One of the things about living on a tiny tropical island, lost in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean is that we never forget that we are at the mercy of the forces of nature. If it's not a cyclone, or raging thunderstorm, it's a tsunami or maybe just very big waves! Yesterday morning we woke up to over >5m waves crashing in on the beach in front of us, and a couple even watered the garden for us! They didn't come any further, but it's the highest I've ever seen them and the car tires did get a bit wet.
Yes, the forces of nature are truly awesome, it's the sheer power of these waves to displace large rocks and tree trunks, which leaves you feeling very small. I've always liked that sort of thing, like staring up at the millions of stars, and knowing you are just a very tiny part of it all. I imagine some people must feel scared by it, but I find it comforting, it puts all your ridiculous anxieties and stresses into perspective - I think it's the reason that Tahitians are so zen and maybe also so religious. We live in the present, for only tomorrow will we know what tomorrow will bring!
Oh yes, and the 4m waves at Teahupoo on Tahiti meant that surf was up!
The end of june saw the schools end of term show, after weeks of feverish preparations
and endless practising at home, the school show came. In a tragi-comic
twist, Heimana ended up going onstage wearing her big sisters couronne (flower lei) and vice versa, poor Heimana, who was already quite nervous
about her stage debut, was almost reduced to tears as her couronne kept
falling down, but she made a valiant effort. Mato was, as always, an
exceptionally graceful and absolutely focused member of the dance group.
I really don't know where she gets the talent from, certainly not from her mum.
