Ma and Pa visit Rarotonga...

1.30am arrival!

Swimming at the Edgewater Resort...

(Conner a friend Josh made during the holidays joins us)

George slip, slidding away...

Watch out mum!

Easter Bunny visits; CHOCOLATEEEEE...

We went on Tama's Lagoon Cruise today, what a great way to spend a day!  We took all the kids.  Josh enjoyed swimming under the boat only to come up to ask if we saw him through the glass!  He also tickled the eel living in a coral cave...

George loved jumping off the back of the boat with his swim rings on... I am sure both boys are half fish.  George only got out of the water because he was so cold he was shivering.  Josh got out because the boat was leaving!

After the swim and snorkle we had a lovely BBQ lunch and a bit of an island show.  A must if you are visiting these shores!

Much love xox

So clean you could eat off it...

We clean the floor so often this does not disturb me at all... 

George takes on the 
hoover action!

Oh dear !?

When Farts are just not funny...

Mum and dad are here at present visiting us for two weeks which is a lovely treat. We had just finished dinner and I had asked Josh to dry the dishes to help clear up for the evening. At this time he started to complain about a 'very' sore tummy.  Knowing my 13 year old son I thought it was a way to duck out of doing this boring chore... 

Well did he perform!  He buckled over and the tears started to flow.  He then asked if he could just go to bed and do the dishes in the morning.  I gave in and agreed as I was keen for a quite, relaxed night.  Over the next 15 minutes he was calling and crying out in pain. You may think I am mean by not really sounding sympathetic to his pain, but believe me if you know my boy you would understand! Banging on the wall in the bedroom started up next. He is currently sharing a room with the George and Milly as he has had to give up his bedroom to his grandparents so I was even less impressed.  Eventually he came out in tears asking for something to help with the pain.  I gave him a panadol and sent him in to do a 'poo'.  He came back out complaining of more pain and that my suggestion was not a solution to his pain.  


In the mean time I "googled", as you do, appendix pain.  As I myself have been a sufferer of ruptured appendix I thought I best double check.  His symptoms sounded pretty much on the button and I began to feel a little guilty that I may not be taking him seriously enough and that I should get him up to the hospital...  


So after a wee bit of getting organised, mum and dad in tow, we made our way up to the hospital.  The whole time I was thinking 'cricky what will their surgical abilities be like?' Something that I am ashamed to say now that I think about it! Arriving at the hospital we were the only car in the car park which was a good sign and it meant we went straight on through to the doctor.  All four of us went on through to the clinic room and the doctor began to ask questions, the first one of which Josh had answered before she had finished! 'Have you done......'. And she told him off for it, it was great!


She then gets him up on the bed for the finger feel of the tummy.  She is asking the normal question of 'does it hurt here?  Here? Here? as she moves along pressing down on his tum.  Then the little bugger said 'not so much now I FARTED!'


You can only imagine my displeasure.... The doctor promptly lead us out of the room and said to the receptionist, 'there is NO charge'... 


I have left the dishes for Josh to do in the morning!


Much love all xox

Living the high life...

We moved here to Raro with the thought in mind that Josh would have the youthful freedom that seem to have gone by the wayside since our own youth.  To be able to leave the house after breakfast, teeth and hair un-brushed, and return only when dark has set in for the night.  For the best part of us being here that is how it has worked, although with a tight rein within the school term.  Brendon has just been down to 'E... Resort' to pick up Josh who had been invited to go to dinner with a family that had been over for the last week.  


This is the end of a week of being the fourth member of this family!  Josh came home earlier on in the week informing us he had spent the day 'poolside' with a boy Conner, his mum and his grandmother who where here for the school holidays.  The following day as Jill and I are catching up over a brew Josh comes in with young Conner in toe to ask if he can show the family where the waterfall is and be home later that evening.  At seven o'clock that night a friend rings to let us know she had seen Josh and three others walking on the main road.  They had been waiting for a bus that never came. Husband set out to find them as it is dark by this time and he dropped them back to the resort.  In return they invited Josh to go with them on the glass bottom boat the following day.  A very lucky young indeed because not only did he do the boat trip they also hired motorised bikes and went around the island.  They also feed him often too! He would leave home with me badgering him to have some toast and he'd head down there to have breakfast with them!  


He has had a thoroughly enjoyable week and is now absolutely exhausted.  Sadly they left this evening and Josh was upset at saying fair well to his new friends.  The reality of living in a place that is a holiday destination.  It amazes me that there are some very kind and generous people out there that are willing to welcome a stranger in to there lives and give him so much! He is a very lucky lad...  He is now crashed out, a tired, grumpyness that is bought on by loads of excitment and then the crash back to reality.  It only has to be for a couple of hours as Mum and Dad a due in any minute now and for two weeks he will be back up on his 'high' as he has his grandparents wrapped around his finger...!  


