and away we go...

In a few short hours my longest week will begin. It's not going to be longest in an infernal, eternal, never ending reminiscent of hell kind of way (how you can reminisce specifically about hell I do not know. After all do know anyone who has been there and returned to let you know that it really is a lake of fire etc??) but in a it's going to fun, there will be lots of adventures, I'm looking forward to it, probably won't be quite as good I hope but it will be lots of hard work, long hours, unpleasant conditions, but heaps of really great people

- a bit like farming but more static - kind of way.

So today starts at 10am with a short drive (short is relative around here) to meet up with Rozzy and the Contest Santa Fe and hugest trailer - Rozzy is very organised and I'm sure she would never break the law by having an oversize trailer but this one could be pushing it a smidge. We will drive up to Picton to meet the 6.30pm ferry across to Wellington, a quick overnight stay at Uncle Denys's, then on and up to Hamilton. Since the weather is terrible, most of this will be done in semi or total darkness. But don't worry I will be getting photos all the way even if they are blurry, dark grey images of unidentifiable things.

The purpose of this two days of driving with the worlds heaviest, legal trailer (I will get photos) is to get to Fieldays. People who haven't been to them, when I talk about Fieldays and then have a look of daunted awe on my face, please understand that these four days of agriculture heaven (for farmy people that is) and it is really a case of, if you are serious, a case of it will take you three days to see most things (excluded are the 'lifestyle' areas which are not for serious farmers, they throw that area in for townies like me - it's where they have the clothing, steak knifes, pots and pans, wonder brooms and the like. Personally I like it because it's inside away from the mud and rain).

So massive Fieldays is also a time of seeping cold and damp, lingering fogs, mud to you knees. You wear gumboots all day each day and there is a certain creditability with gumboots.

These are marginal creditable because they are proper milking gumboots, they are caked in ingrained cow poo, they have been adjusted to fit my boot leg jeans by slicing the back to create a bit of space for them to tuck inside, they are cold, well used and there in lies the creditability issue.

Please note: If you are going to wear your gumboots or work boots of any kind, crappy working ones are not suitable. You wear your best gumboots - yes people just like shoes, farmers have a gumboot ranking system and retain their boots until they really, really are falling apart. Wearing these old, worn boots will not raise my creditability at all and I will be unmasked as a weekend teat sprayer and nothing more.

That feels good to get off my chest!

Now in preparation to my epic road trip I will now go and have a long bath with some coconut bubble bath and candles. Bon voyage to us!