Background on Brunei

Just returned home from a weekend over the border in Miri, Sarawak, which is part of Malaysian Borneo. Ashamed to say that six weeks into our South East Asian adventure and we are already looking further afield than Brunei for our entertainment! For while Brunei is modern and functional, it is a small country with not a great number of diversions. So I thought this an opportune moment to give some more information for those who have not heard much about the place without need for geographical embarrassment on anybody's part. The text below has been adapted from Wikipedia for your convenience.

Geography

Brunei, officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Malay: Negara Brunei Darussalam, is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from the coastline with the South China Sea, Brunei is completely surrounded by Malaysia and Malay is the most commonly spoken tongue, although English is prevalent and Nepali and various Chinese dialects are common too.

History

Brunei became a British protectorate in 1888, receiving a resident in 1906. In the years after the Japanese wartime occupation during World War II, it formalised a constitution and fought an armed rebellion. Brunei regained independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984. Economic growth during the 1970s and 1990s, averaging 56% from 1999 to 2008, has transformed Brunei Darussalam into a newly industrialised country. Brunei has a constitutional sultanate. It has a legal system based on English common law, although Islamic shariah law supersedes this in some cases.

Ecology

Most of Brunei is within the Borneo lowland rain forests eco-region that covers most of the island but there are areas of mountain rain forests inland. Coconut palms and travellers trees grow frequently along the coastline, recently the palms in our road were harvested to prevent any inadvertent injury when the coconuts ripen! Fauna of note around the base includes long-tailed macaques, a variety of birds including the rather striking hornbills, snakes such as cobras, monitor lizards, chit chats, frogs, and loads of insects such as dragonflies and damselflies.

Metereology

The climate of Brunei is tropical equatorial. The average annual temperature is 26 °C (79 °F), with the April–May average of 24 °C (76 °F) and the October–December average of 23 °C (74 °F).

Economy

Crude oil and natural gas production account for about 90% of the GDP. About 167,000 barrels of oil are produced every day, making Brunei the fourth largest producer of oil in South-east Asia. It also produces approximately 895 million cubic feet of liquified natural gas per day, making Brunei the ninth-largest exporter of the substance in the world. Around the garrison area 'nodding donkeys' can be seen in the grasslands, pumping oil to the required location. Brunei depends heavily on imports e.g. rice, food products, livestock, motorcars and electrical products from other countries. Things that seem to be produced locally i.e. are cheap and abundant are watermelons, sweetcorn, durian fruits, cucumbers and rambutans.

One month in...

So we have been in Brunei as a family for one month now and we are getting slowly settled. At times it does feel more foreign than the Falklands, with cultural & language differences and what with being a whopping 8 hours ahead of the UK. But we are fortunate to have mostly sunny weather and some very good amenities to occupy our time whilst we are here.

On Sunday morning we drove to the beach, got drinks and snacks at a coffee shop and had a picnic under an umbrella beside the sand. Felt like cheating after all the hiking and the like involved in getting to the sea at the last place!

We then sat on the beach while Woozles built sand castles and paddled, then we spotted a jellyfish so we hastened out of the water and off for a jaunt down the sand.

At school last week W was involved in Tijar celebrations (as part of the Hindu faith observed by the Gurkha children) and we visited a temple to see Ganesh the elephant and other statues. She was amused to have to take her sandals off and wash her feet before entering the temple. Back at school W had a henna tattoo and made some chocolate and coconut treats as well as salt dough candle holders which seem to have the primary function of distributing glitter around the house.

Driving back from school today we saw the troop of monkeys (long-tailed macaques) grazing on the grass verge. They seem well adapted to the built-up environment, even able to cross the road safely in very busy traffic! Will try and get some photos of the monkeys, hornbills, and maybe even a monitor lizard (huge!) in the near future.

On the home front, we have bought a few knick knacks to make the place homely but the real settling in will hopefully occur later on this week or next, once our boxes arrive. Come on people, hurry up and find our container - the ship is in!!!

Wheels of steel

Took ownership of our new car today; a slate metallic grey Mazda saloon. 'When in Rome...' and all that. So once we adjust to the indicator being on the opposite side of the wheel and stop wiping the windscreen furiously at every junction, we will be sorted!

On the subject of wheels, it was decided between Woozles and myself that she is not ready for the school bus yet. I had thought 3 was a bit young but the minibus does cater for pre-school children (we live approx. 5 miles away from the site). She seemed keen to go on it and dashed on board with her chums and her backpack, but when the doors closed and the wheels started turning I could see her lip start to wobble and tears flowing. So I will be taking her for the school run, at least til the end of this term when we can review it.

We have had two quite severe storms since we arrived, with thunder, fork lightning and torrential rain. When we woke up on Sunday morning (I hadn't slept a wink anyway but miraculously Woozles had not even stirred) the road was covered with water, the drains were full and it had stopped just shy of our patio (phew). So maybe the next requirement for transport will be a dinghy!

***Warning - May cause bitterness if digested in the Falkland Islands***

Just back from a trip to the local market with some helpful neighbours and what a fantastic experience it was. A massive selection of fruit and vegetables at very reasonable prices and fresh and firm to boot!

