Random in Oz

Farewell to Oz

Last week in Sydney and I cannot believe that I will be flying home tomorrow.  Not looking forward to the journey at all and of course dreading saying goodbye to Kathryn.   She is doing well, is happy here and has a good future ahead of her but oh I do wish she were a little, just a little, closer.    She is coming to the UK in September for Beatrice's first birthday so only five months until  I see her again, but I am going to feel terrible tomorrow when I say goodbye.  We have not spent so much time together in years and it has been Such Fun (!) and we have laughed at the same stupid things, talked about all the daft things we have done in the past and just enjoyed spending hours relaxing in each other's company. We have managed to spend six weeks together without any falling out or arguments though pretty sure I have probably driven her up the wall on occasions.    

The autumn has arrived now and it has been pretty wet and rainy all week with the kind of torrential rain you just don't get in the UK.  One minute of walking in it and you look as if you have taken a bath.   So our last weekend and yesterday evening we went to the theatre to see the National Theatre production of One Man, two Guvnors which is doing an Australian tour at the moment.   Absolutely brilliant and had the audition howling with laughter.   My mascara was all washed away within half an hour of the first act and my ribs are still recovering.   Wonderful. 

And then when we left the theatre we walked under the bridge and round the harbour and there were the lights and it was all quite marvellous.

Then today, up and out and decided to catch the ferry across to Manly for a final look at the harbour.   This ferry trip is really wonderful, much cheaper than the touristy cruises and the views to and from Circular Quay quite marvellous.    We had lunch at Hugo's on the Wharf and had one of the best pizzas I have ever had.   Kathryn had one with figs and blue cheese but could not quite manage that, glass of Pinot Grigiot each and I was full but K managed a tiramisu.  

After that decided to go for a walk. By now the sun was out and it was a mild, balmy day, simply gorgous - the Aussies would probably think it was pretty cool, we would think it was high summer.    Went and sat on the beach and just watched and I became increasingly melancholy at the thought that I was leaving this behind.   We are now back home and having a Skype session with James, Helen and the children in an hour which I am looking forward to and will be able to tell Florence that Grandma will be seeing her very soon.     

I have yet to put up my pics of Carmen by the harbour or my visit to the Kapoor exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art and I think these will now have to wait until I get home as I have so much to do.    Until then, my thanks, once again to those of  you who have visited and left comments on Random in Oz. I have enjoyed sharing my travels with you all and hope to be back in about eighteen months with my next trip.....

Fire Dancers and Farewell

Fire dance night on Erakor island.   Amazing sight in the evening on the beach

A final paddle

Then sit and watch the sun going down

 I shall be sorry to leave this simply delightful island behind. As one fellow guest said as we strolled along to breakfast 'God, another hard day in Paradise'.

Vanuatu - in residence

Feel as if I have been here for ever but, in fact, it is only four days.   Time here slows down to a crawl and nobody rushes.   It is impossible to do so because of the heat.   It is a heat I have never experienced before, hot yes but the humidity is really hard to cope with.   Now when writing this I am aware that the UK is being snowed in and everyone is fed up to the back teeth and you may be thinking Why is she moaning?   This I understand totally.   Every movement here brings on an outbreak of sweat and hence the slow languid walk that all visitors soon assume.  I cannot sleep at night because of the closeness of it all and the only time one can escape the heat is by getting into the sea and staying there and this I have been doing. The water is like clear glass, warm and silky and the floor is covered with star fish which I am very wary of standing on.   It is very buoyant and makes floating very easy so I have spent a happy time just wallowing in the shallows and drifting.   

One afternoon I decided to take a walk round the island, this takes about twenty minutes, and came upon the original Missionary House where a couple called McKenzie lived for twenty five years.   They had seven children, three of whom died in their infancy and their graves are there alongside that of Mrs McKenzie who died on the island.   I gather that within two years the Rev McKenzie, at the age of fifty, married again and had more children so he did not pine for long.........

So our days have fallen into a pattern.  Wake up, trot along to breakfast (lots of lovely fresh fruit) back to our bungalow and lie down for an hour to recover from our exertions.  Then along to the beach which we seem to have to ourselves most of the time, swim, sunbathe, sleep, have lunch there, then back to bungalow, shower, siesta, cup of tea and muffins I purloined from the breakfast table (Oh Mum honestly says K crossly when I do this but is very glad to eat them nonetheless), read book, get ready and troll along to dinner. Restaurant overlooks the sea and we sit there taking our time and enjoying the cool and the fishes drawn to the lights and see them swimming around.

Food very good, last night Kathryn decided to try crab cooked in coconut milk. Pair of us nearly passed out when it arrived. HUGE.  Fits of laughter from everybody but she managed to get through it, even though I thought it incredibly messy with cracking the bones and hoiking out the meat.   The chef came out to see how she was doing.   Next day we went into Port Vila, there is a free ferry which takes us backwards and forwards, and visited the market and bought some souvenirs etc.   I think the crab had given Kathryn rather a bloated tummy and as I was looking at baby clothes (for Beatrice) one of the stall holders patted K on the tummy and asked when the baby was due!! Shrieks of laughter all round and K has now decided that perhaps she won't have crab any more......   

Lots of trips to go on and we were looking through them all and my inclination was that I did not want to move or do anything as Erakor is simply delightful and relaxing. Coming back from Port Vila the other day, which was hot, crowded and rather dirty, we felt as if we were coming home and when I told K I would rather not do anythng she was pleased as that was how she felt too.  I have a massage booked at the Spa tomorrow, part of the cost of the hoiday, followed by a pedicure. I have chosen the one in which I am smothered in fresh coconunt and then have coconut oil rubbed all over.   I am rather looking forward to it.