Under the meandering cover of the Milky Way, with phosphorescence spraying from the hull of the small dingy and an intermittent scanning pass from a headlamp to ensure we didn’t hit any other boats whose own intermittent use of their headlamp was less than ours… I held my stomach ensuring the bulge that was protruding a little from between my ribs and navel was held in place by my pressing hand … making sure I kept my guts in!

We walked up a little hill from the “Old Harbour” alongside barking dogs and scurrying little piglets and were met by a wonderful Australian Doctor who had been working and living in Tonga for about a year.

We were welcomed over Duplo construction toys and buckets of play-dough, and I lay on the lounge-room couch with gentle hands palpating a lump in my tummy… and was told I had a hernia.

“No need to go home early…but just be careful”…. So I stayed another week or so…with many ‘guts’ jokes… “Don’t spill your guts”… “no guts no glory”… you get the idea!… and although my activities were curtailed somewhat, I was really looked after by everyone. Thank you so much.

What a privilege it was for me to be able to spend the time in Tonga swimming with the Whales with my friends.

So today I am off for surgery to repair my little split…  which needs to be sewn up. I’m not fond of surgery as those who have followed my Blog over the years know… but this time – things will flow smoothly and I will heal really well and be back to my active self in the New Year. I must take things carefully for the next 4 weeks with a maximum of 2kg that I am allowed to lift, and no squatting or reaching up…no beautiful Leica!!! 🙁 but my Canon G16 will come in handy ….. then the next 4 weeks a little more active… and then another month and I should be back swimming, running and dancing and being able to lift my Leica again!!! woo hoo!!

Until then, I will have a time of healing in which there will be a time for developing self-awareness…. reflection… immersing myself in my images… books… and dreams.

Today I have enjoyed nurturing myself reflecting on my time in Tonga and swimming with the whales and have enjoyed my memories; yet more than that have connected with such excitement and a knowing within myself as I have been playing with my images and creating them into Black and White…so until my next post… enjoy the small selection of my images I have put together in a small video… Grooving and Skanking with the Whales in Tonga!. Click to view Full Screen..even though only low res images- you will get the idea of Skanking with the whales in Tonga!!!