Much love xox

Janine V's Tua Man...

I had a bit of a moment today when I was leaving the Edgewater Resort.  I was busy watching for a lady who was deciding whether walking behind my car as I was reversing was a good idea.  I stopped to let her pass as I wanted to reverse into another driveway up a bit as the turning was quiet tight. The driveway that I reversed into went into a slight drop and next thing I know I was facing David Tua!  I figured it was a fair fight, me in my car against him!  His shoulders are as wide as our car, and he is fairly short!  I did contemplate a autograph for Josh but as I had nearly run the guy down I thought better of it.


This was not the first fight I had had today either.  As I was shaking out a sheet  a gecko jumped at me, again!  Only this time he didn't so much as jump as fall due to a little problem of being dead... I am not having much luck with geckos this week.


Today I decided to practice for my next triathlon.  I am the cyclist for a team in the up coming International triathlon.  As we a cycling the whole island I thought I had better get a base time.  Thirty two kilometers in two hours ten minutes on husbands bike. I am going to have to go out again tomorrow on mine to see if I can better the time on a smaller bike.  For a flat island there are a number of slight inclines and the number of dogs that came running at me was very scary.  The road is quite bumpy along the edges and many rental cars were well and truly exceding the speed limit. This becomes a problem as it was raining and the puddles splashing up was just gross.  All in all I definatly had a sense of achievment.  A sore butt tonight!


Much love all xox


6 Days count down!!

Shark V's Croc...

I posed a question to Josh a couple of weeks ago to get him thinking... "Who would win if there was a fight between a shark and a crocodile?"  I asked in the morning and told him not to tell me till dinner time.  Something to ponder throughout the day.  I too thought about it a lot and for one reason or another kept changing my mind.


Well we had an amazing conversation that night we kept coming up with different scenarios and ideas.  Three weeks later I meet a lady at 'Ladies Dinner Club' that has moved here form the Solomon Islands.  We got talking and she said the swimming here was much safer then her home land as there ar no saltwater crocs and the reef kept the sharks out.  I had no idea that it was possible...




Finally I had to goggle it ...


http://en.allexperts.com/q/Interspecies-Conflict-3754/2008/1/saltwater-crocodile-vs-great-1.htm


From what I understand a croc would win!


Much love all xox

Who knew...

I have just been watching a documentary on 'renewable energy in the Pacific'. A chap from Raro has discovered you can run a normal diesel motor on coconut oil!  Who knew??? He runs a hydroponic garden and all his motors are fuel by coconut oil. He made comment of when he first used the oil people popped by to see what he was cooking, it smelt so lovely! What a great way to fuel your life living with an abundance of coconuts. Makes you think...


Mum and dad have booked their tickets, one week and one day, not that I'm  counting! I have been madly compiling lists of things that I would like them to bring over.  Pegs here are very pricey so have asked them to slip in a pack.  It is crazy to think in New Zealand you can purchase something so cheaply.  But because of the price of shipping it sends the purchasing price, up very high.  


Our lovely land-lord very kindly ploughed a patch of our back lawn on the weekend.  Now I am waiting for the weeds to dry out in the sun so I can start to get some vegetables growing!  I will need to rig up a fence to keep the chickens out... May need husband for that chore.  I am looking forward to seeing how things grow here!  A task to set about in the holidays I think. Tomorrow is the last day of term and the school is spending it at Muri Beach for a sailing regatta. What a way to spend the last day of school.  Sadly I do have to write a few more reports and do a bit of planning for next term.  


I am looking forward to doing some Island exploring in the holidays, it is a shame husband does not get school holidays.  We will just have to do a few family lunches together.  


As I type there is a gecko watching me from the roof, it neck is bent so far back that I am sure it is waiting... Biding it's time till it poo's on me again! I must say once more "thank goodness geckos are not the size of cows!" I am going to go... so not having another dropping land on me!


Much love to all xox

Just for laughs...

I was driving to work today and I saw a dude riding his scooter with a large chilly-bin (esky) resting on the handle bars. As he went over a bump the bin went up above his head and down again. I was amazed he stayed in a straight line! Then on the way home I was following yet another tourist with his shirt off and a bit of meat on his bones. Now if you add a shirtless heavy set man with a scooter and pot holes you end up with the giggles watching the movement of the flesh as it wobbles and jiggles along in front of you! ha ha 


George has a new favourite song by Train; Hey Soul Sister. Although his lyrics are 'your lipstick stinks...' oh dear at least he won't be kissing anyone too soon.


Things I have learnt lately:


When drinking with Phil and Jill don't make the mistake of saying 'South Africans' when you talk of the Africans language! 


When drinking with Phil and Jill don't make any mistakes as Phil is very quick witted... I am not after a couple!


