Hi again!

About time I got on here and gave you an update on our Yuletide festivities.  Always amazes me how much prep goes into the whole Xmas/New Year thing and then suddenly it's over and you can hardly remember what you got up to.

Of course, ours was pretty low-key with no family around.  First activity of the day (I mean, after the discovery and evaluation of Santa presents) was mass at the local Catholic Church, about 10 mins drive from here.  Locals all very friendly and welcoming.  Not only did the priest conduct the service in faultless English, but he also managed to use sign language throughout most of it for the hard-of-hearing.  And then there was the singing.  A battered old guitar and a few enthusiastic Fijian voices managed to eclipse any choir I've ever come across in my travels.

Inspiring though it all was, 30 degree heat with 80% humidity makes it difficult for even our little treasures to maintain piety for 90 mins.  Also decidedly difficult for aging parents of said treasures to regain circulation to limbs after 90 mins of sitting cross-legged on woven mats. 

Hastened home to greedily rip open presents from under our small but perfectly formed tropical Christmas tree.  The stress of it all called for a family frolic in the pool to recover our composure before heading to the Naviti resort for lunch.

Had lovely lunch, though our boys seem to treat eating as an Olympic sport and  gulp down even the most sumptious of meals in record time.  Still, having pointed them in the direction of the pool, Paul and I were then able to linger over our remaining champagne in the comfort of the sunlounges.

Managed to eventually tear ourselves away and get home for phone calls to family before heading to neighbours for a "quick drink".  Ahh, don't you love this Fiji time? A quick drink turned into several slow ones, while the boys were entertained by Chris and Annmarie's visiting teenagers and their 4 year old princess of a grandaughter.  The boys swam and kayaked and we drank and talked.  Our magnanimous hosts then produced a meal of gourmet leftovers and we had no excuse to leave until about 9pm when the warning signs of Christmas-day overload started to appear in our children. 

So, much as we missed being with family on the day, I can't say we had too terrible a time.  Will tell you all about our NYE in the next blog, as I've gone on here long enough for one day.  Suffice to say we survived it, although several days later we are still paying the price with fractious children who seem to have forgotten all about the concept of "peace on earth and goodwill to men".

Hope you are all healthy, rested, and clinging tightly to those New Year's Resolutions!

Much love,

Mich