and it's

Palmy again, with grey skies and rain.

Which all the locals I know, love.

It's been a full on week and I've been up in the Wairarapa, Manawatu area since Thursday morning for all sorts of things.

Kicked off with a wee girls road trip with Roza and Lucky. Tipping over Saddle Road from Palmy to take a close up look at the wind turbines.

Hmmm wind turbines how interesting. They look good though.

Stopped at the Tui factory to pick up some gnomes.

Not real ones, just Tui ones and I guess all the Tui girls were busy making the beer inside the factory cause we didn't see any.

We stayed at the Copthorne Solway run by Mr Jerry Crump,

who is a most excellent hotelier and a very nice hotel.

Thursday night was the that all the 2011 Contest organising committee got together to learn about what was expected of them.

Which they pretty much already knew,

now they just have to put together the best ever Grand Final.

Friday was the Contest launch.

It is now launched so all Young Farmers can now go in their District Finals assured that they officially and safely organised under the umbrella that is the Contest.

We all found ourselves not far from Woodville that night at Ben and Nicky's enjoying their skeleton of deck and new kitchen.
Dunno which cow Ben butchered for the BBQ but it is a tough old one.

Louly and I were left behind as everyone else went home.

So we went to stay in Palmy and two days later I'm still here.

Louly went home to buy shoes and drive tractors.

I stayed to start interviewing for the local Field Officer job with Duncy and Spudly.

Am very happy to report we were pleasantly surprised to have three options to choose from.

Today Duncy and I are off to the 'tron to interview more folk for the job up there.

Then I'm back to Methven to interview for the Communication Coordinator on Tuesday, which would be tomorrow I guess.

Spudly is down on Wednesday for another interview, Clubs training in Timaru then more interviews on Thursday in Dunedin.

It'll be the Sara and Spudly road trip

Lucky him.

And now I find myself sitting in bed watching bits of AUSTRALIA (has to be in caps cause it's such HUGE EPIC movie) that's not working to well on a small hotel TV.

Crikey that Drover is mighty fine even if I do keep expecting him to burst song and dance.

Oh Louly and I squeezed in a East Coast Clubs training and a regional meeting in Dannevirke

which was why we were up here really.