Hi,
What a strange weekend. Friday evening started oddly when I rode to the ferry terminal to collect the car from there. Mike was tramping at the top of the South Island and had taken the club van. So I grabbed the car and collected Aidan and Toby on the way home. Toby and I dropped Aidan off at home just as her boys walked there. Perfect timing. And Toby and I went home via Burger Wisconsin to relax with a movie.
Saturday we were up and off to Toyworld in the morning to get a present for Dabao. It was his birthday party on Sunday afternoon. Toby went out in a t shirt and shorts and said he'd be fine when I asked about a jersey. But as we walked around outside in town, he asked me for my jersey. And I caved in and gave it to him. I do have more insulation I suppose.
Got the present and grabbed some groceries and back home. Aidan and Ed dropped the boys off for an afternoon of gaming while I made dinner. Well, actually, I sat on the couch and read a lot. The dinner was roast chicken so it wasn't exactly hands-on.
Aidan and Ed got back and we chatted away. Close to tea time the boys all went to the park. Toby went in his pyjama shorts. Yes, really! Dinner was eventually ready and we ate. It was good, but the dessert was a huge hit. Eton mess. Yep. Set to become a Tabor favourite I think.
Once it was just the two of us again, Toby and I relaxed on the couches reading for a bit and then went to bed for more of the same.
Sunday we were up and I went to the market with Vivienne and Ramble. Got a few things. Enjoyed the fish buying process. Wandered around a bit. Back home and Sally and Andrew called. They popped in for lunch. Which was good because I was half intending to go to their house to collect the bouncy castle. But 1) they weren't there (they had been in Nelson) and 2) the bouncy castle wasn't there. And we ate leftovers from the night before. The fridge is looking much better now.
Dropped Toby off at the party. Dabao was turning 5 years old. So Toby was by far the oldest kid there. It was a lovely party but I escaped and went home to iron. Did a bit of housework as well.
Toby got home and we had tea and finished watching the Friday night movie. Off to bed and Mike got home but I was comatose. I feel like I haven't seen him. But we'll catch up tonight.
Have a wonderful week. Last day of March today. Crazy.
Love,
Angela
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Mid Goulter (very steep)
Punters: Mike Gilbert, Helen Bennett, Jenn Zhu, Clare Denny, Edd Lucas
"Hmm, maybe my hatchback wouldn't make it here after all," I finally admitted, at about a quarter to midnight. Whilst it's a 'gravel road' on the map, the road to Lake Chalice is a lot more like a goat track than a road. It's narrow, steep, winding and rough. For once I was grateful to be in a big van with the weight of many punters and their packs holding the back wheels firmly onto the road.
It had already been a long day and a long night. My job was to collect the vans; a minor crisis at work at just the wrong time meant I was late and rushed, but we all made it onto the ferry in good time. As we sailed south, we three leaders worked out the logistics of dropoff and pickup. Emily's trip was straightforward; she was heading to Lake Chalice, then returning to Lake Chalice. Katy needed a dropoff at some random road-end on the way, then pickup from another random road-end. I was heading to Lake Chalice but needed someone to collect my group to save an interminable walk down a road that may be gravel, might be 4WD, could be navigable in a van...
So some 8 hours after we started our journey, the Lake Chalice car park suddenly appeared through the darkness. We unloaded and headed off in the dark to Lake Chalice Hut, which we were reliably informed was somewhere down the track. It was a beautiful night and perfect conditions for a bit of night walking. Soon we found that our informants were correct - just 30 min down an easy track we found a spacious, tidy hut. Emily and her group turned up about half an hour later - this was Emily's first full trip driving the van and she sure picked a tough trip for it!
We all fitted just nicely into the hut, since two of us decided it was such a nice night that sleeping outside was the best thing for it. The new day dawned fine and crisp, but we were all flavours of Easy trampers so there was no hurry. After a suitably relaxed beginning to the day, we set off on our respective journeys. Emily's group were daywalking up Old Man ridge, to the north. We were loping southwest down the valley to Mid Goulter Hut, about 5 DOC hours away; then heading back to the lake chalice car park on the Sunday by climbing out of the valley and returning along the ridgeline. The track in looked really gorgeous on the map, following the shores of Lake Chalice itself and then down beside the Goulter River. But alas, this was somewhat deceiving. The lakeshore and river were steepsided, so the track followed the terraces and spurs a short distance from the water. Still very pleasant but lake- and riverside, not so much. Soon we arrived at the head of the lake, where a short path took us down to the river fan that fed into the lake. Beautiful it was too. Next time I'll walk down the river fan and pick the track up at the lake head.
After stops for photos we carried on down the meandering track. Up and down, side to side we went, and this is where we discovered what the difference is between the long dashed lines and the short dashed lines on the topo map. This was a short-dashed-line route, which was new territory for some of our group! Instead of a smooth gravel track we had a rooty, bumpy, sloping path. So sloping that our left legs were much more tired than our right legs by the end of the day! Water ran a little low for some as we saw the Goulter river much less often than we expected. Still, the track was quite lovely, wending its way through some trees, then gaining a little height in places to change ecosystems into... some other sorts of trees. (Where was Illona when you needed her?!). The weather was superb as it always is in Nelson-Malborough.
One thing about following a river is that there aren't that many bearings to really know how far it is to go. The track wended and wound up and down spurs and gullies and over side creeks... it seemed never ending. But sure enough, in late afternoon a big sign welcoming us to Mid Goulter loomed at us, to the relief of many tired left legs.
