On a Sunday morn, real early, a frantic call from a good friend. He has just heard you had died.

Yep, Mike Hammond of Honiara fame passed away last week and was buried Saturday.

Now Mike and I shared similar names, which, in a small pond like the Solomons, inevitably led too much fun-filled confusion.

I was first confused with/ by Mike when a policeman saw me in the street, walked up and in island fashion took my hand and started telling me all the stuff that had been stolen from my island was ready to collect. The policeman was effusive and very friendly. I smiled, nodded and got my hand back so I could depart. I did not have a clue what the fellow was talking about.

Then I was told, when I was in Gizo, that I did the right thing by beating the coon-dawn-shit outta some white guy that was a con and a jerk. I supposedly whooped the guy at the Yacht Club ion a Saturday night in Honiara. I was in Gizo.

Then, when my sons were going to school in a small farming community in central Queensland I came to be friendly with a family who, after s short period, confided that they had mixed me up with “another Mike from the Solomon’s” who kept a babe in the house down the street form them. Until they had sorted this out they were very suspect of me and my natural intentions.

Eventually I met Mike Hammond in the Yacht Club. He was a proper Queenslander. A good storyteller. A bit of bad-ass and trouble maker. Some loved him, some hated him. I just got confused with him.

Mike was well into his 60s but fit and healthy. He smoked like a chimney and drank daily in the club. He ran a fishing charter business out of the club so it was his office so he was there pretty much all the time.

Over the past number of years Mike and I would joke about the mix-ups. I always said, “…don’t confuse that ugly old man with crooked teeth and a small dick with me…” being a rude yank I said this to Mike, jokingly of course, and we’d both enjoy the camaraderie of confusion.

So Hans is frantic Sunday morning. Calling trying to get my family up on a sleep-in day, etc., etc. He eventually got hold of Grace here in Oz.

I do thank Hans for being such a good friend. It is touching and funny all the same.

So, there you go, a great way to start a Sunday morn…

Don’t want to disappoint so, thanks for the reminder, have not heard this for ages…

04 Doctor My Eyes

Remember the one where Clarkson drove an Audi V8 from London to Edinburgh on one tank of gas. The ending of this clip had JC running on what the vehicle reports as “O” fuel.

I drive a little Audi.  And just the other day, I should have ran out of gas. For a fair distance the car’s onboard computer told me I had “O” ks left in the gas tank.

Was stressful to say the lease. Stupid in many ways. But I am glad I have a car that literally runs on empty.

more later

Mother Nature is such a show-off

a chilled drizzle adds to the drabness of the day. I should put a shirt on. A bit cold.

I woke too early. Really could have slept for hours more but was wide awake so got up. Grace spent the night on the futon out on the south veranda. The weather was building in the south all day yesterday and Grace decided to spend the night cocooned in blankets out in the teeth of the weather.

The south side of the house is the “weather” side. The is no protection there. The reef below us has waters that have just done an uninterupted run from antarctica crashing and pounding on it. Big swells come in. And even on calm days the drumming of the waves on the reef is noticeable.

We have a weather system kicking into gear south-east of us.

Sure makes the frigate birds happy… there are about 50 hanging in the air above the coast line to the south.

Our last day/ night in Gizo. What a good place. We fly out tomorrow afternoon. A few days in HIR then on to BNE.

Have been out on the water numerous times. Been fishing. Been over to SanBis. Had a session with the “boys” at PT 109.  Hell, even had a couple beers at the old Gizo Hotel.

Must be time to leave.

Time to get back to work. Get the boys back in school. Finally, a year late, Angelo and Mendozza are starting school in Palmwoods. Big move for the family. Huge move for the boys and Grace.

This past 10 days is the longest we have been in Gizo for ages and ages. Not since the earthquake in 2007. I’ve only spent a night or two at any given time. Grace the same. This is a good place. For soooo many reasons… we moved into this place in December 1998. Had a big party, which saw a star, studded cast. All good fun. And the neat thing, after a bit over a decade, all the fruit trees, bushes, shrubs and veggie vines are in high production. We have pineapples to waste. Bush limes galore. Pamelo, pawpaw, guava, pumpkin, watermelon, and cucumbers. Cassava and kumara. Three types of bananas. And it’s all soooo good… fresh produce…

Had some cassava and punk’n the other eve that was amazing. It’s all soooo goooood.

