The morning was spent working and I finished enough that I agreed to join the Gentleman Friend after lunch – he had asked Surfer Dude to take him to Akaka Falls. An excellent name, Akaka Falls, it makes one think of an old-fashioned thriller. Peril at Akaka Falls, that sort of thing. First, though, the […]
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The other side of the island
This morning, around 8.30 Surfer Dude came to collect us and we left for a tour around the island. Going west, we took the mountain road, between Mauna Kea on one side and Mauna Loa on the other. It was very clear and the landscape was stunning. The two mountains are immense shield volcanoes so […]
Not so far after all
This evenimg, as the Gentleman Friend was on a call with a Kiwi colleague, I sat nearby working on a report. I half-heard him say something about how New Zealand feels so far away from the world and its ills and I stared down at the news window I had open, about an ongoing shooting […]
Giving up
After the shenanigans of the past few days I’ve more or less given up on Brexit. I think May’s deal will pass and the UK will leave. Shame on all of them.
The earth moves
I woke up in the middle of the night and turned over and the bed started shaking violently. I leapt up, my instinctive thought to make for the outdoors. The Gentleman Friend also woke and said, sleepily, ‘earthquake?’ I paused and thought, still half asleep, I am not in Pakistan where the houses are made […]
Back to school
Last night I had my usual anxiety dream. They are nearly always the same general thing: I’m at university or my A’levels and have taken on courses, usually maths, that I can’t cope with and I simply haven’t been attending class. The deadline for dropping a class without penalty has passed and the final exams […]
Decision made
After much agonising I have come to a decision re headphones. Instead of the achingly cool Marshall Major III, I’m getting a pair of RHA wireless earbuds. I need to buy new earphones as mine are fraying thoroughly and I decided to give in to the Bluetooth because my phone, on which I listen to […]
Island in the rain
At around 10 our ride arrived. We had spoken to Surfer Dude, our driver from the airport, and made an agreement to take us to the Volcano National Park today. So we left in unpromising weather, lowering clouds and light, cool rain. When we got up the volcano it was still cool and grey and […]
Island in the sun
In Hilo. It was a very long journey from the Doyenne’s house to our current abode, with some panic and disruption along the way, particularly when we arrived at the airport to find that we needed to show proof of outbound travel not from the US, but from countries contiguous to the US, so our […]
We’re off
Tonight we fly to the US. Last night was a sort of farewell dinner with Yerbouti, his wife and daughter. A pleasant and intelligent lot but at the end of dinner I realised there was an urgent work message and spent much of the rest of the evening finishing up. Overnight it began to rain, […]