Wellington and onward

Well, we are back in Wellington, for the last few days left before we leave for Australia.
The weather turned cloudy and rainy (normal winter) and I feel quite lucky to have seen so much sun as we did in Napier, Rotorua and Auckland.
I have found some nice Kiwiana textiles to bring home. A design of Kiwis on a white base, black and red in the pattern. I also got a fern fiddlehead design, of Maori inspiration that I really like.
There are a lot of galleries in Wellington and surrounds, and I have gone to see a lot of very inspirational work. I'm hoping I will remain inspired or have a long enough memory to implement some of the ideas I've seen.
I'm going to the Karori bird sanctuary tomorrow. They have a very nice website if you google karori. I hope to get some good photos of Keas, as I have worked out a painting I want to do.
They are real clowns and full of mischief, sort of the bull terrier of the bird crowd.
I must have walked 10 miles today as I am feeling quite legless after a great dinner of homemade soup. And Scrumpy, of course.
I like to read in bed at night. So far, it has been one of adapting to the inner climate and reading that is the challenge. Dressed to the teeth in pyjamas, sleeping socks, long sleeve top, topped by a fleece hoody, hood up. One hand outside the cover will last approximatly 5 pages before needing to be defrosted under the cover while I freeze the other hand for 5 pages. As you can imagine, I do not scrimp myself for food, as I use a huge amount of calories just keeping warm.
The worst part is knowing how much to wear as the mornings start out quite cold but warm up very quickly. Nothing like trying to wrestle out of a pair of long johns in a toilet stall, crammed in with backpack etc.
And, it's a damp cold. Washed clothes hung to dry on a rack take two days to dry in a cool room.
Well, it almost sounds like complaining, but it's not. It's what make Kiwis kiwis. They love to be outdoors all the time because you stay way warmer!