We're at another beautiful lake in fiordland - the gateway to Milford and Doubtful Sounds. Our hotel is surrounded by lakes and mountains and great views no matter which way you look. Unless you keep your eyes at ground level in which case you mostly see souvenir shops selling stuffed kiwis wearing a bemused but jaunty expression and dressed in All Black jerseys and a plethora of household items made from sheepskin. Which on closer inspection prove to be quite handy and I have no idea how I have lived this long without a sheepskin steering wheel cover. These shops are interspersed with eating places selling a wide variety of food - all of which has been dipped in batter and deep fried and usually comes with chips.

On our first evening we went out with a local astronomer called Richard, wearing obligatory anorak, who runs tours for tourists showing them the night sky. It was actually very interesting and luckily we had such a clear night that we could see millions of stars and even a couple of satellites with the help of his eNORmous telescope. It doesn't get dark here until about 10.30 p.m. so our night can't even start until 11, consequently we don't get to bed until 1 a.m. and have to be up at 5 a.m. to set off for Milford Sound where Brian is going kayaking for the day. Phew. Unfortunately (!) there was only space on the trip for one person, so I fell on my sword and took lots of photos of him looking adventurous and a little nervous (and luckily for you dear reader, rather silly in his kayaking 'skirt' and kit) and then I went off, rather more elegantly, on a boat trip around Milford Sound which was frankly amazing, very spectacular - lots of huge cliffs, waterfalls and even a colony of seals basking on a large rock.

Meanwhile I have been inundated with begging emails from putative Page Boys and the list is growing daily - I'm afraid it's wait list only now. Master Sticky Buns is begging for some sort of official role, preferably one that involves a velvet suit and ruffled cuffs, but I've had to exclude him due to his recent health problems - I can't run the risk of all the excitement contributing to any further complications with his substandard ticker.