Friday Favourite ~ bubbles & smiles

After a huge Christmas week and thousands of photos to choose from. I have to choose just one. Then this is it.
My beautiful Mum with her pale pink hair smiling at my kids blowing & chasing bubbles around her.

The watermelon truck

Who needs an ice cream truck with its bell signalling all the neighbourhood kids to come and spend their money on a frozen treat.

Here on this generous community of Norfolk Island we have all sorts of special treats for the kids.
One of the best examples was shown at the Boxing day surf competition at Munnas. Local identity 'Bubby' pulled his truck up nearby and assembled his handmade Norfolk Island pine cutting board by slotting it into the back of the truck. He then began to cut up freshly picked watermelon into slices.

All of our fruit is grown locally and seasonally, many haven't tasted watermelon for almost a year so this is a very special treat indeed.

Bubby tells everyone to spread the word around to all the kids to come and get some and bring back the rinds to feed his chooks.

Many happy children grab a slice or two with thanks.

Friday Favourite ~ kung fu fighting

Friday Favourite ~ Blue

Cheeky Blue

wild weeds too

After a post on this blog many years ago (well before Jasper was even thought of) called Wild weeds about the sweet Alyssum that grows wild in the sand dunes behind Emily bay, I had wanted to revisted with the camera to add Jasper to the story.

At a recent surf school held at Emily bay, Jasper had some time to walk around the dunes with me rather than be in the water with his Dad, brother and sister.

We wandered around the Chimney hill/ Salt house end rather than where the sweet Alyssum grows thickest and were treated to a different kind of weedy surprise.

I dont know the proper name for this plant as we have always called it pussy willow since childhood but it is more like a grass than a willow tree variety.

So unless corrected, I will continue to call it Pussy willow grass.

 

I love tickling the childrens faces and toes with these soft balls of fluff.

Weeds or not, they are just so pretty growing on the dunes.

Friday Favourite~ Pier

Here's is my Friday favourite photo to share with you.

 I'd love it if you'd share your Friday Favourite too, just add a link in the 'comments' below.

chalk art

After the surf school, we headed straight back to the village where there was a chalk art competition as part of The Community arts art iina wilaj (art in the park).

All 3 kids got stuck straight into their drawings. I did one too but didn't want to enter the competition.

Teddy won a $10 sweeties voucher but all the kids did an amazing job.

We are looking forward to this new event in the village become a regular event on the social calendar of Norfolk Island.

surf school at Emily bay

 

On the first day of summer, the Norfolk Island Boardriders association decided to hold a junior boardriders surf school expecting around 20 youngsters around 10 years of age to turn up.

What they didn't expect was the 60 plus kids from 5 years old to teens who all came wanting to learn or develop their board skills.

I have never seen Emily bay resembling Cronulla beach in numbers before. What a great turn out of new junior members of the association.

Norfolk Island always has plenty to offer and surfing and water sports are a great activity to be involved with as we are surrounded by water!

 My kids loved it. We hope they can hone their skills this summer so it wont be long before they can go out surfing with their Dad.

Art inna wilaj

My kids setting up their display outside The Olive

I love art and I love creativity.

Art in the park on Norfolk Island is loads of fun. The community arts society of Norfolk Island organise it most years but sometime are left wanting for a new park space.

Brianna and her Butterfly

I suggested bringing it to town to my favourite group of shops called 'the village'.
It is not that the contents of the shops are my favourites but rather the atmosphere and park like grassy verges lend themselves to art.

I tried to start some markets here years ago, but couldn't so now hold the Summer markets on the verandah at SOUL gallery.

I actually wanted Soul to be in the Village next door to the most popular coffee shop called The Olive, but that wasn't meant to be either.

BUT....The Community arts society agreed with me that it WAS a great place to hold art in the park, all the shop keepers agreed also so art in the park became art in the village which in the Norfolk Island language translates to art inna wilaj.



Teddy and Sienna with their 'rumble in the jungle' garden scene with jungle animals.

Rumble in the jungle is hands on, we hope kids who visit the Olive will play with it.

This year approximately 20 entries are scattered up and down the village street.

I must admit that ours are not our most thoughtful or artistic pieces work but since I suggested it, I knew that I had better come up with 'something'.

