The weekend in Blenheim for some Spring Challenge training

 Hi,

What a huge weekend. I didn't go over to Blenheim until late on Friday because I was on Moxley duties as she came out of her post op daze from Thursday. She is doing really well, by the way. Says my completely uninformed vet brain.

Iona picked me up from the airport after a really bumpy flight. Well, the bumps on takeoff and crossing the Strait were fairly normal. But the sideways crab as we land and the one wheel bump and land was exciting. Well done, Sally (our pilot).

I was not long out of bed, to be fair. And up for Parkrun on Saturday morning. Iona kindly drove me to town and off I went. Not a bad time, I suppose. Iopna ran with me for the last 2km and I got a far better time with her than I would on my own.

Mitre10 cafe

A Mitre10 trip was squashed into our post parkrun gap. That was good. And then Col went to work and Iona and I went for a bike ride.

Cycle trail between Blenheim and Picton - a bit waterlogged

Up on the stop bank

Have a look at the bottom of the post for some pics from the ride we did. We rode up the cycle path towards Tuamarina. We negotiated a few puddles. But then the cycle trail went fully underwater and disappeared around the bend as far as we could see. We turned around and peeked a look behind Tuamarina where Maureen and I had got so muddy last time. It was fully underwater too.

So back to the stop bank on the Wairau - and Iona said we should try that. It was so good. Also full of long deep puddles. But Iona was in boss mode. And I finally figured it out too. Great fun.

Back to rest for a bit and then Malcolm joined us to do B line. We found a weasel! Worth getting back on our feet to do that.

B line traps

Classic Marlborough views

Weasel!

Bit maggoty

Joined by this one on B line

Sunday we were up at a more leisurely pace as we had an orienteering course to do at Bastion farm. Okay - that was hard work. We did the orange course. 5 km and 350m of elevation. But it took us 7km and 450m of elevation. Hahahah. We did it in 3 hours 33 mins. Phew. They only had a 4 hour window.

Orange rogaine

Great terrain up here - Bastion farm at the end of the Wither Hills

Walking, walking

And done

Down, down

Our map

Country Calendar

Back for some showers and a bit of TV and some delicious dinner and then off to the airport for my 20:15 flight.

Mike collected me and I was on bed pretty fast.

Thank you. What a great weekend.

Pushing through forst deep puddle. Iona did not come off her bike.

Getting back on

Here we go

Good fun

Have a great week.

Love,

Angela

The Wednesday with a walk home with Barb

 Hi,

Barb and I walked home after work yesterday. We left at 4.45pm and I had to use a torch by the time I walked down the stairs to Edgware Rd. So it is already getting a bit dark. And we had gloomy weather too, which didn't help.

Top of the hill

Bit gloomy

Cats love the new play toy Toby bought and built

Moxley at the vet Thurs morning

It'll be ok, Moxley

I had dinner and watched YouTube before Mike got home after Wednesday Wings. And we were in bed pretty quickly after putting away all the cat food. 

Yes. Thursday is the day Moxley goes to the vet for a GA and gets her teeth x-rayed. Then in 2 - 3 weeks time, she does it again for the extraction. So we bundled her into the cat carrier crate and took her in at 7.30am this morning. She didn't enjoy the car ride - meowed a bit.

But she got taken away by the vet staff and they will call us when it is time to pick her up. Maybe 3pm or a tad later.

Poor wee Moxley.

Meanwhile, Smudge is strutting all around the house like she is in boss mode. Well - maybe not. But she is happy the kibble is back out.

Have a great day.

Love,

Angela

The Tuesday with work

 Hi,

Well, there is a surprise for you. A work from the office in town day - and no pics. Hahahah. I did get out for a run at lunch time - so yay for that.

We also had drinks after work. Mike was shouting them because our team has moved to under his area. So it was a welcome to the team thing. 

Mike had driven in for it because he worked from home and had an appointment at Bowen for his hand again. No change there. I guess that is good.

So we drove home after the drinks and chippies. Went to bed. We both fell asleep watching You Tube and I think we woke up a bit and saw 2 mins of a show and fell asleep and woke again and thought it was the same show. But it was not! We were sleeping for 30 mins or more at a go. Hahahah.

Turned it off and fell into a coma.

Up for gym in town for Mike with Quentin and a bus in for me. I am walking home with Barb after work today. Yippee!

Have a great day!

Love,

Angela

The Monday back at work

 Hi,

Mike and I both worked from home yesterday after only a few hours sleep. Probably wise.

In the morning we watched Moxley and Smudge genuinely play with each other in and on the cat toy that Toby bought them. Smudge was on top of the toy and safe enough that she could bat back and forth with Moxley. Right up until Mike got his phone out.

