The closer Christmas gets the faster life passes

Lately I've been doing yoga each Tuesday night out at Hawea, and I quite like the 20 min. drive as it's like a wee holiday, and the sunsets from out there are always inspiring on the drive back. But that was just the beginning of a very busy week with John's funeral on Wed. [he died on Aspiring the week before], and of course like all funerals I met many old friends.

Thursday evening it was a NZ Mountain Safety Council Xmas "do", and Friday evening prize giving at Dougal's college where the seats are hard, but the music superb. Not content with this I was out to Hawea Flat on Saturday night to celebrate a young lad's 21st and his mum's 60th., and got a bit of dancing done in the woolshed, and today, well... I'm just back from an art exhibition opening in Alexandra. It was so hot on the return we drove up to Duffer's Saddle behind Bannockburn [which takes you into the Nevis valley], and at about a 1000 meters up it was nice and cool.

An unusual view of the Remarkables from Duffer's Saddle [this is the side opposite to the one commonly seen from Queenstown]...


Of interest during the week was the saga concerning two Japanese climber's trapped near the summit of Mt Cook. I was amazed at the beauty evident in the golden dawn.. more>>