A day of rest

Kukum Christian Church. It's pretty hot, sitting in a tin shed, but occasionally you get a nice sea breeze. If you look closely you can see the ocean just across the road. Quite distracting if the dolphins are playing nearby!

I thoroughly enjoyed church again today, and am pleased to be understanding nearly everything in Pigin - I understood the sermon, including the three very funny examples the preacher used. It is nice to be able to laugh along with everyone else, without needing an interpretation first! Speaking Pigin is another thing altogether, and I certainly haven't mastered that one, but that's OK. These things take time! In Honiara most people can understand English, so I generally speak in English, and others respond in Pigin, and we get along just fine!

I've noticed the kids that the girls play with around the base are speaking more and more English as they learn from our girls. It's not a bad thing, because they all have to learn English at school, and their final Year 6 exams are all in English, so I guess it all helps. It is at school that our girls are learning quite a bit of Pigin. It's all part of the experience.

Brianna had quite a spring in her step on Friday! We came home from school to find a parcel on our table, addressed to Brianna. She was delighted to receive a large bundle of letters from her class at SHCS. Everyone had written to her, letting her know what they had done in the holidays and asking her several questions each. (Thanks to Mrs Abbey!) Brianna spent the afternoon happily reading through all the letters and was very pleased to catch up with friends from home. She has spent the weekend typing a reply email, answering everyone's questions and letting them all know about how life is going in the Solomons. It was sent off tonight, along with a few photos, for her class to receive tomorrow - isn't email great! So fast.

We enjoyed another swim at Honiara Hotel this afternoon, (Machi was given some free pool passes). The kids had a ball of course, and we all were thankful for a nice cool off and for a lovely place to sit and relax. When we arrived, there was a small parrot on the ground, near the entrance to the hotel. It's leg looked broken, so Salome picked it up. She thought she would take it home and look after it while it healed. I whipped out my camera and took a couple of photos, fascinated that she could just pick up a wild bird so easily. Machi gave the bird some water, and then it surprised us all by flying off! So obviously it's leg wasn't broken - maybe it was just stunned or something. Machi looked it up in her bird book later on and found out it was a Rainbow Lorikeet, (different to the ones I've seen in Australia.)


On the way home Millie and Elora wanted to have a go standing up with Geoff in the back of the truck. Geoff hardly ever sits down in the back because he isn't flexible enough - he prefers to stand. The girls are not allowed to stand unless Geoff is with them, and that isn't very often because Geoff is nearly always driving! So today they made the most of it!

You can't even see Elora - she's right in-front of Geoff. She has to stand on the little lip to be able to see over the top of the truck.

Geoff held the camera out for a front-on view! I think it is going to be difficult to get used to the five point harness seat belt system when we get home!