Road Trip

I can't even begin to tell you what a great time was had in Bendigo.

Within 24 hours of leaving home, I was chewing the fat with a woollen mill owner about mulesing and it's effect on overseas merino sales, bare-bummed sheep, the twist construction of sock yarns, and the growth of felting as a craft. Add to that a one-on-one tour of the mill, and a peek at the dyepots that looked like Ali Baba's 40 jars of hot oil and man I was in heaven.

And it just got better from there.

I went to Bell's Beach. Like when I visited the Sacre Cour, I almost had a religious experience. When I was a teenager, I would have done anything to go to the

Bell's Classic

. In terms of my moral development it's probably better that I never did stow away in my favourite surfer boy's subaru wagon in a board cover, but at 40 when I went down onto that sand and I kind of died a little. Sort of sad that some things had kind of passed me by, you know? But it's such a wonderful feeling when you tick something off the list of things to do before you die - even if it's something as dumb as standing on a beach.

But then there was yarn to cheer me up. Lots and lots of yarn.






And Ravelty to meet (like my new word?) Go here for pictures.

USA, you can have your Stitches North, South, East and West. I like Bendigo the best. You wanna know why?

Look at this:



That's pure Australian 12.5 micron merino. Only in Australia. Chucked into a cardboard box in typical laconic fashion, it could be the finest merino wool on the planet.





Roll on Bendigo Sheep and Wool 2009.