{"id":9157,"date":"2024-10-13T21:05:32","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T07:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svtoucan.com\/svtblog\/?p=9157"},"modified":"2024-10-13T21:05:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T07:05:32","slug":"the-month-that-was","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/svtoucan.com\/svtblog\/?p=9157","title":{"rendered":"The Month That Was"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We got to August and it seemed we were past the worst of the rain and wind and that maybe, just maybe, the sun would come out and we could go diving again.  But the Powers That Be had other ideas\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our first August challenge revealed itself after we got back from a trip to Sorong. The bag of flour I\u2019d left on the kitchen bench had a big hole nibbled out of it. Well, that\u2019s weird – in the almost 3 years we\u2019ve been here, we\u2019ve never seen hide nor hair of a rat or mouse. Could it have been a lizard or even one of our cheeky coconut crabs? Then the bananas hanging from a hook got chewed, as did the plastic lid of the rice cooker. OK, it was definitely a rodent, no doubt about it. We removed everything edible, and then he started chomping through the silicon sachets we use in our camera housings, the lead pencils, and god knows what else. Knowing how much damage these rodents can do to electrical equipment and cables, we declared war! But – there was one small problem – we didn\u2019t have any weapons: no rat traps, no baits, nothing.  As always, Google came to the rescue with several homemade remedies and ideas.  The bucket trap seemed promising, so we smeared peanut butter on an empty plastic water bottle and threaded it through a metal rod suspended over a bucket of water, even making a convenient access ramp for our ratty visitor. Alas, he was too smart – he managed to take the peanut butter off the bottle without falling in the water, and obviously enjoyed this particular \u201cIt\u2019s a Knock-Out\u201d challenge far too much. OK, time for Plan B. It\u2019s a bit gruesome, but apparently if you mix instant yeast and flour and add a bit of parmesan cheese for flavouring it works a treat. The rat gobbles it up, but then the yeast ferments in their gut, and\u2026well, let\u2019s just say it\u2019s not a good outcome for Monsieur Rat.  So we put out trays of the delicacy every night, and every morning they were gone\u2026seriously, how much could one rat stomach??  Quite a lot, obviously.  But by the third day, the trays were untouched and we haven\u2019t been troubled since, so we can only assume our dastardly concoction was a winner.  The war is over! Nevertheless, we\u2019ve since stocked up on rat bait just in case we ever get another undesirable visitor\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our fridge was the second August challenge.  We\u2019d just got back from Sorong with enough supplies to last us a month, raring to have a crack at some consistent diving, and the fridge decided to kick the bucket.  I can\u2019t begin to describe what a huge logistical problem this is when you\u2019re living on a remote island.  We weren\u2019t sure if it was the compressor, a refrigerant leak, or something else, but it definitely wasn\u2019t something we could fix ourselves.  So I cooked up as much of the fresh food as I could and put it in the freezer, together with anything else that could be frozen, and the remainder we donated to Hans and his family before heading back to Sorong with the fridge on board (wrapped in a tarp and lashed down in the middle of the boat). Then it was (just) a matter of getting help to unload it at the other end, and transport it to the repairer.  Although our fridge is less than 18 months old, we\u2019re rapidly learning that white goods bought in Indonesia (particularly the Aqua brand made in China) are, by and large, pieces of shit. Did I mention that we\u2019re STILL waiting for our Aqua washing machine to be repaired nearly 6 months later? Apparently, the parts have to be shipped from China as there are no spare parts in Indonesia\u2026..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We waited in Sorong for the fridge to be repaired – the technician reckoned it was the compressor, so he fitted a second-hand compressor (his reasoning being \u201cwhy spend the money on a new one when the fridge will probably rust out in another 18 months\u201d), re-gassed it, and four days later we were able to make our way back to the island with the repaired fridge on board.  A little help from Hans and Haja’s muscles to get it off the boat, and we were back in business with a working fridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, let\u2019s get back to diving\u2026 We had a couple of nice dives and saw some cool stuff\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The beautiful and sparkly Chromodoris willani<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pretty yellow fan coral<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Close up of a sea whip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The colourful male ribbon eel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But, just as we were thinking we could explore some other dive sites further afield, the dive compressor filler head gave up the ghost. And then, just to completely stuff it, the fan belt broke.  We have spares for just about everything you can think of, but not, it turns out, a spare fan belt for the compressor.  It would have to be ordered from Jakarta and could take a week or more to arrive in Sorong\u2026.at this point I confess my patience with life in general was wearing a little thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ribbon eel pretty much sums up my mood at this stage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And then, the final \u201ccoup de grace\u201d of August\u2019s gifts  – a small, somewhat innocuous-looking lump appeared on Bruce\u2019s lower leg. It was still 2 1\/2 months before we were due to head back to Australia, but given his history of skin cancers we weren\u2019t sure it could wait.  I researched skin specialists in Sorong and elsewhere in Indonesia, but the reviews were pretty terrible. We emailed his specialist in Cairns and sent photos and the verdict came back that it was most likely a fast-growing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) that needed to be dealt with.  We umm\u2019d and ahh\u2019d whether Bruce should fly back alone while I stayed in Sorong, but in the end we decided we\u2019d both go as we didn\u2019t know how long he\u2019d be away.  So back to Cairns we went. Bruce\u2019s specialist is great, and the surgery was done within a couple of days of our arrival. Unfortunately, it\u2019s another large chunk gone from his leg, but better that than the alternative. As Bruce jokes, his weight loss program is working well because every time he goes back to Cairns he loses another pound of flesh.  We thought we might be away for 10 days or so, but it turned out to be nearly 3 weeks, so I\u2019m very glad I made the decision to accompany him.  And of course, it was also an opportunity to spend time with Nick and Sally, who\u2019re expecting their first baby (our first grandchild!) in November, so there was a definite upside to going home.  It would probably have been more cost-effective to have stayed in Australia rather than coming back here only to go again, but we have friends coming to caretake Toucan\u2019s Retreat while we\u2019re away for the 2 months in Nov\/Dec, and there are several things still to be fixed and taken care of before they arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now we\u2019re back on the island, the weather has settled and the sun is making more of a daily appearance.  My plants are coming along, and I\u2019m learning to grow hydroponic herbs and veggies.  So far I have mint and kangkung that are doing well, and I\u2019ve just started some basil and capsicum seedlings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A simple “kratky-style” hydroponic setup for the mint and kangkung<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The grass is growing, and BBQ’s on the back beach are once more on the agenda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking greener every week…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The marigolds give a splash of colour, set off by a sprouting coconut palm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Enjoying some solitude on the back beach <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And everything is now working, including the dive compressor. Yay! So all I need to do is shake off this nasty cold\/flu virus I picked up in Sorong and maybe, just maybe, I can get back in the water again\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenges of August have been a good reminder to enjoy every day when you can, because you never know what\u2019s around the corner\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We got to August and it seemed we were past the worst of the rain and wind and that maybe, just maybe, the sun would come out and we could go diving again.  But the Powers That Be had other ideas\u2026. Our first August challenge revealed itself after we got back from a trip to … <\/p>\n

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