I have decided to try a new fruit each week so yesterday we had had star fruit with our ice cream for pudding. Today I have bought some rambutans (red, spiky fruit the size of golf balls with fleshy inner part) for the next trial. I bought a bunch of celery for the first time in 2 years. I tasted things at stalls without a clue what they are. I got a quarter of a watermelon for the equivalent of £1.75. They had foods which seem extremely exotic such as bunches of ferns, dried fish and terrapins as well as all the run-of-the-mill produce like garlic, onion, ginger, apples, bananas, lettuce, peppers, chilli, aubergine and myriad other things I couldn't identify!

Next stop is the plant market to see if I can get chilli, pepper and thai basil plants to grow at home ...

Hello from 'sunny Brunny'!

We made it! After two extremely long-haul flights, one hiatus in UK (including having a few issues sorted out), we have arrived in sunny Brunei (or Brunny as a certain someone's Grandad has re-named it).

Our new house is lovely; spacious and cool with air conditioning in most rooms. It has tiled floors and a large patio at the front, which are typically adorned with lots of decorations in our street - so I am off to buy some plants later in the week to make our house feel less naked! We have got a modern big 3-piece suite from the stores so it is starting to appear more like a lived-in dwelling but it is going to be another 6 weeks or so before all the pictures, throws, rugs, lamps and nick-nacks arrive. We have truly been gypsies for a large portion of the year, just have to make sure the perks of overseas living make up for being without our comforts.

The climate at first inspection is gorgeous and warm. Not had much rain at all yet (and NO wind!). It did get a bit overpowering yesterday lunchtime when we were out and about but being very careful not to burn or overdo it. Mozzies of course are all over me any time I am out near sunset (the others blissfully unaffected of course). There are lots of white birds pecking about on the grass which may be ibises, and at tea time hornbills come to roost on the trees across from our patio. Have already seen a troop of monkeys when we went out the other day which was lovely. Not seen any snakes yet but I remain constantly on the alert (terrified).

People have been very kind, looking out for us, offering to lend things we need (including a car!). There are more people here than in the Falklands (obviously) but the community spirit seems equally strong.

Food-wise things are fine, we have had some very nice takeaways and started filling up the cupboards. The thing that seems to be most lacking is dairy produce so I am glad I spent 2 weeks in the UK eating deli items now!

Woozles is booked in to visit her new pre-school tomorrow and starts properly on Thursday so she is excited about that, even asking if she can have a sleep-over there!

Overall we are settling in well and I think we will be happy here. We went to the pool on base the other day and I saw a small boy playing with an ipad whilst in the water. I thought 'I've seen it all now'. More to follow soon...

Signing off from the Falklands ...

Well that's it, we are going offline on Thursday ready for our journey back to the UK and onwards after that. It has been a good posting here in the South Atlantic and we have enjoyed lots of aspects of it, like having family time, relaxed pace of life and small community. But I would not be easily persuaded to come and live here for good, the wind is simply exhausting and the lack of stimulation can be a bit strange at times. Plus the distance from friends and family can make a person feel a little excluded from their loved ones.

One of the last trips around the islands was to Saunders Island at the weekend with Grandma where we saw 3 species of penguin, black-browed albatrosses and lots of other bird life. Now I feel I can say I have been everywhere I want to see here. Been there, got the t-shirt, big tick! So in the words of Mr Tumble, it's time to say TTFN, ta-ra, bye bye, arrivederci!

Last chance saloon

Our penultimate month here in the South Atlantic and we have been hastily trying to see the remaining places on the visit wish list. So we have been to Stanley as a family for one last time and photographed all the iconic tourist attractions that line the road into town. Some of them are inserted below to give you an idea of a typical trip to the capital for us and thereby thoughtfully saving you the expense and hassle of a flight out here!

Sunrise before setting off, light glinting on the Land Rover roof.

Roadworks, Falkland style. Hard to imagine another country where the main highway between the international airport and capital is gravel with pot-holes.

Minefield sign showing one of the many minefields still lining the main route

Boot Hill, a ritual whereby I believe people leave a boot on a stick as a memento of their stay.

Totem pole showing lots of varied destinations and the distance.

A taste of Yorkshire as you reach the top of the hill.

Not sure I will miss the 35 mile drive as it is the noisiest, bumpiest most dangerous thing in our aged Defender but perhaps next time I am stuck in a traffic jam I might look back fondly on the days when the only impediments were sheep!

The craft fair last weekend was a success, we raised over £100 for the new polytunnel cover, which has now arrived and waiting installation, I have already handed over coordination of the venture, which is a nice relief. I was interviewed for FITV at the fair, which was a bizarre experience to say the least. Some young lad turned up with a small camera, panned about a bit, asked me if I would talk about the event, but with no pressure, adding 'nobody watched it anyway'!!!

Today we have been to Volunteer Point so I could finally see the fluffy brown baby king penguins.

It was a good day out apart from woozles needing use of a paper bag en route after some unnecessary aerial acrobatics in the helicopter. Still, 13 degrees and only a breeze meant the weather couldn't have been better for the time of year so at least there was no complaining about the cold wind.

