We managed to clock up over 100 kms of walking this week, despite having moved away from the best areas for long walks, and having lost 2 days to rain and travelling.
We have been to Oamaru many times without realising there are several music clubs here. Fortunately, a few weeks ago we were chatting to one of the men who runs the local Heritage Radio Station and he gave us the necessary information.
So this afternoon we went along to the monthly meeting of the Central Coast Country Music Club. As with other such clubs we have found, there is a good resident band and an assortment of other performers. Some of these are better than others, but the atmosphere is good, and, as a reluctant performer myself, I am always amazed that so many people are prepared to get up and have a go. I am actually more impressed in some ways with those who are not so good. And I still can not figure out how people manage to sing and play a musical instrument at the same time.
We particularly liked the father and son act from Invercargill. The boy was only 11 and professed to be nervous, but he sang several songs while his father and the band backed him, and he returned the compliment when his father was singing. We also liked Peter, a man in a wheelchair, who sang “Lucille”, the Kenny Rogers song, and a song I haven't heard before, called “The Green Beret”. This last was apparently the only song by its writer, who had a connection himself with the Vietnam war, as I think Peter said he did also. What really impressed us about Peter was the intensity and meaning he put into both songs, and his eye contact with the audience – both things worth a bagful of musical talent.
What a friendly club this is. So many people came up to speak to us. One very nice couple, Shirley and Peter (Shirley was one of the few people in New Zealand, surely, who has ever been to Darlington, Gay's home town) kindly invited us to tea tomorrow evening. Of course we accepted.
Speaking of tea, the entry fee of $3 dollars (just over £1) included afternoon tea, at which there was enough food to sink a battleship. We shall definitely be going again. But that will have to wait until next, and subsequent, years, of course.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
400 Days To Go
400 days to the start of Vic's Big Walk from the French Pyrenees to the Lancashire Pennines in England.
When I first conceived the idea, here in New Zealand last year, there were about 800 days to go. How time walks! During that time I have walked about 3,000 kms in preparation, and have much of the planning done. My objective now is to keep reasonably fit so that I hopefully at least start the walk as a man, 70 days away from being 70 years old, with a reasonable chance of completing the task.
As we did the Oamaru Skyline walk this morning – where we climb more than once from just above sea level to a couple of hundred metres, we could clearly see the mountains to the south and west, which are now totally white with snow.
This time next week we shall be in Adelaide for a few days, then Brisbane for a week, Singapore for 2 days and UK for a week before driving home to France. While we are thus in transit, our walking will be less intense than lately, but that is not a bad thing, the body periodically needs a chance to recover.
Once back in France, I shall get cracking again and expect to walk about 4,000 kms this year and maybe another 1,000 kms next year before starting VBW on May 15th 2010.
When I first conceived the idea, here in New Zealand last year, there were about 800 days to go. How time walks! During that time I have walked about 3,000 kms in preparation, and have much of the planning done. My objective now is to keep reasonably fit so that I hopefully at least start the walk as a man, 70 days away from being 70 years old, with a reasonable chance of completing the task.
As we did the Oamaru Skyline walk this morning – where we climb more than once from just above sea level to a couple of hundred metres, we could clearly see the mountains to the south and west, which are now totally white with snow.
This time next week we shall be in Adelaide for a few days, then Brisbane for a week, Singapore for 2 days and UK for a week before driving home to France. While we are thus in transit, our walking will be less intense than lately, but that is not a bad thing, the body periodically needs a chance to recover.
Once back in France, I shall get cracking again and expect to walk about 4,000 kms this year and maybe another 1,000 kms next year before starting VBW on May 15th 2010.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
An Early Taste Of Winter
We are in our last week here, and New Zealand is suddenly having an early taste of winter.
Monday we had the last of our long walks based on Alexandra. Tuesday morning we loaded up and set off for Oamaru, where we are spending our last week. But first we headed for Dunedin, where we met Lyn and Selwyn Cardno of Kaka Point (we stayed with them in early February) and their daughter Steph, plus baby, for lunch.
The drive to Dunedin was through very cold and wet weather, with the promised snow clearly landing on the hills down to a height of 600 metres. Fortunately we were heading to the coast because central South Island was receiving a lot of the white stuff.
We had a jolly time over lunch with our friends, then set off once again for Oamaru. Some time later, we again left Dunedin for Oamaru, because we had to return, when we were a third of the way into the journey, because I had once again done my famous act of leaving my bum bag, complete with wallet, passport, telephone and much else, behind in the restaurant.
