The best farm news this week is that we have a new person on staff: Zainal, a 16 year old neighbor, now a trainee and part-time worker. I have known and loved Zainal since he was three years old and crawled on my lap at a local function and sat there for an hour playing with my bangles. He has always felt like another grandchild.
The father heard that we were thinking of hiring Zainal, and that may have had some bearing on the next item – something unexpected on my gate.
I came home to this:
Daisy on a garbage bag. It was odd and did not make sense.
Turned out it was a whole leg from a cow. A lot of meat! Like $250 worth of meat! Sheesh! Such a surprise!
It was a lot of work for Akka to get it all cut into meal-size freezer packs. And his first meals from it have been delicious. (Apologies to my Indian and vegetarian friends.- we won’t ever bring it out when you are here.)
***
The only other thing of particular interest this week is that Tuesday evening I was in a zoom meeting. Suddenly, Austin was trying to get my attention, and moments later, Keith was in my room asking for my phone.
The big deal was a very pretty sunset – which I REALLY WAS appreciating even as I talked.
Keith used my phone to get a photo.
The universe wanting us to pay attention before it turns out the lights.
I sent Junia around with my camera yesterday, because I didn’t have anything except a group photo of some college kids who spent two days here.
Students from Edith Cowan University, their prof and driver… and us.
The unique thing about this visit is that Keith decided he had to One-Up me. I learned everybody’s name, as I always do …. so he learned their first names AND their LAST names. Competitive little show off! Who does he remind me of? (ha ha)
***
So here is what Junia got for me:
This is our new “show room” for chick sales. Classy! It sits below our house where the first chicken pens used to be. All the hens and roosters from the first pens have now been moved up the hill.
Here’s the inside. It has a cement floor … and electricity somehow (probably an extension cord from somewhere: the electrician has not been here in the last year.)
So the chickies are in their same protected box, but it is no longer on my porch aggravating my asthma. Hooray! A big win!
***
Junia got a photo of the MULBERRIES
We have a nice bush near Austin’s mom’s grave, but year after year we never got more than a few berries. The birds would get all of them. This year, however, we’ve harvested heaps of berries. How did that happen? It’s because a nearby guava tree is fruiting, and the birds are all over the guavas. Yay!
***
Finally, Junia got this photo of the pavilion roof.
That’s not Light and Shadow that you are seeing. It is Clean and Dirty.
Eroni, my hero, has been cleaning the pavilion roof. It is a HARD JOB. Trying to keep things clean in the tropics is aa herculean task. This roof is supposed to be tough against rust and mold, but nothing is tough enough.
If you see anything clean in the tropics, either it is brand new or somebody has been working very hard to maintain it. Those of you who have never left the temperate zone have no idea…..
Flora – ha! Fauna – ha! Fellow farm denizens – ha! I paid no attention this week.
This is the “Fanatic Finishing up Projects” Report.
But first….
We had some lovely guests from Tanna. This is the lady – Stephanie
She carried a beautiful pandanus purse.
What especially caught my eye was that the pandanus was NOT split into fine strips at the bottom.
This technique might be common, but I had never noticed it before.
Of course Stephanie tried to give me the purse, but I assured her I really only wanted the photos. Austin brings home more gifts than I can use, and re-gifting is an art I have yet to master. Truly – the photos and memories are plenty.
***
ok, onward to my humble collection.of completed projects.
Amelia ta Droka (Akka’s mother-in-law – JoyceLee’s other grandmother) told me that she wanted a quilt from me. There was no talking her out of it, and she promised to be happy with whatever I made. So I made a simple stashbuster. It is very humble.
I got it all done but for six lines of quilting, plus the binding before I left for vacation. So it felt great to get this quilt finished.
But what I had really wanted to make for Amelia is a Log Cabin Quilt. This is a style where you keep adding strips – lighter strips on one half and darker strips on the other. I got started and but felt sure the light side wasn’t working.