The next blog entry may well be the last one from the Falkland Islands and then we will begin our new adventure in the tropics (need to check if Brunei is south of the equator but pretty sure it is!).

Things are still savagely busy in our household with packing ready for removals the week after next and preparations for the Craft Fair next week (I cooked up the notion of having cake and plant stalls to raise money for the polytunnel to get a new roof) but the weather has improved, we have had a week of clearer, milder days with no blizzards so the woozles and I have been on a couple of trips including a ride on a boat to Pandoras Point and Sniper Island today which was excellent. We saw seals (including one we christened the 'Big Bad Daddy' up above in the tussac), penguins and a cheeky cormorant hitched a ride on the roof of the boat, saving itself a bit of exertion!

Burn, baby, burn

Feeling a little lighter today after the last few days mammoth clearing out exercise. On Friday I took a Land Rover full of cleaned and mended stuff to the Thrift Shop to sell and on Saturday we had a barbecue (which may have escalated into a bonfire in an old oil drum...) where we 'disappeared' woozles cardboard craft creations of the last 18 months which were not inconsiderable in size! So now we have got some breathing space in the house.

This week I have also finished the habitat survey of the base (mantra: 'nothing focuses the mind like a deadline'), which has taken over a year! I am giving a presentation on it to interested individuals here in September, which really is a chance to show off some of my favourite photos.

My next projects are a couple more mosaics and putting some of our photos on canvas, but deciding which to print is so difficult. How to choose! Here are pictures of my union flag mosaic made in the spirit of the jubilee this year and a family portrait taken by a photographer at the event itself.

Last week of term here and a lot of families are disappearing back to the UK but what with our new early posting date I am hanging on and making the most of the time we have left. It's a funny old thing about the Falklands. For somewhere that perhaps is not immediately or initially appealing (at least in the visual sense), it certainly has the ability to get under one's skin. I think it is the old-fashioned sense of community and the potential for a relaxed pace of life that has done it for me, oh and the wildlife too.

Keep on movin'

Sorry there has been a long silence from us at the bottom of the world. Still snowing here every second or third day and an awful lot to do since we found out we are moving to Brunei, and sooner than expected! So packing boxes have sprung up, lists are being populated, forms rapidly sent off for housing, school, medical and so on as well as having to look into other things like vaccinations and selling or storing all the big things we won't need (snowsuit springs to mind!). We have already sold our hens as they had stopped laying with the big snowfall (see post below!) but they have gone to a good home next door.

I was lucky enough to have a night away with some Mummy friends this weekend to Bleaker Island. We stayed in a brand new luxury cottage and had a barbecue with meat from their own cattle for dinner. It was bliss to be able to relax and to walk at our own speed without any moaning or complaining. Although it is winter we saw gentoo penguins and a few other birds and I took more than a few photos altogether! We nearly got rescued on the return leg by the search & rescue helicopter as the fog had come in at the heli base but in the end the constant phone calls of the desperate husbands left to fend for themselves was enough to prompt the British International heli crew into coming for us mid-afternoon during a small window in the weather.

Dark evenings have been a great opportunity for me to do some more mosaics, so I have finished three more; another geometric style one, a penguin one and a union flag which I am hoping to sell here before we go, photos to follow. Got two more concepts which I will do if time permits. Pretty flat out with work this week as I have finished the field work for the habitat survey of the base (this has taken over 12 months to complete what with our piecemeal approach!) so hoping to get the report draft out by the weekend.

Woozles has been demanding more to eat lately so I am anticipating another growth spurt soon. Or perhaps it is because we are eating less. Managing to creep closer to target weight loss bit by bit, not helped by all the leaving dos and yummy eating fests this month but only one point to go til I hit the green BMI zone and I am quite determined.

We are planning our last few trips around the islands over the next 3 months so watch this space for our final posts on the Falklands before we swap penguins for parrots!

What goes up must come down

And with this ancient adage I am referring to three main subjects: ambient temperatures, my mood and the polytunnel.

First the weather. Almost at midwinter here and the gonads of the metal primates are well and truly rock solid. The view out of the window has been mostly white for the last 14 days and this scenario is set to continue if this forecast by the local meteorologist is anything to go by:

Thursday 14th June - A cold but crisp start to the day and with temperature below zero over Wed night, which generates a risk of icy surfaces during Thu morning. The wind in WNW 15 gusting 25 Knots, then gradually backs around to a SW direction by 1500 Z and increases to 25 gusting 35 Knots, particularly around snow showers. Showers of snow start out as isolated, but becoming more frequent from around 1300-1400 Z. (MPA to have a higher frequency of snow showers than Stanley due to the track over land at this time.) Max temps around PS 02 C, then below freezing from 2000 Z. The occluded front then tracks from the south to reach us by 2359 Z. From this time, the wind significantly increases from the south to a mean speed of 35-40 knots gusting 60-65 knots, with prolonged heavy snow.

Friday 15th June - Carrying on from above, the prolonged heavy snow is expected to deposit significant snow accumulations in the region of 12 cm, but I would plan for more. The weather front should pass us by 0600 Z, however, there remains a signal for frequent snow showers following this front with winds calming to fresh from 1200 Z..