It is not 'frost' it is 'dew' on the ground... Auckland V's Christchurch's perception of varying degrees of cold! And I can still not convince Rach that it snows here on my side of the island in the mornings...


The local add reminding people to relicence their cars is staged and filmed outside the main big Alcohol store...  hmmmm!


George knows where I keep the PVA glue in my classroom...


George can spread PVA glue far in 5 minutes!


Much love all xox

Rules, resorts, and resturants...

Husband and I spent a lovely night having dinner and drinks at the Edgewater Resort last Thursday night.  It was stunning to sit and watch the sun go down over the pristine view that we have become so attached to!  Friends that arrived at the same time as we did are renting a house at the Resort so George, Milly and I have a date at the swimming pool next week.  I know you are thinking 'why, they have a great big ocean on their back doorstep?' Well if one has ever tried taking my two babies to the beach by themselves would be aware of the liveliness of George.  Plus who could say no to a swimming pool and cocktails, non-alcoholic of course! 


Friday night I was invited out to the 'ladies dinner club' which meant husband cooked and I had a night out on the town.  It was lovely to be able to meet and chat to so many other expat ladies to share/hear stories of life on Rarotonga.  A night out on my own does mean I walked away with not only one extra task to under take but two... I am now the 'Ladies Dinner Club' e-mailer not a hard job unlike the second task, as the cyclist in a team in the up coming International Triathlon in two weeks. A mere 32 kilometer bike ride; that is one entire cycle around the island! eek I need to get out on the bike! I have to keep up with my big 'marathon running' brother, sadly my tri is not in Paris!  



I was privileged to be part of the senior class mural unveiling at the local fishing club today (11 April, 2011).  I had to have a bit of a laugh when the two junior classes turned up in one minivan.  The first child came out, then child after child piled out for what seemed forever.  Back home you would not be able to ever deliver 20-25 kids anywhere in a minivan like that and you would need safety report after safety report before you even the left school! Oh the differences we are experiencing... The older children walked down and many didn't wear shoes/jandels, a very big no-no for all New Zealand schools these days!  But someone pointed out 'they come to and from school barefooted so whats the difference'.  Not at all a lack of care just simple common sense I believe. 


The year seven and eight students have spent the last month painting a toilet block for the fishing club and it was finally unveiled to the rest of the school, parents and fishing club members today.  The children danced and drummed through the rain after informing the assembly about the tales that inspired their painted art.  


Before the assembly started a fishing boat came in and a number of people helped to process the fishing net.  Unhooking fish and untying knots, they moved methodically and with such ease.  It made for a great teachable moment for the younger children while the older ones set up the assembly.   


I am looking forward to the holidays in a week.  Megan arrives in a week, play date and coffee and then Ma and Pa are heading over!  Count down has begun... 12 Days! Exciting... 


Much love xox

How is it possible? To have a cold in this heat!  George, Milly and myself are all full of the flu and the average temperature during the day is still up around the 30 degree mark. Yet we are snuffly and snuffly and unable to enjoy the hot weekend weather and missed out on swimming.


We celebrated last Friday with a Kia Orana day, dressed all in red, in support of the Red Cross and the help they are providing towards the Christchurch Earthquake.  For a small school of 106 pupils the donations were amazing, what a giving community we live in!  The assembly was held outside on the field over looking the vast Pacific Ocean. We marched in class by class, holding high the donations stuck onto large painted hibiscus flowers.  The kindy children were very cute as they stumbled innocently over with there donations that topped the individual classes. George was very excited to be allowed 'out' and so close to mum. But I was moved to be part of such a lovely occasion that was going to directly help those in need.


I am very grateful to a lovely teacher at school who keeps gifting me with passion fruit! When we left New Zealand they were $27 a kilo and now I am eating them for free!  The fruit selection is wonderful and relatively cheap. We went fruit hunting tonight as different people have mentioned we can help ourselves to their fruit trees. But due to directions of; on the back road next to the coconut tree near a blue sign... we couldn't find the trees!  So it is off to the markets to purchase our fruit tomorrow haha.


Much love to all xox

1, Tu, 3, 4...

Over here the littlies get to call the kindy teachers 'Aunty' and then their given name.  At school I am known either as Auntie Janine or Mrs Fiebig depending on the age group I am teaching.  Today George and I were waiting in the car for husband.  We were passing the time with idle chit-chat.  He was playing with an arm band he had made at school and our conversation was as follows:


Me - "who helped to make his super hero band?"
George - "Auntie Tu"
Me - "you like Auntie Tu don't you?"
George - "Oh yes!"
Me - "Who is the other Aunties?"
George - "Auntie Four!"


Me - "hahahhahahahaha" - hysterical laughter!


How clever my little lad is, but I don't know where Aunties One and Three are!?


On the subject of wee George this week he has decreased his escapes from kindy to a minimum of four times a day.  This is progress! 


Much love to all xox