Mid Goulter is a funny sort of hut. Like Lake Chalice hut it's an 8-bunk, but unlike Lake Chalice it is small and poky, and has a dearth of windows. Still, it's relatively modern, warm and weather tight, and has a delightful history of being nurtured by a couple of old guys over the years who at one point even winched it up into a sunnier spot and rotated it 90 degrees to give it a better outlook. But our little group of 5 were a tight fit, and we had to carefully choreograph moving about inside.
Dinner was cooked on Jenn's fantastic JetBoil. I am now sold on Jetboil. The inner German in me is deeply satisfied at its perfect, efficient design, optimised for boiling water with its integrated, neoprene-wrapped 1L container. However my stove broke when I tried to use it, so we had to press the JetBoil into service doing unnatural things such as cooking a billy full of stew. With a bit of balancing and jury rigging we fashioned a tripod for it, and though the JetBoil Engineering team would be crying and knashing their teeth at the chaotic inefficiency of it all, it did a fantastic job at heating the contents of a 30 year old, well panelbeaten WTMC billy as well.
The hut water supply was the nearby Goulter river, and the sign in the hut sternly warned us to BOIL (for 3 minutes) OR STERILISE the contents of the river before daring to consume it. Most of us respected this but this river is one of the clearest, crispest and most beautiful I've seen, especially outside the hut - bank to bank, completely clear and transparent and flowing languidly. I took my chances. As did Helen, who declared that her time living on a farm in the Waikato had hardened her stomach to anything.
Next day we were off relatively early for an EM group - there was a ferry leaving and we didn't want to miss it. And we knew that the day started with an uphill slog. Ominously, the signpost pointing us up the hill had no estimated time - either they didn't want to discourage us, or it all depended on whether or not you even made it up the hill! But there was nothing for it but to set off. Clare had damaged her ankle on the lopsided route in, so we split into two parties - Jenn, Edd and Helen heading off first, followed by Clare and I.
And steadily uphill it certainly was. Perversely I actually quite like steep uphill; if you've got to get to the top of a hill, then let me rip the bandaid off and slog up there quickly, rather than interminably climb slowly for hours. Well - rip the bandaid off this certainly did. Up and up we climbed, through lowland forest giving way to scrub, in turn giving way to alpine plants and bare rock and scree. With a bit of scrambling and 3 points of contact climbing we were relieved to see Edd coming back to report we were nearly there. We traversed across the face of the tallest peak, glad we didn't have to summit it - turned out that Helen and Jenn had in fact missed the turn and had ended up at the top! The view was certainly worth it though.
Suddenly the track jarringly ended on a gravel road - and surreally, an older couple were there walking their dog. We said hello and they reported that the road end was just 15 min back down the road. Joy! After a bit of a rest and a bite to eat, we set off again. Sure enough there was the road end and (I still can't work out how they did this) there were the dog walkers, back at their van. Wonderfully, they had a big jerry can of water that they were happy to share with us!
There's nothing fun about walking down a gravel road, even one as picturesque as this one. So we were ecstatic to see a familiar looking van appear over the rise as we walked. Thanks, Tracey and Joe! We were wondering if the van would make it, because on the map the road changes from 'gravel' to '4wd only' after lake chalice. But it's actually in better nick past the lake chalice car park - if you made it that far then going on is no worries at all.
We were done! After an uneventful drive back to Picton we met the other van at the Toot and Whistle and relaxed and swapped stories on the ferry. The Richmond Ranges are now near the top of my favourite places to go. This is definitely not the last time I'm going to stay in Lake Chalice hut, that's for sure.
"Hmm, maybe my hatchback wouldn't make it here after all," I finally admitted, at about a quarter to midnight. Whilst it's a 'gravel road' on the map, the road to Lake Chalice is a lot more like a goat track than a road. It's narrow, steep, winding and rough. For once I was grateful to be in a big van with the weight of many punters and their packs holding the back wheels firmly onto the road.
It had already been a long day and a long night. My job was to collect the vans; a minor crisis at work at just the wrong time meant I was late and rushed, but we all made it onto the ferry in good time. As we sailed south, we three leaders worked out the logistics of dropoff and pickup. Emily's trip was straightforward; she was heading to Lake Chalice, then returning to Lake Chalice. Katy needed a dropoff at some random road-end on the way, then pickup from another random road-end. I was heading to Lake Chalice but needed someone to collect my group to save an interminable walk down a road that may be gravel, might be 4WD, could be navigable in a van...
So some 8 hours after we started our journey, the Lake Chalice car park suddenly appeared through the darkness. We unloaded and headed off in the dark to Lake Chalice Hut, which we were reliably informed was somewhere down the track. It was a beautiful night and perfect conditions for a bit of night walking. Soon we found that our informants were correct - just 30 min down an easy track we found a spacious, tidy hut. Emily and her group turned up about half an hour later - this was Emily's first full trip driving the van and she sure picked a tough trip for it!
We all fitted just nicely into the hut, since two of us decided it was such a nice night that sleeping outside was the best thing for it. The new day dawned fine and crisp, but we were all flavours of Easy trampers so there was no hurry. After a suitably relaxed beginning to the day, we set off on our respective journeys. Emily's group were daywalking up Old Man ridge, to the north. We were loping southwest down the valley to Mid Goulter Hut, about 5 DOC hours away; then heading back to the lake chalice car park on the Sunday by climbing out of the valley and returning along the ridgeline. The track in looked really gorgeous on the map, following the shores of Lake Chalice itself and then down beside the Goulter River. But alas, this was somewhat deceiving. The lakeshore and river were steepsided, so the track followed the terraces and spurs a short distance from the water. Still very pleasant but lake- and riverside, not so much. Soon we arrived at the head of the lake, where a short path took us down to the river fan that fed into the lake. Beautiful it was too. Next time I'll walk down the river fan and pick the track up at the lake head.
