FIJI, a paradise if you love water, sun and heat

Takapuna Market, Auckland New Zealand,Saturday morning

2008-03-12T21:37:00.002+12:00

Rather early we went to the Takapuna Market. As all other markets it had a bit of everything. Something good to eat, fun stuff to see, clothes and leggings, crap, souvenirs and odd things!!

Yes , also CHEAP like here, capsicums....$1.00 for a whole bag...!! DIRT CHEAP!!!!

We bought some stuff too!!

Peter and Jo

Not too much chocholate....

Yammie this too....

No, I don't eat this stuff.....

Both flea market bargains and JUNK!!

Something for the ladies

Nice legg(-ing)s

Souvenirs

And all the beautiful flowers.....

and other stuff

It's not just people out there....

Jo found a dog to talk to....

Wonder what's so yammie!!!

....and others you have to watch out for

My first walk downtown, Auckland, New Zealand

2008-03-08T19:16:00.026+12:00

Just did 3 hrs on Queenstreet...it should take longer....but ...hard to make up your mind of where to go. Shopping? None! Like I said hard to know where you're going. Plenty to choose from. BUT I did find the #1 shoe warehouse. Too much to choose from , just made it all hard to make any decitions other than -DON"T GET ANY!"

However a paradise if you have a shoefetisch...like me.

Have come back for Albert street in a few days.....

Started at the market...

Had a look around

Moved on to Queens street..to see what I could find..

Found "da bus"..didnt take it

Reminds me of my daughter, Emma Valli, a Valli girl

Reminds me of a friend in Vallentuna, Sweden, Kikki

There's some lazy labours here as well or are they just waiting for orders?

Just a thing

Found the tower...didn't get any closer than this....

could't fit in the picture otherwise

A familiar restaurant...yes we have it in Fiji...Daikoku

Wasn't keen on bungy jump either

A galleria..believe me, there's one or more in each block!

Wouldn't know where to go.

But they look nice.

A sidestreet ...

Another sidestreet

Another Galleria....very nice, too

Towards the end of Queens street I turn back to where I started...

And Peter is waiting for me there to take me home. Thanx Pete!

A walk in Burkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand

2008-03-08T18:11:00.005+12:00

A 4 hour walk in the little small town Birkenhead. What hit me most is the ressemblance mix of a bit of Sweden and a bit of the Pacifics. It was no more than max. 19 degrees when I arrived on March 4. The very next day no more than 20 degrees, cloudy and a few showers. Freezing a lot in the beginning but getting used to the climate chnage slowly and to put my jeans on. It feels rather nice to be in a civilized country but I do long back to Fiji, the heat and to my partner Tony there.

Some pictures from my accommodation and my walk........

Street is...

Driveway

Their hous behind another...

compact living here Zach, if u thought Sweden was compact don't know what you call this

The garden...

Here is....

Roses like home.....

Palmtrees like in Fiji

Apple trees like home....

Grapefruit .......not like home

A bit of Italien inspiration...

Perhaps a Swede

One that all has...firestation

View over Auckland

Lowtide

MAinstreet in Birkenhead...

...it's uphills and downhills all the time

Plenty of dustcollectore shops

Another growth in the garden

More surfing at Natadola Beach, Fiji

2008-03-05T17:27:00.009+12:00

Time to try it again!!!! SURFIN!!!

Boards are on and we are off to Natadola Beach.

A looong beach......

Only the 2 of us this time.

Tony first.....

And so he's up.....

and...on his way down??....

...yes, he's down...

My turn...

It's hard to get on my feet....

A surfboard can be used in several ways....

but...all are not so good!!

....where did it go???

Enough for today!

At least I got up on my feet today even though I ended up in the water just as fast.

A wonderful day it was anyway.

Other things to do at Natadola Beach other than sunbathe....

Looking forward to next time...hopefully March 29 if all goes well.

What I do to pass time in Fiji

2008-02-10T20:13:00.001+12:00

Many of you may wonder what I do to pass time in Fiji.
Here is one example to what I do, when I need something to do........

We, Tony and I, had no mirror in the house, other than a tiny one in the bathroom that I barely could see my own nose in, standing on my toes.

