We take a walk further up the hillside to view the plots of land my brother and his partner bought a few years ago. One plot for a house and several plots for conservation - to protect the beautiful trees and wild life which are constantly at risk from unauthorised requisition and destruction.
Toads and frogs underfoot are our constant companions...
and all manner of tropical plants line the way.
The view from the top of their land....so peaceful and unspoilt.
We stop off at the farm of a friend of my brother's. He is away but Theresa, the caretaker of his land, lets us
eat our fruit salad lunch on his verandah and even makes us an impromptu cabbage and carrot salad as well. Then
she gives us a tour of the gardens which are wonderfully productive.
All this produce will be sent on the boat to the remote island, Naituba which we will be visiting next - where we'll be staying for 2 weeks in the ashram where my brother lives.
They also grow pineapples on this farm - this is beginning of a baby pineapple,
which turns into this....
and although only one pineapple grows from one plant it also produces little offshoots at the base which are called queens... and will be the next pineapples
Pawpaws also grow freely....
and the caretaker's sons delight in
picking some for us. She has 8 children which is not uncommon for Fijian families although they don't all live with her and her husband..some are at school or staying with grandparents. I loved the friendliness of all the Fijians we met and we learnt the universal greeting of 'Bula' ( pronounced Boola) always sung out with a huge smile.
Although it was hot and humid and we were bitten alive by mosquitoes, it's the quiet peacefulness of this totally unspoilt corner of paradise that I will always remember.
Today
Today a friend and I spent the morning in the company of 2 amazing horses - William and Harry - on a farm on Dartmoor.
We were horse whispering ....being blessed and healed by their uncanny non-human hearts.
The horse that chose me was Harry....he seemed to feel and accept my sadness and stayed totally quiet with me....helping me overcome my ambivalence about trusting such a huge and powerful creature....letting me come close to the silky warmth of his nose.....letting me lead him for a few steps....then pushing me, nudging me away...letting me know it's safe ...out there ....and inside me.
And this is William with Robin in September 2015. They connected immediately...maybe William knew they shared a birthday...... he was so playful with him ....and somehow recognised and trusted Robin's love of children and animals....it was beautiful to witness.
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