After stops for photos we carried on down the meandering track. Up and down, side to side we went, and this is where we discovered what the difference is between the long dashed lines and the short dashed lines on the topo map. This was a short-dashed-line route, which was new territory for some of our group! Instead of a smooth gravel track we had a rooty, bumpy, sloping path. So sloping that our left legs were much more tired than our right legs by the end of the day! Water ran a little low for some as we saw the Goulter river much less often than we expected. Still, the track was quite lovely, wending its way through some trees, then gaining a little height in places to change ecosystems into... some other sorts of trees. (Where was Illona when you needed her?!). The weather was superb as it always is in Nelson-Malborough.
One thing about following a river is that there aren't that many bearings to really know how far it is to go. The track wended and wound up and down spurs and gullies and over side creeks... it seemed never ending. But sure enough, in late afternoon a big sign welcoming us to Mid Goulter loomed at us, to the relief of many tired left legs.
Mid Goulter is a funny sort of hut. Like Lake Chalice hut it's an 8-bunk, but unlike Lake Chalice it is small and poky, and has a dearth of windows. Still, it's relatively modern, warm and weather tight, and has a delightful history of being nurtured by a couple of old guys over the years who at one point even winched it up into a sunnier spot and rotated it 90 degrees to give it a better outlook. But our little group of 5 were a tight fit, and we had to carefully choreograph moving about inside.
Dinner was cooked on Jenn's fantastic JetBoil. I am now sold on Jetboil. The inner German in me is deeply satisfied at its perfect, efficient design, optimised for boiling water with its integrated, neoprene-wrapped 1L container. However my stove broke when I tried to use it, so we had to press the JetBoil into service doing unnatural things such as cooking a billy full of stew. With a bit of balancing and jury rigging we fashioned a tripod for it, and though the JetBoil Engineering team would be crying and knashing their teeth at the chaotic inefficiency of it all, it did a fantastic job at heating the contents of a 30 year old, well panelbeaten WTMC billy as well.
The hut water supply was the nearby Goulter river, and the sign in the hut sternly warned us to BOIL (for 3 minutes) OR STERILISE the contents of the river before daring to consume it. Most of us respected this but this river is one of the clearest, crispest and most beautiful I've seen, especially outside the hut - bank to bank, completely clear and transparent and flowing languidly. I took my chances. As did Helen, who declared that her time living on a farm in the Waikato had hardened her stomach to anything.
Next day we were off relatively early for an EM group - there was a ferry leaving and we didn't want to miss it. And we knew that the day started with an uphill slog. Ominously, the signpost pointing us up the hill had no estimated time - either they didn't want to discourage us, or it all depended on whether or not you even made it up the hill! But there was nothing for it but to set off. Clare had damaged her ankle on the lopsided route in, so we split into two parties - Jenn, Edd and Helen heading off first, followed by Clare and I.
And steadily uphill it certainly was. Perversely I actually quite like steep uphill; if you've got to get to the top of a hill, then let me rip the bandaid off and slog up there quickly, rather than interminably climb slowly for hours. Well - rip the bandaid off this certainly did. Up and up we climbed, through lowland forest giving way to scrub, in turn giving way to alpine plants and bare rock and scree. With a bit of scrambling and 3 points of contact climbing we were relieved to see Edd coming back to report we were nearly there. We traversed across the face of the tallest peak, glad we didn't have to summit it - turned out that Helen and Jenn had in fact missed the turn and had ended up at the top! The view was certainly worth it though.
Suddenly the track jarringly ended on a gravel road - and surreally, an older couple were there walking their dog. We said hello and they reported that the road end was just 15 min back down the road. Joy! After a bit of a rest and a bite to eat, we set off again. Sure enough there was the road end and (I still can't work out how they did this) there were the dog walkers, back at their van. Wonderfully, they had a big jerry can of water that they were happy to share with us!
There's nothing fun about walking down a gravel road, even one as picturesque as this one. So we were ecstatic to see a familiar looking van appear over the rise as we walked. Thanks, Tracey and Joe! We were wondering if the van would make it, because on the map the road changes from 'gravel' to '4wd only' after lake chalice. But it's actually in better nick past the lake chalice car park - if you made it that far then going on is no worries at all.
We were done! After an uneventful drive back to Picton we met the other van at the Toot and Whistle and relaxed and swapped stories on the ferry. The Richmond Ranges are now near the top of my favourite places to go. This is definitely not the last time I'm going to stay in Lake Chalice hut, that's for sure.
Friday, March 28, 2014
The Thursday with parent teacher interviews
Hi,
Mike and I left work at 4.30 and got stuck in traffic through to Kilbirnie. Why is the traffic so bad at 4.30pm? Weird. Anyhow, we picked up Toby's sports bag that he left on the school bus two weeks ago. Hooray! Then we scoffed Burger King before the school interviews. This is my first Burger King in almost 20 years. I got a moldy bun back when I tried it the first time. But I was starving. It was ok - but pretty much in the same league as Maccas. Best avoided.
The interviews went well. The teachers seem to think Toby is a good kid in class. We have some techniques to try to get him a little more organised. Let's see how that goes.