A photo I took showed that it DID work. Unfortunately, by the time I looked at the photo, I had already cut this sucker apart on the diagonal – planning to repurpose it.
I tried doing another log cabin square using more of this scrap cloth …. and decided that that one wasn’t working either.
So I ended up cutting up THAT square and using the pieces with the two halves of the above piece.
Here’s what I ended up with:
I think of it as a deconstructed log cabin. Anyhow, I hand quilted it to a backing cloth. It’s big enough for a lap quilt. Otherwise, it can live in my stash as a sample for a future quilt workshop.
***
That’s the end of the quilts, but not of the cloth.
Auntie Vina gave Keith a beautiful glass water bottle for school
So precious! We need to protect it from knocks that could crack it.
Did I ever tell you about learning to make scrap-cloth cord from a you-tube? I’ve made heaps.
Do you remember back when I was salvaging the string from the chicken feed bags?
Well, it took a full day. But some of these harvests got upcycled into a sleeve for Keith’s water bottle.
I have a nearly empty camera this week. Lucky for me, Junia called out, “Hey, Mom – get our picture.”
He and Kiki …. Kiki is sooo big now, I’m going to start referring to him as Keith, I think it’s time.
He and Keith had harvested some breadfruit. I got that photo and then forgot about them.
An hour later, Austin said, “Go behind the house and get pictures of them cooking the breadfruit.”
Too late.
They were already done cooking.
Kiki Keith was scraping the surface char off the last of the breadfruits that they had cooked.
Some had already gone to the kitchen. This basin was holding the last of them.
I am really happy it is breadfruit season, and this smoky version is lovely.
***
That was “flora” – this is “fauna”
I only have one pair of shoes for daily wear – now both of them look like this. Austin’s dog Ginger is the culprit. I am not a fan.
***
“young goats” …. i.e., the KIDS
In school. Back in school.
Keanu – Kindy – Day 1 Keith and Keanu – day 3
Kiki Keith has started seventh grade – Seventh Grade! – and he arrived at his school with such a good attitude that he was appointed “Bell Boy.” This is an appointment for the entire school year. He is the person responsible for ringing the school bell, eight times every day. If Keith does not show up, the whole school will fall apart.
I had one more day in Japan after the last blog. And there was one more place I wanted to go – a traditional restaurant, Nurachako.
Guy and I arrived for lunch. Both tables were occupied, so we went to sit by a large, raised fire pit that is rimmed by a 2″x8″ ledge that can serve as a knee-high table.
We sat down on a pair of wooden settee-benches.
It was sooooo comfortable. I mentioned it to Guy. He said he knows the man who made them. The fellow is a teacher or something, and he makes furniture as a hobby. Guy pointed out how the man has molded the seat. Oh yeah! That’s why sitting on these planks isn’t painful.
There was a tiny pile of coals in the firepit, and various customers got up to fiddle with them.
Guy informed me that bamboo makes a really great blowpipe for a fire. (we all use a metal pipe).
:”Look, Mom.”
The center is hollowed out, but at the end, the membrane is intact except for a small hole. The small hole concentrates the air so that a gentle puff becomes a significant airstream. Cool.
The real heater in the room is this pot-bellied stove.
As with the fire pit, customers got up from time to time to try to add wood. It was a lot more complicated, and I did not have a clear view. I saw people holding a metal bar, and I imagined the end being hooked to use as a key to get the lid off – but since the opening is in the front, I guess I was wrong.
One girl brought in wood from outside, and soon the whole ceiling was filled with smoke. Guy had warned me about “asthma triggers” - this happens a lot. The stove’s exhaust pipe is bent and runs 10 feet or more across the ceiling, so the draw is not very efficient. And some customers looked at me and said, “wet wood.” Yeah, there was that, too.
The owner-cook came out to get the stove sorted out.
What struck me was that this was the only time I have ever seen someone in a kimono for daily wear. I had not realized she was in a kimono until I saw her from the back, because the distinctive sleeves are pinned down by her large apron. This is REAL Japan.
