Letter from Joyce

Just received a letter from Old Friend Joyce:

Joyce four years ago!
Holidaying with us in New Zealand.

She writes:

"Am at Nadi Airport at the end of another wonderful Fiji holiday. Have enjoyed all my usual activities and the diving has been truly awesome ...

At least one tiger shark appeared on every dive, and, on my 653rd dive, a new tiger shark appeared that hasn't been seen in the area before. She's huge and beautiful and must be 14-15 feet. She frolicked around us and seemed to want to play. Many times she came far too close, but we just pushed her away by her snout. She even ate from the crew's hands ...

I was so honoured when the crew decided to name her Lady Joyce, after me ..."

Ah, so sweet! How many folks do you know have a tiger shark named after them? How many folk do you know who are THRILLED to have a tiger shark named after them?

Joyce adores tiger sharks! Very involved with them too. I could tell you the story about Joyce and Val Taylor, and their extraordinary discoveries about the behaviour of Fiji's tiger sharks, but they're still working on testing their findings and it really is their prerogative to announce the news to the world, isn't it!

Instead I'll tell you about Joyce. She's the lady dad was dating back in 1953 when he first laid eyes on my mum. Joyce was instantly dumped, but, being a lovely soul, never held it against either of them and they all remained lifelong friends.

Joyce eventually married Lance, from one of the Old Fiji Plantation Families, and they had two children who both turned out to be allergic to sunlight, so they had to leave Fiji to go live somewhere harsh and sunless at the bottom of New Zealand, which broke Joyce's heart since she is, like me, A Sunshine Kid; someone who craves bright sunshine and has all sorts of health issues in the cold.

But when Lance eventually died, she discovered that he'd left her a time-share luxury apartment in a resort on one of the outer islands and a specially set-up bank account/trust that can only be accessed by her personally in Fiji during New Zealand's winter months. It means Joyce HAS to live in Fiji for part of the year, and it was such a great kindness on Lance's part, I think more folks should leave thoughtful stipulations like this in their wills.

During her Fiji-months, Joyce has been living in her luxury apartment, but, for the sake of the scuba diving, which has increasingly become the centre of her life, she only stays there for two or three weeks each time. The rest of her holiday, she rents an apartment at Coral Coast Christian Camp in Deuba, where she has easy access to Pacific Harbour's dive boats. She loves the 'very adequate' apartment they always save for her in Deuba, even prefers it to her luxury spot on the island, although she is now saying she finds it odd that her NZ friends only ever visit her when she stays at the resort. She never has a single houseguest turn up when she's at C.C.C.C.

Mmmm, that's a strange one, isn't it!

But that's not the reason I wanted to tell you about Joyce. The real reason you should know about her is that ... she's well into her 80s and says "I don't know what's wrong with all the other people my age!" She has absolutely no health issues and can even RUN up a vertical cliff-face (and I've seen her do it too!) and it's that fact that makes her so important:

Look at her again!
That's when she was in her earlier 80s!

The trick to escaping the effects of old age, she says, is to hit 60 underweight and with lots of lean muscle mass. She thinks it's that simple, but I've also noticed she eats a LOT of pineapple - at least an entire one a day - and she snacks constantly on walnuts and crystalised ginger. She isn't aware of the fact that pineapple protects the heart, walnuts protect the brain and ginger protects the immune system: she does it because she loves them and craves them and it's that her body wants them!

However, I think her body knows something she doesn't and that her dietary idiosyncrasies are really the secret to the vital, vibrant, active person she is today!

Baby Jane, however, has another theory and says it has to have something to do with the beautiful music Joyce has playing loudly the whole time, but I'd hardly credit Hayley Westernra with being the Elixir of Youth, although ...



I think listening to that must add minutes to your life!

Anyway, that's Joyce. In the past 18 months, I've witnessed the passing of so many of my parents' friends - Mrs Hawley, Jessie Jackson, Father Bransfield in particular - all of whom were such good and special people and who I loved too. But at least we still have Joyce ... and we're likely to have her around for a great, great many years to come!

Pineapple. Walnuts. Ginger. Remember that combination, folks!