2011
All Over for Another Year
23 October 2011
Today we farewell the thriving rice crop, heavy with grain and turning gold, to make its final running to harvest time in a week or two. The farmers are out yelling at the birds in an effort to minimise theft - no scarecrows or waving plastic bags on strings or bamboo noise-makers have been installed in these fields, but maybe in the final week they will be. In the old days the kids were kept home from school at this time and "employed" to run around the fields making a noise, but fortunately this does not seem to be the case any more - or not so close to town anyway. Education is more valued now.
Have had a lovely weekend with Jasmin at Alex's house - just her and me- where she played beautifully and inventively with Alby, with only a rare moment or two of discord. "Alby called me lame!" I've heard worse insults! Alex's very consistent discipline techniques are a puzzle to Jazz who does not know such rules - puts her hands over her ears if reprimanded and asked to explain what she has done wrong. Hilariously Alby would whisper to her what the correct response was to give Alex. ("You have to say you're sorry now".) I always said that after the indulgent pembantu upbringing and little disciplinary input from her mother, Jasmin would benefit from a few months living in Alex and Yoga' s household where they boys are beautifully mannered and well-trained. However Josh has made a huge difference now she is staying so much with him. She is very cooperative and polite these days. But she will absolutely not eat new dishes put in front of her - Alex's rich vege/bean soup was an absolute no-no, as was vege frittata at breakfast when she really wanted just plain scrambled eggs. She does eat lots of fruit though - and survived on this and bread and cheese the whole weekend. At home we tend to cook the things we know she will eat - and always also tempt her to try new things, with minimal success. She will get better as she gets older.
Yesterday evening I finally caught up with Jean and William of Threads of Life. Their work to promote the revival and continuation of traditional textiles and natural dyeing techniques throughout Indonesia is amazing - many of you have seen their beautiful shop. I did not get to see them when I was here in August as right at that time they were embroiled in a drawn-out near tragedy when a team of scientists from Kew Gardens in England visiting them for research into dye plants and plant fibres, was involved in a horrific car accident. Jean and William were down at BIMC dealing with the two badly injured members over a four-week period, although one was later flown to Singapore for treatment of his femur, broken in 13 places. The other one with a serious back injury had to stay at BIMC. Needless to say we had some stories to swap last night!! The best one was when the guy with the back injury needed a back brace, something like Cathy's, to be sent from Jakarta. It was impossible to obtain, as it was Idul Fitri, the end of the Muslim fasting month, and no one was at work to send it. So one was ordered from Singapore to be Fed-Exed to Bali. They traced it along the Fed Ex route via China and Japan and on to Jakarta where it was held up by customs where no one was going to be working for another 10 days to clear it due to the religious holidays. So William researched what was needed on the internet and flew to Singapore himself, with the dire warning from BIMC that Indonesia would never allow it through customs, and bought it for a 1000 pounds!!!! He had a chance to visit the guy in hospital in Singapore while he was there. Then he put the brace on himself and travelled back to Bali as the injured person himself, asking for and receiving special assistance wherever he passed through check points and apologising for setting off all the alarms at the security checks due to the steel in the brace. The Fed Ex one they presume eventually was returned to Singapore - and the injured guy got to be medivac-ed home to London where he is still recuperating. The whole thing was a huge strain on Jean and William as you can imagine, but it is over now and they are getting on with their work and also relocating a set of Javanese joglo houses on a piece of land near Ubud as their retirement project - will be let for an income to support them once they have to retire from Threads of Life work. I saw the photos - it’s going to be lovely. I'll visit it the next time I come.
This afternoon Josh and Jazz (school break this week) are coming down with me to pick up Jasmin's Australian passport at the Consulate and we will go on to visit Gabrielle in Sanur when she gets home from work. I will also drop in on the American friends I just met at BIMC who are now in a hotel in Sanur while the husband recuperates from his appendix operation before they fly home. I will go on to the airport for the ghastly late flight at 11.45. No Business Class seat for me! When Josh brings Jasmin in December their flight leaves at 1.20 am!! Going to be no fun getting Jazz onto the plane at that ungodly hour!
This afternoon Josh and Jazz (school break this week) are coming down with me to pick up Jasmin's Australian passport at the Consulate and we will go on to visit Gabrielle in Sanur when she gets home from work. I will also drop in on the American friends I just met at BIMC who are now in a hotel in Sanur while the husband recuperates from his appendix operation before they fly home. I will go on to the airport for the ghastly late flight at 11.45. No Business Class seat for me! When Josh brings Jasmin in December their flight leaves at 1.20 am!! Going to be no fun getting Jazz onto the plane at that ungodly hour!