January Theme & Lukim Yu

"Deckhand"
My favourite shot for 2008

...............................................................

On this first day of 2009 I have finally been able to post (although I started this 2 days ago),
but it will be my last for the time being.

I have struggled with phone lines since the beginning, but they have finally got the better of me. It is just too frustrating and time-consuming, and the cost each month has escalated to an amount that would enable me a to buy a return ticket to Australia, which is just ridiculous.

The catalyst though is that my new job this year will take me away from here for long periods of time, so I have to bite the bullet and call it quits. It has been such fun and I will miss it terribly, but I will drop in and visit you when I can, and I hope I will be able to start it RDP up again some time in the futur.

So it isn't goodbye - just see ya later!!

I am posting some of my favourite shots from this amazing part of the world, and if you like them, please check out my archives on the right-hand side of this page.

I hope over the life of RDP that I have been able to give you some idea of .........

the roaring power of Tavurvur.......

the lush green.....

aqua water on teaming reefs........

warm welcoming people...


always the unexpected and the exotic.....


and from my house each day......






sunsets and sunrises to die for!!!


Thank you all and every good wish for 2009.
Jules

Wounded in action - hope it isn't fatal!!!!

Am unable to blog at the moment because of problems here with phone lines. My so called "broadband" connection is such in name only!!!!

I've been told it's because it is cloudy......hmmmmm, so I guess until it gets sunny I'll be out of action.

Have a great Christmas and see you when the weather breaks!!!!
Jules

Sky Watch Friday: Day and Night

We are 5 degrees south of the equator which means day and night are pretty much equal all year round.

This was taken at 6:00 in the morning......

....and this at 6:00 in the evening.

Makes life very predictable!!!!

More dawn and sunset shots here on Sky Watch

I think it's going to be a white/ashy Christmas!!!!

Ash falls have been so heavy in Rabaul that like my friends snowed under in the Northern Hemisphere, the locals here have to dig their way out of their drive-ways too!!!

Notice the depth of the ash behind the fence where it hasn't been compacted by vehicles.

Operation Open Heart

An Operation Open Heart team has visited Papua New Guinea almost every year since 1993. Specialised medical and health personnel including surgeons, anaesthetists, physiotherapists, intensive care and operating theatre nurses and technicians all donate their time, skills, expertise and money to perform cardiac surgery on Papua New Guineans, two thirds of the patients being children.

Operation Open Heart is coordinated by the San in conjunction with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Nursing, medical and allied health professional staff, from all areas of Sydney and Australia, make up the team.

The team convert two ordinary operating theatres at the Port Moresby General Hospital into cardiac theatres. Operations can include the implantation of permanent cardiac pacemakers, surgery to overcome congenital heart defects such as “hole in the heart” or severe conditions such as “blue baby syndrome”, caused by multiple holes in the heart. The surgical program also includes the treatment of rheumatic heart valve diseases such as valve repair, the opening of narrowed valves and the replacement of severely damaged valves with artificial valves. (The visits also provide invaluable opportunities for PNG doctors and nurses to learn new skills).

Costs of this type of surgery alone would be $25,000 per patient if they were forced, or able, to travel overseas.

“Congenital Heart disease is one of the most common birth defects globally, affecting millions of children around the world” said Melanie Windus, Sydney Adventist Hospital’s Health Care Outreach Coordinator.

“It is estimated that one third of these children will die before their first birthday because of lack of appropriate care.

Following successful cardiac surgery, these patients lead active and normal lives.

Information taken from this site.

Kamahl coming back
By ZARA KANU (THE NATIONAL)

AUSTRALIAN singer Kamahl is set to return to Papua New Guinea on Dec 11 for two concerts in support of Operation Open Heart Christmas appeal. He will perform at a corporate dinner in Port Moresby before heading to East New Britain Province for a one-off public concert at the Ralum Club on Dec 13. The upcoming visit followed his highly successful visit in June for two concerts in Port Moresby which raised more than K500,000 for the Orchid Society of Papua New Guinea and Operation Open Heart.

I can't honestly say I have ever been a Kamahl fan, but it was great that he was able to visit and help raise money and public awareness for this great cause. Suzie and Bruce put on a great lunch at the Rabaul Hotel and his concert at the Ralum Club, organised by the Rotary Club was well attended.

...................................................

Phone connections here are terrible at the moment. It has delayed my posting and visiting is almost impossible as I can't upload your page properly or my comments onto your blogs. Not sure what the problem is but it is driving me nuts!!!! Will visit if and when I can.

Sky Watch - Afternoon storms

The wet season has started (thanks goodness - it has been so dry), and every afternoon the storm clouds gather and thunder rolls across the sky......




............although at times it is hard to work out whether it is thunder or the volcano - they sound the same. The other night a sonic blast from the volcano across the water, shook the house and rattled the windows.

Never a dull moment around here!!!

Visit other skies here on Sky Watch Friday.

Three from three equals?

Liam's next door neighbour in East New Britain has a great garden ornament in his back yard. Can you guess what it is?

Just under 300 Mitsubishi A6M3 Reisens, better known as Zeros, were shot down between October 1943 and March 1944 in the skies of Rabaul. The Zeros, considered one of the most famous fighting planes of the Second World War, were for a long time the symbol of Japanese air power.

photo from Wikipedia

The aeroplane had a wingspan of 12 metres, was 9 metres long and weighed 1680 kilos when empty. Capable of reaching a maximum speed of 545 kilometres per hour, it was usually armed with two small 20 mm cannons installed in the wings and two 7.7 mm machine guns behind the engine hood. If needed it could also carry up to 120 kilograms of bombs. This plane’s exceptional maneuverability and its range gave the Japanese a distinct air supremacy for the first months of the war in the Pacific.

Information taken from this site.

It's interesting to note that parts that couldn't be manufactured, were taken from these Zero components and used to assemble the Zero in the War Museum in Canberra.

............................................

Sorry this is late - it was in draft all done, waiting to be posted but my server has been very slow and freezing and I was unable to upload anything all day.