(Not that I could fully understand the implications of such a summary. Two science degrees and a regular interest in climatic matters later and still no closer to appreciating the intent of their predictions. I surmised the outlook meant more snow and more wind and decided to continue my current strategy of conserving energy and only straying out of the family home when essential).

Secondly my mood. Big Man has absconded to the UK for a training course and a well-earned pat on the back for his charity effort in December, which is as it should be but did leave me with a poorly child during a school holiday and period of inclement weather, which does tend to have the effect of making me want to bang my head on a brick wall. Fortunately the houses here have an outer shell of timber.

Thirdly, and also impacting badly on #2 above, is the polytunnel. My community horticulture project of only a year old was brought to its knees by an incredibly loud and forceful southerly storm on Thursday night last week. As may be obvious, southerly winds come directly from the Antarctic region, which has been said to have formed ice early this year, heralding a severe winter for us. Great. Anyway I was told the structure was in bits and headed down there with the nipper and a few basic tools to take a look and see if anything could be done. Polytunnel = completely buggered. The metal hoops remained but both door frames and all polythene were utterly destroyed. So I climbed back into the Land Rover and burst into tears. Then spent a silly hour trying to find some bodies to come and help make the remains safe. Sigh. Back to the drawing board there then. Am thinking additional fencing is required before we repair the plastic but none of this comes cheap.

So it has been a woeful week. I even declined the chance to go into Stanley for the Liberation Day parade this morning. The thought of driving a reluctant child 35 miles to stand in the bitter cold and then home again really didn't appeal. Perhaps I might have warmed to the idea more easily if the tax and immigration departments weren't such vague and disorganised bodies forming a clumsy obstacle to me earning even the most meagre of wages. In the event it was a blessing that I didn't go as friends skidded on ice and put their Land Rover down a bank. All the family were unharmed but I feel that is the kind of excitement you can do without when not wearing special suits and crash helmets.

Looking on the bright side, there are no confirmed cases of Legionnaires disease here yet, and what with an entire lack of air conditioning or industry potentially harbouring such an infection I might sleep easy in my bed tonight. Wind permitting.

Go West

'West is best'...or so the locals allege. This was an opportunity to judge for ourselves. One thing is for sure, five days on West Falkland in the middle of winter is in sharp contrast to our other recent trips involving hot climates. The West is less inhabited than the East with virtually no development at all: no petrol station, supermarket, pub, cafe, tarmac roads or streetlights. Just oodles of scenery and abundant wildlife.

We took the ferry to Port Howard (a two hour crossing) and stayed one night in the Lodge there, which was very comfortable and provided full meals. Then we headed out into the unknown, maps at my feet and watched the caracaras circling on the next ridge. Then, as if it was pre-ordained by some greater power, Pet Shop Boys came on the radio. Not normally one to find song lyrics befitting, these had a certain poignancy:

(Together) We will go our way (Together) We will leave someday (Together) Your hand in my hands (Together) We will make our plans

(Together) We will fly so high (Together) Tell all our friends goodbye (Together) We will start life new (Together) This is what we'll do

(Go West) Life is peaceful there (Go West) In the open air (Go West) Where the skies are blue (Go West) This is what we're gonna do

(Together) We will love the beach (Together) We will learn and teach (Together) Change our pace of life (Together) We will work and strive

(I love you) I know you love me (I want you) How could I disagree? (So that's why) I make no protest (When you say) You will do the rest

(Go West) Sun in wintertime (Go West) We will do just fine (Go West) Where the skies are blue (Go West) this is what we're gonna do

There where the air is free We'll be (We'll be) what we want to be Now if we make a stand We'll find (We'll find) our promised land

(I know that) There are many ways (To live there) In the sun or shade (Together) We will find a place (To settle) Where there's so much space

(Without rush) And the pace back east (The hustling) Rustling just to feed (I know I'm) Ready to leave too (So that's what) We are gonna do

(Life is peaceful there) Go West (In the open air) Go West (Baby, you and me) Go West (This is our destiny)

We spent the next three nights in the Top Dip Shanty, which was considerably 'rustic'. No running water, no electricity and utterly enchanting. I was put in mind of ancestors who emigrated to Canada with great pioneering spirit and with no modern contrivances.

Top Dip has a peat stove and hearth replete with goose wing for dusting and lots of colourful rugs and throws for charm. On a practical note it had torches and a chemical toilet, but this didn't detract from the romance. Big Man did a great job of frequent fire fettling and apart from coughing and spluttering at the initial waft of smoke from the peat turves, it kept us pretty cosy. Woozles loved mastering the ladder up and down from the top bunk and playing with some retro toys (new to her!).

The weather was fairly brutal, snowing every day we stayed in the shanty. However we did venture out in the Defender to Hill Cove (has the only woodland in the archipelago), where we had the shortest picnic known to man and the next day to Fox Bay, a rather industrial port settlement where we had hot chocolate and biscuits overlooking the shore birds at the harbour.

Our hostess at the nearby farmhouse was incredibly welcoming (she doesn't get many people to talk to!) and, wait for it, used to live in Walsden. Small world or what?

