The Return/ Travel Photo Blog

 The Return

I have been back a few days but still in the upside-down spin wash of jet lag.

Now that my exotic summer is over, manoeuvring my way around my empty house ....re-treading the pathways of my old/new Robin-less life.

Searching for tentative  footholds in the steep climb of a blank future.

So for a while this will be a photo travel blog. Adventures in Fiji.

We fly, via Hong Kong to Nadi, on one of the biggest islands in Fiji, Viti Levu. 

While we wait  at the poolside to get into our room at the Toka Toka hotel we order breakfast -  our first fruit smoothie - pineapple, pawpaw and coconut and some undefined lurid pink syrup.

Mynah birds hop around between the tables making their distinctive call. We hear them everywhere we go.

 A day and a night later, leaving Nadi in a small 14 seater plane to fly to Taveuni, a smaller island,

a journey of an hour and a half across this picture postcard turquoise sea surrounding hundreds of atolls and small and large uninhabited islands.

Arriving at Matai airport we are met by our brother

who takes us out to lunch at The Coconut Grove where we have  delicious samosas,

fresh vegetable curry, 

and the best fresh coconut cake Ive ever eaten.

Our view from the restaurant balcony,

 and in the gardens masses of  hibiscus flowers, 

and this butterfly perched on a very exotic succulent plant - name unknown .

We stay at the Taveuni Island Resort, a beautiful quiet chalet hotel with wonderful views,

and  the luxury of an infinity pool which my sisters and I love, which makes me feel I'm swimming  a travel brochure.

The sunset from our chalet balcony that evening - having to pinch myself it's all real.

Back to today.... and an English autumn morning...

I climb a ladder to pick some of the red ripe apples drenching our tree in the garden. I sort them  in the kitchen and store them in cardboard boxes in the shed. I cut the bad bits off some of them and then feed them into the juicer...making a fragrant, sweet, nectar the colour of roses and pink hibiscus.

And I wonder how I can ever leave this house and the free bounty of my apple fountain.