Mother's Day at Napatana

One of the traditional Milne Bay features at

the lodge's haus win.

Three Mamas and a bottle of wine spells trouble!

Natalie English,Moi & Evelyn Numa.Crikey! ?

Smile o?

Each table featured a lovely posy.
The blackboard at the foot of the stairs.
I love the flowers in the clam shell.
The view from the bar overlooks a little path
that leads to the sea.
Quaint little touches like this shell chime,
carvings and large clam shells are scattered
throughout the lodge.
Carving with bad hair do!
Jeremiah,Laurie & Bruce entertained us with
"Guitar Girl", one of their own songs.
Habona,a well known face and "local celebrity"
was also present. He was giving Kaure a
friendly hug, but Kaure is obviously not enjoying it!

Gretta Kwasnicka (in pink on the left)-Manager of
Napatana Lodge. If you want to know what's
happening in Milne Bay in terms of tourism,
business etc. she'll fill you in.
The food was scrumptious,loved the steamed fish!
Elaine and Maxine being served by the lovely Bruce
who always takes care of us when we're at Naps!
That's part of the reason why I always enjoy going there,
the staff are great!
An enjoyable afternoon with friends.

Uh oh....Kaure needing to pee pee while

picking a flower for me.

I love the carvings scattered throughout

the gardens.

When filled with flowers and candles in the

evening,these giant clam shells look gorgeous!

Napatana Lodge is built from traditional materials

and has a great bar upstairs and lovely atmosphere!

This is where everyone goes on a Friday night

for Fish n' chips and trivia.They have

the best Fish n Chips in town!

The two stooges! Jeannie & Elaine

doing a bit of " Karim Leg"!

Isn't he just adorable?

Kaure Muala exhausted but still managing a smile.

Belated Mother's Day greetings to you!

I've only been a mother for the past 2 and a half years but I think it's safe to say I've pretty much got the hang of it now (motherhood that is). The first year was crazy,unstable and down right painful both emotionally and physically as I learned to adjust to having a little bub permanently attached to my boobs. I'd put on a tonne of weight, was jobless and had to rely on my son's father for financial support,which did not sit well with me (I'm used to earning my own money) . The fact that he was constantly unfaithful did not help either. As soon as I got the job with EMB and moved to Alotau though, my life changed for the better.

Being a single mum is one big roller coaster ride. I've been through five babysitters over the last 2 years, there were times I had to leave Kaure alone in the bungalow so I could rush to work and attend to guests, sometimes I'd make his bed in the office while I worked,I discovered early on that a lot of people here aren't too fond of highlanders so I had to deal with racist comments from members of my own family,complete strangers and even expatriates when they learned my son's father is from Chimbu. I grew up in the highlands amongst highlanders, my mother was a lecturer at Goroka Teacher's College so we travelled and visited many rural communities within the highlands. I loved growing up there, the people were wonderful to us and the scenery.....amazing. My son is blessed to be from two very different parts of the country and as he gets older I think it's important for him to learn about both sides of his heritage. It saddens me how people can be so ignorant and cruel especially towards a child. Despite all the initial trials of settling into a new environment, we survived.

My beautiful son turns 3 in August, he's the best thing that's ever happened to me.I know I'm being corny but hey...it's Mother's Day (well was).When you've had a rotten day,there's nothing like coming home and being bowled over by hugs and kisses from your son.

Anyway, now that I've got that off my chest!! Here are a few tips about being a mum:

1. Get a reliable and good babysitter/housekeeper (reduces your stress levels)

2. If you scream at your child, he/she will scream back at you, so try your best to speak calmly

even if it's through gritted teeth (it takes practise, trust me)

3. Watch as much of "Super Nanny" as possible, the naughty chair...really does work.

4. Before you leave the house, always pack spare diapers/clothing,water,nibbles,toilet paper,

wet wipes..what else......oh and your baby of course!

5. Never ever underestimate your child, they watch your every move and copy every single

thing you do and say (often when you least expect it).

On Mother's Day -Sunday 13 May, Jeannie,Elaine and I decided to treat ourselves to Buffet Lunch at Napatana Lodge which is within walking distance from EMB. As always at Napatana, we had a wonderful time and the food was delicious. The menu featured an assortment of exotic dishes,most notable was the watercress and carrot quiche, green pawpaw salad,steamed fish and dessert was my favourite-lemon and lime tart with ice cream, totally mouthwatering!

Kaure loved the ice cream so much he had 3 bowls full!