The last morning was cool and clear so I had a lovely walk along the riverbank while the other two holed up in the warm. I reached a rickety bridge next to an old settlement, tried not to slip in the river on icy rocks, peered at ferns and took endless photographs.

We returned to Port Howard by way of a pitstop to view remains of a downed Argentinian aircraft

and to coo at myriad rainbows. We didn't linger long with feet resembling blocks of ice and the promise of carpeted accommodation and a hot shower tempting us back rather severely!

Late that afternoon I enjoyed another poke along the shoreline collecting fragments of old ceramics with future mosaics in mind, got a few snaps of the rather tame night heron on watch for fish by the bridge and then settled back in for the night before our ferry home.

On deck in the biting wind I watched dolphins porpoising at the bows, rock shags circling overhead and petrels soaring over the stern. Upon returning to East Falkland it was equally snowy and we continued promptly home to warm our cockles and check on the chooks. Woozles was sad that our adventure was over but soon rallied with the promise of craft activities, snacks and children's tv. The ability to switch on electric lights was not going unnoticed at this point!

The School Run

Now that woozles is attending pre-school each morning, we have settled into a routine of walking the distance to get the day off to a good start. It is about one mile and we vary the route depending on the weather. If it is very mild and the wind is not howling we might amble across the playing field and down the road but if, as it was this morning, the black clouds are looming with a snow blizzard then we stay close to shelter and head for the corridor which leads under cover all the way to the school gate. Or if we haven't got ready in time for a leisurely dawdle she is requested to travel in the buggy at a pace which more closely resembles the term 'school run'.

During our travels the young lady has been making observations on how people differ, usually in a loud and clear voice. Two days ago she described a man walking towards us thus; "Mummy he's got a black jacket, black trousers and a black face". Yesterday morning in the decidedly accoustic corridor it was; "Mummy he's got none-hair". Then on the return trip home in our truck we gave a lift to a friend who took a couple of goes to heave up into the Defender and she chortled "He can't fit into the car Mummy".

Mount Howl-a-lot

We had been meaning for some time to make a trip to one of the battlefield sites around Stanley. Big Man climbed Mount Tumbledown before during one of his previous visits to the Falklands so he announced he would lead us expertly around the terrain. After deferring the expedition several times because of weather, general inertia and / or fuzzy heads, we finally decided this Sunday we shouldn't leave it any longer. The map showed Mount Harriet to be closer to the car park off the Stanley Road than Tumbledown or Longdon and with a small child to consider this clinched it. For quite a good description of some of the other places to see check out some of the pages on this blog: 52 degrees south

For May the weather was fairly mild and luckily wind-free. After a bumpy 30 minute Land Rover journey the madamoiselle was wrapped up like an onion and plopped into the backpack carrier. It was a lovely first three minutes climb. The peat felt springy under my walking boots, which hadn't seen action since October (shameful) and the views back down across the landscape were great. Compared to the wilds of Mt Usborne, this one was actually quite easily accessed, with a visible path and minimal boulders to scramble over. We reached the summit fairly quickly but with low lying cloud across the whole ridge of hills, we were now in one = cold and drizzly. We spotted a shelter with a few bits of war debris, looked at the memorial and then sat down out of the wind to get our butties and thermos out.

Then the wriggling started. She couldn't get comfy sitting down, it was cold, she was sliding down the rock. So we rapidly ate up and set off back. The monkey then proceeded to yell all the way back down to the Land Rover. And of course after 2 minutes driving with the heater on she promptly fell asleep. Another glorious family day out in the Falklands.

The official flower of the military child

The official flower of the military child is the dandelion. Why? The plant puts down roots almost anywhere, and it's almost impossible to eradicate. It's an unpretentious plant, yet brightly attractive. It's a survivor in a broad range of climates. Military children bloom everywhere the winds carry them. They are hardy and upright. Their roots are strong, cultivated deeply in their background ...... planted swiftly and surely. They're ready to fly in the breezes that take them to new adventures, new lands and new friends. Experts say that military children are well-rounded, culturally aware, tolerant and extremely resilient. Military children have learned from an early age that home is where their hearts are, that a good friend can be found in every corner of the world, in every colour and that education doesn't only come from school. They live history. They learn that to survive means to adapt, that the door that closes one chapter of their life opens up to a new and exciting adventure full of new friends and new experiences.

Madagascan periwinkle

Back at the ranch after a three week whirlwind tour of the UK and Ascension Island. Had a lovely time seeing family and friends, surviving a sensationally soggy spell. Ascension was lovely and warm as per usual. We stayed in a cabin which was surrounded by tropical shrubs, giving a pleasant sense of our own space. Ascension is volcanic and covered in a medley of things mostly introduced by humans in order to perk the surroundings up a bit or be useful (or a complete menace), e.g. bananas, guavas, prickly pear (!), hibiscus and so on. Growing right outside our door was a pretty pink flower, whose origins I had just been told and I think you may find interesting. The Madagascan periwinkle was once a little-known species growing only on Madagascar and in danger of extinction. Then it was used in scientific research, initially for diabetes treatment but to no avail. It was subsequently discovered that the periwinkle contains a chemical which is helpful against childhood leukaemia and treatments using the extracted medicine have substantially reduced the mortality rate. The periwinkle is now grown widely by pharmaceutical companies in the US as the chemical cannot be synthesised independently.

