Bula and welcome to the last little bula-tin from Fiji.  With only a couple of days left here we’re in the thick of the inevitable round of farewells, packing, and restoring the house to its former state of cleanliness.  The boys finished school a week ago so we’ve spent the time being tourists and doing some of the things we’ve been thinking about doing for weeks.

The last day at school was a surprisingly emotional one for Riley and Declan, considering they had only been there for a month.  There were presents exchanged and songs sung, and promises to stay in touch which will probably never be kept.  Funny how everyone is asking us when we’ll be back in Fiji.  I’d love to think one day we would get back here for a visit, but quite frankly there are plenty of other countries we have yet to explore as a family.  We’ve had a great experience here, but next time we have the luxury of choosing an overseas holiday destination, I doubt we would choose somewhere we have already "done" so thoroughly.

Last Thursday my friend Deanna and her friend Tania came over from Australia for a short but very sweet visit.  It was great to have some different company, and to have someone from home to share this very cool lifestyle with, briefly though it was.  Many moons ago Deanna and I used to do a bit of scuba diving together, and with this beautiful ocean stretched out in front of our eyes we thought we couldn’t possibly NOT have a crack at it.  We went out with the Hideaway Resort dive crew and I must say the divemaster was very understanding about our initial nerves.  We had an absolute blast and both both agreed that once we rolled off the side of the boat it all instantly came back to us.

Since our last report, Declan and Paul have been out on a boat fishing and Declan caught his fish.  My Fijian friend Carolina came over one day to teach me how to cook some traditional Fijian dishes, and we served up Declan’s fish in some coconut milk.  She told us that the head of the family should have the head of the fish, and since Paul didn’t want it he magnanimously offered it to the catcher.   We were all shocked (and I have to say a little disturbed) to watch Declan suck on the fishes eyeball and peel off the lips, enjoying them for the delicacy Carolina had assured him they were.  Talk about getting into the spirit!

Riley and I had a recent day out which involved a 2 hour hike, whitewater rafting, swimming under a magnificent waterfall, a longboat ride, and a ride down the river on a “bilibili”, which is a Fijian bamboo raft.  It was an exhilarating (and exhausting!) day out, and fabulous to spend time together without the rest of the rabble all fighting for attention.  So important, I think, to take time to enjoy your children’s company, as so often our days seem to consist of a series of fires to be put out.

Today we made a final visit to the school to drop off some donated goods that Deanna brought over from Australia.  Huge thanks to all of you for the donations, and especially Felicity for organising and Deanna for playing courier.  The school was thrilled with all the clothes, stationery and sports gear, and you can rest assured it will all be well utilised.  Also thanks to my generous Bookclub buddies who chipped in and sponsored a new toner cartridge for the school photocopier.  Sounds so dull, but the school couldn’t afford a replacement themselves, rendering the machine completely useless.   They really have so little in the way of resources and funding. 

So tomorrow is Saturday, then on Sunday we drive to Nadi and overnight for an early flight out on Monday.  My sister Bettina and her little boy Barnaby will be still at our place for a couple of days when we get back, so that’s another thing to look forward to about home.  She and her husband Pete and his English parents have been housesitting for us for the last month, and by all accounts they have really enjoyed all New Plymouth has to offer.

Back to the packing for me, and we’ll catch up with lots of you in the coming weeks.  Sorry I haven’t added any photos today, will try to get to it tomorrow.

Sote tale (see you soon),