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Archive for the ‘Seychelles’ Category

A Double Rainbow Morning

Posted in Island life, Seychelles on January 19, 2009| 6 Comments »

The Internet on this bloody island died last night at just past 11pm … right in the middle of an important skype call and long before I was done with all I had to do.

My ISP has a “hot line” which is ALWAYS switched off outside of working hours … so actually cold as a corpse … but I do have the manager’s private cell phone number. Dialing fingers, for sure, only to find that that phone is also switched off .. en tenye, in Creole.

Fuck.

So, I go to bed. Fine. Whatevahhhhhhhh …

As always, I’m awake before 6am, grab my ‘puter, and, of course, find that nothing has been fixed and there is STILL no access. Dead as a doornail … and thanks for the explanation of that term, Andy …. as it was before I hit the hay.

Dialing again … Romano, Selwyn, Richard-the-hot-line-guy-for-the-night … en tenye.

Fuck.

I’m cursing island life, the cavalier attitudes of everyone with a job they are supposed to do … for which they charge a bloody fortune, by the way … stomping around infuriated by people who turn their phones off rather than do their jobs, and waiting for 7:00 to roll around in hopes that by then one of these incompetent jerks will be awake and reachable.

Then, what to my wondering eyes does appear before me?

A double rainbow just off my bedroom balcony.

Huge, it arcs from one side of the bay to beyond, emptying its pot of gold on the beach below me.

Okay. Fine. I get it.

I have work to do, people to contact, connections to make, demands upon me …

AND

A double rainbow to put that all in a beautiful perspective.

I’m paying attention now.

(I’d provide a photo of said double rainbow, but … the batteries I just bought for the camera are dead fresh out of the pack.

Island life … sigh.)

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The next Annie Leibowitz?

Posted in Adoption, Cambodia, Children, Family, Fun, International Adoption, Island life, Older Parent Adoption, Seychelles, Uncategorized, tagged on January 16, 2009| 1 Comment »

Sam got a cool camera for Christmas from Uncle and Auntie … thank you!!! … and shoots and shoots and shoots. He has quite a good eye and takes some amazing pix, which has been no surprise considering his talents.

What has been a revelation, however, is what Cj accomplishes when she’s behind the lens. Of course, her model is top-class …

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Italian … for the heck of it …

Posted in Friends, Fun, Writing for fun, tagged on January 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

An Italian friend’s take on facebook …
by Fabio Mastrangelo
(thanks!)

“un click….il buio improvviso…e tutto cessa….
il cuore rallenta i suoi battiti…..
tutto sembra morire ..piano… piano …
come goccia di rugiada che cade dalla sua foglia..
lentamente …un salto nel nulla…poi la noia….

l’anima si accartoccia su se stessa come una marionetta senza fili ..priva di vita apparente….
e tutto tace ..
esisitere diventa non esisitere….
come un ruscello privo del suo corso d’acqua
o rara perla dell’oceano senza rifugio …..

ed il giorno stanco si trascina …lento …lento…
e va a morire in un cupo tramonto …che mestamente si colora solo del tuo silenzio …..”

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Saying it with music …

Posted in Island life, love, Music I like, Older women, Seychelles, Younger men, tagged , on January 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

With the following two vids and the music in them, I don’t need to say a word today. They say it all …

“Lucky” Official Video With Colbie Caillat

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Needing laughs, and finding them

Posted in Angelina Jolie, Elections USA, England, Friends, Fun, Music I like, World politics on January 5, 2009| 3 Comments »

I know I’m coasting here, posting vids instead of writing, but, believe me, my work sucks these days with all the crap swirling in my head … plus, I need all the music and laughs I can get out of every hour.

That being the case, I’m sticking a couple of YouTube contributions up here that had me wetting myself, and anything that can crack me up this much today deserves to be passed along. (Thanks, Jane)

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The Christmas Photos

Posted in Children, Family, Friends, Island life, Seychelles, tagged , , on December 27, 2008| 1 Comment »

Sam got a camera from Uncle T and Auntie R for Christmas, so he was the official photographer for the holiday.

