I started my journey by venturing into the familiar territory of gentle rolling hills, strewn with wildflowers, stash expansion, warm spring breezes, LYSes and cute furry animals, known as CastOn Dale.

A swift and enjoyable ride on the gentle yet fast-flowing Raglan River cut miles off my journey and got me to my next destination in an amazingly short time.

Then I began my first ever attempt to climb up the steep learning curve of Mount Fair Isle and gain the summit (it was a lovely view from the top - I even thought I could see my house from up there). The frightening and nerve-wracking ascent to its dizzying heights was well worth all the hours of preparation and research.

patted self on back repeatedly

Now, it’s onto the barren and desolate lands of the Great Stockinette Desert. I must keep heart, watch lots of telly and imbibe plenty of fluids - specifically, red wine so that my quest for a well-fitting and individual Tomato/Colette will be near completion when I finally finish crossing this empty and jejune expanse and reach the Sleeve Shore.

Update Well, it took a while but I finally crossed the Great Stockinette Desert only to discover that I didn’t have the right equipment to cross Sleeve Shore. I have bartered with a local merchant but must await several painstaking days for my goods to arrive. As much as I would like to hasten along my journey and reach the lush, tropical haven of Bind-off Bay, I must be patient less I doom my whole quest to failure. In the meantime, I while away the hours preparing to row across the monotonous seas of Pickup Pass by talking to other travellers and pilgrims at the Ravelry Reststop.