Happy Christmas

bed count: 52

Still at Wally's hostel in Napier but now in a nice big twin room after spending the night in a bunk below the world's worst fidgeter... Ahh dorm rooms!

At last it is a lovely sunny day, which is a relief since there were forecasts of snow for the desert road the other day. Wouldn't that have been bizzarre - a white Christmas in NZ!

Just taking advantage of the free internet here whilst I listen to the bell ringers chime out Christmas carols at the the Cathedral next door - Silent Night at the moment. Feeling more and more festive.

We went on a wine tour yesterday. It's the done thing since we're in Hawkes Bay, which is wine country. Very good tour covering 4 quite different vinyards - from the highly slick and commercial Mission Bay, to the small but perfectly formed Moana Park (where we bought a really nice bottle of Sauv Blanc for Christmas day for just a fiver) and on to two others, but I don't really remember what the names were...

A good way to spend a wet afternoon all in all, and everybody was very sociable by the end of it. ;) One of the women on the tour with us was a wine consultant and so we learnt quite a lot. Turns that the thing I don't like in a lot of chardonnays is the oaky flavour.

Also turns out that the reason I probably don't like reds as much as whites is that reds should be kept for at least 3 years. Apparently 10 years ago a wine producer wouldn't think of putting a red on the market before it had been stored for 3 years, but these days it goes straight to the shelves. Seems a hell of a wait to test the advice though so maybe I'll stick to whites for now.

Off to a cheese shop and a chocolate factory this afternoon. Yum

So anyway - if I have your email address you should have recieved an e-card from Alec and I. If you haven't let me take the oppotunity to wish you and yours a Happy Christmas and all the best for 2007. I lost my address book somewhere along the way I am afraid, so you'll have to make do with that!

As ever, the e-card has prompted a lot of email response from people slacking off on their last days at work before Christmas. If you have emailed, I will get back to you but it will take a while as we're off to a camp site for Christmas tomorrow. (Keep those fingers crossed for sun for us).

So - this may well be the last post before Christmas day, and the bell ringers have just finished their musical interlude with 'We wish you a Merry Christmas'. A very apt note to end this post on I think. Have a great Christmas.

Kxx