Cold meat or big waves?

Just back in the UK for a couple of weeks catching up with friends, family, fruit and fashion when we hear that some of the outer Falkland Islands have been on tsunami alert due to an earthquake in Chile. Upon hearing me relay this information to Grandma, the young lady asks 'Mummy why are we on salami alert?'

Onwards and upwards

Life plods on, time is ticking and so only 9 or so months left for us here! Getting towards winter when the migratory penguins and sea lions depart the shores and chickens are having moulting episodes ready for the cold. Having a grey spell of weather right now but fairly mild temperature-wise and less wind so quite helpful for getting about the daily business.

Dug a bumper crop of potatoes out of the polytunnel yesterday. And the fact that the sprouting potatoes I planted were given to us free gave us a warm and fuzzy feeling. And they are tasty too! They were grown in previously used swimming pool lockers His Nibs had salvaged and, once laid flat, the compartments formed ideal spaces for potatoes and carrots. I am possibly becoming the Queen of 'make do and mend' (to use a more flattering description than has been used in the past!) and despite his previous retail compulsion, so is Big Man! He sourced a suitably deep container for a water butt too, oh the joy. It is very distressing living somewhere that still practises rampant landfilling having been used to decent recycling services, so we try and do our bit by taking bottles to Stanley to be ground up for building work (when we are going anyway of course - and boy does it make for resounding rattling throughout 35 bumpy miles but that's another tale) and reusing containers for whatever purpose springs to mind.

Back in the kitchen, those who know me well will understand how thrilled I was this evening to hear the words 'Mummy can I do the washing up?'. Well that was a long wait but totally worth it!!! We are getting one egg a day at the moment so her Highness is often pleading with me to make cupcakes. This is great except that the carbohydrate-rich diet of cake, bread, tea and booze out here (with red meat thrown in for good measure)is not having a positive impact on my waistline so measures are being taken at the moment so that I can still fit into an aeroplane seat.

Overall the domestics are pretty harmonious, but unfortunately, it has been 7 months since I last saw all my nearest and dearest and with no penguins to photograph and provide a distraction I am getting restless... consequently it is not long til we go north! Shops, roads, trees in springtime, fruit, friends and family here we come!!!

Not even a catchy title ...

Sorry for the uninspiring heading but it has not been a particularly exciting month. Perhaps after all the frenzy of late that is actually a good thing!

The young lady turned 3 in February and had a party with lots of thoughtful gifts. She is developing a fine sense of humour and regularly impresses me with her irony. She even impersonated another girl during register time at preschool, which had us all in stitches!

Last month I was lucky enough to go on a whale watching trip from Stanley. We saw fins and blows from sei whale, as well as a load of other marine life including penguins, sea lions, gulls, shags, petrels, dolphins and so on. The boat ride was great fun but a little choppier than I had anticipated, and coming on the back of a girls' night out in Stanley where Bacardi featured pretty large, it was a struggle to keep my insides from making an appearance. If I remained stood up on the outside deck clutching onto the rail, with my nose tilted away from the diesel fumes and focused on my breathing I could just about keep a lid on it. Unlike my poor friend who regularly fed the fish throughout the tour. Sadly I have no amazing photos of whales to show as although I did capture a fin or two on record, my retarded reaction speed from the alcohol intake, plus lack of sleep, coupled with the boat movements, sea spray and general inability to use my camera properly meant they were not worth sharing.

This was my first encounter with whales but now I know what I am looking for, I have since seen them again from a helicopter, when visiting Volunteer Point last week. This is a site I have been keen to go to for over a year but what with various mishaps, wasn't able to. Finally on Wednesday I got to see the large colony of King Penguins and the warden who recently featured in the Sunday Times magazine. In my opinion, the kings are the most aesthetically pleasing of the penguins found here, although without the bustling and bumbling charm of the Rockhoppers.

After a two week stay Granny B has now departed back to the UK and so life is back to a rather jaded normality. Over recent weeks the weather has been mostly shocking with more rain to make up for the drought of December and only a glimmer of sunshine over the last week.

We did have a quick trip to Bertha's beach on Tuesday to make the most of the warmth, during which time the young lady was totally engaged with sand castle building and when I insisted on at least having a quick look at the water's edge, she then lost a welly and started moaning.

Lots of our friends on base here are leaving over the next 6 months so there are plenty of goodbyes and farewells coming up. It can seem like a never ending rotation of families coming in and going out, some changing schools and jobs for only a 1 year posting. As for the short touring personnel on 6 week, 4 or 6 month contracts, the blur of faces and names is such it seems like I change my underwear less often!

Prince, Politics & Pullets

Today is Friday, when the Penguin News is issued. Frankly it is a must-read after all the political pouting of the last fortnight. Turns out the local Chilean workforce have been protesting about the interference with their air and sea connections, the Falkland Islanders have been protesting about all the bizarre commentary relating to their security and some Argentinians have been posing around Stanley in 'I Love Las Malvinas' t-shirts. Had no idea all this was going on! Perhaps I should get out more.

