29 March 2018

We started having swimming lessons with some of the young neighbors in our pool.  But the pool got yucky and we had to drain and clean it, so now we are going to the river.  I find this a bit worrisome, but with Junia along, it is less scary.  He’s one strong swimmer.

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ANOTHER FARM TOUR

A dear friend showed up, and so I decided to go on the farm tour with her.   Here are a few photos I grabbed from that walk.

Actually, we had only gone to the hilltop when I already wanted a drinking coconut.  Junia obliged, getting some for all three of us.  Afterward he opened them for the chickens … and these young chickens had no idea it was food.  Some mature birds outside were going for another half that Ju put there, so the young ones finally got the idea.

Cocoa pods hanging on a tree.

Rabotan – ready for harvest in another ten days or so.  Woo hoo.

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OUR DOGS – from oldest to youngest

Tarsi – the mother, grandmother, great grandmother of them all.

Torsett – the oldest of the offspring, and alpha male

Gogo – dog facing down.  He is a sweetie, but gets really beat up by Torsett.

Po – the female that Junia insisted on keeping.

Winky – daughter of Po and Torsett (or maybe Gogo).  Just had her second litter.  First litter was born under breadfruit tree roots, if you recall.  There was room at the inn this time.

The pups nursing.

Lightning – Austin’s favorite of Winky’s pups.  But he got lost and cold.  Austin gave him a warm bath and put him in the incubator with the baby ducks … but he didn’t make it.  Too bad.

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In twelve weeks it will be the FIFTH ANNIVERSARY of me writing the Flora and Fauna Weekly report.  I have not missed a week.  That’s plenty.  So for now and the next eleven weeks, I will do the blog and feature one aspect of the farm (this week: Dogs).  At the end of the 12 weeks, I will probably leave this as an archive, and move on to something new.

Happy week, y’all.

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22 March 2018

Our province is Nadroga.  The provincial symbol is the “Nadro Stallion.”  I took a photo of this welcome sign four years ago, and never used it  Now it has been painted over.

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Here is the beautiful blossom from our flame tree that Akka took about four months ago.  The tree is not blooming now.

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This sign is from Rabi Island when my grandson Victor and I were there almost a year ago.  I loved the fact that they have a virgin coconut oil factory there, but figured the oil would be insanely expensive.  Months later, when I was in Labasa (city on the northern island, Vanua Levu), I saw the Banaban VCO being sold at a street stand for less than $10/500 ml.  I bought some.  It was GREAT!  I really wish they sold it here.  Magnificent product!

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Mango leaves hanging in a jewelry shop.  This is a Hindu custom to ward off bad spirits or something.  I took this photo in May 2013.

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Finally, a goose couple under some bougainvillea, from last September.

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Have you noticed the pattern?  Every one of these photos has been sitting in my “on hold” file for weeks, months or years.  I did not take a single photo this week.  Fact is, I’m pooping out.  Soon, maybe very soon, I will do a final issue.

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FIJIAN WORD of the Week

Kalokalo –  means  “star”

Kaloko – means “clock”

There is a village that was supposed to be name Big Star but got named Big Clock by accident because folks left out a syllable –  Kalokolevu.

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Happy week, everybody.

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15 March 2018

When Austin candled the eggs – this is how many were duds – about half of the eggs that were set for hatching.  The hot weather is causing low fertility in  the roosters, plus it is the time of year for the hens to molt and over half of them have stopped laying.  So Austin is closing the hatchery for a few weeks.    These eggs became dog food, but the ones that are being laid now are CAGE FREE EGGS FOR SALE.  Great price.  Come and get ’em.

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We had a bit of a miracle.   Bees had crawled into the wall of the cottage.  The wall was too strong to open without a lot of damage, and we couldn’t just leave them in the cottage to threaten our guests, so we were going to have to use insecticide.  But then….

they crawled out!   Big big balls of bees climbed back out the wall.  The whole colony!   Our professional beekeeper friend was amazed.  Told us this just doesn’t happen.

Austin got a bee box and coaxed them to stay with some honey.  The colony was so big, he had to get a second box.  They settled in.  Next step, put the bee boxes on a wheelbarrow and slowly move them to a new location a few meters a day.

But it was only a bit of a miracle.  The queen must not have joined them, and a few days later the whole colony swarmed off again.

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We went to an Indian engagement party this week.  There is no end to the imaginative ways to make an elaborate occasion even more elaborate.  The engagement party usually involves a cake.   At the previous one I went to the fiance and fiancee each fed it to each other, and then each parent fed some to each child.  At this one, there were FIVE cakes, and not only did the fiances and the parents get in on the feeding, but also the aunties, the uncles, and every other guest who wanted to share sweetness with the happy couple.

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FIJIAN WORD of the Week

Yaloka – it means “egg”   Definitely a word we need here at the farm.

Mata – means “eye” and it also means “face”

Put them together – yaloka ni mata – and you get “eyeball”

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Happy week, everybody.

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8 March 2018

A beautiful, unopened wild lily on the road to the baipound (horse jail).

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So it was a hard day here – the power was out all day long, and that is why this blog is 12 hours late.  But the day ended with a bit of a bang, which I’ll tell you toward the end.

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After weeks and weeks of rain, this week took the prize as the rainiest short of causing a general flood.   Austin had to run dig some new drains and filled his camera with photos of the water world.

Our creek that has been bone dry for almost a whole year is about to jump its banks.

A new stream develops, carrying gallons of water toward the fish pond.

Our fish pond is just about to overflow and join the creek – in which case all the fish swim out, and the neighbors have happy fishing in the drains.

We have our own waterfall (for an afternoon).

Mud-geddon.

The neighbors’ okra crop is under water so long it is probably dead.  There goes a full three-months income.  Sigh.   I hope it survives.

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Brilliant discovery …. royal palms break out a new set of little roots periodically.   I had seen the hair-like roots around its base and never thought about it … but today – Wow!

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The promised “bit of a bang” – we had roadkill for dinner tonight.  It was killed in our driveway – a duck that failed to clear the tires of a visitor who came to ask if we were selling roosters.  <mutter mutter, bad driver, mutter mutter>   Akka noticed the dead bird and grabbed it, Austin cleaned it, and Akka cooked it, and it was yummy.

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Fijian Word of the Week  (in honor of our dinner guest)

Duck is ga  ,  pronounced “nga.”  That “ng” is the sound at the end of  “ring”

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Happy week, y’all.

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