I asked Tony, my partner, if we could make one ourselves.
I had seen some ideas I liked, out on the islands.
-Sure no problem!
He was to get some wood for the framing. Nothing happened, well not fast enough...forgot or had no time.
I can't blame him since he work full time and I don't.
I found some floor lists in the back room, that belongs to the house he rent, but I am hoping they don't miss them. I asked him to use that to cut and make the frame. Sure thing!
Christmas Eve he cut and put together the framing for me. That was my Christmas present!

I was so happy!

Then it was my job to decorate it.
I had already done a collection.
First step was to sand the frame, but just roughly.

Had gotten sand from Beachcoomber Island that I liked. It does vary a lot between the Islands.
Washed and dried it.
Tony bought some woodglue that I brushed on and spread sand over it. s

Didn't get satisfied with one coat so I brushed on some more, more heavily.

Tony got the mirror in place.
Then the fine work left.......

I got the shells stuck on with a glue gun.
Then I had put more wood glue and sand over the glue from the gun.
Put on heavily at times and uneven , as well as lightly on some of the shells.
Now I was getting somewhere!

Then the finish.....get the loops in, for hanging, hang it and wash it!

All in all it took a week to make.
Had to wait for glue to dry between coats and get the actual mirror.

I am very satisfied with the result, though!

SURF

2008-02-03T09:42:00.000+12:00

Yesterday, Sunday, I did something I never thought I would ever try.

SURF!

No, not on internet, on waves.
Me, Tony, Mark (Manager on Beachcomber Island Dive shop) and a Norwegian girl, Sylvia, went down to Natadola beach (Pronounced Natandola).

Tony and I was there a few weeks back but that was on a cloudy and lightly rainy day and I didn’t surf. I have always thought it to be too advanced for little old me.

I started out snorkeling when the others were surfing. Sylvia had never surfed either. Mark was busy teaching her.

After a bit of nag from Tony I got on the board, too. He has a 9 footer so it was nicely big and sturdy. He told me just to lay down on it and feel the waves, get the balance. Got sme instructions but they were all gibberish too me. Do this or do that, trim the board and so on. Well he got me off on my first wave. It was great! I thought it would never end! Well that’s what it felt like anyway. Then I had to turn and paddle back against the waves. Very much hard work. Not only that but you have to lay straight as a ruler on the board with both feet on it, keep the balance and head straight forward. It did take me some time to get back to him. Then turn and off I went again. Not as far though.

Next step is to stand on knees! Now that doesn’t work since I barely can stay on it as it is, my thinking. We are moving on too fast.

But I was wrong again. However I had one go when I was plowing under the surface with the front of the board. Didn’t get far at all and I thought I would sink! Didn’t happen.

Then I got to use the smaller board. Harder to use cause the floating area got smaller and I was even more wobbling on it. Did try to relax but it’s hard.

Easier to steer and turn but yet takes more of a balance act to it.

I did a couple of go’s on it until my arms got tired from all the paddling, I was half blind from all the waves beating in my eyes and my mouth felt like I had been drinking half the ocean. SALTY!

Just as good to stop before you’re exhausted completely.

It’s also needed to say I wasn’t dressed to surf. Yeah I had my rash vest but no shorts. Just a bikini that dug further and further in my butt. Rather uncomfortable at the beginning but after sometime I forgot about it and burned my butt.

SO I finished off and got up on beach to share some lunch with the others. Bagels! Yeah….homemade! Had some nachos as well with guacamole. Yammie!

I just wanted to get back in there again but there was no time. We had to go back home and try to catch a friend of Tony’s at the yacht Club and Mark and Sylvia had to return to the Island before dark.

We have now decided to go diving every other Sunday and go surfing the other, all weather depending, of course.

In 2 weeks Tony will be in NZ a couple of days so I have decided to try to go to the Island and dive if there is room.

Why sit home alone when you can go and have fun!!

Have to ask someone to feed the dog then.

Bake in Fiji

2008-02-02T10:19:00.000+12:00

Collettes goodbye cake October 21

When I made this cake I didn't really have access to a good oven. The cake is, a carrot cake, a bit dry but was made on a boat. All the flowers are edible but we didn't eat the ones on top. The green twirls are lime peel. Very appreciated cake anyhow.