Lady Bump

It seems that everyone can dance in Samoa.  

This is my lovely friend Carla, 

she is from Chile and became passionate about 

Polynesian dance at Easter Island.

She shared her dancing with us. 

Earlier in the year I attended a dance workshop in Samoa.  

As it turns out I am probably a better nightclub dancer

than workshop dancer!

I realised this when I was requested to dance at the back

and then I attempted a pirouette a young Fa'afafine 

who will be known as Daisy squealed with laughter.

I did make a nice friend though, so not all was lost.

So now I must live precariously through my children as they attend creative contemporary movement classes.  Smiley saw it advertised at school and pleaded to go, then they had to shake their hips.  Later Bunny had a dream that he was to perform in the show which is to happen at the end.  He was with his friend who is no longer living in Samoa and they were wearing skirts and hiding under the fale because they didn't want to shake their bottoms. But the class is not all bottom shaking, they are learning about the elements of dance through fun games and challenging themselves to balance books on their heads while moving.  They look like they are having fun don't they?  All the other boys are at Soccer, but they don't like that game.

Light from the Boulevade of Bumps

This is for my friend Annie.

This morning.....

from now on....

phosphorus

'ay' is for 'Hay' and 'Boy' is for 'Joy'

Last Friday afternoon the Domestic Surf God and I were relaxing on the back deck when Bunny came out to share a joke a boy in his class had told him.  The joke was derogatory towards gay people.

We looked at each other and realised this was one of those fun moments in a parent's life, when one must  tactfully and sensitively explain what "Gay" in this context means and that he should never intentionally hurt or put people down for being who they are.

Bunny had no problem with the concept of same gender love and declared with arms raised in Peter Allen style "I never want to marry a girl, so I'm Gay".

We smiled at each other like a couple of crazy people and told him we loved him, but not to proclaim this at school as just like he was told a joke which was mean to Gay people, he too could find himself on the receiving end of similarly mean treatment.  He happily went back inside and we continued to relax feeling satisfied that we had handled the situation okay and decided to have another refreshment.

This Friday afternoon I went up to the school as I needed to find out the details of a Dance Class my boys were bugging me to take them to on Saturday.  My teaching partner from last year and my admin friend and I were chatting when they informed me of Smiley's class contribution to the word family of the week.

His lovely teacher asked the class for words ending in 'ay',  his contribution was the word 'Gay'.

Then the class was asked to create a sentence using as many 'ay' words as possible.  Smiley's eyes twinkled as he shared the sentence  "Hay, this isn't a Gay bar!".

I write this as I prepare to take them to their Contemporary Creative Movement Class. 

Salamumu Style

The Domestic Surfing God goes on Offshore Adventures with BRoss

And sometimes the family is lucky enough to stay at BRoss's fale at Salamumu. Actually this surfing photo was taken from in front of the fales at 7.30pm Sunday night, not out on the reef

Saturday night we shared a meal of spit roasted pig with friends

And a Vailima or two

The Sunset was glorious

And we slept to the sound of the sea

Sunday the boys decided to make HQ

It is finished just in time to shelter from the rain

Then a little combining technology with back to basics living

Nature won over in the end and we went for one of the best snorkels we've had here in Samoa.  This photo of Bunny finding a starfish out in front of BRoss' place was from last year but I saw one just like it on Sunday in the ocean

BRoss loves a project, here he is fixing the window of his new car. We all decide he is one lucky fella to live here

Sadly we have to go home, this is his road, much smoother than ours

The views are much better too

And the sunset illuminates life in Samoa

More weekends should be like this

Who's who on Hollywood Boulevade

Friday afternoon and Ave' was out on Hollywood Boulevade barking, I couldn't see anything.

Hang on what's that up the road?

A cow or a donkey?

Oh hello, this one was hiding in all the long grass.

Good boy Ave', I enjoyed strolling the boulevade with cows.

Bumpy skin

"My skin feels bumpy", "I'm ITCHY", "My Eye Hurts"!

These words leave me cold.  Over the last couple of months Smiley has woken with an array of washing blues inducing bumps, lumps and rashes.

The local doctors diagnose Scabies, even if the entire family aren't itching in the night, alternatively the diagnosis will be flea bites!

"Oh no not again", yep sorry cuddle toys you're going for another joy ride in Smeg.

Nibbles can hardly bear another day of harsh sunlight.

The indignity of it all Dee Dee.

Even Bunnies' cuddle toy are doused in pine O clean and baked in the sun.  Hospital Care Bear is probably accustomed to this treatment.

  Is there light at the end of the tunnel?  Will Smeg keep up with the pace? What if the water pump fails again?

Could Timu and Ave' be the culprits?

Lucky they're cute!

Chan Mow Lunch Box Emporium

When my boys exclaimed they needed lunch boxes which reflected their more "grown up" status.  I embarked on what I thought was going to be a funny and somewhat frustrating journey. Only to be a little disappointed and yet relieved to discover functional, quality consumer goods in Samoa.

Then the other day I popped into Chan Mow Supermarket and Department Sore and this is what I found........

Gimicky Hamburger Lunch boxes with four separate compartments

Jewel-like vessels for special lunchtime delicacies.

Tooth shaped storage containers, handy for my youngest who is about to lose the first tooth.

A little babyish, however both shared a positive school lunch break message.

The message on this one is intriguing.

I hope I am living a relaxedly Homio life in Samoa.

These were frankly a little disturbing.

Accurate Affluenct! What's that about? 

Drink bottle wonderland.

I went home with the four tiered burger and the terrorising rabbit for my carrot and weapon loving youngest.  Plus a hundred mozzie bites from the dark recesses of Chan Mows.