Back home and I dropped Benjamin off and headed back home. Mike and Toby went jogging and I read in bed. I put Toby to bed while Mike packed for his tramping weekend down south. I fell asleep before Mike came to bed. Pretty sure I was reading again too.
Have a wonderful weekend,. Frankly, it can't come soon enough for me.
Love,
Angela
Mike and I left work at 4.30 and got stuck in traffic through to Kilbirnie. Why is the traffic so bad at 4.30pm? Weird. Anyhow, we picked up Toby's sports bag that he left on the school bus two weeks ago. Hooray! Then we scoffed Burger King before the school interviews. This is my first Burger King in almost 20 years. I got a moldy bun back when I tried it the first time. But I was starving. It was ok - but pretty much in the same league as Maccas. Best avoided.
The interviews went well. The teachers seem to think Toby is a good kid in class. We have some techniques to try to get him a little more organised. Let's see how that goes.
Back home and I dropped Benjamin off and headed back home. Mike and Toby went jogging and I read in bed. I put Toby to bed while Mike packed for his tramping weekend down south. I fell asleep before Mike came to bed. Pretty sure I was reading again too.
Have a wonderful weekend,. Frankly, it can't come soon enough for me.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The Wednesday with nothing much
Hi,
I had a lovely ride to the library and a pleasant walk home with Toby. He got a book out of the library full of useless facts. I heard quite a lot of them as we walked home. Did you know that there are more plastic flamingos in the U.S. than real flamingos? Well, now you and I both know that. Not terribly sure how useful that is. I also now know what different countries like to eat for their Christmas dinner. And I am kinda glad I am not Bulgarian. Hahahah.
As I was pondering what to cook for tea and Toby was doing his homework, I realised there was nothing to cook and we really should have gone grocery shopping the night before. So I ordered Indian takeaways and Mike vowed to collect them on his way home.
When I hung up after ordering, Christine rang and was headed over so I asked her to stay for tea. Mike finally arrived with the food after allowing it to sit and have the flavours blend even more than intended by the original chefs. It was all tasty. Good to catch up with Christine too.
I went grocery shopping after doing some laundry and tidying. Mike and Toby went for a job and they jogged easily for 2.5 km. Mike said Toby is really good at it. They are going to go every night. Their aim is for 5km. Oooooo. They are beating me already with my Couch to 5k programme.
Had a great sleep and time to start the day. Benjamin is coming after school because we have the parent teacher interviews. Something like ten interviews, lasting five minutes each, scattered over some different rooms, spanning two hours (we have some gaps). It's going to be odd.
Enjoy the day!
Love,
Angela
I had a lovely ride to the library and a pleasant walk home with Toby. He got a book out of the library full of useless facts. I heard quite a lot of them as we walked home. Did you know that there are more plastic flamingos in the U.S. than real flamingos? Well, now you and I both know that. Not terribly sure how useful that is. I also now know what different countries like to eat for their Christmas dinner. And I am kinda glad I am not Bulgarian. Hahahah.
As I was pondering what to cook for tea and Toby was doing his homework, I realised there was nothing to cook and we really should have gone grocery shopping the night before. So I ordered Indian takeaways and Mike vowed to collect them on his way home.
When I hung up after ordering, Christine rang and was headed over so I asked her to stay for tea. Mike finally arrived with the food after allowing it to sit and have the flavours blend even more than intended by the original chefs. It was all tasty. Good to catch up with Christine too.
I went grocery shopping after doing some laundry and tidying. Mike and Toby went for a job and they jogged easily for 2.5 km. Mike said Toby is really good at it. They are going to go every night. Their aim is for 5km. Oooooo. They are beating me already with my Couch to 5k programme.
Had a great sleep and time to start the day. Benjamin is coming after school because we have the parent teacher interviews. Something like ten interviews, lasting five minutes each, scattered over some different rooms, spanning two hours (we have some gaps). It's going to be odd.
Enjoy the day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
The Tuesday with nothing much
Hi,
I rode home yesterday in lovely conditions, although a slight southerly meant there was a chill in the air. But it was sunny. I got out for an iced coffee at Mixed Business in the morning with a colleague (Maryanne).
Meandered through the hectic day and left on time and enjoyed my ride to the library. Collected Toby and drove home. I started dinner but wasn't feeling super well. Toby was really good with his homework. He even started his science project unprompted. He made a dinosaur nest out of modelling clay and put cracked eggs into it with baby dinosaur footprints. It was cute.
He cracked four eggs and then after he'd finished his model he beat them lightly and then asked for an omelette as an after school snack. Mike got home around then and I made the omelette and helped Mike with the home made pizza. But I didn't feel well so I went to bed.
Today I feel just fine. I got up early and went for my run. Had fun. Saw Saturn high in the sky looking mighty fine.
Rode to work with dry roads despite the overnight rain. Good! Still a cool southerly, but not very strong.
Have a fantastic day!
Love,
Angela
I rode home yesterday in lovely conditions, although a slight southerly meant there was a chill in the air. But it was sunny. I got out for an iced coffee at Mixed Business in the morning with a colleague (Maryanne).
 |
| I like their iced coffees |
Meandered through the hectic day and left on time and enjoyed my ride to the library. Collected Toby and drove home. I started dinner but wasn't feeling super well. Toby was really good with his homework. He even started his science project unprompted. He made a dinosaur nest out of modelling clay and put cracked eggs into it with baby dinosaur footprints. It was cute.
He cracked four eggs and then after he'd finished his model he beat them lightly and then asked for an omelette as an after school snack. Mike got home around then and I made the omelette and helped Mike with the home made pizza. But I didn't feel well so I went to bed.
