Of dogs, garbage and other things...

The Solomons are made up of over 990 islands. 

What is the largest?

One of the things we had been looking forward to (kind of) was listening to the night time sound of the orchestra of New Quinea Singing Dogs. This is a breed that doesn't bark but howls and with different tones. Two years ago there could be as many as fifteen. One will start and others pick it up for maybe three minutes and then they stop all at once. So far we have only heard one and that sporadically; nobody seems to know where they have disappeared to.

Instead we were kept awake by a puppy (we think) that yelped continually for a day and a half! We went so far as to ask around for a spare CD player and some CDs to mask the sound.

Sniper

Sniper is one of the 'watchdogs' at the center: one of his bad habits is to pull out any garbage that he can reach out of the garbage cans. With leftover wood from the construction Henk built four stands for the drums: we'll have to see if it is going to be effective.

Henk by the garbage cans

Thankfully we hadn't quite ripped out everything from the to be demolished building: it was needed for sleeping accommodation and we quickly reconnected the light switches as it gets pretty dark after 6:30!

All sixteen participants for the Translation Principles workshop were able to make it: they represent eight language groups.

We started to install the salvaged kitchen counter tops and shelving in a larger bedroom to transform it into a kitchen/bedroom; another bedroom will serve as a living room. It means rerunning the plumbing and moving the washer out of the shower/bathroom to outside.

After a relaxed coffee break at the Choate's, Henk helped Benjamin with his grade 4 math (fractions)... it's all in a days work.

Margreet baking

Saturday morning: while I am typing this update, Margreet is making 'apple sauce' from a not quite ripe papaya and making bran muffins. She has to use more flour (it contains less gluten) and is getting re-acquainted with a gas oven. The fresh bananas are very sweet and make for a much sweeter banana loaf!

Bye for now.

Oh yes... the answer to the question above is    Guadalcanal