Feelin' Twitterpated (Spring is Here!)

Spring is in the air here in Wanaka, New Zealand; the cottonwood trees are releasing little white fluffies into the air, reminding me of May back home in Canada where I spend a good two weeks or so at the forest musuem in a grand exercise of futility trying to sweep or vacuum them out of the buildings. The foxglove is also in bloom, their scent permeating the air. Even as I type this it is 8:25pm in the evening, and the sun won't go down for another forty-five minutes or so. A far cry from November at home in BC, to be sure.

Lake Wanaka as seen from Wanaka Bakpaka

Today was my last day of lazing around Wanaka, and my cold is getting better... it has been such a slow process, but I think these last few days of relative inactivity have been key. I spent the morning on the internet, and then the afternoon scrubbing my coat (the never-ending quest to remove soot stains) and washing my hiking boots (in preparation for a waterproofing treatment I'm going to put on them tonight).

Later in the afternoon I went for a walk along the shores of Lake Wanaka, out to Beacon Point and back (about a 8.5 km walk round trip from the hostel). The wind was blowing strongly in the clouds overhead, resulting in a melange of weather as I walked; beating sunshine, gusting gales, a smattering of raindrops, and even a few calm moments where I could walk without having to hold my hat to my head, lest it blow off. I brought my camera, but when I went to take a picture, I found I had left the battery in its charger in my room! Oops. I took a little video of the mountain scenery using my iPod nano instead, but it's not nearly as good as pictures would be.

Tomorrow the Stray bus comes to pick me up just before noon, and my fellow roommates of Lewis, Dave, and Rhys, will be leaving as well (earlier) on the Kiwi Experience bus. Right now Dave and Rhys have sat down in the lounge near me to play yet another game of chess... I think they are addicted. I'm going to go watch and socialise with them, which means I'm really going to go watch and laugh as Dave, the UK Bobby Fisher, beats Rhys for the twentieth time. :-)

This poster is on the wall outside my dorm room. I love it.

~Carolyn~