On the domestic side, the egg shortage has really hit home. What with all our birds being in moult, the ones in the shop here being ancient and borderline rotten, and the usual farm suppliers being completely bare due to town shortages (because the annual mid-summer re-supply charter flight has been thwarted by a certain Kirchner person) - I was starting to panic. Anyway, I was rescued this morning by a neighbour with a couple of chooks in a more sheltered garden, either that or she gives them little jackets to wear (now there's a thought) who gave me four beautiful large eggs with gorgeous orange yolks that didn't fall to pieces immediately. Sigh of relief.

Second time is clearly the charm when it comes to the dashing Duke who was relaxing in the cafe on his no-fly day. Managed to elicit a smile during my encounter with him and his cronies ordering their elevenses. His choice of snack? Millionaire's shortbread. Very apt.

Month of madness!

It has been a time of craziness here in the Falklands, where to start...

It was my birthday last month, necessitating a small celebration befitting of my age group. I had a lovely quiet day, being serenaded by the Mums at playgroup in the morning, friends over for cake in the afternoon and my dinner cooked by Big Man in the evening.

That week I fitted in a cheeky trip to Whale Point, where I have been once before when Grandma was visiting. It is only a few miles beyond a nearby farm but without road or any other amenity to speak of. There is a colony of elephant seals, gentoo penguins and shipwreck of the St Mary hosting night herons. This time was different though as I drove our Defender off-road myself! Apart from a couple of worryingly steep banks and a minor fuel scare (administrative oversight) it went off fabulously well. Not quite as epic as the trip to Paloma beach with the Conservation Group, when I rode in with another army wife and we drove to what seemed like the edge of the earth. Her blog is an interesting read and is at:

http://www.candis.co.uk/candis-online/blogs/my-life-in-a-box

Enter 'Broccoli-Gate'. As you may recall from my previous posts, fresh produce is scarce here. The standard fayre in our shop is carrots, potatoes and onions, in varying states of bendyness. The powers-that-be, in consultation with the families, told us at our regular meeting that they would spice it up a bit and, when feasible, order in a few new things. Cue ripples of excitement through the room. The next week the toys were flung angrily out of the pram when it was alleged that one family had taken way more than their fair share of broccoli, leaving most people without. The shame! I finally got my hands on a head of broccoli and a pineapple the next delivery and must stress how much you taste the difference after so long eating only frozen or tinned.

The weather has been a massive disappointment. After a hot and sunny December, the last fortnight has been cold, windy, with occasional hail and horrendous wind storms. Because of this, my courgette plant, which was doing so well in the polytunnel has now retreated into itself and is threatening to give up unless the sun comes out again. Don't blame it. Rita is moulting too.

As you will have read, HRH the Duke of Cambridge is now on base and busy flying helicopters about. I managed to bump into him at the beach, so to speak, and can confirm that he is as tall as he looks on telly, is very polite, but alas, is not here to socialise with the likes of us commoners. Well that is how low key his presence is here but the Argentinians have been rattling their cage ever since! On Friday their Foreign Minister gave a long (and tedious) presentation to the UN in New York, making out that Britain was increasing the military capability in the South Atlantic to an excessive level, bringing in warships (never mind that it was on a like-for-like basis), nuclear submarines (not sure if there is proof of that) and whizzing Typhoons about all over the place. Basically it was a rather feeble attempt to make Britain look like the bad guy, although I will admit at least it was aimed at opening negotiations like grown ups. Makes a change.

This Saturday we stayed on base and watched a few wretched fools pull a Hercules (big, heavy, large, weighs a lot, etc) 1 km along the runway for charity. Well, I think it is fair to say it was harder than they anticipated. After a nice rolling start they soon started to bunch up and lose rhythm and after only 100 m it wasn't looking good. Drinks breaks seemed to become more and more frequent and shouts became more and more desperate, til we all wondered if they would give up. But no, they fought on with burning arms and burning legs and managed to pull the plane over the line. Still took over an hour mind. More details at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Herculespull

In a similar vein Him Indoors has finished collecting in the money for his charity tab and managed to reach the target of £2,000, so thank you to everyone who sponsored them. And his feet are mostly better now I think you are all massively relieved to know.

That's it from us to date. Toodle pip.

'I've got a baby in my tummy'

No, don't get excited, this was the young lady's announcement at breakfast the other day, nothing to do with me! She has recently developed a keen interest in such things, regularly stroking and grabbing the one baby girl who lives on the patch here. She even brought home a book from the library yesterday about managing her feelings should a new arrival be likely! After reading it to her at bedtime tonight she asked 'Mummy can we get a baby?' And I assured her that we would try to, one day, to which she replied 'and can we get a cottage to put the baby in, and a hostipal to cuddle the baby in?'.

It's not just the hens that are broody around here!

2 years and 11 months old

The young lady is almost 3 years old, can't believe it. She is a little chatterbox and very much a people-person, if you like Vulcan Death Grips that is.

