Guava tree and a message

Guava trees grow like weeds here. I have them popping up in the garden all the time. This tree outside my kitchen window is always full of birds that get the fruit before we do.

The trunk of the tree is quite beautiful.

This fruit however seems to have done a kamikaze off the tree onto the fence to escape.

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Message from Liam

Liam sent me this message in answer to a number of your questions re the houses in Liam's Blog on Dec 1.

dad showd me the post you made for me and mum told my teacher so we al lookt at it on her laptop. That was so awsome now they can see I was not making up storys and see where i lived.

Mum told me that the walls on the houses are made from strips of bambu (bamboo) that are woven together and difrent kinds have difrent colors. Also the front is not the same as the back so some can be turned round to make pattens. Mum thinks that the bright colors are painted on the strips before they make the wall. Thanks this is realy realy cool.

Lots of love Liam

Sky Watch Friday - Into the Night

Like a gift from the heavens it was easy to tell
It was love from above that could save me from hell
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me
There were drums in the air as she started to dance
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands

And we sang Ay, oh, ay, oh, ay, oh, ay
And the voices bang like the angels sing
And we danced on into the night

And we danced on into the night

Thanks to Chad Kroeger for Into the Night lyrics

Snowy skies here on Through my Glass Eye

and check out other skies to dance under here.

Friendly farm workers

This photo was taken as I half fell out of the car in my rush to catch these very friendly farm workers. We were on the road near Liam's place, along where I found the houses in my last post.


These farm workers were most excited when they saw my camera - yahooing and waving in enthusiasm.

If I jumped out of a car and took photos of farm workers in your area what would they do??

Post for Liam

In Cape Town South Africa there now lives a boy called Liam, who was born here in East New Britain. He is able to keep in touch with what is happening here, and explain his amazing homeland to his teacher and class mates, by checking my blog regularly.

Hi Liam and a big hello to your teacher and friends. These wonderful houses that I photographed for you before I went to Australia, are out near where you lived.

Maybe with the help of Mum and Dad you might like to explain to your teacher and students how they make the wonderful patterns on the walls.

Back in the Land of Smoking Mountains

Good to be back!! I even missed the volcano ......

although that sentiment may last only a day or two!!!!


BTW - Have a new photo on Through My Glass Eye

Home

We have been called back suddenly to Australia, and fly out this morning.
The "tyranny of distance" we feel as expats is no more intense as it is today.
I do not know when I will be back in PNG, but hopefully in a few weeks.
Jules

Singsing

Just on dark yesterday we heard a hell of a commotion outside the house. Looking out the window I saw a large group of people chanting with drums and following this figure down the road to the beach. I grabbed my camera and did another of my "mad dashes". I asked if I could take their photo and with much glee they arranged themselves around the masked man. They told me they were going to a singsing down the beach. I took a quick shot and then nothing ....my battery died. I was so annoyed. The group was calling out "Take more, take more..." and all I could do was mumble and stump on back up to the house.

The figure seems to be in the form of a dukduk but is not the real deal. Can you see what is sticking out the top of his mask?

This is what a dukduk looks like, courtesy of this site.

The Dukduk is a spirit, which assumes a visible and presumably tangible form, and makes its appearance at certain fixed times. Its arrival is invariably fixed for the day the new moon becomes visible. It is announced a month beforehand by the old men, and is always said to belong to one of them
It is a conical-shaped erection, about five feet high, made of very fine basket work, and gummed all over to give a surface on which the diabolical countenance is depicted. No arms or hands are visible, and the dress extends down to the knees. The old men, doubtless, are in the secret, but by the alarmed look on the faces of the others it is easy to see that they imagine that there is nothing human about these alarming visitors.

This information came from here where more fascinating details can be found.