I love the West Coast because . . . . .

It started raining on the way over here yesterday and it's still raining now, but you get that on The Coast. It's kind of an expected way of being and you just live with it and get on with whatever you're getting on with - in my case, cruising!

Had a very good snuggly night's sleep last night (am so pleased I changed the duvet over from light summer weight to feather and down autumn weight!). Cruised through a very sedate start to the day, did a little shopping in Greymouth then headed out to see J, J and wee A Well, wee A is a big girl now at 3+ years old! Spent a few hours with them and had a wonderful tour of their new home - a lovely home set in a very private and absolutley beautiful 4 hectares of native bush complete with their own old gold-mining stream, eels, blue mushrooms, tomtits and a whole host of other 'back-to-the-earth' gems. They're currently developing a chook run and a pig enclosure though J wasn't so keen on my goats suggestion!

Staying tonight at my first NZMCA members site and so far, so good. It's not quite the beachfront campsite I had in mind but it does have a lovely neighbourly feel to it and there's a real sense of comfort having other like-minded people alongside.

And today's image?

There's a lot about the West Coast that's old - possibly one of the reasons I like it over here. There's no pretence on the Coast - what you see is what you get. It's rugged, it's wet, it's friendly and it's independent. The Coasters themselves are similalry characterized (maybe not the 'wet' bit!) This car was one of about a dozen or more all neatly parked in a rusty line outside a place (a home? a business? a car museum?) with a small sign that neatly advertised "British Cars". As you drive the Coast you begin to notice there are a lot of old things - rusting, peeling, rotting - it's just part of the Coast's appeal. A life-sized antique and bric-a-brac shop, except it's stuff that's not for sale.

PS have googled this and think it may be an Austin A30. Please let me know if you can help make a positive id on it.