FJC – Tess catch me a kangaroo?!? I’ll believe it when I see it. Nice to know you are all thinking of me By the way, Cecilia, Dad will know if you’ve let those naughty puppy dogs sleep on the bed – don’t ask me how, he just will. xxx

We’d like to offer a roo tail, or two, indeed our 4-legged companions currently slumbering at our feet (Tess and Sam) will gladly provide the said produce while chasing macropods around the fields tonight.

We had spag and meatballs for dinner. Faye and John off to Sydney to catch to show tomorrow, Ces left to muck up – sorry I mean take good care of – the farm :)

Cheerio and much love for now.
xxx

The most interesting dish I ever ate in the South Pacific was fruit bat (flying fox). Cooked in a Tongan lovo, it tasted delicious, not least because their diet is fruit. Sorta like mango-flavoured rabbit.

But only ate it once. I like the species too much as a cheerfully gregarious and cute bunch of airborne hoons to treat them as mere fodder.

In fact we took a baby one in once after he/she had somehow fell out of the tree in our yard where a colony roosted.

‘Turbo’ spent about two months with us, eating every bit of fruit offered, hanging off a coathanger dangling from the indoor stairs in the lounge room above layers of frequently changed newspaper and chittering away to us and the utterly intrigued cats. Very vocal creatures. And then one day just flew away.

I have never eaten a fruit bat since then.

Your mother sounds like a hoot. Did she survive Fiji with her liver intact?

Would love to try some kokoda. Australian restaurants perhaps reluctant to serve it for fear of attracting thousands of patriotic hikers in khaki who will insist on pronouncing it incorrectly?

Oh yes… I have a big essay building up inside me about onomastic trends in Brit aviation but I suspect this is neither the place or time for such a dissertation.

OK then, I’ll hie m’self over to Brett’s Airmindedwhich like ProgDin is a local blog that’s also world class in its chosen field.

Although it apparently can inflame passions.

But after reading that report, you’re left quite confused by the end about what actually happened.

Welcome to the South Pacific.

She wasn’t much of a cook herself but still has her first editions of several Elizabeth David books, which were eventually returned by top Fijian chefs, much thumbed and stained.

She still reckons her best contribution to the local high life though was creating the first Fijian freebie ad-driven newspaper for tourists which invented and then co-sponsored the South Pacific Bartenders Awards. With her as head of the judging panel.

“Um kids, Mum may be rather late home tonight.”
“Oh right it’s those cocktail drinking awards again. Why can’t we go Dad?”
“Not yet. Maybe wait another six years. Now who wants to watch ‘All That Jazz’ again while we wait for your mother to finally turn up and park the car sideways in the drive?”