A simple pleasure shared

Pleasure is.......

Looking at the cuppa tea on the desk in Tuvalu having just posted in here,

and thinking yes, it would be nice to have a couple of krispies from the packet I brought up three weeks ago,

that I have been rationing carefully and keeping fresh in the sealed container,

and then taking three, dunking them and smiling 

an observation about temperature

Back in the mid 80's I went to the antarctic for 7 weeks or so.  One of the things I remember from that trip was how it was bitterly cold when we arrived, but after a time we acclimatised to the point that on a still day, we were playing volley ball outside on the helicopter landing pad area in shorts and tee shirts.

It rained here on Sunday.  A fantastic tropical electrical storm, and then the wind came up and it was grey and raining most of the afternoon.  An observation that a number of us made when we ere talking about it the next day was how cool it made the afternoon and night.  It dropped the temperature in the afternoon to around 24 degrees.  Positively refreshing.

What that tells me is that my body, and mind, is adjusting to the heat that it experiences here in Tuvalu (34 deg today and a bit hot but not uncomfortable). But what I have also observed is that it must be on the edge of it's temperature tolerance.  Not in a way that I am on the edge of collapse of course, but on the edge of the body not having to react to cool itself.

I have noticed, as have many of the other palangi's I have talked with, that the very slightest exertion will result in a flooding sweat.  Even to the point of after a meal in the middle of the day, you start to sweat.  I am assuming that it is because the body is processing the food and so expending energy.  At home or in colder climates, I have not been aware of what my body must be doing as and after I eat.  

Here, i have taken the time to observe, and be aware.  It is nice to be aware of the normally hidden things in me

25th April 2015. Anzac day 100 years on

Just before 5:00am in the dark of pre-dawn and a little light rain, a small group started to gather at the accommodation of the Australian Navy detachment here in Tuvalu.  It was a simple low key ceremony overlooking the lagoon with people from Tuvalu, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, England, Papua New Guinea and other parts of the world.  

Many of us are visitors to the island for varying lengths of time and as such, are part of that loose group who look out for and are friends with each other while they are here. Being a part of this small group on Tuvalu, and doing a reading as part of the ceremony made this ANZAC day a moment I think I will remember for a good length of time to come.  

who needs tide charts?

I have never really thought about what is below me when I am stand on the ground. Sure when I was a kid digging the garden you sometimes came across bits and pieces the builders kindly buried under the topsoil for kids to discover and imagine it was buried treasure. Or when you dug in the sand at hot water beach you could make your very own private hot pool.  But I have never really thought about how solid the ground is.  

I guess I have always just taken for granted that it is all either solid rock or dirt under me as I walk along in my daily life.  Turns out that this assumption was slightly incorrect.  

I had been told before I came to Tuvalu that there are times an places where water (also known as the pacific ocean) bubbles up through the land.  Turns out one such area is outside the power station where I go to work each day.  and it's not really every now and then, but going from the past few days, most high tides.  I assume it happens every tide, it's just how much that varies depending on the tidal height.

  

 entrance to the power station note the ground looks like ground

(trees in background are on the edge of the island)

 what I came across when I was leaving work one evening

"Tide's in"

sea water bubbling up

Where am I starting this from

One of the prompts to start this blog, is that I am not where I normally live, which is Auckland New Zealand.  I am currently on Funafuti atoll in Tuvalu where I will be for the majority of the middle half of the year for work.

Tuvalu is an interesting spot in the pacific some 2.5 hours north of Fiji by a small but not tiny aircraft twice a week.  The flights are on Tuesday and Thursday and I learnt pretty quickly that gathering outside the airport to meet the planes is a good way to get to say hi to the expats that are here and arrange social get togethers.

The people are friendly and everybody seems to know everybody.  It is one of those spots on our planet where things are still kept simple and the focus is on the important things like food, water, community and family.  Oh and leave your eftpos, credit cards and 'pay wave' expectations at home.  There is only good old cash used here.

There is no choice if you are going to be here for more than two days but to slow down and adapt from the hectic place we tend to call 'normal' at home and with views like this  an hour before sunset, it's not too hard to do. 

Welcome

Welcome to my first ever blog, bits n pieces.  

Like the name suggests, I expect to just be popping up bits n pieces as they come along and catch my attention or thoughts.  Sometimes a common theme might appear for a while, and other things might not have any context that you can see.  But that's okay, because this is my blog and it is here just to be, nothing more and nothing less. 

Feel free to comment or send me messages if you want to (I am assuming that you will be able to and if not I will find a way to tweak the settings eventually), just bear in mind that others may be able to see what you share with me, and so I get to choose if things are left visible or otherwise.

I hope you find bits n pieces that follow of interest for as long as you happen to follow

now to begin....