, and he’s asking if I can draw up a plan he can take to Port Authority for the whole port area, so his sculptures can be displayed to better advantage without being just put somewhere without any connection. Big area, all along the wharves, I’ve got ideas as usual. I’d like to put a tourist and ticket office down there, at present you buy the ferry tickets at 3 or 4 different places in town, depending on where you want to go, and most of the ferries advertise by putting handwritten notices on the shop windows. Coupled with a lot of trees, palms, and seating, plus parking and traffic areas, it could look really good.
Honiara is meant to be hosting the South Pacific Forum in 2012, SI Tourism had a meeting late last year about upgrading Honiara to present a better look, Honiara City Council never bothered to turn up, Tiffany and I went, and some of the other smaller organizations, CSP, MID, but without Council actually getting involved it’s going to be a battle to get anything done at the moment. Although with what Tiff has got organised so far this year we’re making progress.
We went to Dalgro this morning, and wonder of wonders, they have a concrete mould they used for Honiara Hotel for octagonal pavers, so we are waiting on a price from them for Commonwealth Ave, plus I have to get some concrete colour to go into the mix so we have 2 or 3 different colours of pavers going down. They have the paint on or plaster type colour additives here, suitable for wall plastering, but being a picky prick I want the concrete pigment so the colour is permanent, and doesn’t have to be touched up all the time. Anyway, I can get the pigment in either Brisbane or Auckland, so I’ll probably be well overweight coming back in February. I’ll try for shipping it if we have the time, then again what am I saying, this is Honiara, I’ve probably got the rest of the year until it’s all agreed.
And Solomon Sheet Metals are working on a price for the fancy stylish rubbish bins that I’m copying from St. Stephens Green in Dublin. If it all goes ahead Commonwealth Ave will look really good, coloured pavers, seating, rubbish bins, shade trees, and a few local influenced sculptures.
Parliament is dissolved in April, but the elections aren’t going to be held until late August, so it means that the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister have a free hand till then. Without any checks on what they do. It’s going to be an interesting year. I’d say Sikua and Rini were unpopular, but that leaves a lot of ground uncovered. If either get voted back in there will be another riot, I don’t know how effective RAMSI will be if it does happen, the Australian Govt isn’t all that well appreciated here after the Manasseh Sogovare debacle last election when they engineered his dismissal. Then the Julius Moti non-rape case. A bit like the blundering that America does in the Middle East at times.
Tiff and I got to Government house today, it’s going to be a big long job, 200 yards of driveway to improve, entrance approach, gardens, they want a fruit orchard, vegetable garden, hillsides contoured and planted, more trees. About a years work in 4 or 5 stages, which is good. I’ll go back tomorrow and start measuring up. I’m going to try for a fountain, it is a difficult concept here at the moment. The first objection is that we haven’t got any water. From what I can gather, any fountains that have been put into Honiara have all been run off mains water, which is a haphazard thing at the best of times, and no one has ever taken the design to the next stage up and installed a holding tank and water pump. I’ll keep pushing for one.
I’m impressed with the gardeners there. Not only did they remember my name, from the course I ran for them last year, but they have been doing all the things I recommended and the gardens have improved a huge deal since last year. Really good crew to work with, and still wanting to learn more, so the upgrade will be a good learning experience for them by the time we go through all the whys and therefores about everything.
Davids sister got hit by a bus on White River Bridge this afternoon, luckily nothing broken, but very badly bruised and knocked around. She’s still in #9, overnight, so it has to be fairly serious, or she can’t walk. Everyone I know here tries to put off going to hospital as long as possible, they would have to be on deaths doorstep before you could get them there, which does tend to make the mortality figures a bit skewed. Which is why I do my own stitching for cuts, it may hurt a bit more at the time, but I live afterwards.
Saturday 16th January
I didn’t get a chance to get online Friday, nor today. Spent Friday at Government house walking around with a long tape and the measuring wheel. And a lot of time just looking and thinking. Watching where the sun travelled mainly, where I’m thinking of putting the orchard and vegetable gardens in is on a steep hillside, down to a valley flat, it catches the morning sun, till just after 2pm, then the bottom of the slope is still in sun till about 4pm, so it looks good. There will be a lot of terracing going in, I’ll put the fruit trees in rows across the slope to stop any erosion, and slow the water down. Then build up the flat at the bottom for a good sized veg garden.