After nearly an hour, our food arrived. I knew it was going to be slow – that was ok.
We left the choice of meal up to the chef. It was good. I didn’t really pay that much attention to the food this time …. a little disappointed because there were not as many pickle dishes. Next time I go, I will ask for extra pickles. But everything there tasted fresh and whole and healthy.
We paid and said goodbye
But we had not left.
Remember how I was fascinated with Kyoko-san’s paper wall last week? Well, Nurachako Restaurant takes it a lot further.
Their door to the outside is a Paper Door.
Here it is, in close up.
The paper looks hand-made. It does not seem as if this paper could stop that much weather…. and for sure, it would not stop a thief. (But that is not a problem here – believe it or not, people reserve a table at Costco by putting their purse, wallet or phone on the table as they walk up to get their hotdogs. Where else could you do that?)
You’d think I was done with Nurachako Restaurant, but Guy was still pointing out plants and stuff.
This is my last picture from there
This was on the outside of their shed - this clay layer is what Guy called “traditional Japanese cob” …. it doesn’t mean anything to me, but maybe somebody knows what he’s talking about.
***
It was hard leaving the family after such a short visit, and flying to Tokyo, changing terminals then flying home all by myself. Met at Nadi airport by Nobody – because there was a big workshop going on at the farm – but this is my home turf – hopping a bus was no problem.
Akka picked me up in town, and Kiki nearly broke my ribs with his hug. Austin and I overlapped at home long enough for me to cut his hair – then he took off before dawn to fly to an important meeting in Brisbane.
***
I feel like this pearl dragonfruit flower.
Droopy, but still attracting bees.
***
And the Big News from here.
Keanu Starts Kindergarten on Tuesday!
He is THAT BIG already!
So in town yesterday, when his momma left him with me to go do an errand and he was fussing ….
JAPAN IN WINTER. Lucky for me it is a mild winter. My son’s house lacks central heating. I sleep under ten pounds of blankets and put my puffy jacket over my head so I have warmed-up air to breathe. It’s fun. Also this is a futon on the floor and I’m getting more exercise.
Here are my grandsons on my futon, moments after my arrival, snuggling into the big crocheted blanket my daughter in Canada made and sent with me.
***
The day after I arrived, we went to the Dinosaur Museum (officially the Museum of Natural History). Lots of dinosaurs… but I wasn’t so interested in dinosaurs.
The first thing that totally captured me was this meteorite
found in Argentina in the 1500’s. Wow… I wonder how big a crater it made when it landed… and how did it end up coming to Fukuoka? And it was a meteor, for crying out loud! I don’t think I’ve ever touched something soooooo ancient and that has traveled sooooooo far.
The other thing that totally captivated me was this humongous cedar camphor tree slab. It is not just that the tree was 3700 years old.
It is that, even though the tree was cut down about 500 years ago, I could still clearly smell it. Until this edit with Guy – I thought it was cedar and thought I was smelling cedar. I didn’t know camphor comes from trees! I thought the cedar was weird looking because it was so old. Wow. Now I know. Even better! (an edit with Guy is nicer than a correction from Dr. Smarty Pants)
***
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (also like granddaughter, but that is another story)
Guy walks with a bucket of scraps and the chickens follow him.
Unlike Granddaddy and Alice, though, Guy has Happy Useless Chickens …. they don’t lay their eggs where the family can find them. Maybe they do a little bit of pest control, or some weeding. Mostly they are pets … and one rooster is really coasting on his looks.
Seriously, this is the only rooster I have ever seen, that I just went WOW.
I got a photo the first day, when the sun was out – so you can see the beautiful colors.
Guy got a photo yesterday that shows him stepping out with the ladies.
DISCLAIMER from Smarty Pants Junior: They aren’t “useless.” We used to get an egg per day per hen. We had to let them out because there were two separate groups that were fighting and we could not integrate them. We had to uncage them to give them space. They are not fighting any more now, and I just need to build their new compound, which I don’t have time for…. (also, Long-winded Junior!)
