Golden Shears

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We woke this morning in Masterton, Home of the Golden Shears. While it is true that our final destination is Reefton, the main goal of our travels is the 2007 Golden Shears. Over three days, the best of the best compete in sheep shearing, wool handling and pressing. It has been my dream to compete in a sheep shearing contest.

We were sadly only able to attend the first day of competition but it was everything I had hoped for. Obviously, the deft handling of wool and the brute strength involved in pressing are to be admired, but nothing can surpass the spectacle of speedily shorn sheep and these boys were shearing a sheep every minute. The blood, sweat and tears makes shearing a real spectator sport (blood from the occasionally nicked sheep - you lose points for that; sweat from the shearer; and tears from the disappointed competitors - you may lose points for crying on the wool too). My biggest concern is that all the competitors have to wear tank tops. I am convinced that I can manhandle a sheep with the best of them, but the tank tops seem a bit much.

We completed our day in Masteron with a visit to the Shear Discovery Centre - a museum devoted to sheep shearing. We were lucky to catch the last shear of the day. The museum has several intriguing exhibits including a step-by-step video on the proper method of shearing, which I studied closely. The sheep and the shearer seem to share a special bond that goes beyond the seductive removal of the soft, luxuriant wool. I am going to look into that.

After the excitement of the Golden Shears, we reluctantly made our way to Wellington. The road cut across the mountains, creating some interesting and at times perilous driving. It was during this drive that I missed the Boxster the most. We got into Wellington, the political capital of New Zealand around 6:00 and had dinner with a former patient of Astrid’s and her boyfriend. It was a terrific dinner and we able to solve some mysteries. For example, black spots are not spaces of abnormally high gravitational pull, but are intersections which have a high accident rate. No one sells windshield washer fluid - they fill their reservoirs with water (it never gets cold enough to freeze). Finally, after waiting for about 30 minutes for our bill, we discovered that most restaurants expect you to pay at the cash.

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Photos

Not the Sheep's Best Moment
A sheep is shorn in about a minute at the 2007 Golden Shears competition

Comments

[junior]

boyfriend
Wow, I didn't know that Astrid had a boyfriend! I did however know that she had patience!