11th October: Palmerston North

So the big day arrives.
Sky looks grim in the morning but resists the urge to dump it down. Wander into town contemplating the interweb, and also the outdoor shop on Broadway with a thought of a replacement valve for the hydration pack. Wind up getting a new flask for the pack instead. Bagel for brunch and don't bother with T'interweb.
The iron in the motel turns out to have last been used ironing some plastic, and so wants to dump burnt on specks onto my otherwise decent shirt. They scrape off with a knife, but not without stretching the pattern, if you know where to look. Replacement iron does rather better.
Duncan's church is a red brick Gothic styled something. Built in 1914, and armed with very Victorian looking stained glass, which on inspection is in memory of those lost in the great war. Presumably vitreous fashion was lagging a bit. Ceremony plain and simple, without any opportunity to declare just cause or impediment. Duncan starts off acting as usher, which raises the possibility that hardly anyone's coming, but there is a good turn out, and eventually the real usher arrives.
Photos and rest before heading to Massey for the reception, complete with good meal, speeches, toasts and a lack of painful dancing, largely because Duncan refuses to start it off. He is a bit alarmed to discover that having arranged a dual layered cake, chocolate below, carrot above, the waiters have just served the bottom bit. Perhaps because no-one explained that bit of the cunning plan.