.png){kind=logo}
B.M. Allsopp
Queen Elizabeth and Fiji
As I watched the Queen's flag-draped coffin arrive in Edinburgh, I recognised a Fijian among the pallbearers.
Search
B.M. Allsopp
- Aug 15
- 3 min
Fiji's new 88-cent banknote
An 88-cent note: whoever would have thought?
Last week, on the 8th day of the 8th month, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) issued a new note.
B.M. Allsopp
- Jul 15
- 2 min
Cannibal Coiffure
Whose hairdos sparked such wonder in foreign visitors in the early 19th century? Perhaps those of courtiers of London or Vienna?
B.M. Allsopp
- Jun 16
- 3 min
Fiji & the Russian superyacht: update
What has happened to the Russian superyacht detained in Fiji? Was she able to depart Fiji?
B.M. Allsopp
- May 14
- 2 min
Fiji and Ukraine: what's the link?
Answer: Amadea - super-yacht A few weeks ago, the 106-metre Amadea sailed into Lautoka, Fiji at the end of an 18-day voyage from Mexico....
B.M. Allsopp
- Apr 15
- 3 min
Shot in Fiji
Just how many movies, television shows and film shoots of all kinds happen in Fiji?
B.M. Allsopp
- Mar 15
- 4 min
A tail of two cats: Tigger and Trim
I lost my cat Tigger last week. When I say lost, I mean he died. The vet diagnosed a...
B.M. Allsopp
- Feb 15
- 3 min
After the eruption: Tonga recovers
While I'd been working on my post, the undersea Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano in Tonga erupted with tremendous force...
B.M. Allsopp
- Jan 15
- 3 min
Fiji's music: the beat goes on
From time to time, I've posted video clips of Fijian music performances often by choirs. Does this music have anything in common with...
B.M. Allsopp
- Dec 13, 2021
- 2 min
Fiji: now open for happiness
On 1st December, Fiji welcomed the first holidaymakers for almost two years. Fiji will initially offer quarantine-free travel to fully...
B.M. Allsopp
- Nov 10, 2021
- 3 min
Lest we forget Laba
To honour all Fijians who served loyally in war this Remembrance Day and especially those who lost their lives, I'll bring you a story...
B.M. Allsopp
- Oct 15, 2021
- 2 min
Do-it-yourself Diwali
The festival of light It's just two weeks to Diwali, the festival of light celebrated by Fiji's Hindus and Sikhs. Although the religious...
B.M. Allsopp
- Aug 15, 2021
- 3 min
Fiji and Covid-19: August 2021
After high hopes Fiji would escape Covid-19 last March, in April the Delta variant arrived on a flight from India.
B.M. Allsopp
- Jul 11, 2021
- 3 min
The perils of being white in Fiji
Not long after arriving in Suva, I was waiting at a crowded bus stop, idly watching chattering school kids in their colourful uniforms....
B.M. Allsopp
- Jun 13, 2021
- 3 min
Semisi Maya: heroic Fiji artist
I regret I've only recently discovered Semisi Maya. When researching my fifth Fiji Islands Mystery, I came across St Elizabeth's Home in...
B.M. Allsopp
- May 15, 2021
- 3 min
The Blue Lagoon
What prompted your interest in Fiji or the South Pacific islands in general? A friend from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in...
B.M. Allsopp
- Apr 14, 2021
- 3 min
Fiji's fabulous fabric: masi
The art of patterned cloth-making Cook so admired 250 years ago is still practised widely and highly prized.
B.M. Allsopp
- Mar 15, 2021
- 3 min
Fiji and Covid-19: update March 2021
Many of you will want to know what Covid-19 is up to now in these beautiful islands.
B.M. Allsopp
- Feb 15, 2021
- 2 min
Cyclone Yasa batters Fiji
Cyclone Yasa Four years ago, I reported here about Fiji's recovery from 2016's Cyclone Winston, the most devastating cyclone in Fiji's...
B.M. Allsopp
- Jan 14, 2021
- 3 min
Mysterious settings
I was thrilled and a bit awed when Sisters in Crime Australia (SICA) invited me to write a blog post about the setting for my...