Woke up at 2am, thinking about the rubbish bins for Commonwealth Ave. Solomon Sheet can make them, the round ones, but they only have a brake press, not rollers, so it is going to get expensive. They heat the flat bar up with oxy-acetylene, then put it through the former. Very long slow process. I was amazed they didn’t have rollers, but ok, we’ll work around that. I’m not keen on how they are doing it, the finish won’t be all that good, a lot of small kinks probably, I feel like going in there and building a roll former for them, or for us to use, but I’ve got more than enough happening at the moment. Anyway, I woke up, and instead of being stuck with the original design and trying to make it with equipment that isn’t suitable, I’ll change the design to suit the equipment, and we’ll make rectangular bins, still with the grate outside, but at least it is quicker and easier for Solomon Sheet to fold and bend into corners than try to make round shapes. Tiff wasn’t happy when I told her I’m going to change the design, she thinks the round ones look classy, so I’m going to have to convince her that the new style will look just as good.
My mouse that is roaming through the house at night eating chunks out of my fruit and kumara is getting to be a nuisance. I’ve got poison out for it, and it is slowly eating it, but still climbing everywhere to get to the bananas and kumara. I’m trying the poison mixed in with some melted lard tonight, hopefully it will go for the high energy lard first, there’s about 4 tablespoons of Broadifacoum mixed into about the same amount of lard, I’ve frozen it then broken it into smaller lumps so hopefully by the end of the week it and the mouse will be gone.
I still can’t find where it has got in from, the outside of the house is really well sealed, with insect mesh everywhere, and no visible holes even where the pipework enters through he floor.
My little gecko that sits on the desk beside me has been attacked by one of the larger ones, and is now minus a tail and part of a hind leg. It still wanders around, no as fast though, I read somewhere that their tails grow back, I’m not sure about legs though. I’ll be able to find out now if it lives.
I really have to walk into work more often. Going in this morning I got talking to another guy walking into Honiara, well, he started talking to me, initially. By the time we got to ANZ roundabout at the bottom end of town he had me booked to go to Morovo Lagoon School in Western Province where he is the Deputy Head. They are wanting to start horticulture courses there, more crop growing and sustainable food production, all Level 1 &2 courses, at Form 2. And possibly adult ed classes as well. I figure a couple of weeks every few months would be good up there, do the initial ground work, get small things started with whatever they have there, then go back fairly regularly to monitor and expand the programme, rather than a one off dump everything on them and have it all fall apart. Anyway, he is going to contact me with details, Tiff said “No, all you want to do is go fishing” I have no idea where she gets that idea from.
If he contacts me before February I’m bringing back a good soft bait rod and reel to take, they have huge fish in the lagoon, and on the outside reef, and unpolluted water, unlike Honiara.
I start to feel as though I’m just overloading on everything, but it all seems to get done somehow, even though all I do is make suggestions. Being basically lazy, I don’t do a lot, I’ll make suggestions, chase stuff up a bit, and guide things along a bit, rather than do it all for everyone and have them expect me to do it for them.
Frank Haiku called in yesterday, the Port Authority have commissioned a large statue from him for the Port end of Commonwealth ave, and he’d heard that we were pushing for the upgrade contract from MID. He is really annoyed with Heritage Hotel over his carvings there, the ones I posted about a bit before Christmas. I’d warned him about dealing with Heritage when they got him to do the carvings, he knew anyway, after the time we’d spent drawing up the original landscape plan they stole off me and used anyway without paying. They stiffed him over payment as well, and he lost a lot of money over it, as well as seeing his work placed as it is without all the other landscaping around them that they need.
Anyway, we’re moving on from that, and he’s asking if I can draw up a plan he can take to Port Authority for the whole port area, so his sculptures can be displayed to better advantage without being just put somewhere without any connection. Big area, all along the wharves, I’ve got ideas as usual. I’d like to put a tourist and ticket office down there, at present you buy the ferry tickets at 3 or 4 different places in town, depending on where you want to go, and most of the ferries advertise by putting handwritten notices on the shop windows. Coupled with a lot of trees, palms, and seating, plus parking and traffic areas, it could look really good.
Honiara is meant to be hosting the South Pacific Forum in 2012, SI Tourism had a meeting late last year about upgrading Honiara to present a better look, Honiara City Council never bothered to turn up, Tiffany and I went, and some of the other smaller organizations, CSP, MID, but without Council actually getting involved it’s going to be a battle to get anything done at the moment. Although with what Tiff has got organised so far this year we’re making progress.
We went to Dalgro this morning, and wonder of wonders, they have a concrete mould they used for Honiara Hotel for octagonal pavers, so we are waiting on a price from them for Commonwealth Ave, plus I have to get some concrete colour to go into the mix so we have 2 or 3 different colours of pavers going down. They have the paint on or plaster type colour additives here, suitable for wall plastering, but being a picky prick I want the concrete pigment so the colour is permanent, and doesn’t have to be touched up all the time. Anyway, I can get the pigment in either Brisbane or Auckland, so I’ll probably be well overweight coming back in February. I’ll try for shipping it if we have the time, then again what am I saying, this is Honiara, I’ve probably got the rest of the year until it’s all agreed.