Today I feel just fine. I got up early and went for my run. Had fun. Saw Saturn high in the sky looking mighty fine.
Rode to work with dry roads despite the overnight rain. Good! Still a cool southerly, but not very strong.
Have a fantastic day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
The Monday with crazy work and robots on Mars
Hi,
Well, after a manic Monday at work, I drove to the library to collect Toby (he forgot to get off in town and come to our work). I swapped him with Mike and left for my dental appointment. Yes, my teeth are in great shape. Nice pink gums apparently. Yes - that's always a sign you've seen the hygienist for a good teeth scraping and gum raking exercise. Loving my smile right now because I've earned it!
Then I scarpered to Shed 6 for the talk by Charles Elachi (director of JPL) on Mars exploration (and beyond). I got there around 6.15 and I was lucky to get in. Mike had saved me a seat otherwise I would be queuing with the 200 people that failed to get in. It was a free event and yet seated. There were grumpy crowd scenes the likes of which Wellington never sees. We tried to save Duncan's seat, but they closed the venue and we had to give them away. Duncan missed out and Toby was devastated. Toby had been so good - he even went to talk to the door staff to say he was saving them for his friend. And they let Toby out to scour the queue for him. But it all came to naught. It is character building for Toby to be crushed by life. Right?
Anyhow, the talk was great fun! He has his talk down-pat. Great slides. Great fun facts. Landing curiosity on Mars within its 2 km radius target was like hitting a hole in one from Los Angeles with the cup in New Zealand. And if the cup was moving at 60,000 miles per hour. (Because Mars is moving in space). He explained how there is liquid water on frozen satellites of Saturn. As the satellite moves around Saturn the tides pump the satellite with its pull. That melts the ice through energy. Like when you bend a thin piece of metal back and forth till it breaks. The metal gets hot - just like the frozen satellite. That was a cool description. He talked about manned Mars missions and what needs to be sorted out still. Landing on Mars with tonnes of gear will need a new engineering technique. If you drove your car all day at top speed, without stopping ever, it would take you 170 years to get to Mars.
Anyhow - time for work. Have a lovely day!
Love,
Angela
Well, after a manic Monday at work, I drove to the library to collect Toby (he forgot to get off in town and come to our work). I swapped him with Mike and left for my dental appointment. Yes, my teeth are in great shape. Nice pink gums apparently. Yes - that's always a sign you've seen the hygienist for a good teeth scraping and gum raking exercise. Loving my smile right now because I've earned it!
Then I scarpered to Shed 6 for the talk by Charles Elachi (director of JPL) on Mars exploration (and beyond). I got there around 6.15 and I was lucky to get in. Mike had saved me a seat otherwise I would be queuing with the 200 people that failed to get in. It was a free event and yet seated. There were grumpy crowd scenes the likes of which Wellington never sees. We tried to save Duncan's seat, but they closed the venue and we had to give them away. Duncan missed out and Toby was devastated. Toby had been so good - he even went to talk to the door staff to say he was saving them for his friend. And they let Toby out to scour the queue for him. But it all came to naught. It is character building for Toby to be crushed by life. Right?
Anyhow, the talk was great fun! He has his talk down-pat. Great slides. Great fun facts. Landing curiosity on Mars within its 2 km radius target was like hitting a hole in one from Los Angeles with the cup in New Zealand. And if the cup was moving at 60,000 miles per hour. (Because Mars is moving in space). He explained how there is liquid water on frozen satellites of Saturn. As the satellite moves around Saturn the tides pump the satellite with its pull. That melts the ice through energy. Like when you bend a thin piece of metal back and forth till it breaks. The metal gets hot - just like the frozen satellite. That was a cool description. He talked about manned Mars missions and what needs to be sorted out still. Landing on Mars with tonnes of gear will need a new engineering technique. If you drove your car all day at top speed, without stopping ever, it would take you 170 years to get to Mars.
Anyhow - time for work. Have a lovely day!
Love,
Angela
Monday, March 24, 2014
The weekend with date night
Hi,
What a lovely, relaxing weekend. I could do with more of those at the end of each week. Very pleasant. Friday night we had Hayley come around for dinner. She is a little gluten intolerant so we found some gluten free lasagne and made two lots of lasagne. Gluten free and glutinous. Emerson and Duncan came direct from school with Toby so they were all there when I got home. Aidan joined us after she dropped Josh off at Battle Hill for his Scout weekend camping.
We sat around chatting for a while. Aidan had some good advice for Hayley and her PhD work. Great fun! I loved the cheese board. Mmmmmm.
Saturday morning Mike got up and ferried me and Toby breakfast. That was yummy. Marmite on toast. Eventually we got out of bed. We had some tasks to do during the day. We arranged a sleep over for Toby with Isaac so Mike and I could go out on date night. There was a movie we were keen to see, and I rather fancied dinner at Capitol again. Capitol was as good as ever. I had pea and ham risotto and it was scrumptious. Followed by their signature soft centered chocolate pudding. Yum!
Back home to bed and up early to collect Toby from town where Isaac was off to Hebrew school lessons. Back home and Mike found all sorts of excuses not to go to work. He gardened and did all sorts of things. Eventually he went to work, only to come back when the people collected the firewood.
