Arrived in Christchurch yesterday after a thrilling drive east from Punakaiki through Arthur’s Pass in one of NZ most beautiful national parks. As for beauty, I’ll have to take their word for it. It wasn’t just raining cats and dogs, it was raining all the animals on Old McDonald’s farm plus cats and dogs. Oh, and for fun, some of the drive was steep. For a km or more in some cases, it was so steep that my trusty Sprinter was crawling at a top speed of 20 kms per hour. Oh well, rain in a rain forest is normal, right? Good thing we drove up to Milford Sound last week and not this week; some tourists were actually stuck up there over night when the road was closed due to the conditions. No pics to share of Arthur’s Pass I’m afraid but I’m sure it was lovely. As well, no possums fell victim to my wheels so I didn’t get to do my bit for NZ ecology, darn it all, although lots of other people did. We stopped counting road-pizza possums after we reached 20 or so.

The wet and fog that accompanies it were also blamed for helicopter crash that claimed the lives of three members of the air force and left another in critical condition. Irony factor? They were on their way to the dawn ANZAC ceremonies in Melbourne Australia. Too sad.

We couldn’t resist stopping in the town of Darfield after seeing signs advertising a cat show. There were many lovely pusses, all of them treasured pets of children or family pets so it wasn’t one of those high-stakes snooty cat shows but one lady with a local cattery came within an ace of convincing me to buy a white Balinese, one of those skinny orientals with long faces, huge ears and a very short coat. I’m not kidding; I almost bought one but knowing that Ed would change the locks and get a lawyer on speed-dial before I had a chance to name it changed my mind. Damn.

That hasn’t stopped me from acquiring a cat though, at least for tonight. Now that we’re back at our original hotel, Argyle on the Park, we’ve been reacquainted with Bart, the hotel cat. Bart figured us for cat people and he’s making himself at home in our room. So long as we don’t get charged for having an extra guest, he can stay until we check out or until Bruce, his ‘dad’, whistles for him to come in for the night.  (Ed, please don’t tell Mr. Bad about Bart. He’s already mad at me for leaving and this will put him into revenge-peeing mode.)

At 9 a.m. this morning the car was due back so after dropping it off we banged about the downtown for a few hours. We returned to the Arts Centre where I got some lovely silk/alpaca on the first day in Christchurch and were told that the Christchurch Guild of Knitters and Spinners was meeting nearby and that visitors were welcome. I high-tailed it back to the hotel to pick up my knitting and remaining stitch markers. Made gifts of the markers to some of the members and was treated to the rare and wonderful experience of being in the company of more than a dozen talented knitters and spinners with a lifetime of knowledge to share.

At right are Max and June Tomlin. Max has built himself a custom electric wheel of sorts. Max rigged up a bobbin with an orifice to a re-purposed typewriter motor. It works like a charm and is surprisingly quiet. Max spins and June spins and knits, and both are very talented. Seeing them together, engrossed in their hobby, was one of the most satisfying sights I’ll take away from this trip. Lucky is the couple who enjoy such harmony and happiness.

This is a brilliant guild. The members bring in people for talks, share fibre, use wheels kept in a storage room so that they don’t have to haul their own up two flights of stairs every Monday from 10 until 2. They are dedicated to supporting and learning heritage crafts and welcome new members whether they are experts or novices. They even do field trips to local farms or other fibre related enterprise. How. Cool. Is. That. As if that’s not enough, they organize art projects and work with other groups on collaborative exhibits. I wonder if they take associate members from overseas?

We fly out very very early tomorrow and will overnight in Syndey before making the 17 hours flight to Vancouver. After YVR it’s Calgary then home. Strangely, it will be April 28th the whole time as we gain a day on the way back. I’m looking forward to getting home but I’m sure going to miss everything about being here. Most of all the people, the knitters and the new friends I’ve made. As soon as I get home you can bet I’ll be thinking about how soon I can get back!