***
BIG KID TOY !!
My son-in-law in Hawaii told me how much he enjoyed his visit to Japan, because Guy has a digger and he got to operate it. Guy decided I was going to learn to operate it, too.
Woo Hoo !!!! It is quite the balancing act getting right and left hands to coordinate for moving the shoulder, elbow, wrist and cab of this baby with two levers that each go north-south and east-west. The SCARY part was when I dug deep and it caused the whole cab to tilt back! After digging, swinging and dumping a little bit, Guy even had me drive forward and backward with two other levers that control the left and right track treads. Whee!
Of course the digger isn’t only a toy.
Here Guy is using it to spread out broken roof tiles to extend his driveway.
***
TRADITIONAL HOUSE
My dear friend Kyoko-san invited Mami, friend Nancy and me over for tea. As I sipped on tea and ate cake, I started wondering if the panes in one wall were really paper?
Kyoko-san is very kind and did not mind my question. and YES – they ARE paper!!! It is a special, reinforced paper that is very strong. And that led to her telling me a whole lot more. The wall you see above is an inside wall. Beyond it is a special traditional hall (what is it called, Guy? It is an EN-ga-wa.), that I cannot remember the name for, so I think of it as the “airlock.” (It is engawa, Mom.) (Ok)
I doubt that the old houses had glass walls on the outside – it is so wonderful to be able to keep traditions and update them at the same time. The whole design allows for wonderful temperature control inside the house, and is so pretty.
Kyoko-san was pleased to point out some extra features of her house.
This log is a beam from the original house.
This carved panel above the door is also traditional. It serves the same function as a transom, I guess. So beautiful.
She took us into the neighboring room which is their prayer room.
There is a kind of shrine space called ka-mi-da-na (“god-shelf’) that reminds me so much of similar spaces in the homes of my Indian friends, complete with candles and incense sticks.
To the right of the kamidana is one of two long scrolls of writing in the room. Because I tried to learn calligraphy many years ago, I was drawn to the beautiful writing.
What a shock I had when Kyoko-san told me that it was all written by her father-in-law. Every day he sat in meditation and copied sacred texts. Some fellow dignitaries at his Buddhist shrine told him that his work needed to be displayed, and they arranged for beautiful framing to be done.
We continued with tea – but now it was the second service coffee and chocolates. Kyoko-san was trying to teach me a Japanese word: ho-ho-em-i which means “smiling.” The context is that the camillia (sa-zan-ka) she has is a “smiling” variety. ??? I was so confused! Then she pointed out the window, … and what? There was a tree with FLOWERS. (I walked past that tree without even looking at it coming in.) I did not expect a tree to be flowering in the north in January! And I never knew camillias grew on trees – I thought they grew on bushes like normal-for-arrangement flowers. Anyway, as I was saying sa-yo-na-ra, I got a photo.
smiling camellias – ho-ho-em-i
***
MORE UNEXPECTED FLORA
On a walk yesterday, I saw this:
Me: Is that a CITRUS TREE with FRUIT on it?
Guy: Yes. It’s an orange tree. We have one in our yard, too…. you didn’t notice?
Geez oh flip. I was born in Florida. Any frost would kill them. It was a big, big deal when the weather got into the low 40s.
Thick, thick skin. Ok. Makes me wonder if pomelos can grow where it is cold.
***
At this point I was done, done, done for this week’s blog …. but last night Mami showed me something and she and Guy insisted I put this in for Granddaddy because he will like it so much.
Peek-a-boo
A two-headed radish from the market. A seamless cojoined twin or something.
I fly out this afternoon (I hope!) and so will leave you with the last of my Canada findings and doings.
HERE, KITTY KITTY KITTY
My son-in-law thought I was nuts as I hunted for my teacup.
