15/1/2026 Sunshine and sunbathing

First in for breakfast again today, Huzzah! However it's getting earlier and earlier and at this rate I’ll be there setting up the table for the staff in the mornings before I leave. Breakfast was the same as usual. I suspect I may get a bit fed up with fruit by the time I leave, but there are plenty of options for a cooked breakfast if I want one. Although I’m perfectly happy with the fruit for now, because it is rather delicious. 

More new faces at breakfast today, I guess some of them snuck in yesterday when I was in hibernation. There also seem to be a lot more people in general around the place, heavy on the couples too. UGH. 

Due to the new faces at breakfast I scuttled back to the room to get ready for a few hours sunbathing, because this morning we have watery sunshine.Outstanding! There is still rain showing as the predominant weather for the next two weeks. Rude. However, the clouds have not squeezed out any rain over Rarotonga today, not so much as a bit of spit in the wind. Thank God! 

Despite thinking I was way ahead of the rest of the guests, there was a skinny young girl lying on MY sun lounger! I say my lounger, it's the one I've claimed as mine for the duration of my stay. It looks out over the ocean, and there is a shrub that hides me from people, and hides them from me, and is on the end of the row. I wouldn't have minded so much, but she wasn't even in sunbathing attire, there should be rules… Sending her some of my very best Paddington bear hard stares at regular intervals, whilst I sat in a middle lounger most uncomfortably I might add, I had to resign myself to the fact that she clearly wasn't moving anytime soon.

The resort entertainment rocked up, it's the same thing every day by the look; how to tie your sarong and Islander music, which is actually really nice. The ‘paint your own sarong’ class didn't come off yesterday and because it was raining I wasn't greatly bothered. I do need to check if you have to book it because there is a cost to it, and I would actually really like to do it.. The girls were modeling the sarongs and also displaying traditional Island dresses which are soooo pretty. I have been making sketches in my notebook of things to make when I get home. … once my She Shed is sorted out and changed around completely.. The inspiration is from the Island dresses as you'd guess.  They may very well stay as sketches in the book and never find their way into fabric.

I've decided that middle loungers are definitely not for me. I'm an end of the row girl for sure, tomorrow I'll put my towel on it before I have my breakfast. My sun bed game needs upping in the future. The sun was bliming lovely today and I enjoyed it for a few hours while listening to the ocean and tuning out the music from the swim up pool bar. At midday I did something most unusual for me, I packed up my towel and rucksack and returned to the room for a few hours. This is practically unheard of for me, I generally stay out in the sun until I'm done to a crisp. I returned to the lounger at 1500hrs and it was still VERY hot and sunny. I did think maybe because I have had two days of rain i should push the tanning, but suddenly i’m a grown up who doesn't do that anymore. It may have had more to do with the fact I was really tired and falling asleep in the midday sun is a recipe for disaster, and something I can seriously do without.  

The pool loungers are really popular, and the ones overlooking the ocean are weirdly not. I'm not complaining at all, I’d much rather sit on my own, and once the girl who wasn't wearing sunbathing attire had left i had the whole area to myself and i was very happy with that.

My lovely cleaning lady Suzy came much later today, complete with smiles and hugs, and wearing a beautiful green leaf head garland. Unfortunately my phone was locked in the safe (i've been reading real books) so i didn't get a photo of her. I'm hoping she'll be wearing it tomorrow. I just had some more tea and coffee off her, and she gave me an extra mug, so Si could have a drink too, and yeah, I cried. 

I spoke to Morg earlier, he has set up International calling for me on the number he set me up with when I arrived. I can now ring the bank and sort out my bloody credit card. I tried to do it on wifi calling but it won't let me do it, which is annoying. I may want to book my next trip while I'm here if I can get my brain working long enough to sort it out, so I need to get the card issue straightened out. I do have another card but it needs sorting anyways. My plan B was to go into ANZ Bank in Raro tomorrow and see if they could help me out if I took my ID in with me. Hopefully I won't need to do that though, I’m just waiting for the NZ phone to charge up and it should be good to go. 

Received an email off the Solicitor re the final paperwork for Simons Estate, (just bloody marvelous) I’m guessing it will cost me a shitload more money, but at least it will be the end of it. It's something of a double edged sword, yet another thing that is officially telling me Si's gone and not coming back which is really shitty. I'm glad it's finally finished because it's been very difficult and incredibly stressful but bloody hell they do not make any of it easy do they? Fuckers. There is no consideration for the state of people's minds when they've suffered a bereavement, the confusion, shock, and then they are expected to sort out mountains of paperwork which if they're lucky  is relatively straightforward, but more often than not isn't. 

Struggling today to keep my scattered thoughts in order, it's not helped by the lack of sleep I don't think, so I'm going to plug myself into a meditation, hold my crystals and Si’s photo and see if i can calm my brain a little. Also I know the solicitors email has triggered something really unpleasant in my poor old body again. The anxiety levels are through the roof and my chest is so tight I can barely catch a breath. At least there won't be any more of them from here on in.  

The torrential rain has returned so I will be able to listen to that throughout the night once the meditation has finished, which is a win-win I guess. 

Not much to say today, Im feeling numb, discombobulated and my brain is all over the shop, I’m blaming the solicitors letter completely, and yet another ending. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day head wise.

Much Love

Mrs Leonard

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