We arrived in Oamaru not long before darkness descended. There is not much long walking to be done here so this morning we once again did the Skyline Walk, which is pretty hilly but only about 7.5 kms. With various bits of pottering about, our total for the day is already over 17 kms and will be over 20 by the rest of the day. It is bitterly cold, but dry. We spent the afternoon in the cinema, watching “The Merchant of Venice”. Venice did not look much warmer, and was very wet.
A week today we shall be on the great silver bird to Adelaide.
Monday we had the last of our long walks based on Alexandra. Tuesday morning we loaded up and set off for Oamaru, where we are spending our last week. But first we headed for Dunedin, where we met Lyn and Selwyn Cardno of Kaka Point (we stayed with them in early February) and their daughter Steph, plus baby, for lunch.
The drive to Dunedin was through very cold and wet weather, with the promised snow clearly landing on the hills down to a height of 600 metres. Fortunately we were heading to the coast because central South Island was receiving a lot of the white stuff.
We had a jolly time over lunch with our friends, then set off once again for Oamaru. Some time later, we again left Dunedin for Oamaru, because we had to return, when we were a third of the way into the journey, because I had once again done my famous act of leaving my bum bag, complete with wallet, passport, telephone and much else, behind in the restaurant.
We arrived in Oamaru not long before darkness descended. There is not much long walking to be done here so this morning we once again did the Skyline Walk, which is pretty hilly but only about 7.5 kms. With various bits of pottering about, our total for the day is already over 17 kms and will be over 20 by the rest of the day. It is bitterly cold, but dry. We spent the afternoon in the cinema, watching “The Merchant of Venice”. Venice did not look much warmer, and was very wet.
A week today we shall be on the great silver bird to Adelaide.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Italian Earthquake
Many of you know that my daughter Nicola lives north of Rome and are wondering whether she has been affected by this week's earthquake. She is OK. Because our access to e-mail is spasmodic while travelling I am repeating below a message she has sent out in response to the worried enquiries she has received.
" …. after receiving so many emails and text messages from people worried about us, I just thought I’d write and tell you that we are fine. I know many of you heard that the earthquake hit an area north of Rome and that we indeed live in the north of Rome, but the quake hit an area about 80 miles north of where we live.
We actually slept through the whole thing, although I don’t know how as I am a light sleeper normally and most of our friends spent the night outside their homes as they were so frightened after feeling the earthquakes from so many miles away!! We have since felt many aftershocks and it is all pretty frightening, but the area where we live is completely unaffected and safe. At 11.30 this morning there was a particularly strong aftershock, almost 5 on the Richter scale and I fear that it will have caused further damage up in Abruzzo.
Rome is in chaos because of the need for emergency help and the hospitals are full to bursting with injured people. The motorways up to Abruzzo are blocked, partly because of the worry about them being damaged, and partly to let the emergency services get to the area without any delay.We have several friends with relatives in the area directly affected, but we’ve done a full headcount and everybody is ok, thank goodness.
Love to you all,Nicola and family."
" …. after receiving so many emails and text messages from people worried about us, I just thought I’d write and tell you that we are fine. I know many of you heard that the earthquake hit an area north of Rome and that we indeed live in the north of Rome, but the quake hit an area about 80 miles north of where we live.
We actually slept through the whole thing, although I don’t know how as I am a light sleeper normally and most of our friends spent the night outside their homes as they were so frightened after feeling the earthquakes from so many miles away!! We have since felt many aftershocks and it is all pretty frightening, but the area where we live is completely unaffected and safe. At 11.30 this morning there was a particularly strong aftershock, almost 5 on the Richter scale and I fear that it will have caused further damage up in Abruzzo.
Rome is in chaos because of the need for emergency help and the hospitals are full to bursting with injured people. The motorways up to Abruzzo are blocked, partly because of the worry about them being damaged, and partly to let the emergency services get to the area without any delay.We have several friends with relatives in the area directly affected, but we’ve done a full headcount and everybody is ok, thank goodness.
Love to you all,Nicola and family."
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Absolute Shower
Saturday we did the usual (when in Alexandra) 26 kms walk, Rail Trail first. Having glanced at the morning paper, we realised that we were about an hour ahead of Mr Sinnamon, a farmer who was running the whole length of the Trail (152 kms) in 24 hours, to raise money for local sport and schools. Very impressive. He was due in Clyde just after 11 am. We arrived at 10. With a little more warning, we could have made a point of doing the walk the other way round and seeing him arrive in Clyde.
