Monday, 14 March: Today was for laundry, reorganizing and reading. Tomorrow we head to Birchville, just north of Wellington, to visit Darcy and Phyllis Ross.

Thursday, 17 March:  The weather has turned cool and rainy with temperatures hovering around 11-13C (52-56F)...a taste of the autumn that is on its way. On Tuesday morning, we drove to Birchville on a route we haven't taken before. We stopped at the summit of Paikkariki Hill Road for a brief, windy picnic. On to the Ross's home where we were welcomed with a cup of tea and some of Phyllis's home made biscuits. On Wednesday morning, we drove into Wellington to Te Papa, the National Museum, to go to the WWI Gallipoli exhibit. We arrived just before the museum opened and were in the first group of visitors allowed in. The exhibit is exceptionally well presented with sculptures, recreations of bunkers, dioramas, a timeline, and numerous stories of individual NZ soldiers who fought in that campaign. The nurse and soldiers depicted in the photos are real people. For me it served to emphasize the sacrifices of individuals and the folly of war. On the way back to Birchvile, we stopped to do a bit of shopping. One place was Moore Wilson the Costco of NZ...on a much smaller scale. We got a few things, and it as interesting to see the variety of goods offered and the prices. Buzz's prize purchase was a 2kg bag of wine gums...sort of a cross between gumdrops and juicy fruit candies. Today we took another road we hadn't been on before part of the way back to Feilding stopping in Foxton for a delicious bowl of hot soup for lunch. The rain continued through the rest of the day. Perfect for curling up with a good book.

Friday, 18 March:  Buzz and I went to the Central Districts Field Days at Manfield Park here in Feilding. This event bings together every vendor that has anything to do with agriculture. From alpacas to sheep, hats to socks, feed to fertilizer, cars, boats, trucks, machinery, and more all on display. times are difficult for dairy farmers at the moment, and there seemed to be more people wandering around than talking earnestly to vendors. We walked around for a couple of hours and took advantage of the complimentary lunch being offered by Rabobank...delicious. Another half hour and I had seen enough. I took our bag of  "freebies", walked back to the car, and came home while Buzz stayed to more thoroughly investigate the offerings. He walked home. In the evening we went to the local cinema to seethe multitalented Maggie Smith in The lady in the Van. The Focal Point Cinema is a boutique style theatre with sofa seating for about forty people. It also has a restaurant. Max got a bottle of wine to enjoy during the movie, we ordered our meals before the movie began, and they were ready soon after the finish. An altogether delightful evening. 

Saturday, 19 March:This morning we went to do a bit of grocery shopping since I am in charge of appetizers for dinner tonight. Stuffed mushrooms and a cheese and olive platter are my choices. Buzz then got to work repairing the chip in the windscreen of our rental car. Las time we were here, we paid $70 for someone to repair a chip. This time Buzz bought a repair kit and did it himself. It looks good...hope it holds. Tonight David and Lyn Broad came for dinner and we enjoyed a relaxing evening with them. Tomorrow will bring a quick trip to the Sanson market, lunch with more friends and the beginning of packing. n two weeks we will be heading home.