In the early morning fog of the carpart, the knitters and spinners and weavers and crocheters and practitioners of varied mysterious fibre arts gathered. Huddling in cars or braving the cold, they waited. And their patience was rewarded. The Bus appeared out of the gloom, warm and ready to take them on their great quest.

Eagerly, all piled on board. Much magical and soothing clicking of needles was heard as the Bus carried us north. There was a stop at a reserve in a small down for tea, cake and exchange of secret knowledge while in the queue for the toilet:

Then raffle prizes of delight and amusement were drawn as the Bus continued on to its destination. Once there, the Companions were let loose to explore the delights and temptations of the Bendigo showgrounds. There were sheds big and small, and within could be found fibre and yarn and the various arcane instruments of many and varied fibre arts:

And prize-winning creations displayed for all to admire:

Craftmen laboured to produce artefacts of wonder and usefulness:

And the fantastic beasts from which enchanted fibre of many forms is harvested were judged and their guardians awarded prizes.

And when the weary travellers finally stopped to rest and compare the rewards of their efforts, some were priviledged to observe an even more ancient and mysterious practice:

Sheep Dog Trials. The speed, agility and will of lean canine contestants pitted against a flock of three flighty, foot-stompingly defiant sheep. Utterly, utterly gripping.