Today we did the same walk again, in reverse. Daylight saving had finished during the night but it went out in a blaze of glory (see sunrise picture above, taken by Gay from the garden of Alexandra Garden Court Motel). The temperature at 7.30 in the morning, as we set off, was 18 degrees. Earlier in the week it was at or about zero at that time. Much rain was forecast on the West Coast as a result of this hot and humid north-west flow, with a possibility of showers for us in Central Otago. Fortunately the only shower happened while we were under cover having breakfast partway round the walk.
We mentioned the husky incident to Owen. He told us there is a whole club somewhere in the area, devoted to having oneself towed along by huskies or some similar dogs (I think they are a bit smaller than huskies).
After a quick lunch back at the motel, we drove to Cromwell for the monthly meeting/performance of the Cromwell Country Music Club. They have a very impressive new artist called Craig Adams, who could become a big name. Remember you read it here first.
There was a camera crew from TV1, recording the show. Apparently there will be a series on TV later in the year, called Tiki Tours, which will be about how people in small towns amuse themselves. A presenter or producer with the team asked the crowd if they had anything of interest to say. Of course I piped up to say that we come all the way from France each year and make a point of coming to the club. I was asked if there is any interest in country music in France. They were very surprised when I told them it is widespread, as is line dancing.
Friday, April 3, 2009
This One's for You, Bob
Not much walking today, Friday, but a a decent cycle ride. Denise asked us on Wednesday night if we would like her to give us a lift to Chatto Creek (17 kms back along the Rail Trail) so that we could walk or cycle back. Nobody was due to check out of the motel the following day so she had a “free” morning (this is a relative term for a woman who never seems to stop working). We had to decline because we had told Owen we would be at the Clyde Post Office Cafe at 10.
Today was another day of no checking out, so we accepted Denise's renewed offer. The 17 kms became 37 so that we could cycle back from Lauder, and on the way to Lauder it morphed into a 60 kms ride from Oturehua. It is worth visiting this tiny town just to go to the store/cafe. Along with the modern goods on display and for sale, there are shelves and shelves of “ancient” goods from the 50s, things which people of my age had familiarity with long ago, but have forgotten. Recognition is instantaneous, as is the wave of nostalgia and remembrance of times past. For me, it particularly provoked memories of the days when, as a teenager, I had a holiday job working in the Co-op grocery store where many of these things were commonplace.
We had a drink, coffee for me and tea for Gay, before setting off on the journey back. Denise did not have time to join us because her “free morning” involved getting a motel unit ready for an expected arrival.
It was another very cold morning, with a sheet of ice on the car. So we had to dress for it, which made things rather warm when the forecast beautiful day (that's at least two correct forecasts, despite my ranting a few days ago) arrived. We had a super ride back, with a stop for a snack at Omakau, after 30 kms, and a halt for a cup of tea at Chatto Creek, 16 kms from “home”.
We have cycled 200 kms and walked about 100 in the last week.
There is something I forgot to mention yesterday. My old (87) and dear friend ex-Squadron Leader Bob Parry, who lives on the Isle of Skye with his wonderful wife Jackie, has told me they love to read in the blog of the interesting characters we meet as we travel round New Zealand. Well, I wish we had a photograph of this one, Bob.
As we walked along the Rail Trail yesterday morning, we saw what we thought was a cyclist looming out of the mist towards us. Nothing unusual about that, the Trail is swarming with cyclists at that time as they have just left the railhead at Clyde at the start of their epic 152 kms journey eastwards to Middlemarch.
This cyclist appeared to be preceded by dogs. Not so strange. We have met people who take their dogs for a run while they cycle – we even knew one woman in Puivert who drove her car while the dogs exercised in front of the vehicle. We had both moved into the left lane so that the cyclist could do the same (in NZ driving is on the left). But the group continued to plough towards us, on our side, and we had to hop out of the way. As they passed us, we saw that there was no cycle. A bearded man stood on a scooter (non-powered type), and was being towed along by two husky-type dogs!
A few minutes later we heard a cyclist approaching from behind. A woman's voice called “Can you move over, please, to let me pass”. And another (the same one?) two-dog power scooter whizzed past.
