January 9th 2010

Its my Dads birthday today and at 72 he is still riding his bike more kms each week than most of us drive and remains an endless source of inspiration ...albeit from afar.The children ask has Popa won any races lately...well thats not a typical question of your 72 year old grandfather so heres to you Dad..Happy birthday!

We returned to Kavieng to do abit of work and sort some more issues out. This will be our last stop in PNG and after that its a hike to Guam so we need to put a few things in order. We have issues with one of our alternators/regulator. This is clearly a BLUE job and BLUE jobs are Richies. I am clueless when it comes to this stuff so useless stays away from blue jobs. When we started out there was a unspoken notion between us that we may share lots of jobs (some pink some blue) but some time ago we stopped the "battle" and we now follow a strict blue /pink ruling. Of course we have to help eg can you get be the yellow pliars etc but that my friends is the extent of my blue jobs and I no longer have any stupid romantic notions that I, all capable female, can or want to fix a diesel engine and I do not have the slightest inckling of hope I ever will.

The other day a fellow cruiser said "oh how is richie going with the alternator" , I replied I am on a needs to know basis,all I know is its best to stay far away when this type of job is in progress(something I observed from my clever mother) so we are off to the beach....when I need to know something he will tell me,and that is the definition of blue and There are tiny cross overs but most of the time its "do your job" and it runs smoothly with little stress ....surprise surprise.We are the eighties children, we were taught we could all do anything....a fact, but we love our union demarkation of blue and pink onboard...long may the peace and role defininition last.... so in a sense we have gone back in time and are much better for it. Happy Days

We are anchored in Albatross Passage today to dive and snorkel.It is a superb underwater disney land....nothing man could ever build would ever be so fine.So many fish, big and small and walls of incredible coral.I had a sense when we first dropped in of my senses being overloaded , I just didnt know what to look at next and there was so much going on it was amazing.I asked the kids what was the best thing about their snorkel and they said they couldn't say as there was so much to see mum...it was all so good.

We spent half a day on Friday getting ready for school,sorting out books, resources and the teacher,as we start tomorrow the 11th of january.This is as a request from the kids.They have had enough holiday they say, so off we go.They are keen and over the holiday we have spent more time just reading and this has done the world of good.So with the NZ curriculum filed away somewhere we dont care we laun.ch into a year of teaching and learning whatever we want...but the overall plan is 1. learn to read 2. learn to write 3. learn to love maths and 4. learn to be curious about everything else in life 5.Be sociable 6.Have fun doing every activity we can 7.do lots of art and craft.8 Be aware of wonder
9.Enjoy nature 10 learn gumption and stickability.11 Have a happy day every day.....I am not sure what the NZ curriculum says
I read it and now cant remember but I think for this year we should be fine following our own little program.
Anyway the proof will be in the pudding as they say.