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I'm back from Nat Com meeting in Hanmer Springs.

Hot!

A blissful 30 degrees on Friday and Saturday

Loved eating outside and sitting talking for hours in the warm darkness

ahhh just what I needed.

Friday was a long meeting at the Antarctic Centre and once we had finished setting outcomes and working with a purpose we had passes to wander around the Centre.

You know how you never go to the things that are local?

Well even when there are has been an opportunity to go,

I've just been nah about going so didn't.

But I am so going back (as soon as I get around to it)

My favourite thing? other than the huge movie was

The penguins.

Not overly fond of birds myself but I loved this photo of the pengu swimming.

He/she was showing off swimming round and round in front of me.

I realised when I went outside he/she had been lyrically saying

"Haha silly human, it's really hot, I'm in a pool and you are not!"

I didn't know this because I an not proficient in penguin body language nor had I been outside.

But after picking up an extra eight people at the airport - I knew them, they weren't random passengers standing around waiting for a ride or anything, though I'm sure some people at airport would like to come to a Young Farmers' National Committee meeting in Hanmer.

Least Countess would :-)

We convoyed up, rubber ducky and arrived at the motel to head off to a restaurant with the Contest Committee - Contest Committee are like the jocks of Young Farmers, they are the big kids and organise

THE CONTEST

(aged out is what we really call them - basically ex-Young Farmers who are over 31(Young Farmers is like Club Med for farmy people)).

We sat outside for hours catching up and meeting new members of the team, then the next headed into a short four hour meeting then on to the team building orienting/puzzle/abseiling/can't remember what else activity in teams.

This was my team - Mike in the green, Nessie in the black and the famous Lucky in white - that's Rozza's arm and there was James and me.

Best parts of the activity were how we worked together as a team, finishing each task, Nessie non-verbally directing us in one task - she's a merino farmer and has working dogs so is used to directing animals to do her bidding, we were pretty good working dogs for her - we even came second to the team made up of almost CONTEST people so they are tougher, faster and way more competitive then we were or are or can be bothered being.

Bestest thing was taking a walk in the woods looking for orienteering markers to make a code to get a puzzle to get the challenge started.

Imagine 30 degrees and wandering through the woods like this

Awwww how pleasant

Now imagine that pleasant and pleasing scene but running, except that I haven't for almost a year so mostly Lucky encouraged me and I pulled management rank and an whined.

It was really, really hot.

Then after two hours of running around and thinking real hard, we all went to the hot pools which weren't that hot because a 36 degree pool in 30 degree heat is not that hot. But it was very nice sitting there chatting about nothing and well nothing much else for a few hours turning into prunes.

After the pools we headed back to the motel and had a BBQ in the carpark - all class Young Farmers. Rozza and Lucky did a wonderful job of feeding all 28 of us and sitting in the warm evening talking and talking about nothing much (we do a lot of that, that could be because we spent the day talking and talking about very important things) until almost everyone, bar the Boss, Duncy, Rozza, Lucky, Nessie and me went off the pub to chase hen's night girls, lose their undies to them and acquire nicknames like Magnet and Spooner - and that's just the boys!

Much fun was had in Hanmer.

Am so glad to be home.