Top Print

Arriving in Ashburton I was looking to join a few clubs and the Photographic Society was first on the list. Arriving at the first meeting it was instantly apparent that the average age was significantly lowered by my being there and the first meeting was unfortunately a quick run through of some holiday snaps! I was assured by the younger (middle aged) members that things would get better and as everyone was very welcoming the next few meetings were attended and were indeed a bit more interesting though there was little room for contribution at this stage. Unfortunately the monthly "field trip" is always at the weekend and as we have been heading out and about it has proved impossible to get along to any of these trips. I did however put 4 prints forward for the monthly competition, this one with the theme of "Photojournalism", tinkering with a few of my many travel pictures. Rather disappointingly 3 fell by the wayside pretty quickly, apparently not up to standard, with the gradings being unaccepted, accepted and honours. Waiting for my final print to meet a similar fate the accepted images were soon critiqued and then the honours were started. Much to my surprise my final image, the Chinese soldiers marching through the streets of Lhasa, was then given the title of that evenings best print! The comment was that he would have liked to have seen the colour version though as the judge was sceptical of monocrome images which is ironic as I had printed both versions but felt the submitted version more powerful. As pleasing as i was the unaccepted images were not critiqued and so I am not sure where they fell down for fuure reference. I will include them here for your opinion along with the colour version of the succesful image. The next theme is landscapes and while another 4 prints have been submitted I am not holding out much hope for them as it was a bit of a rush job to get them sorted in time. I'l let you know in a month!

Tramping St James

The blog appears to have become a bit of a tramping journal at present. No apologies for that as apart from work, we are spending most of our free time heading into the hills with large packs on our back. Having worked Easter we had a couple of days off in lieu and so we bookmarked a long weekend for a tramp that would last longer than the standard 2 days. Having not done anything longer before we did not want to tackle anything too extreme and did not want to be faced with a miserable trudge over exposed terrain if the weather closed in. The result was that the decision was made to head up to Lewis Pass and tackle the Saint James Walkway, billed as an easy sub-alpine route that should take 4-5 days to cover the 67km. As soon as it struck 5pm on Wednesday we showered for the last time for a few days and hit the road arriving at our destination around 9:30 and spending the night in a lay-by. Morning came and we were dropped off at the trail head by the Boyle Outdoor Education Centre who then parked the van at theirs securely and ready for us at the end of the track. We had planned the first day to be our longest and suitably the weather was also the best with glorious sunshine showing off the valley and mountain landscape at its best. For the whole 4 days we were walking across gently sloping grassy valleys, through native beech forest and crossed 2 "saddles" that hardly deserved the name. The huts were cosy, although the other couple who we shared 2 nights with insisted on creating a sauna by stocking the fire a bit too well. Although the majority of the land is owned by a private station there is little stock present though wildlife a plenty with horses, geese, ducks, wild pig and of course possum all present in abundance. Unfortunately there were however no fish to be seen so I was unsuccessful despite lugging my rod along though by the final day I was catching noticeably fewer trees! And so it was that by around 11:30 on Sunday morning we arrived back at the van and Gordon took us home without any complaint and only the smallest amount of exhaust smoke.

I should also point out that Sunday marked our first wedding anniversary. I can scarcely believe that a whole 12 months ha gone by especially as we have not really been up to much. Quiting work, visiting 6 new countries over 8 months unemployment, starting to work again and settling in to a new country as well as only our 2nd proper job...you know, the usual!

Trout, have no fear!

The 4 day week after Easter was pretty much as busy as expected and certainly more work was done than during the quietest imaginable 4 day on call stretch. After a night on the beers Friday, we spent the rest of the weekend up at Lake Camp a mere 1 hour 30 minutes inland. This was in part to visit another new area and in part to hunt down the elusive trout. Alas, a 4 hour walk in the afternoon provided fantastic views but allowed a pitiful hour for fishing before darkness quickly descended as the sun sunk over the mountainous backdrop of the Southern Alps. The morning broke with frost on the ground and after that same period of an hour a gale started blowing making casting impossible for this novice fisherman and so my landing net remained empty. Autumn has definitely started now with any clear night accompanied by cold temperatures, especially apparent when staying in the van or poorly insulated NZ houses! Still, as spots go there are few better to spend a night and with plenty in the area we tootled on further up the road to "climb" Mount Sunday. Our road map had the area marked as a Lord of the Rings film location and so we were not at all surprised to come across a Gandalf wannabe with a hoard of goblin-like tourists in tow, all posing under a Middle Earth flag at the summit. The views were spectacular despite the fact that this particular mountain had more in common with a mole hill that the surrounding lofty peaks. The 90 minutes was also made more lively by the need to cross a couple of rather nippy glacial rivers.