I read a lot of the day, punctuated by housework. And some some inexplicable urge to make banana cake. I don't bake very often. I accidentally left out baking powder when I put the cake in the oven. I figured it was important so I fished the cake out, sprinkled baking powder over and folded in. Noted the sides were already starting to cook. Maybe this was too late to add the baking powder? Oh well, in it went. Burned my fingers handling the tin. When I put it back in I nearly spilled the whole runny lot over the front of the oven. Grabbed the tin with my fingers to catch it. Bit hot.
I got up early for my run this morning. Lovely morning for it. Venus looked stunning.
Have a wonderful week. We're off to hear a chap talk about building the robots that landed on Mars. Curiosity. 6.30pm tonight at Shed 6. Free. Should be quite good! Right after my dental appointment.
Love,
Angela
What a lovely, relaxing weekend. I could do with more of those at the end of each week. Very pleasant. Friday night we had Hayley come around for dinner. She is a little gluten intolerant so we found some gluten free lasagne and made two lots of lasagne. Gluten free and glutinous. Emerson and Duncan came direct from school with Toby so they were all there when I got home. Aidan joined us after she dropped Josh off at Battle Hill for his Scout weekend camping.
 |
| Mike and Hayley |
We sat around chatting for a while. Aidan had some good advice for Hayley and her PhD work. Great fun! I loved the cheese board. Mmmmmm.
Saturday morning Mike got up and ferried me and Toby breakfast. That was yummy. Marmite on toast. Eventually we got out of bed. We had some tasks to do during the day. We arranged a sleep over for Toby with Isaac so Mike and I could go out on date night. There was a movie we were keen to see, and I rather fancied dinner at Capitol again. Capitol was as good as ever. I had pea and ham risotto and it was scrumptious. Followed by their signature soft centered chocolate pudding. Yum!
Back home to bed and up early to collect Toby from town where Isaac was off to Hebrew school lessons. Back home and Mike found all sorts of excuses not to go to work. He gardened and did all sorts of things. Eventually he went to work, only to come back when the people collected the firewood.
I read a lot of the day, punctuated by housework. And some some inexplicable urge to make banana cake. I don't bake very often. I accidentally left out baking powder when I put the cake in the oven. I figured it was important so I fished the cake out, sprinkled baking powder over and folded in. Noted the sides were already starting to cook. Maybe this was too late to add the baking powder? Oh well, in it went. Burned my fingers handling the tin. When I put it back in I nearly spilled the whole runny lot over the front of the oven. Grabbed the tin with my fingers to catch it. Bit hot.
I don't actually own cake tins as such. I have silicon tins. Which aren't tins at all. And because I only use them every five years or so, putting something that feels like rubber into a hot oven feels wrong. Like it will melt. Silicon means wobbly. Hence the cake tin almost throwing the cake mixture out when I only put half back on the hot oven shelf. I don't have a lot of hope for this cake. Mike is going to try it today. The anticipation is likely to be far more delicious than the cake.
Yep. This is why I don't bake. Perhaps I need affirmation every five years or so.
 |
| Cake cooking nicely |
 |
| It looks ok |
I got up early for my run this morning. Lovely morning for it. Venus looked stunning.
Have a wonderful week. We're off to hear a chap talk about building the robots that landed on Mars. Curiosity. 6.30pm tonight at Shed 6. Free. Should be quite good! Right after my dental appointment.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, March 20, 2014
The Wednesday with loads for me and nothing for Mike - how unusual
Hi,
I rode home yesterday and collected Toby from the library and rushed home with him. He changed the plan to a much better one of him staying at home while I nipped down in the car and Mike drove back to have dinner with Toby at home. Nice.
I went to my user group and then went over to work. I left my work swipe access card at home though - safe in my bike shorts. Fortunately someone was coming out as I approached and he swiped me up. And my manager found me wandering aimlessly in the stairwell trying to figure out what floor they were all on for the board game evening.
We played Balderdash and although it was a bit of fun and I did get the giggles helplessly at one point, I think once is enough. I just don't enjoy board games. Or cards.
This morning was a nice ride in. Not too sure what the weather is going to do. But at the moment it is a northerly with a bit of cloud scudding by.
Have a lovely, lovely day!
Love,
Angela
I rode home yesterday and collected Toby from the library and rushed home with him. He changed the plan to a much better one of him staying at home while I nipped down in the car and Mike drove back to have dinner with Toby at home. Nice.
I went to my user group and then went over to work. I left my work swipe access card at home though - safe in my bike shorts. Fortunately someone was coming out as I approached and he swiped me up. And my manager found me wandering aimlessly in the stairwell trying to figure out what floor they were all on for the board game evening.
We played Balderdash and although it was a bit of fun and I did get the giggles helplessly at one point, I think once is enough. I just don't enjoy board games. Or cards.
This morning was a nice ride in. Not too sure what the weather is going to do. But at the moment it is a northerly with a bit of cloud scudding by.
Have a lovely, lovely day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Tuesday with nothing for me and Toby and tramping stuff for Mike
Hi,
The damp stuff is annoying. Actually, I didn't get wet riding home yesterday - but it certainly looked like it might. It's this humid weather - the clouds just hang low and ooze over everything. I collected Toby from the library and we went home and I cooked tea. Lamb chops - for the first time in about 5 years. We never cook lamb chops. But Toby loved them and they are now on our menu. Maybe it was my special home-made honey and soy marinade?
Anyhow, we had a relaxing evening while Mike did Meetup tramping things. Apparently it also involved a beer and solving the problems of the world. Good, I like the idea of things moving to a better position.
I was actually comatose when Mike came to bed. Mike said he chatted to Toby, who was still awake. And although I can remember Mike coming in, there was no way I could make my mouth work. I fell into a deep sleep seconds after barely registering his presence.
