New Zealand is calling...

Actually, it's in the post. I got a postcard from Zabet and Patrick yesterday. "The traditional challenge 'Wero' is performed by a warrior as part of Maori protocol to ensure that visitors come in friendship". The note? "Per your request, we've found a nice New Zealand boy for you. You'll have to learn Maori and weave your own clothes, but you didn't specify!" Hehehehe.

I've been looking at the wonderful pictures they've posted on their travel blog and must say I'd love to go there, too. Zabet even got to pilot a steamboat briefly. She looks about as terrified behind the wheel as Patrick does driving on the left side of the road. Today's her birthday (well, actually, yesterday there, they're a day ahead of us), and it's Bealtaine night here. Definitely quiet without them, although as a general rule most of my pagan friends and I always found we should never plan on being together for this particular holiday, because it never turned out well. We're much better at Samhain (Halloween).

Dwana called me after she got out of class and told me that Baskin-Robbins was having a free scoop night. For every scoop they give away, they also donate money to a literacy programme. So, they basically donate both ice cream and money and people who show up get free ice cream. I guess it's a big tax write-off, but it was much appreciated by those of us who went. We went to one on Richmond Road and had a very short wait. Dwana said the one on campus had a line snaking around the parking lot. It's dead week there (the week right before final exams), so you can bet that the college students were going to come out for free food. :) Since I'm going on a religious diet as of tomorrow (think Lent, although more restrictive), it was sort of nice to have a last ice cream fling until Midsummer's. Then Dwana came in and I showed her the New Zealand pictures while my animals lolled all over her (well, except for Dar-bar. He hid. He pretty much hides whenever someone comes over. Most people would never know I have another cat without my telling them. It's one of those believe-without-seeing situations). Spock just relaxed totally in her arms like a baby and fell asleep with his paw up in the air. Buns jumped on her and then walked down her pants leg. Fortunately she's a cat person. She's not really a dog person but she does well with Cerys (it's hard not to). I always feel like the animals just gloam onto whomever they can. They're certainly not shy. Well, except for Darius.