And Solomon Sheet Metals are working on a price for the fancy stylish rubbish bins that I’m copying from St. Stephens Green in Dublin. If it all goes ahead Commonwealth Ave will look really good, coloured pavers, seating, rubbish bins, shade trees, and a few local influenced sculptures.
Parliament is dissolved in April, but the elections aren’t going to be held until late August, so it means that the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister have a free hand till then. Without any checks on what they do. It’s going to be an interesting year. I’d say Sikua and Rini were unpopular, but that leaves a lot of ground uncovered. If either get voted back in there will be another riot, I don’t know how effective RAMSI will be if it does happen, the Australian Govt isn’t all that well appreciated here after the Manasseh Sogovare debacle last election when they engineered his dismissal. Then the Julius Moti non-rape case. A bit like the blundering that America does in the Middle East at times.
Tiff and I got to Government house today, it’s going to be a big long job, 200 yards of driveway to improve, entrance approach, gardens, they want a fruit orchard, vegetable garden, hillsides contoured and planted, more trees. About a years work in 4 or 5 stages, which is good. I’ll go back tomorrow and start measuring up. I’m going to try for a fountain, it is a difficult concept here at the moment. The first objection is that we haven’t got any water. From what I can gather, any fountains that have been put into Honiara have all been run off mains water, which is a haphazard thing at the best of times, and no one has ever taken the design to the next stage up and installed a holding tank and water pump. I’ll keep pushing for one.
I’m impressed with the gardeners there. Not only did they remember my name, from the course I ran for them last year, but they have been doing all the things I recommended and the gardens have improved a huge deal since last year. Really good crew to work with, and still wanting to learn more, so the upgrade will be a good learning experience for them by the time we go through all the whys and therefores about everything.
Davids sister got hit by a bus on White River Bridge this afternoon, luckily nothing broken, but very badly bruised and knocked around. She’s still in #9, overnight, so it has to be fairly serious, or she can’t walk. Everyone I know here tries to put off going to hospital as long as possible, they would have to be on deaths doorstep before you could get them there, which does tend to make the mortality figures a bit skewed. Which is why I do my own stitching for cuts, it may hurt a bit more at the time, but I live afterwards.
Saturday 16th January
I didn’t get a chance to get online Friday, nor today. Spent Friday at Government house walking around with a long tape and the measuring wheel. And a lot of time just looking and thinking. Watching where the sun travelled mainly, where I’m thinking of putting the orchard and vegetable gardens in is on a steep hillside, down to a valley flat, it catches the morning sun, till just after 2pm, then the bottom of the slope is still in sun till about 4pm, so it looks good. There will be a lot of terracing going in, I’ll put the fruit trees in rows across the slope to stop any erosion, and slow the water down. Then build up the flat at the bottom for a good sized veg garden.
Woke up at 2am, thinking about the rubbish bins for Commonwealth Ave. Solomon Sheet can make them, the round ones, but they only have a brake press, not rollers, so it is going to get expensive. They heat the flat bar up with oxy-acetylene, then put it through the former. Very long slow process. I was amazed they didn’t have rollers, but ok, we’ll work around that. I’m not keen on how they are doing it, the finish won’t be all that good, a lot of small kinks probably, I feel like going in there and building a roll former for them, or for us to use, but I’ve got more than enough happening at the moment. Anyway, I woke up, and instead of being stuck with the original design and trying to make it with equipment that isn’t suitable, I’ll change the design to suit the equipment, and we’ll make rectangular bins, still with the grate outside, but at least it is quicker and easier for Solomon Sheet to fold and bend into corners than try to make round shapes. Tiff wasn’t happy when I told her I’m going to change the design, she thinks the round ones look classy, so I’m going to have to convince her that the new style will look just as good.
My mouse that is roaming through the house at night eating chunks out of my fruit and kumara is getting to be a nuisance. I’ve got poison out for it, and it is slowly eating it, but still climbing everywhere to get to the bananas and kumara. I’m trying the poison mixed in with some melted lard tonight, hopefully it will go for the high energy lard first, there’s about 4 tablespoons of Broadifacoum mixed into about the same amount of lard, I’ve frozen it then broken it into smaller lumps so hopefully by the end of the week it and the mouse will be gone.
I still can’t find where it has got in from, the outside of the house is really well sealed, with insect mesh everywhere, and no visible holes even where the pipework enters through he floor.
My little gecko that sits on the desk beside me has been attacked by one of the larger ones, and is now minus a tail and part of a hind leg. It still wanders around, no as fast though, I read somewhere that their tails grow back, I’m not sure about legs though. I’ll be able to find out now if it lives.
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