28 December 2017

The neighbor’s kids are getting big.  We talk about getting a few goats, but never do.

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Just on the main road near the shop:

Look closer.

A cotton bush!   What a surprise!

Even Austin was surprised, and we pass it every day.   He says this is wild cotton.  I want to get some.

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I stopped paying attention for just a moment – then WHAMMO

The cycad flower kind of exploded and there are all these leaves gushing out!

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Back to an old obsession …

 

There is a lot of “sensitive grass”  (Mimosa pudica, I think) growing on the new road, and my job is pulling it out.   Once I start pulling I can’t quit.

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A tiny culture note – Men’s haute couture

Akka is not wearing a skirt.  This is a “pocket sulu” – a tailored item of clothing that men wear for formal events such as going to church.  Akka put it on last Sunday for going up to the pavilion for prayers (because the rest of his clothes were dirty.  Ha ha.)

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I hope you all had a merry Christmas and a happy Boxing Day.   I will say the next bit in Fijian since I am finally trying to learn the language:

VAKA  NUINUI  VINAKA  NI  VAKATAWASE

(Happy New Year)

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21 December 2017

This hawk was flying low when I walked up – then it took to the clouds, circling, but never left.  We didn’t have any little chicks loose on the hill, so what was it targeting?

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More on Birds:  a COCK FIGHT !

The naked neck chickens do well in the heat and are very productive, but have a clear disadvantage when it comes to fighting.  How do you let them know how big and tough you are without your neck feathers?

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On the Flora Front

Here is the new breed of pineapple.  Excellent if you want a lot of pineapple leaves…. (ha ha)

Update on the cycad flower.  Now it has nodules!

And Fiji has a dandelion of sorts.  I never saw it before.  Wonder what flower it goes to???

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Some things to munch on

Roasted cashews – OUR cashews!

and …

A new Indian treat: oopma.   For those who already know Indian treats, it is like halwa but savoury.  Made from semolina, butter, chillies, salt and mix veg.  Yum!

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Happy week, everybody.

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14 December 2017

The other old girl here.  We’ve had a slow week, to tell you the truth.

We have a sweet, permaculture-studying guest from Germany and I cut his hair yesterday, but I didn’t take a picture of it.  ….

Harvest:  our own pineapple, cashew nuts (still needing roasting and in shells) in the basin, and duruka (wonderful local veggie that is a cane flower).

A new moth Akka noticed with white triangles on the wings – photo from his phone.

and, finally – an update

That cycad flower now has off-white rubbery bumps in it.

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The big whoop of the week is that Austin now has sex-linked colored chicks – but I haven’t seen them yet.  Something to look forward to.

Happy week, Everybody!

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7 December 2017

Mr. Popular and his plucky DUCKY entourage.   Last time I posted something like this, it was Mr. Popular and his happy CHICKEN entourage.

More on the animal front:

 

The prodigal stallion returns.  He was gone 10 days, the longest time so far.  We actually got him back last week, but I didn’t put his photo in.   It’s getting worrisome.  We need to get a mare to keep him company so he doesn’t get such itchy hooves.

Also – remember my cats in boxes last week?  Sandy Dune got very weak and crawled off into the bushes to die.  (We were thinking poisoned rat.)  Junia couldn’t accept that he was dead and so he kept calling …. and found him ALIVE yesterday afternoon.  Brought him up, he ate and drank a little.  There is hope.  And Austin thinks it is chocolate poisoning (we have some cocoa in process).   Anyhow – I’ll post an update next week.

On the flora front:

I was surprised that we have betel nut growing here – don’t know where on the farm it is.  We don’t chew it, but if we took it to Suva we could get a lot of gas money by selling that to USP students from Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, maybe Vanuatu and Solomons.  Ah well.

Hoe Hoe Hoe!

I took up hoeing the crab grass.  Guess what ….. it is a great ABS WORKOUT!  I never knew.  Ouch!  By the fifth day my abs weren’t hurting any more.

Ok – here is the biggie for the week.

SUNBURNED BANANAS!

I never knew!  The black on the bananas is where they lost the shade they should have been getting from those big leaves.  It can happen before or after harvesting.   Live and learn!

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Happy week, everybody.

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