June 2003

Newsletter, June 2003.

During our summer, quite a few kite people pass through NZ as an escape from the northern winter.  This year, amongst others, Michel Gressier, Frederique and their two children came visiting.  They had a rather good time and were planning to return next season- but after Leah and Cosme's experience while Elwyn was looking after them one day, I'm not so sure.  Psychological trauma springs to mind. 

Elwyn doesn't share any common language with Leah and Cosme, and doesn't understand French either, so when Tory, (boss cat and chief rabbit* catcher) committed an indiscretion, she was quite unable to mitigate it by turning the experience, via parable, into an educational one. 

As is not unusual, during the afternoon, Tory arrived home with a cuddly baby bunny.  Leah and Cosme were visibly excited in anticipation of some lovely fun with this real life soft toy- until Tory rather spoiled the play by noisily crunching off the bunny's head and then started on softer body parts. 

And, there were some rather special extra visual effects- bright red blood splashed over startlingly white fur, because, yes, it was a baby white bunny- some neighbour's child Xmas pet perhaps- we're not too keen to find out exactly. 

Check out the accompanying picture, but for the squeamish, may I suggest turning off the sound before looking at the brief video clip of this event we have on our web site.

No wind here now- or rather, there's only sucker wind- it's there just before setting up and again just after packing up, but I never get to actually fly anything.  Yesterday we loaded one of the new boats and went off 80km to Lake Ellesmere, after a phone call to say there was useable wind there.  When we arrived, nothing, so after an hour or two we packed up again and headed home- only to meet some significant ripples advancing across the lake on the access road side- so we turned back- only to be suckered again, twice,- because 10 minutes after leaving for the second time it apparently came in at 25 knots and settled down for the rest of the afternoon. 

I've seriously offended Hughie (the wind god) 'cos he's been taunting me for 30 years now- probably all those holes in the ozone layer from flying around the world looking for wind.

It's a choice of this level of frustration from now until October, or permanent jet lag - no choice really, so it's off to Europe from Thursday, again,- 6th trip to the northern hemisphere this year so far.

New things?

Such a build up of new products from us at the R and D end of this business that seem to be taking forever to get out to users.  Patience, patience!- but at least our new quilt kite design, being ex NZ and unaffected by production exigencies in other places, is AVAILABLE NOW! 

I love this kite- best single line kite I/we have ever done- but I always think that with each successful new design.  Maybe needs a different name though- "Canvas"?, "Patchwork"?, "Picture"? -Ideas?-NOT "Bedspread".

Peter Lynn, Ashburton, June 1 '03

*Usually of the brown free range type rather than the white domestic.