Enjoy …

The discochristmas tree ... it spins!

The discochristmas tree ... it spins!

KJ and Cj hanging out Christmas morn

KJ and Cj hanging out Christmas morn


Calina Christmas morning

Calina Christmas morning


Sam, Kimmy and Cj

Sam, Kimmy and Cj

Fairy bearing gift

Fairy bearing gift


Christmas dinner at Gay's

Christmas dinner at Gay's

Christmashead Murphy

Christmashead Murphy


Sam and his pal, Estelle

Sam and his pal, Estelle

Cj posing ... as per instuctions ... for Sam

Cj posing ... as per instuctions ... for Sam

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The Best Friends in the World

Posted in Family, Friends, Island life, Seychelles, tagged , on December 12, 2008| 11 Comments »

Friend steps

Friend steps


I’ve been writing a lot about friends lately, and the impact they have on my life and on my veranda … and now it’s time to talk a bit about the hard part of this: how they come, and how they go.

Portia rather dropped in from out of the sky, which was a bonus, and we put her on a plane back to South Africa this morning. I’ve only known her for a few days, but she fit well into the family and is already missed.

Magnar has been around for much longer, although not to the same degree as he has been this week. (Note the photo of the exploding Norwegian and get an idea of his impact on my veranda.)

Magnar and I are having a big party here tomorrow to mark the occasion of his 36th birthday … photos and blog posts to follow. What we’re not talking about, not even for a minute if I can help it, is the fact that it will also be his going-away party.

Yes, Magnar leaves for Norway Sunday morning, and whether or not he comes back is still up in the air and depends on factors we have little control over … although I am doing my damnedest to ensure a return soon next year.

Just writing that brings tears to my eyes, but this blog is supposed to be therapeutic, so I must slog through the feelings his imminent departure conjures.

To tell the truth, I really don’t know how I’m going to make it without him.

Magnar has saved me, and not only through his tremendous hugs and comforting love, but also because he’s a bloody annoying nag that can fix anything. He has taken such good care of me and the kids, leveled my road, sorted out computer issues, set up my phone so I can access the Internet from anywhere, taught Sam the value of hard work and challenges, and generally set the bar for all of us inspiring the best, and not just to make him proud, but because he sees us for what we are and believes in us.

(He just saw me crying while writing and noticed how much I need a hug. He knows I’m writing about him, so asked me to include something about how often I’ve left him snot-covered. Feckin’ Norwegian!)

People come into my life, then they go … although never completely. With the Internet, I now have dear, dear friends I’ve never met, and for those who have shared my veranda a way to stay in touch every day and forever. And how great is that?

But change is a part of life, and with island life a predictable part of the process. I’m much better at airport good-byes than I was the first few years here, and see them coming years in advance, but some are impossible.

This one will be impossible, and the only hope I have of not falling to bits is to be so hungover that my head stops my heart from noticing.

Yes, I have wonderful friends … the best in the world … now they just have to stop leaving me.

The detritus of an exploding Norwegian

The detritus of an exploding Norwegian


The family ... this morning

The family ... this morning

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Friends, facebook and fiascos

Posted in Family, Friends, Island life, Seychelles, tagged , , , , on December 10, 2008| 4 Comments »

Portia ... stong in many ways

Portia ... stong in many ways

Will admit right here and now that I’m a HUGE fan of facebook. Not only have I met some of the world’s most wonderful people through this somewhat strange, but strangely comfortable social network, it turns out to also be close to a lifesaver under certain circumstances.

Take yesterday, for an example …

A while back I was “friended” by a young woman in South Africa. She sent her “add” invite to me because I’m listed in the “Seychelles network”, and she was engaged to a man here, so was interested in meeting people living in the country.

We “poked” back and forth and followed each others lives as posted on our “walls”, so when I read that she was planning a trip over, I sent her my phone number and suggested she give a call so we could meet in person.