This morning is lovely here - morning cloud dissipating. The roads were dry - nice for a change after the last two mornings.
Today is another day! Better than the one before. I have user group after work, so I'll ride home to get Toby and come back to swap Toby over to Mike and go to my user group. I have to present the News section tonight. Gah! And then I have a work function to rush off to. That should be fun!
Have a fantastic day.
Love,
Angela
The damp stuff is annoying. Actually, I didn't get wet riding home yesterday - but it certainly looked like it might. It's this humid weather - the clouds just hang low and ooze over everything. I collected Toby from the library and we went home and I cooked tea. Lamb chops - for the first time in about 5 years. We never cook lamb chops. But Toby loved them and they are now on our menu. Maybe it was my special home-made honey and soy marinade?
Anyhow, we had a relaxing evening while Mike did Meetup tramping things. Apparently it also involved a beer and solving the problems of the world. Good, I like the idea of things moving to a better position.
I was actually comatose when Mike came to bed. Mike said he chatted to Toby, who was still awake. And although I can remember Mike coming in, there was no way I could make my mouth work. I fell into a deep sleep seconds after barely registering his presence.
This morning is lovely here - morning cloud dissipating. The roads were dry - nice for a change after the last two mornings.
Today is another day! Better than the one before. I have user group after work, so I'll ride home to get Toby and come back to swap Toby over to Mike and go to my user group. I have to present the News section tonight. Gah! And then I have a work function to rush off to. That should be fun!
Have a fantastic day.
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The Monday with Mike and another migraine
Hi,
After a wet ride in yesterday and a glorious day while at work, wouldn't you know it clagged in again just as I left work? Weird weather. Warm still though - I had my fluoro vest on. Rode up to the library and walked home with Toby. The clouds were low over the hills and it threatened rain that never eventuated.
Cooked tea for Toby and me and chatted to Mike. As we were chatting on the phone, Mike got a migraine. He tried to recover in a dark room at work, but that didn't work. He had the car in town so he could work late and get home easily. So, I had to jump on my bike and ride in. He walked to The Terrace carpark where we park if we drive in and I rode there in 12.5 minutes from home. Woot! Hopped in the car and drove him home.
This morning was wet again. My bike gear is a bit damp. Hopefully it dries out by 4pm. Heheheh. Time for a cup of tea. That will make everything much better.
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Angela
After a wet ride in yesterday and a glorious day while at work, wouldn't you know it clagged in again just as I left work? Weird weather. Warm still though - I had my fluoro vest on. Rode up to the library and walked home with Toby. The clouds were low over the hills and it threatened rain that never eventuated.
Cooked tea for Toby and me and chatted to Mike. As we were chatting on the phone, Mike got a migraine. He tried to recover in a dark room at work, but that didn't work. He had the car in town so he could work late and get home easily. So, I had to jump on my bike and ride in. He walked to The Terrace carpark where we park if we drive in and I rode there in 12.5 minutes from home. Woot! Hopped in the car and drove him home.
This morning was wet again. My bike gear is a bit damp. Hopefully it dries out by 4pm. Heheheh. Time for a cup of tea. That will make everything much better.
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Angela
Monday, March 17, 2014
The weekend with a cyclone
Hi,
Pretty good weekend despite the dire
weather warnings. In fact, I think we
might have hit our highest temperature of the summer on Sunday. I saw 25C on the weather website. And it was so close to 100% humidity it wasn't
funny. Weird weather. This tropical cyclone has pulled down some
warm, moist air from the equator.
Friday we went to see Vivienne, John and Benjamin for some much needed Friday takeaways. Mmmmm. Indian. It was good. Mike hit the wall at about 8.30pm and had found a quiet corner downstairs to close his eyes for just a moment and perhaps if John hadn't gone looking for him, we might have stayed for ages longer with me chatting to Vivienne and John completely oblivious.
Saturday I was up ferrying breakfast to my boys. After 4 bits of toast each Mike cheekily said he'd like bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese and could I just pop out to the supermarket to get it all for him? I showed him! I found the bagels in the freezer and gave him a gourmet pastrami on bagels with capers and cracked pepper. He was amazed.
Off to the day spa for my appointment and then I caught up with Aidan. She was in town for work - yes - on a Saturday! But she had just finished so we were footloose and fancy free for a bit. She wanted lunch and some shoe shopping. I was psychologically prepared for the shoe shopping. I think. Hahahah.
We went to Lido and I haven't been there for years and years. And I was a bit disappointed. Their iced coffee wasn't too bad, mind you. Maybe a 7. Minus a half point for the copious cinnamon on top. But add it back on for the good mix of cream and ice cream. Anyhow, Aidan likes cinnamon and scraped a fair bit off for me.
 |
| Aidan went a bit mad with the iced coffee photos. Apparently my eyes were shut for most of them! |
Off to the shoe shop next door and I observed Wellington women seem to shop for shoes in pairs. No! Not pairs of shoes. Pairs of women! And you, as the non shoe buying partner, have to say things like "This colour is so easy to wear". Or "This would go so well with your jacket". Or stuff like that. I'm practising. Aidan might one day appreciate my shoe shopping banter. Ummmm. If she ever invites me shoe shopping again. Anyhow, in spite of the inadequacies of her shoe shopping companion, Aidan found some very nice shoes.
Then it was my turn! I found the best pair of sneakers ever! Purple ones. Awesome! The shoe salesman was a bit of a lark too. I really almost just bought them because he was so funny. He told me at one point that Mike had called him earlier in the day to say he really liked the purple ones too. Hahahah.
