Last day in Devonport

It's my last day of work at the Michael King Writers' Centre on Mt Victoria in Devonport, and I'm sad to leave it. I've had an incredibly productive time up here. Karren, the administrator here, was kind and picked me up at the wharf this morning so I didn't have to trek up the hill in the rain. It was pouring within ten minutes of the ferry pulling in. We even have thunder this morning: it's like being back in New Orleans. These are my views today:

Auckland looks more itself in the rain, I think. There are old jokes about the weather here. What do you call two days of rain in Auckland? The weekend. What do you call four days of rain in Auckland? Easter. Walking to the train station this morning, I stepped over a long, writhing worm and thought of all the walks to primary school on rainy days, water dripping off my stylish pink-and-white rain hat (I had a matching coat), streams pouring along the gutters, worms inching out of verges (to get stepped on and severed in some way), the bushes and grass a more vivid green than usual. Like this:

I'll miss the ferry rides every morning and evening, and the low-key charm of Devonport wharf. For example, the way people are allowed to leave their bikes chained up for the day inside the terminal.

And the ad hoc notices about extra ferries whenever someone important, like Pink or Guns N' Roses, comes to town.

Last night I caught the train to Henderson, where there's a shiny new station (Escalators! Piped music!). But it was back to reality in Mt Albert this morning, where the platform facilities appear to be have abandoned some time after World War II and ransacked over the decades by orange-eating marauders.

Back in New Orleans, T. Middy says he is headed out to the famous Saturn Bar with two of my colleagues, and another colleague, Peter Cooley, is going to a "crime in our neighborhood" meeting. I'm going to stay warm and dry here in the washhouse, and get some work done.

Comments

[Brando]

All your photos have been terrific. When do you stop your tour of freedom hating foreign locales and rejoin us in God's country?

[pjkm]

As T. Middy always says: you're either with us or against us. Don't worry - I'll be back next week for an injection of freedom, saturated fat, reality TV, etc ...