Lucy Irvine's Website

Weren't you worried, taking three children to such a remote island?

Yes and no. I believed absolutely that it would be beneficial for the children to have a year away from the complexities of civilisation. At the same time there was no way I wanted them to become ill the way Gerald and I had years before. So I planned the Faraway expedition with enormous care - sending four kayaks ahead with the hulls packed with goodies from Scotland. Among the treats were Baxters' jams, Walkers shortbread. (see websites for these excellent Scottish products.) I also wasn't too concerned about possible dangers because my hostess on Pigeon Island had told me the place was a paradise for children….

	Were there times you regretted 'leaving civilisation' again for so long?
	No. But there were times I was terrified. On the way there, we nearly drowned (others had been before us.) Then there was a cyclone later in the year and I found out there'd been rape, murder and madness on the island. But I always tried not to communicate my fears to the children. And Pigeon Island was indeed like paradise - sometimes.

What did the children make of life on a tiny island?

They integrated totally with Islanders from other islands nearby and had the most fantastic learning experience. Those people know how to live without money and without fighting. My boys said at the end it had been the best year of their lives. Some of their antics can be read about in Pigeon Post - a series of articles I wrote, using a solar-powered satellite system, for The Sunday Times Magazine. From time to time excerpts will be shown on this site. I also write about the boys and their friends in Faraway. These happy passages helped to keep me sane between rougher chapters….

	How have they adjusted to being back?
	With startling speed. One day they had friends in Reef Islands they called to play in dugout canoes using a conch shell as a loud speaker. Now they telephone round to collect their rugby and football playing pals.

	What about you? Have you adjusted to reality again?
	No, and I doubt if I ever will. Life on remote islands is just as 'real' as life in civilisation, if not more…. Maybe that's why I'm living somewhere remote yet again….