Just to remind you that I really am working during my adventures here, I’ll take you back to Vetlife and the cows. On arrival at Vetlife my first day, I was told that I might get one c-section a year because farmers just don’t do them here. Accepting this as the rule I was floored when I was asked to do an elective c-section on an embryo transfer animal. I was yet again amazing when during a calving they let me do a cesarean on a heifer that had a scarred vagina, making a vaginal birth impossible, calf was dead but the heifer did fabulous! The alternative was shooting her so I might have talked the guy into it. I was also trying to keep it cheap as that was the main concern if she did survive. A record time of 50min from arrival to having the cow stitched up, I was pretty happy, as was the farmer.
Well, not 2 weeks later, once again I came to a calving with a live calf that was overcooked and just too big to fit. A quick conversation later and that one came out the side as well. Cow and calf happy as clams, and both doing amazingly well. Hopefully this trend doesn’t continue or they are going to start yelling at me for whacking holes in cows all over the county! Autumn calving is almost done at least so I’ll get a break before spring hits. This as prompted the boss to ask me to do a surgery lecture for the Kiwi vets though. So later this winter, when things are quiet I’m giving a presentation on LDA’s and other gut surgeries, as well as c-sections. Tricks of the trade, and tips for the inexperienced ones, as they don’t get many surgeries period.
In other news, I have purchased a ukulele! Hankering for an instrument that you can strum and potentially accompany someone, with a shortage of mandolins in this country, I opted for the ukulele. In hindsight, I should have just bought a small guitar but no, something called me to the ukulele. It said my name! Literally! Model No. K-AT. So now I have a ukulele and now I need to learn how to play the dang thing. My instrument collecting habit is getting a bit ridiculous. Just prior to leaving the US, I was given a gift certificate for playing a gig for a friend, and what did I buy? Some new fiddle strings and some rhythm bones! Those clickity-clackity pieces of wood or bone that people play sometimes very well, but most of the time badly and out of rhythm. I had to have a go at them. After a few months of working at it, I think I’m doomed to be a poor player of the bones.
My next weekend away was to Arthur’s Pass, or at least the sights around the pass. Arthur’s pass is one of two major passes that cross the southern alps of the south island and a major tourist route as there are many small and large treks all around the area and to my great surprise a hostel in a town half the size of Elsie, MI (~400). The drive up was amazing views of the mountains, crossing of the Rakaia gorge, and more twisty turning roads and one lane bridges. I stopped at Castel Hill which is an area of very interesting geology. Huge boulders and rocks are scattered over the hills, and climbers come here very often to go bouldering. I came across quite a few that day, and along with ropes, pullies, and climbing shoes, they also bring along huge mats. I assume to jump down onto after successfully scaling the boulder, or to fall onto when there is an unsuccessful attempt. After wandering around the area for a bit I climbed up a small boulder, worth of a non-boulderer and had some lunch. I continued on my drive and stopped at the village of Arthur’s Pass. There’s a train station for a tourist train that comes up and back from Christchurch through the mountains, a shop/café, a bar/café, a hostel and over various vacation rental houses.
Arthur’s Pass is also the home of one of the most awkward birds, called kea’s, that’s still surviving in New Zealand. Unlike its very flightless fat cousin, the kakapo parrot, kea’s do fly but they terribly curious and like to mess with stuff. People’s lunches, cars, tents, passerby’s, anything that’s different they will investigate/mutilate. One story from an outdoor shop salesman, was that they left their tent pitched while they went for a walk up a mountain. On their way back a flock of kea descended on their tent and ripped it to shreds! So note to self, don’t leave anything out in the open of bright color if there are kea’s nearby. As I only had the day to explore, I had a coffee and some soup at the bar/café, read my book for a bit on a roadside where you can hear a waterfall, then headed back to Ashburton. I’ll come back for proper adventuring another time.
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