And then Moxley escalated the game

We did get away at lunch to Ngaio to meet Ed and Joe from our last workplace. So good to see Joe - we bumped into him when we landed for Toby's graduation. Ed then arranged a catch up lunch for when we were all back in Wellington. Ed is doing well - he asked after my mother because I last saw him with her at this cafe. His son Ben has settled into uni halls in Dunedin. Yay!

With Mike, Joe and Ed

After work we had Buddha bowls and we were not long out of bed. Good to get all the washing done through the day, including sheets.

I slept so well. I woke up at 9.15pm for a toilet trip - and then nothing until 5.40am when my alarm went off. That was a shock. Up to bus in for PT with Quentin. Bench 37.5kg 6 reps x 4 sets. Then arms and core.

In at work in town. Haven't been here for a bit. :-)

Hope your day is awesomeness.

Love,

Angela

The weekend with a catch up with Jane and a race for Janine

 Hi,

Not sure I can capture all the weekend's fun. Mike, Janine and I got up early Saturday to get away by 7am so we could get to Nepean River for their parkrun. And how worth it was that? Such a good parkrun. Two loops. We did lose the car on the way back. Parked it a bit closer than we remembered so we walked past it. Hahah.

Nepean Parkrun

Mike's post parkrun selfie

Drive to Conservation Hut cafe in Blue Mountains

We then continued to Conservation Hut cafe for brekkie int he Blue Mountains. Such a good spot. Great views and walks. Mike and I had a granola with acai on top. Bit of banana too. Scoffed that down and left Janine to explore while we went to visit Jane.

She has lived here for close to 40 years. 37 maybe I think she said. We caught up with her news and she heard all about our news. This house she's been in for 17 years. We hadn't seen this one before - we have visited her once here and once in Bathurst.

Jane's house for a catch up

Showing photos

Out for lunch to a wee French cafe

We caught up with Karen, Scott and Abby here as they collected Janine on the way through. And off to a cafe in town. A French one near Coles. Very delicious galette, thank you. Everyone liked their food.

Back to get Jane her boots then off to Minnehaha Falls for a walk. It was flat for a bit then a steep down section to the valley floor where a waterfall squirted down a cliff and into a beautiful pool. People were jumping in.

Minnehaha Falls walk

Looking through the trees to the river

Banksia, maybe?

Abby negotiates the rocky path

At the waterfall with gorgeous pool

Me and Abby on the way back up

Almost there

Back up and dropped Jane off and headed back to Sydney. We were not up very late. Janine needed to be on the 5am Metro to start her half marathon by 6.48am.

We also had to pack because we needed to head directly to the airport in the afternoon. So come 4.45am Karen got up to say goodbye as did Abby and we climbed into the Uber for the $40 ride to Tallawong. Scott had sorted out a bag drop with a friend of his at Martin Place in town. Thank you for that Scott because Deb was a lifesaver. So much easier all day with only one day bag on us.

Race morning

In the chute

Perfect day for a run. Little wind. Light hazy cloud cover. Janine and 30,000 other people got lined up for the course around Sydney's waterfront. 

At 7:09am she crossed the start line. We tracked the same route I did last year following Mike around. 

With everyone else

Sunrise over the Opera House

Cityscape

Waiting for coffee in an old alleyway

Got a bit of brekkie and a coffee in The Rocks up behind the MCA. Ate it looking at the harbour. Then over to a turnaround point at about the 15km mark. We waited to see Janine there. So was looking strong.

Turnaround point

Back to the finish line where we lost her completely in the crowd. But eventually found each other. She picked up her special medal for completing 4 of the marathon/half marathon in this series.

To fill in time, we went to Cockatoo Island. A UNESCO heritage site. It was a former penal site for the convicts that offended after landing in Sydney. So it must have been a rough place. Caught the ferry from Circular Quay. And 15 mins later we stepped onto the island. Got a map and visited the highlights before catching a ferry back an hour later.

Ferry to Cockatoo Island

Entering the island

Rocky hole

Dog leg tunnel

Turbine shop

Look at that!

Dog leg tunnel

Dog leg tunnel

We loved poking around on this island. Lots of old buildings to peer at and guess what they were used for originally. Plenty to see as it is still a boat storage place with dockyards.

Back to the mainland and collected our bags from Deb with a small latte with 2 sugars as an appreciation. So good to have Deb lined up to do that for us. Thanks again.

Then off to the airport. Janine got off at the domestic terminal to fly to see her brother in Perth. We went to International and checked in and went through to airside to wait for our flight.

On our way to the airport

At the gate

Mike slept well on the plane. I watched a documentary or two. Jane Goodall was good except when the chimps had a fight it woke me up with all the noise. Hahahah.

Taxi from Wellington airport because Uber had nothing to offer. Cats were happy - thank you Ange. And off to bed. Hard to wake up after 5 hours sleep.

Working from home today. Hope no one asks me anything super hard.

Have a great week.

Love,

Angela