No great rambling JBR from me on this one; we did mostly the things we did before and reported on.
Our greatest joy is watching locals and guests at play.
This time, at Sri Ratu, we had a family of six, from Spearwood W.A. Mom, Darlene, Dad and two late teens boys with two younger ones 5ish.
The younger ones spent a lot of time in the pool and doing the kid things, the older two very quiet. Darlene was a speedster, full tilt at the shopping and whatever was happening. The construction, down the lane on the All Seasons Hotel was 24 hours full on. On the day they were checking out to go to Sanur, the husband noticed Darlene disappearing with a bag of cool drinks. "Ah" said he "that's where my stocks have been going". Apparently this was the third day in a row that Darlene had brought a bag-full of fizzy drinks to the Coolies on the job, becauese they looked so hot! What a nice gesture. Christian to Muslim. Kindness knows no barriers.
One morning, during one of our occasioal periods of Crackerisation, the full 9 were downstairs at about 10.30, noshing and swimming. Billy, the only boy was creating mayhem, as an only boy will do in the pool, annoying and teasing his sisters; generally serving his apprenticshi, it semed, as a fully-fledged ah sole. Raewyn had an armful of the latest edition feeding blissfully, whilst she herself was trying to eat some pancake or other noshable. Cracker had an armful of Tui, I think, who was super-grizzly, groaning, fidgeting and crying non-stop, keeping Dad from his Kopi injection to stave off the pangs of a late night hangover; not a happy Cracker. A kid in arms bawling, Billy being a pain despite various admonitions from Papa. Eventually, psychology came into play. "Hey Billy, come here and help with Tui", at which Billy left his cage-rattling, came and stood behind Cracker, in view of Tui. He then put on a one-lad comedy show, for the little one, making faces, doing dances, lifting his arm Dad-fashion and drinking imaginary stubbies, pretending to be various animals. Tui responded almost immediately to the show. A stoppage of the water-works was followed by a winsome smile and then by full on laughter, as her personal comedian performed for her and her only. What a show. What a seriously kind young lad he was, when family needed him. We had thought of Billy growing up to be an animal, aggressive type, but now we feel he may turn into a Doctor, specialising in sad kids. Well done young Billy Cracker.
More later