PREPARATIONS

MONDAY 9th MAY

  A day of getting ready for my second trip around a part of the Southern Island of New Zealand.  It was a case of washing clothes, washing self - in the form of a long bath accompanied by a book.  Sorting out clothing to take, CD's to play in the car, charging up the camcorder and the like.

  I drove downtown in the early afternoon looking for a petrol station, but found none.  On the way home I drove past the turning for Scott's place and found a service station within half a mile.  The car takes premium and was getting close to empty.  It cost $112 to fill her up.  In town I located two record shops that I had found on the internet, but found nothing of real interest.  I spotted the third when driving home, but I had already parked and paid once so I left this one for next weekend.  Mind you the Disk Den looks more interesting than the two I visited.  I also grabbed a curry whilst in town and took a beef and cheese roll home for dinner.

  Incidentally last Saturday was the start of the duck shooting season, and for this reason the goalkeeper from Scott's team was missing.  There were several other absentees from the team last Saturday, but whether they too "ducked" out, is something I don't know.  I have to report that there was one human fatality on this day, namely a hunter who was accidentally shot dead. What the count on duck fatalities was not reported.

  I completed my last source CD for the 1961 UK Hits for Charly and then watched Manly Sea Eagles beat the Canberra Raiders without conceding a point.  I then completed Terminal, the book I had bought in Te Anau, and adjourned to bed just after midnight.