A few years ago, my dad had a stroke, they discovered he has had several smaller ones but no one knew about them. The last one almost took him away from us but he survived but not without serious damages that now affects his mobility, speech and ability to eat without choking. I live in Australia and my parents are in New Caledonia so it's tricky for mum to care for him by herself. Luckily, the rest of the family is still there and one of my cousins who lives in the granny flat behind our house is helping her when needed.
For Christmas, I took my son to visit his grandparents. We had a great time with the family. We also got to see the impact of the recent riots that has burned down 90% of the grocery network and other businesses, resulting in almost 3 million Euros worth of damages. The country is still recovering, prices have gone up, a lot of people have left the country, those who stayed back struggle with the increased cost of living.
As she has retired, mum now enjoys a new found hobby of gardening and she's doing pretty well. This year, she managed to keep a papaya for San and I, it was deliciously sweet:
For most of the 3 weeks there, we just spent time with my parents and the rest of the family. Lots of food obviously due to the end of year celebrations and almost every day San and I would go to the beach in the late afternoon to escape the scorching sun. After our swim sessions we would do some rock balancing and go home for dinner or try some restaurants.
In the photos above, the building in the background is a set of pubs, dance floors and a restaurant (Le Roof) that were built above the water. They give view to some of the best sunsets you could see. When going at night, you can have dinner while watching the GTs (Giant Trevally) chasing bait fish on the surface.
People call New Caledonia, Paradise on Earth due to the lifestyle and magnificent landscapes. But the recent riots almost made it into Hell on Earth. Hopefully, my beautiful country will recover soon.
After diner, if we would watch a movie before bed or go back to the beach doing metal detecting. We've only found some local coins and a broken badge but it was fun and got us walking a little bit and enjoy nature.
San has thoroughly enjoyed his stay in Noumea, so much cool activities to do.
My auntie generously gifted us a trip to Ilot Maitre, an entertainment islet not far from Noumea.
The rest of the holidays went on with more beach time and rock balancing. I've started incorporating a crystal ball (glass ball really) made for photography into the rock balancing structure. It's adding an element of interest to the usual shots.
But now, we're back to reality at home in Australia. Tomorrow, I'm back to work, it will be difficult to re-adjust 😱.
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