BETTER SNOW
The forecast was worrisome, so daughter Lua and I drove to the “lower mainland” (Vancouver environs – four hours to the west) three days earlier than planned. It had already snowed heaps on the mountains. I got one photo at a rest stop.
But I missed many incredible shots while the car was moving. In particular there was one stretch where tall skinny trees had gotten dressed in snow and they looked like a bunch of tall skinny stalagmites standing together.
Another observation – the photo above was in color, but you’d never know it. Except for man-made things, EVERYTHING was in black and white. I was starting to think monochrome was the only option until we rounded one bend and arrived into sunshine and blue skies. That was MAGNIFICENT. A tall rounded snowy hill sparkling under a blue sky. These shots are like the fish that got away.
FAUNA in ABBOTSFORD
Our hostess = Lua’s friend at whose flat we’re staying – has the only dog I have ever wanted to steal.
This is Luna
a former street-dog. A chihuahua (I don’t like chihuahuas). She is utterly adorable.
This is how I see her the most often: looking up and hoping for a treat. She sits on command, stays on command – even when there is food waiting for her. She snuggles. She only barks when someone is at the door. Friendly like crazy. I’d take Luna over a Cat! … What a sweetie.
MORE FAUNA.
“There’s a raccoon outside.”
I hurry to get a photo. I get a photo.
Oh well.
LOSING MY MIND
This flat is home to a mother and her 7-year-old son. I feel as if I have fallen into Everything Everywhere All at Once.
A collage of items that surprised me in the flat.
ANOTHER PROJECT -
Can’t resist a sewing machine, it looks like.
When gift-giving season comes up at my house, we assign a pillowcase for each person and we put all the presents for everybody into those. That idea never flew with my dear son-in-law. But my daughter never let it totally go.
The compromise was going to be reusable cloth gift bags for each person. Unused sheets and thrift store sheets were to get upcycled into sets of bags (small, medium and large) for each of the seven people in their household. Simple project really. I expected it to take three days…. it took a week. They turned out well, though.
Here is the set for Victor.
***
That’s it for this week and this location. I hope you all have a happy week and that there will be a seat for me (flying stand-by) on my flight.
Lua and I ended the year (on 29 December) by going to a car wash. I thought it was fun. But the chemicals came in through the ventilation and made Lua sick (she has a crazy auto-immune disease abbreviated MCAS) – and that put her out of commission and me on “gofer- and-chauffeur” duty.
First up for 2024 – yesterday, we finally got some snow that stuck to the hills.
It looked nice in the yard, too.
But wasn’t so cold that the chickens had to stay inside their house.
It was already melting here when I took the photos. I stood on the porch to take these photos, and puddles of ice water soaked my socks. …. All I can think is that if Kiki had come with me to Canada, he would be SO DISAPPOINTED at the lack of snow in the yard.
Folks here tell me that this is the warmest winter ever, and they are afraid of droughts and fire come summer. But winter is officially only a few weeks old. Maybe there will be some massive snowfalls after I leave. There is always hope.
It was snowing yesterday. Oh Boy! I thought. I’ll have snow pictures! but it did not stick for long. Very odd for this location this time of year.
But I do have Flora and I do have Fauna – the promise of this blog.
First up: Ambrosia Apples
Frankly, I’d never heard of them, growing up in North Carolina and living my adulthood where apples don’t grow. But Ambrosia is my daughter’s favorite – it is crisp and sweet.
The produce store is my favorite:
I don’t know if you can read the bag, but it is $5.00. Five dollars for five pounds. We got twenty pounds of delight.
LAST UP: Goldie
There is one dog here, belonging to Gramma and Grandpa downstairs, who are away for the holiday. Alice is in charge of her (and she was also the photographer of all things Goldie)
Goldie: I’m bored.
Golde (with Alice): Well, ok….. but is there any food?
Goldie: I see food in your hand. I’m waiting!
***
That’s it after a busy week. Maybe next week I’ll get some pictures of the chickens for Granddaddy.
May you all have a great week, and especially a safe and happy new year.