Her latest passion is building. "Build a castle with me Mum" is her constant refrain. She has spent the last 2 weeks or so repeatedly building and re-building castles, home-houses and other things on our living room floor so I have ordered some more blocks online.

Sleep is still a little variable. Had 3 good nights this week where she stayed in her own bed all night and then 2 nights of sleeping-on-the-edge discomfort. Generally she opts for head on Mum and feet on Dad or variations thereof and as she is now a tall preschooler rather than a baby, she stretches virtually the width of our queen-sized bed.

Of course, she is more than worth it!

Not at all chilly

We left the island on New Year's Eve with quite a few other holiday makers. At the passport control desk I was amused to overhear an older Falkland Islander requesting the passport official bring her horse to graze his grass in Stanley. Although quite a few modern folk mow their grass nowadays there is still a fair bit of communal grazing as the houses in town typically have sizeable plots.

The flight was ok although a bit wobblier than usual from cross-winds on take-off leaving me a bit pale-faced! Only 1.5 hours to South America though so happily very short. After what seemed like a ridiculous lap of the terminal at Punta Arenas we set off for Santiago, essentially flying halfway up the length of Chile, so this took a wee bit longer. If we'd have had a window seat I expect the views would have been marvellous.

Santiago was as expected; vast, sprawling and modern but with glimpses of something different. We made the most of the warm Mediterranean weather and walked the streets, shopped and ate our way round.

Vina Del Mar was next, an hour from the capital, on the coast. This became a favourite as although it is a huge and somewhat bland modern seaside resort, Valparaiso, a port town only a short metro ride away is much more interesting.

The next challenge was hiring a car and exiting Santiago, this was actually not too difficult and we found ourselves heading south on Ruta 5. Cue comical moment when Big Man asked me where we were staying for the first night of our road trip as I had done most of the planning and booking myself. 'Curico' I replied. 'Wasn't that the town that was flattened by the 2010 earthquake?' he says. 'Er, yes, possibly'. So we didn't know what to expect arriving into the town late in the afternoon, wondering if we would be accommodated next to a pile of rubble, or even in one. Turned out to be fine, the hotel was nice, yes a few buildings (mainly the older ones) had been damaged so had hoardings outside them and our hotel room was equipped with more than the average amount of safety information (and even a torch!) but we had no problems.

My second favourite moment was our wine tour, tasting and lunch at Miguel Torres HQ. Speaks for itself really!

We had 4 lovely nights in the lake district staying in a cabana with lovely views of the lake and two nights in Puerto Varas, which was a smaller resort with lots of German influences and beautiful snow-capped volcanoes in the distance.

After a nerve-wracking trip to locate petrol on the way to Puerto Montt airport, we dropped off the hire car and flew back to Punta for a final night. Our taxi driver spoke excellent English and was somewhat of a comedian. Turns out he used to live in Florida where his only concern was whether to go to the beach or the pool. Now he lives in Punta where it rains 5 days out of 7. His Nibs was not impressed with the service at table during dinner, having to eat without being given his second glass of red wine. Turns out there were loads of politicians and diplomats in the function room hogging all the staff - don't they know who we are?!

It was a lovely fortnight away but I feel that madamoiselle summed it up when she said towards the end 'sometimes I want to be back in my green home house'.

A Summer Christmas

The events here began in early December with His Nibs' work functions, a bbq and a bash for the nippers. Despite it being more than a little windy and having to move the stalls inside (I had my debut as a face-painter!), the children's party was a really good event. Santa and reindeer arrived by Sea King helicopter after a dramatic fly-past which was an awesome sight for adults and little ones alike.

By the 25th the weather was actually cooler than the UK despite being the opposite season (12 degrees forecast on BBC for London and very rainy and cool here), still it didn't dampen our spirits and actually made it feel a bit more like Christmas is supposed to be, staying inside with a drink, curtains drawn and the lights twinkling.

A big effort was clearly made to get all our post here by plane and sea and so we began the 24th with a wardrobe full of goodies.

We had a party on Christmas Eve with lots of friends, colleagues and neighbours and plenty of food as well as a smidgen of mulled wine and punch a la Big Man. Hence we were unfortunately so tired [drunk] by the time the young lady's bedtime rolled around that although the stocking was positioned correctly, we may have overlooked Santa's snack and tipple. I just hope he won't hold a grudge for next year.

On Christmas Day, once the joint was in the oven, we scooted to the bar for drinks and nibbles and some bawdy games of pool.

On Boxing Day Grandma went home and we were left exhausted and needing to regroup before our summer holidays in South America!

Chicken Little

Black chicken No. 2 (Mavis or Hilda) finally showed up from under our house on 23rd December with a stagger, a shrunken comb and a squirt of runny poo after her prolonged hide out of over a week. Having more or less mourned the blimmin' bird after countless forays around the edge with a torch we were suddenly close to wringing her neck for the aggro!

No, we (I) couldn't really have done that, it was to me almost a Christmas miracle and I could finally relax knowing that she wasn't wasting away under our very floor.

So now we are back to a full complement of hens and Rita is laying a daily egg again so things a bit calmer on the fowl front. If only the two black Barnevelder hens would sort themselves out into laying we'd be on a winner...