Again at the Arden House

I finished my time in the Catlins with some fine times in Papatowai. Vinny and I put on a second coat of paint to the house addition and organized some scrap wood which was in quite a state of disarray. We drove out to Curio bay one day hoping for some sunshine for some surfing, but all we found was a lot of wind and rain, but beautiful nonetheless. When it is cloudy in the Catlins the sea is a dull grey, but when the sun comes out everything lights up, obviously, but the hills turn a brighter green, the ocean transforms into a bright blue, etc. Even though the weather was dismal at Curio bay there were some brave souls out on the water trying to catch some waves. They must have had some top notch wetsuits as I was freezing under my layers on dry land. I thank it was that day that it cleared up around dinner time. We were sitting around eating when the sun came out a bit and there was an absolutely perfect rainbow over Papatowai. Half rainbows are pretty common I think, but a full rainbow is hard to come by, so I thought it was pretty amazing. Vinny took a photo I am planning to post later today.

A few days ago I got lift to Dunedin, telling myself I needed to go there to catch a bus, which was half the truth. The other half was that I wanted to see the gang at the Arden house and the Albar. Last time I was in Dunedin I spent some time WWOOFing at the Arden house and most of the people that were around then are still here. It has been another good visit. Yesterday we went to a beach north of the city for some body boarding. It was a nice day, but I was still skeptical of the power of the wetsuits to keep us warm. Fears were unfounded though. It was a great time. Much easier than surfing. It is fun simply to hang out in the water for a while and get pushed around by the waves. Once in a while we would catch one just right and it would carry us all the way back to the shore. I think swimming in the ocean is always a bit relaxing, and the cold water made it, in a shocking way, refreshing also.

Later we came back to the house for a traditional Spanish dinner of Pallella (sp?). It is a rice and vegetable dish usually wish fish, but we had it with chicken. Afterward we played a couple of games and talked for a while. Joyce has a great thing is this Arden house. People from all over the world spending some quality time together. We had Japan, Spain, USA, Germany, France, India, and Chili all represented. At times the English was a bit rudimentary, but at one point during the night the thought also crossed my mind that it was a rare occasion for such a group to be gathered, and I felt privileged to be part of a positive international dialogue.

Today I go to Wanaka for the A&P show. There was a story about in the paper today highlighting a big event on Saturday morning, The Jack Russel Terrier Race. It is a popular breed here, and I am thinking it will draw quite a crowd.