Four seasons every day

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Just like Melbourne, Armidale can have four seasons in one day. This morning we had a fog and decidedly cooler than before and hardened residents putting jumpers on. By 11 oclock it was too hot to sit in the sun and far too hot to even look at a jumper. Helen did the washing and this time got it all dry before midday. Just after getting the washing we sat outside having a cup of tea and got a visitor. He turned out to be another KIWI who lives in Australia for 4 months, England for 4 and NZ for 4 and continually travels. One thing he could do well was talk. Anyhow he has given us his card which has an Australian address and a NZ address at Huapai near Auckland. An interesting character and sometimes hard to believe all he says he has done. Says he has been to Vietnam with both the NZ Army and Australian Army, but he doesn't exist on the Australian Vietnam Veteran National Roll. So in the afternoon we took the self drive historic tour of town. Took us by some lovely old houses, churches, schools and the Apex lookout. Then we went to Coles and topped up the pantry and then out to the airport for a quick look. Has a number of very old Fletcher agricultural aircraft, one jet ranger helicopter and a few other small craft. The terminal is large and looks like well used. There is something about Armidale that is very appealing, I could make a break from Qld but I would have to come in the dead of winter to see how cold it gets. That will be another story. Still having dramas with the wireless device to connect to Big Pond. Having had the knowledge before the Internet was invented to operate Amateur Radio Packet which is a wireless computer to computer or repeater system and knowing that the Amateur system operated 100% all the time it frustrates me when I have to connect and disconnect to Bigpond to get packets to move. Big pond freezes up and I have to disconnect wait a few seconds and reconnect. ALL connected time is charged. As I was saying yesterday, why would you buy a car without power steering, so why would you buy a phone / modem that only works sometimes. I'll tell you why, they have the monopoly and they can tell you what you are going to do or do without. Yes I have taken my pills... Tomorrow is our last day here and Wednesday we'll head for Tamworth