She had just returned to SA from the Commonwealth Games in Cyprus where she took the gold in her weightlifting class … an impressive achievement … and wanted to surprise her hubby-to-be.

Wish I’d had a chance to warn her about Seychellois men …

Upon finding out that it was her to be surprised … him, not so much … she was not only heartbroken, but stuck — nowhere to stay but his empty flat, knowing no one and with a ticket that had her here until the 11th of January.

I was very pleased to get her call, but less so to learn of her situation. Of course, my immediate reaction was: Get your butt down here, Sweetie.

I picked her up in town, brought her home and dropped her right into the fray that is Magnar packing and Calina and Kim doing a sleepover … a full house!

With “dumped” being a familiar word on my veranda, there was is no shortage of commiseration … or wine … so she settled in, vented, bonded and now feels like one of this fab little family I’ve grown over the past months.

And all because of an online social intro that led to a much-needed bolt hole and friendships that will go on for ages.

I won’t even go into the phone calls from Switzerland that had me sharing my moon in the wee hours of this morning …

Wow.

Amazing.

Photo Credit: Magnar Mork

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Goodnight, JohnBoy

Posted in Expat Living, Family, Friends, Island life, Seychelles, tagged , on December 8, 2008| 3 Comments »

Magnar and Calina ... beauties both

Magnar and Calina ... beauties both

One thing I can say for not having a husband in the house anymore … it sure leaves room, and time, for friends.

Over the past week I’ve had Calina staying with me, and Magnar most days and nights, as well, and it’s been great. Relaxed and easy, it’s felt a bit like an extended episode of The Waltons, only with different accents, Calina being French and English and Magnar, Norwegian, so very little of West Virginia happening vocally here.

Goodnight, Calina!
Goodnight, Sam!
Goodnight, Cj!
Goodnight, Magnar!
Goodnight, Sandra!

Last night the kids went to Grandma’s house and we big kids went to a Christmas Party at our friend Deb’s house, and, yes, there are photos …

The three of us ...

The three of us ...

Sleeping Beauty ... the nap before the party

Sleeping Beauty ... the nap before the party

Note: Calina really is Sleeping Beauty, or was … at Disneyland Paris. Just imagine her in a blond wig and you get the picture. Smile and wave … smile and wave …

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News, nonsense and music

Posted in Adoption, Expat Living, Older women, On getting older, The USA from the outside in, World politics, tagged , , , , , , , on December 5, 2008| 1 Comment »

When it comes to news sources, I use many. From the Huffington Post (a fabulous online publication with the good sense to employ my brilliant niece), to the Adoption Institute, from the the BBC to CNN and back again, there’s a world of info at our fingertips, and anything that must be known can … with a good salt shaker in hand, some common sense and a willingness to learn and listen carefully.

That said, I must admit that one of my daily “must reads” has little to do with learning, but everything to do with a shaker full and common sense.

Yes, that would be The Onion … the premier site for satire dressed in news clothing, and every bit as biting as such an animal should be.

Take, for example, this article, titled: Study: 38 Percent Of People Not Actually Entitled To Their Opinion.

Now if it’s not a sticky bit from my own brain extrapolated out into three paragraphs of undiluted poetic slap-upside-the-head-with-a-sackfull-of-nickels!

In a surprising refutation of the conventional wisdom on opinion entitlement, a study conducted by the University of Chicago’s School for Behavioral Science concluded that more than one-third of the U.S. population is neither entitled nor qualified to have opinions.

Well … yeah …

Living internationally, as I do, I personally wouldn’t limit the “study results” to Americans, but since The Onion is US based, I’ll leave them to it.

Read it and weep … and laugh … and question just about everything about the world making any sense at all.

And … when you’re done … eat a piece of my history with this vid of the Byrds, recalled with fondness — the moment I saw it can be placed in context — doing a TV version of bible verses with “Turn Turn Turn”.

Enjoy …

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