Ten Reasons why I like living in Rurutu: #3

How many tiny tropical islands roast their own coffee? Ours is delicious, hand-picked and roasted in small quantity......the next project would be to grow cocoa beans, so that we could have our own chocolate too!

Summer's here

Finally the season seems to be changing - the flowers and fruit are here. The first mangoes are falling from the trees (Hurray!) and the mini sunflowers I planted a month or so ago are in bloom. The weather is sunny and so we even ventured out onto the beach, though Matotea was the only one brave enough to actually get submerged. Even better we're on holiday - we've closed the guesthouse for a whole month, for a well earned bit of R&R. I for one aim to enjoy my delayed maternity leave! At the end of this coming week we head to Tahiti en route for a week in New Zealand. It's been more than a year since I left PF, so I'll be glad for an injection of 'Big City' life!!!!! But before that happens we have lots to do to get ready for our 'Tree Day' which kicks off on thursday and runs 'til saturday, with a big meal and another visit from Maeva and Marco.



Other breaking news.....
Heimana is just starting on solids, here she is (above) enjoying her first homemade carrot, potato and umara puree. Unfortunately, along with her appetite for REAL food comes teething, it's early, but the signs are there - she's drooling like crazy, is avidly mauling anything within grasping distance, our fingers, her hands, my breast, she's also as grumpy as I've ever seen her, poor little thing.....so she's been getting lots of attention and distraction!

Her intensive exercise regime continues - who said you can't run before you can sit up?











Matotea's 'balloons' which, in the past few months have morphed through wiggly lines and dots have now magically turned into blob people overnight. This is a family scene, daddy and mummy blob (center and far left, respectively) are accompanied by Matotea (flattened blob in bottom left corner, see how she is symbolically placed beneath us, I interpret this as an early attempt to express her angst at being suppressed by her parents, we alwys spoil all her fun ;-) ) and Heimana (who initially was NOT going to be included - who wants a baby sister anyway? - actually appears here with arms and legs).

Wales beat Samoa in the rugby albeit unconvincingly, my alliances are a bit split here particularly as the Samoan team were playing "for the tsunami victims", but anyway it's just fun to be able to follow the rugby from Rurutu - once more let me say YAY for internet!

Ten Reasons why I like living in Rurutu: #2

Soursop - jam, sorbet, juice, ice-cream....it's all good.....

Ten Reasons why I like living in Rurutu: #1

This happens out front of our garden on a regular basis.....

Nov 1st

Today is all saints' day, here in Rurutu we celebrate the day by paying our respects to the dead, in much the same way as Dia de las muertas we decorate the tombs of the dead and hold candlelit vigils over the night of the 31st, and believe that the spirits of the dead can come to visit us. Viriamu's brother decorates the tomb of their grandfather with flowers every year. The tomb is in our garden, it's a Tahitian tradition to be buried on your own piece of land, but the practice is actually forbidden these days.