GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN!

 Our grandaughters Sarah and Emily were here for five wonderful weeks over the Christmas holidays. Their Mum, our daughter Miriam, came for two of those weeks. It is so good when Devon is full of happy chatter and activity!

 Mind you, they are out and about much of the time, just enjoying the freedom and beauty of Norfolk Island.

 Most mornings, they got some early morning exercise on the Flagstaff Hill walk(climb!). Ruby usually joined them, but as her legs are so small, she was carried for part of the way.

 But the view from the top was well worth it.

 Ruby had no trouble trotting along between the girls when they walked along the Slaughter Bay wall.

 Miriam's friend Lambie, and cousin Anna joined them on a picnic to Crystal Pool. Anna's Dad and Peter joined them too.

     That water looks so refreshing.

 I think it took them ages to get this great shot!

 Ruby enjoyed trips to Cemetery Beach with the girls.

 And Emily Bay....

 She loved to join in the fun...

 Especially the digging....

 Norfolk Island has plenty of lovely rockpools to enjoy.

 Now Sarah is 16, she is able to drive, and make the most of their days. It certainly frees us up from the job of being Granny and Grandad-on-wheels!

 Sarah and friend Ashley sometimes took the horses out. Here Ruby joins them for her very first horseride!

 There were many hours spent at the beach, enjoying our perfect summer weather.

 The Emily Bay Raft is a great gathering place for the young people.

 A trip to a local cafe.

 We got together with cousin Tina and family on this occasion.

 I think the girls tried out all the swimming spots, some of which needed a climb down the cliff.

They were usually glad to get to bed at nights. Once again, our upstairs area became a somewhat upmarket "camping site"

 And Ruby usually joioned them there!

 Back at Devon, hosing off the sand on the front lawn.

 Jumping off the Kingston Pier.

 I love this picture of Sarah.

 Footsteps in the sand at the bottom of Anson Bay.

 The girls were sad when the day came to go home to New Zealand.

Ashley, Anna, Gracie and Uncle John were all there to see them off.

 As Grandad says, the sooner you leave, the sooner you come back......

HOW LUCKY ARE WE...

JAZZ IN THE PINES

I realise I have not posted for a while. I seem to have been caught up, as well as bogged down, with all sorts of things, including pre-Christmas activities. I really needed to get things back into perspective!!

So when Tina suggested we head down to Kingston yesterday afternoon, for a Jazz concert, we jumped at the chance to blow the cobwebs away and totally relax for an hour or two.

Actually, the term "blowing away the cobwebs" takes on a whole new meaning when you are sitting just a metre or two away from these magnificent big brass instruments!

Each year, Norfolk Island stages a big "Jazz in the Pines" Festival, which attracts large numbers of Jazz lovers from all over Australia and New Zealand. Performances and concerts take place all through the week in different venues, and many, including this one, are free.

When we went to the airport on Thursday evening to meet my sister, there were three musicians in the terminal, entertaining as people were coming through customs! My sister said there had even been a jam session on the plane!

The concert at Emily Bay started at lunchtime, and went on right through the afternoon. There were fish and chips, and masses of salads available to buy for lunch.....Ten dollars for all you could eat!

 Lots of visitors and locals took advantage of the opportunity to sit back and enjoy it all, in this most picturesque setting. Now I have a confession, that I am not a great fan of jazz music. But I do love to see Jazz musicians perform, in a spirit of joy and total immersion in what they are doing, so much of it ad lib as they take their cues from one another. There has to be real bonding in a jazz band.

You can see why they call it Jazz in the Pines!

 Ricky Robertson is a "local", and always takes the opportunity to come over to Norfolk Island with his family and his band at this time!

 Andre is one of our Governmental Ministers, but music is his first love, and he enjoys being at the "controls".

 Here are my sister Sally, her husband Roy, and Bernie feeling totally relaxed.

And even young Jasper seemed to be loving it.

 Now, how lucky are we, being able to enjoy this sort of thing, totally free, in magic surroundings, and just five minutes from home??

THE LAUNCH OF NORFOLK ISLAND'S FIRST WA'A

It was one of those beautiful days on Norfolk Island. One of those days when you do not envy any other person in the whole world, because you know you live in a beautiful place, with beautiful people, with a proud history and a rich heritage.

In recent years years, we have built up strong links with our Bounty Descendant cousins in Tahiti. They have been urging the Norfolk Islanders to build some outrigger canoes (known as "Wa'a"). These are used a great deal in the Pacific/Polynesian islands for get-togethers, sport and competition. Leslie, who is Sylvia's son, sent plans from Tahiti, and the first Norfolk Island "Wa'a" was ready to launch on Sunday.

George (Tihoti) Barff carried out the appropriate Tahitian blessing.

He called on the Wind and the sea and the elements to protect the vessel and those who sailed in her.

George and Pauline's daughter Mauatua (named for Fletcher Christian's Tahitian wife) assisted with the ceremony.

Our lovely locals were there with ukeleles and guitars, to add some lovely island harmonies and songs to the occasion.

And the young ones showed us some beautiful Tahitian dancing.

Finally it was time to carry the canoe down to the shore.

I should mention that we had asked Sylvia in Tahiti if she had a Tahitian name, so we could name the wa'a after her. She said that she did not, but asked if we would name the canoe "Tefauroa", which is the Tahitian name for Point Venus, where the Bounty had anchored.

The dancing moved to the beach.

It was such a balmy afternoon, everyone, young and old, were enjoying the occasion.

Everyone was invited to take a turn around Emily Bay on the wa'a.

Some of the kids sailed a smaller scale canoe.

Eventually the breeze became cooler, and we decided it may be time to go home. But it will remain in our memories as a very special afternoon. The second canoe will be underway soon!