To quote John McCain - “What was that all about”?
Today was another day of no checking out, so we accepted Denise's renewed offer. The 17 kms became 37 so that we could cycle back from Lauder, and on the way to Lauder it morphed into a 60 kms ride from Oturehua. It is worth visiting this tiny town just to go to the store/cafe. Along with the modern goods on display and for sale, there are shelves and shelves of “ancient” goods from the 50s, things which people of my age had familiarity with long ago, but have forgotten. Recognition is instantaneous, as is the wave of nostalgia and remembrance of times past. For me, it particularly provoked memories of the days when, as a teenager, I had a holiday job working in the Co-op grocery store where many of these things were commonplace.
We had a drink, coffee for me and tea for Gay, before setting off on the journey back. Denise did not have time to join us because her “free morning” involved getting a motel unit ready for an expected arrival.
It was another very cold morning, with a sheet of ice on the car. So we had to dress for it, which made things rather warm when the forecast beautiful day (that's at least two correct forecasts, despite my ranting a few days ago) arrived. We had a super ride back, with a stop for a snack at Omakau, after 30 kms, and a halt for a cup of tea at Chatto Creek, 16 kms from “home”.
We have cycled 200 kms and walked about 100 in the last week.
There is something I forgot to mention yesterday. My old (87) and dear friend ex-Squadron Leader Bob Parry, who lives on the Isle of Skye with his wonderful wife Jackie, has told me they love to read in the blog of the interesting characters we meet as we travel round New Zealand. Well, I wish we had a photograph of this one, Bob.
As we walked along the Rail Trail yesterday morning, we saw what we thought was a cyclist looming out of the mist towards us. Nothing unusual about that, the Trail is swarming with cyclists at that time as they have just left the railhead at Clyde at the start of their epic 152 kms journey eastwards to Middlemarch.
This cyclist appeared to be preceded by dogs. Not so strange. We have met people who take their dogs for a run while they cycle – we even knew one woman in Puivert who drove her car while the dogs exercised in front of the vehicle. We had both moved into the left lane so that the cyclist could do the same (in NZ driving is on the left). But the group continued to plough towards us, on our side, and we had to hop out of the way. As they passed us, we saw that there was no cycle. A bearded man stood on a scooter (non-powered type), and was being towed along by two husky-type dogs!
A few minutes later we heard a cyclist approaching from behind. A woman's voice called “Can you move over, please, to let me pass”. And another (the same one?) two-dog power scooter whizzed past.
To quote John McCain - “What was that all about”?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Ten Tons Up
Broke through a bit of a barrier today, or at least achieved a minor milestone. I have walked over 1000 kms since we arrived in New Zealand, despite a few interruptions - and I have also cycled a few hundred kilometres.
When we set off today for the Alexandra-Clyde-Alexandra circuit, Rail Trail section first, the temperature was at or below zero. The forecast was for it to reach 20 degrees while we were out. What do you wear? The answer is enough for the cold and too much for the heat. Better to be too hot when it heats up than to be too cold early on.
As we walked down the Rail Trail past vineyards, we had to dodge sprays of water. It seemed odd that they were watering the vines so intensively when harvest can not be so far off. The grapes should be dry when picked, and they should be ripening now, not being plumped up. When we bumped into friend Owen at the Clyde Post Office Cafe he told us this was a way of keeping the frost off the grapes. We have never seen that happening in France.
And we don't suppose all the cyclists on the Rail Trail were too pleased at having to go through all those pools of water (with consequent splashing of mud up the back) , or to be soaked by the sprays on such a cold morning.
When we set off today for the Alexandra-Clyde-Alexandra circuit, Rail Trail section first, the temperature was at or below zero. The forecast was for it to reach 20 degrees while we were out. What do you wear? The answer is enough for the cold and too much for the heat. Better to be too hot when it heats up than to be too cold early on.
As we walked down the Rail Trail past vineyards, we had to dodge sprays of water. It seemed odd that they were watering the vines so intensively when harvest can not be so far off. The grapes should be dry when picked, and they should be ripening now, not being plumped up. When we bumped into friend Owen at the Clyde Post Office Cafe he told us this was a way of keeping the frost off the grapes. We have never seen that happening in France.
And we don't suppose all the cyclists on the Rail Trail were too pleased at having to go through all those pools of water (with consequent splashing of mud up the back) , or to be soaked by the sprays on such a cold morning.
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