Sienna and Teddy being Fletcher and Mauatua. Artwork by Lexi.

Ladybug parade

Pencils with a difference

Alison donated some of her handmade tiles which unfortunately got cracked. We will be lucky to take one home at the end.

The Kelly family all contributed to this lurking octopus

Here is the link to my first art in the park on Norfolk Island



and here is the link to Mary's blog post about Art in the Park 2007 and also Art in the Park 2009

Looking back to 2007 I am sad that we lost all those wire creatures as well as the foot and handprints of our 'babies' as I left for a trip to Sydney and forgot to collect them at the end. They got thrown out  :(
oh well, what can you do but create some more!

Giving Thanks

 

This week Norfolk Island celebrated its traditional Thanksgiving.
Though this one wasn't as traditional as the past...more like starting new traditions.

Here we have much to be thankful for. Being bound by weather which also affects our crops, fishing and general well being, we can certainly be grateful for those good times at the moment.

I am grateful each and everyday, not just at thanksgiving, for my wonderful family.

I am grateful for many, many things and I feel that I am extremely lucky in my life.

This year I have been gifted an opportunity to return to preschool teaching in the coming years which I intend to embrace with all that I have. I am also grateful that I have spent every day with my nearly 3 year old son's life, we have hung out together with every job I have had. This will continue next year as he comes to preschool with me.
I have many other blessings, too many to be thankful for on one day, that is why I am grateful for being so lucky all year round ☺



In case you have missed other years, have a look at the links below.
Marys blog always gives a wonderful sample of life on Norfolk Island
Thanksgiving 2008
Thanksgiving 2007
Thanksgiving 2006

old Digby dog find a patch of dirt in the late afternoon sunshine to age gracefully in.

This year we return to Mary and Bernie's for something new and very special. As I said, it may be the start of new traditions.

The official blessing of Dar Nakamal blong Bernie built on a piece of their woodland at Devonhouse.

Wikipedia tells us

Nakamal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

A small nakamal on Pentecost Island

A nakamal is a traditional meeting place inVanuatu. A nakamal is found in every significant rural Vanuatu community.
In north and central Vanuatu, the nakamal generally takes the form of a large building, assembled from traditional materials with the help of the entire community, under the direction of a particular chief. Entry to the nakamal is often restricted to men, and the building may be used as a sleeping and living area for unmarried men and boys and for male visitors to the village. Significantly, most nakamals lack a lockable door, indicating that all friendly visitors are welcome, although there may be a low barrier across the entrance to keep out animals.
In southern Vanuatu, a nakamal may be a large, sheltered outdoor space, such as under a banyan tree.
The nakamal may be used for meetings and ceremonies of various kinds, but its main function nowadays is as a place for the preparation and drinking of kava. In urban Vanuatu society the term nakamal is increasingly synonymous with "kava bar".
In New Caledonia nakamal are found throughout the island and also in the Loyalty Islands. They are generally identified by a red light outside the establishment. - when the light is turned on, the nakamal is open for business.

The blessing by Bishop Forsyth

Signs I quickly painted the day before. These were as rough as I allowed myself to paint them

 

Food coming out of the ground oven
 

This nakamal blong Bernie (belongs to Bernie) cleverly uses all natural timbers, palms and rocks found on Norfolk Island. It has been beautifully finished and is a wonderful addition to our multicultural south pacific island.

cutting sugar cane to chew

Sienna bringing the two 2 year olds up for dinner

Liam joins in to help

what a feast! this spread over 3 tables. No one does pot luck like Norfolk Island people.

the kids dining together

Around the nakamal & woodland

Teddy and Ashleigh dine together....but its not a date they assure me.

Our wonderful administrator and his wonderful wife sit inside the nakamal with the Bishop & his wife.

Kim made traffic light jelly...mmmmm

yum



As if we can't eat another thing...then there is the fully laden dessert table.

And a lolly scramble...one lollipop at a time ☺

The children all played really well together all day and night. It was magic.

I look forward to many family gatherings here in the future. I might even sit and play the ukulele next time instead of being a chicken and handing my spares over.

It was a fantastic celebration both of the nakamals blessing and of our own for Thanksgiving day.

I hope you are all as blessed as we are.