The underwear situation went hyper critical last week so I did a google search and found out that that  big white thing over there is something called a washing machine.  whoed-a-thunk it?  Now if I can only figure out what that thing in the closet with the hose and teeny tiny wheels is.

I drove north up the coast road 70 miles (yes MILES,  screw the metric system) last week It was  outrageously  cool.  Waves breaking on huge limestone cliffs jutting out into the sea eroded over eons into fantastic formations separated by MILES of broad and wide grey sand beaches at the total mercy of only wind and wave. And where the road did occasionally turned inland you drove through dense Jurassic Park forests of man sized ferns and giant fern trees appropriate for any self respecting dinosaur.  By far the most beautiful coast read I've ever driven and, except for the road and  a very rare structure, completely wild.  The end of the road was a place called "Cape Foul Wind" ( I assume that has something to do with old time sailing navigation stuff but I suppose there are other equally plausible explanations) where any upwardly mobile seal worth his or her sea salt haul themselves  out on the rocky shore to see and be seen and to look down there long noses at the hoi polloi. I swear I took pictures and as soon as I figure out how to upload them into the blog ....so, stay tuned.

Today I drove south along the coast road into the "Southern Alps" region through buckets of rain.  As I drove south the buckets got bigger so I bailed.  I couldn't see much through the driving rain but again passing through primeval forests where dinosaurs seemed a real possibility.  I did drive through a place called Ross.  The sign said "Welcome to Ross:  The Gold Mining Capital of New Zealand"  so I am for sure  going back there and not for some of your tiny little cheap ass flecks of gold.  No sir-ee Bob.  I talking baseball size gold chunks minimum.

The clinic is fine.  The patients are great - mostly your blue collar and farming types, easy going and usually pretty happy with good senses of humor.  The medical problems and medicines are pretty much the same as in the US but the names of a lot of the meds are different so that takes some time to get used to.  Also, since this is a cradle to grave socialized system there are heaps of government programs for everything (quitting smoking, getting exercise, any injury no matter how trivial,  drug and alcohol addiction, home maintenance and on and on) and each program has a heap of forms to fill out.  In the US I had people to do this stuff but down here I got no people.  Forms and paperwork seem to be a global pandemic 

I was getting a little shaggy last week so I found myself a local barber shop.  Think a sheep after an unnecessarily aggressive spring shearing.  Also I bought a car.  A 2005 Subaru (they pronounce it "su-BAR-u, emphasis on the BAR.  Silly Kiwis)  forester-like wagon.  Nothing fancy but 4 wheel drive to get me to my many and very dangerous upcoming mountain climbing adventures.  More about cars some other time.  Right now I'm hungry so it's time to go over to the stove for another adventure in pyrotechnics.