I publish this blog every Thursday, but yesterday I “flew back in time,” that is, over the international dateline. I left at 10 pm on Wednesday – so I had basically 46 hours of Wednesday.
***
AT THE FARM
Here is a photo of Tuntun’s little grave. I did not realize it was it was fenced. So pretty and very sweet.
***
Austin was bugging me and bugging me to take a picture of the beautiful flame tree at the entrance to Teitei. The orange just does not come through in the photos – but here it is
***
Kiki was all proud of himself, because he and Eroni went out with the chainsaw to cut down some trees.
Here he is with some of the wood they harvested. I think Austin said this is vaivai wood.
***
MY FIRST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
My b’day was on Wednesday, but Kiki was leaving to visit his cousins so we had a tiny party on Saturday night.
Nicole made this beautiful cake – for the second year in a row.
Oh, Lordy! She made it last year, it was sooooooo yummy. A chocolate bundt cake with whipped cream for the icing and fresh fruit sliced thin.
I also got white orchid from the orchid house from Austin
Keanu, Kiki and white orchids
Austin put them in blue-dyed water to see if the color would wick up. It was starting to.
Can you believe how big Keanu has gotten?! He starts Kindy next month.
***
PLANTATION ISLAND RESORT
The general manager (GM) of Plantation told Austin to bring me on his work visit, and gave us free access to the breakfast and dinner buffets. Yay. The food is GREAT. …. Anyway
We arrived on Monday afternoon.
The next morning, I went out with Austin and his team to the site where they are constructing a huge “BULA” under the water as a nursery for heat-tolerant corals. It was fun to get out on the boat and in the water for a few hours. Bula Reef is going to be a big deal when it is finished.
That night, the GM, Mr. Alex Wilson, joined Austin and me for dinner; he is such a nice man and has done such an amazing job with making Plantation delightful. Dinner was the opportunity for Mr. Wilson to ask all his questions about progress on the reef, and Austin to give all the updates, timelines, and also loads of his new ideas. That never ends.
I realized I really ought to get SOME photos from our stay-
This was outside our room. It was worker housing, not guest housing, but was right on the beach. (sorry I didn’t think to take a photo when it was sunny)
And this was life in the room.
Austin sitting on the floor with the bed as a backrest, working on his laptop.
MY SECOND BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
I was really surprised during our dinner with the GM when the staff showed up with a cake for me – it was the day before my birthday.
And all the wait staff came to sing
V.I.P. treatment! It was so sweet!
The next day, on my birthday, Austin took me to dinner at Denarau before taking me to the airport.
A fun couple’s selfie. Austin held the camera and I pushed the button.
CANADA
I arrived at dark – there was no time for my birthday meal because number one grandson (Victor, age 15) was in a Christmas concert.
I was happy to go, the concert was great, and there was a big surprise at the end. As everyone stood to leave, one of the students got up and asked us all to wait. It was her mother’s birthday and the mother had wanted everyone to sing happy birthday to her. (already this was weird – it was the final hours of my 48-hour birthday, so cool.) Then she added that her mother’s name is KIM.
Ha ha ha. So I got to sit there and listen to about 250 people singing, Happy birthday, dear Kim…. It’s been great turning 70. I’d like to do this again when I turn 80.
MY THIRD (and final 70th) BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
It started off with “Shirley Temples”
I had them as a young child. Now I can’t get over how much it tastes like Dr. Pepper!
A lovely dinner (all three dinners have been lovely). While the cake cooled for the icing, they gave me a wrapped present! Wonderful.
Everyone thought to give me cloth! Imagine that!
And finally, my third and final CAKE. Courtesy of Granddaughter Alice.
Their 7 candle died at the last bday party, so Alice figured out a substitute: straight candle, skewer and crayon tip! The 0 has a few more birthdays worth of life.
Gluten-free version of Nicole’s stellar cake. It was DELICIOUS!
Flora and Fauna Weekly Report 