12 minute flight by float-plane to Castaway Island Resort. $0.00fj
10 Minute dip in the turquoise blue. $0.00fj
Sand in the pants for the trip back. Priceless

South-Pacific-isms

Boot - trunk
bonnet - hood
lolly - candy
iceblock - freezy pop
petrol - gas
nappy - diaper
slippery dip - slide
pram - stroller
spa - hot tub
vcd - dvd
pictures or picture shows - movies

Can't think of anymore at the moment. At least it's English!

Well, Feb is fast upon us. That would be our final release from paradise! However, we haven't done all we set out to do so it may be a wee bit longer. I want to leave here having experienced plenty of Fiji and I have yet to do that. On the dockets next? Well, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii have always been the mainstays...recently Scotland came up. From Fiji to Scotland...hmmmm....nothing is what you think it would be like! Anyway, just a thought right now, apparently a new float company started over there and they are using turbo Otters. Inital intorductions have been made and nothing else. That's how we ended up here! We introduced ourselves! Well, having said that, Gerry also just found a place on the Gold coast called Orpheus Island. They are serviced out of Townsville from Australia by an aircraft called a Caravan. Very similar to Turbine Otter. So, who knows where we will be next year this time. Sure would be nice to get in a visit to Canada...eh. In the meantime, we are so excited about the upcoming visit of Craig, Vicki, Jasmin, Keegan and Mackenzie.

today I took my puppy in for an operation...for 15bucks she will no longer experience the joys of motherhood. That's 15bucks Fijian! poor pup-pup. Big huge gash on the side of her and I get to remove the stitches in a week. The SPCA is running a "donation" clinic and it's a clean place but I can't see it ever passing the test in Canada (or any other developed country) After her operation, I picked her up and she was laying on a blue tarp, in what used to be a garage. She was laying in the spot where approx 40 other dogs that day had recovered. Not all that sterile but she seems okay right now. My little Angel dog. Sweet dreams pup-pup.

got a picture of some special people the other day, via the net. The kids have grown, changed, learned, I can see it all in their eyes. I figured I'd be around for that. Not this year....well, in the picture were other changes that the photographer was probably unaware of anymore. I was thrilled to see the new coat(colour) of paint on the wall behind and the new throw blanket on the couch. Same couch. It made me wonder what other changes had happened in this last year and a half that came and went and no one really noticed. I wished to go on a virtual tour of the house. Then, a virtual tour of the town....now all these other material changes made me wonder what other changes have happened internally to people I know..knew? so well. I wonder now, what changes I have gone through (other than the obvious) that will make (let's hope) me into a better person. Maybe I won't be aware of those changes until I get back to a common denominator. I hope that when that happens, I will measure up. At least more than I did before. One thing's for sure, where I used to have patience, I have none now. Where I used to have no kids, I have two. Where I used to have small blassings, now I have 2 large blesings, everyday.

Gods' blessings wake me in the night, His blessings grab my leg too tight, His blessings mess the house and have beautiful smiles. His blessings hold my hand to cross the street and his blessings kiss pictures of their Daddy.

Ahhh, well, a meager poetic moment..I love my boys. Alec will be four in 3 days. Who would have thought? God must have.

just trying to get a decent picture....Alec and Elias at Club Fiji, Nadi, Fiji