A week quickly passed and sure enough another weekend escape had been planned. The aim was for an early 1st wedding anniversary surprise for Amy as we will be at the end of 4 days spent tramping the St James Walkway come the 25th. 2 nights had been booked at Tree Crop Farm in Akoroa and having been recommended highly I am pleased to report that all expectations were exceeded. In fact I would go so far as to say that I have never payed to stay in a better place. We were in the Treehouse hut, completely secluded from the rest of the property and set in beautiful grounds. Arriving in the dark, we found our way by torchlight, creeping through the garden to the sumptuous hut before relaxing under the canopy of stars in the outside bath, a log fire crackling underneath and pink champagne in hand. Saturdays adventure was a trip on the water to swim with the harbours resident Hector dolphins. The trip was fantastic with plenty of these miniature dolphins coming to inspect the boat along with a host of bird life including Albatross and penguins. Unfortunately once we plunged into the water the dolphins did not stick around long but this did net really detract from our enjoyment of the trip and it meant we also got a bit of a refund, bonus! A meal of fish and chips watching the sun set over the beautiful Banks peninsular ended the excursion before heading back to our retreat. Sunday was for sleeping late followed by a short leg stretch and then the dreaded drive back home.

On a separate note, my camera repair came undone again up by Lake Camp despite having had little use since coming back from the repair shop unrepaired but slightly more solid. They did provide the required quote for my insurance claim so fingers crossed a cheque will be in the post for a replacement though knowing insurance companies I wont be holding my breath. I've got my eye on either another D80, a camera that has served me so well, or a Panasonic G1.....

Working Life

There is nothing quite like settling into a routine to make the passing of time appear a blur in retrospect. Quite where the last 6 weeks (and 3 pay cheques) have gone is a mystery but one thing that is certain is that we have not been idle. That's not strictly true, more like we have not been idle in our free time away from the clinic. The crash back into the world of work has been surprisingly pain free though admittedly it has taken a little time for the dust to be swept from the place my brain used to occupy. I am pleased to say it has nearly completed its move back in and I am enjoying the challenge of veterinary practice once again. Perhaps the hardest thing to come to grips with is the seemingly "disposable" attitude that many people have to their pets, completely disregarding any notion of responsibility that should be inherent. Nothing highlighted this more clearly than in my first day when a litter of 6 pups was brought in with mum, been previously arranged, all for euthanasia as the owner had been unable to find them homes and could not afford the cost of neutering to prevent it happening again. Perversely this cost was only twice that of the required action and so a little forward planning could easily have prevented this terrible deed. I can easily say that it is the worse thing I have had to do, in the UK I had never been faced with the euthanasia of a 100% healthy individual let alone an entire litter. I would also love to say this was a one off but a few more were to follow and with the adjacent SPCA and our own cattery bursting with strays there was simply no other option. Another shock has been the number of animals being run over, not just in the road but by their owners either while exercising their animals alongside the moving vehicle or simply driving around their property. Considering the rural setting there are certainly more victims that there should be. It would not be fair to criticise the majority of pet owners however for even with a lack of insurance, many are willing to spend significant sums on their animals health and many more are very demanding! All things considered though, a more relaxed job would be hard to come by, the "busy" days aren't really and the staff members in the clinic are great to work with. And the best part? Friday beers at around 4:30 is pretty hard to beat with the odd lunchtime BBQ thrown in for good measure!

Come the weekends we are off, exploring this island we have found ourselves on. Tramping has become the main activity with several more routes ticked off. the Mount Somers circuit was a great leg stretcher though unfortunately the low cloud came down on the Sunday, obscuring most of the views. Another weekend was spent hauling our packs up Little Mt Peal, pausing at the summit hut before plowing on up the ridge to Middle Mt Peal in the blazing sun. With no water at the top, and using plenty as the sun beat down we were forced to retrace our steps having spent the night under canvas, the summit of Mount Peal (the big one) a mere hour or so away. The sunrise and view were worth the effort and it was nice to spend a night in the tent again, the first since Mongolia. A few weeks into work and we got our van back, complete with "new" engine and a rather large bill, and so headed off to the Arthurs Pass area. Initial plans to cross the summit of Avalanche Peak and head down to Crow hut were thwarted by the weather. We were warned at the DoC office that the rivers were due to rise and cut off the exit route while high winds would prevent a retreat. Instead we headed round the excellent Cass-Lagoon saddle track. Hitching to the start, the first day was excellent and we ended up staying in an old hunters hut, very basic with dirt floor and canvas bunks but also a delightful open fire. Day two was wet as promised but despite heading up the wrong creek for 30 minutes we still made good time for the drive home. Last weekend it was time to head back to school, fly fishing school that is, run by the amazingly named Chappie Chapman in Christchurch. Having been something I have wanted to try for some time, perhaps due to distant memories of growing up in Scotland, and I found the course fantastic. A further splurge means that I now have all the gear and no idea and all that is left is to head down to the rivers and lakes nearby to pit my wits against the local trout population once the flies come through the post. I don't think they will have much to fear initially, especially as the winter season is much more restricted in terms of available locations and fish numbers to be found there. I will be sure to let you know when I land something! Its now Easter weekend, April showers appears to be true down here as well as back home but as we are on call this matters little and has given me this chance to get things back up to date (and thanks to Amy for supplying the pics while I am camera-less). Happy Easter!