I am being a glutton on fresh produce.

Frigate birds fly high off the southern shore. Have spent most of the past days on the north side of the house. The wind and activity ahs been there. But the wind is shifting. As the frigates confirm.

Had a hoot yesterday: Mendozza got it in his head he could drive the boat. Now, I run a 50hp, with a tiller drive, on a 21 ft. alloy rocket. It is a fast and very responsive boat. You can easily go wrong with it. Been known to happen. And a 6yr old on the throttle of the 50… it was fun.

The seas were good, oily calm, so once we got on a plane and trimmed the engine a bit it is easy to hold on a straight path as you hurl over the surface.

He did a very good job.

We ended up over to Liapari and back. Did some trolling but did not catch anything. At one point we were out running with the birds that chase the schooling tuna. Thousands of birds all around, skimming the water to snatch the small bait fish being chased up by the tuna. Some doing big dives in to grab a decent sized morsel. The water all the time boiling with fish in a feeding-frenzy. All on a quick-paced move.

The school we were on was very small bonito. Too little for our lure. So we raced around at high speed, following the school and the flocks… very cool.

A few days back we caught a nice blue fin trevally. We were running a 20lb reel and the fish may have been 5lbs so it was no drama to haul in. Mendozza and his uncle Robbie shared the task of cranking the beast in. Note in the picture how it had swallowed the lure. Had to cut the fish open to get it out.

There is a flower outside the house here that, every eve, starts up a very heady scent. I think it’s tuber rose.

Very good end to 2011 and very, very good start to 2012.

My 31^st year in this land is almost over. Anniversary is January 11. A few days away.

I look around and search for something to be optimistic about. I struggle. I fear the Solomons, despite it’s numerous opportunities, has simply made the choice to not worry too much or work too hard.

I know it is in the island style and we luv these islands but, there are simply too many problems on the horizon.

But, then, the world is generally in a heap of grief. And I figger I’d just as soon be hanging out around here when the “shit-do-come-down”, as Uncle Teddy would say.

So not optimistic but satisfactorily philosophical, so we’re ok.

The urbanization of Gizo has been very hard on the character of this town. The pressures of populations are extreme here. And our highly disposable lifestyles simply don’t work any more. When the population was small we could throw our garbage in the ocean and let it float away with the tide. The town council collected it and dump it in a swamp outside of town.  Now people still throw their garbage in the ocean. And it piles up on the tide line and ends up on the beaches. The city council now uses the same swamp, but they have filled an area about the size of Kennedy island and it grows daily.

In those days most of our refuse was organic. Nowadays everything is plastic. Or worse. The simple introduction of disposable diapers here has increased refuse by a huge amount.

Betel nut stalls are everywhere. And people appear to make living out of buying nut from their family “at home” for a small amount and, under a bit of tin roofing iron, in a makeshift stall, on a strategic corner on the hill, one person sits, day in and day out. I am told there is good money in it. I may take it up as a side line in my retirement. Doubt though the palmwoods neighbors would appreciate the overall exercise.

So the day has been spent cleaning up and sorting for the departure. Have had SIBC (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp) “radio happy lagoon” on the tin sounding am radio. Takes me back to my youth. Kinda nice if not relaxing in a strange way.

The surf pounds the island. The breeze carries a brisk reminder of more rain.

Life is guuud

And you old Island hands, remember, there is indeed nothing in the world like a solomon’s pineapple… how literally mind blowingly sweet these were…

Exactly like the storms W.E. write about in his science…

Very nice.

It’s about 3 miles off now, still powerful, still nice… one last loud fire-cracker pop, then a low grumble that carries into the distance. The rain still pelting. The air is alive. On the verandah here you may even be tad bit too high but it’s worth it… the whole interactive experience… that one just shook the house…

very nice

Band width stuffed due to the storm. This did not go out. So I continue…

I was wrong. We just caught part of it. Not a 13 minute storm but a much longer one. We have ignition over head now, again. Just had a flash and crack outside the house, got the powerline and popped the main fuse… cerrrrack!!! Sparks in the yard then power off. Still tingling…

gotta start the genset to get on line now…

Went down and inspected the damage. there is none. Too rainy to go start the genset so will wait.

The storm has turned around. Coming back but spent of electricity. Just wind and rain. Rain coming down on a 45 degree slant.

very nice indeed…