Back home and getting the laundry done was the highest priority for the rest of the day. Vivienne came and collected me at 5.30pm and we went to see Vampire Academy. Ok. I admit it. It was pretty rubbish. But I think my main issue was with the two main actresses. It was actually quite faithful to the book. Vivienne may think twice when I ask her to the movies again. Or at least until the memory fades.
Sunday up early to head to the market with Vivienne and Ramble. The rain had put people off but I was in my t-shirt and wishing I had my sunglasses. Nice coffee with Vivienne, nice broccoli and back home to relax. Mike had a migraine during the night and found the day a bit of a struggle. I read on the couch for a lot of it before preparing the veges for dinner and herding us out the door. Mike dug out the steps next door during his afternoon.
Family dinner was so yummy. I am still full! The chocolate cheesecake and birthday cake was scrumptious. It's Sally's birthday next weekend! And Aidan's today (the Aidan attached to the Sally and Andrew part of my life, not the shoe shopping fiend!)! Happy birthday Aidan!
Time to tackle the week. Have a wonderful week! Busy, busy. I know.
Love,
Angela
Friday, March 14, 2014
The Thursday with not much
Hi,
Well, apparently there is a cyclone bearing down on us for the weekend. But for now, the weather this morning is the most stunning. No wind and blue skies. Very pleasant ride in this morning, I have to say. The poor weather forecast (which is an understatement because Civil Defence is saying to batten down hatches and not travel unless necessary) meant Mike has cancelled his Mt Ruapehu weekend trip. Sensible!
Yesterday was rather pleasant. I rode off to collect Toby from the library only to find he had remembered the conversation that suggested he could go over the Duncan and Emerson's house and he was actually at their house. Aidan sorted me out with some text messages and I drove from the library to her house for a nice cup of tea. Mmmm.
After chatting to Aidan for a bit, I hauled Toby out of their house and off to collect Mike from work. Then I nipped back into town to do grocery shopping. Hooray. Cyclone be blowed - we have some groceries to see us through. Hahahahah.
For some reason when I got into bed I could barely keep my eyes open. I read for a bit and then snuggled into Mike and next thing I know, it is the morning. How did that happen? Hahahah. I think it was entirely possible Mike was reading something to me. Oops.
Have a fantastic weekend. Stay warm and dry if you're in New Zealand.
Love,
Angela
Well, apparently there is a cyclone bearing down on us for the weekend. But for now, the weather this morning is the most stunning. No wind and blue skies. Very pleasant ride in this morning, I have to say. The poor weather forecast (which is an understatement because Civil Defence is saying to batten down hatches and not travel unless necessary) meant Mike has cancelled his Mt Ruapehu weekend trip. Sensible!
Yesterday was rather pleasant. I rode off to collect Toby from the library only to find he had remembered the conversation that suggested he could go over the Duncan and Emerson's house and he was actually at their house. Aidan sorted me out with some text messages and I drove from the library to her house for a nice cup of tea. Mmmm.
After chatting to Aidan for a bit, I hauled Toby out of their house and off to collect Mike from work. Then I nipped back into town to do grocery shopping. Hooray. Cyclone be blowed - we have some groceries to see us through. Hahahahah.
For some reason when I got into bed I could barely keep my eyes open. I read for a bit and then snuggled into Mike and next thing I know, it is the morning. How did that happen? Hahahah. I think it was entirely possible Mike was reading something to me. Oops.
Have a fantastic weekend. Stay warm and dry if you're in New Zealand.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, March 13, 2014
The Wednesday with tramping club for me
Hi,
Not too shabby a day yesterday. I managed to leave almost on time and got to Toby in a timely fashion. We headed home together and I cooked him some juicy homemade hamburgers. He was very happy and scoffed them both! In fact, by the time I was ready to head into tramping club to tag team Mike, Toby wanted more dinner. So I cooked him some two minute noodles and he ate all of them too!
I drove into town and swapped Mike out of the tramping meeting and me in. Sue was talking on her trip to Iceland 5 years ago and I really wanted to see the photos. She went in August and it looked so different from when we went twice in February. I need to go back there one day and spend three weeks exploring the whole place. Maybe by bike? Oooooh, yeah!
Mike took me out for an iced coffee during the day. Mixed Business next door - with their solid performer.
This morning was a lovely ride in. The roads were so dry - I hooned down. The wind has got up though and the forecast this weekend is pants. Toby and I are on our own because Mike is heading up to Ruapehu with the tramping club. Yes - into the severe weather warning. Nice. Hope he brings loads of books.
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Angela
Not too shabby a day yesterday. I managed to leave almost on time and got to Toby in a timely fashion. We headed home together and I cooked him some juicy homemade hamburgers. He was very happy and scoffed them both! In fact, by the time I was ready to head into tramping club to tag team Mike, Toby wanted more dinner. So I cooked him some two minute noodles and he ate all of them too!
I drove into town and swapped Mike out of the tramping meeting and me in. Sue was talking on her trip to Iceland 5 years ago and I really wanted to see the photos. She went in August and it looked so different from when we went twice in February. I need to go back there one day and spend three weeks exploring the whole place. Maybe by bike? Oooooh, yeah!
Mike took me out for an iced coffee during the day. Mixed Business next door - with their solid performer.
 |
| That startled look I seem to have perfected! |
This morning was a lovely ride in. The roads were so dry - I hooned down. The wind has got up though and the forecast this weekend is pants. Toby and I are on our own because Mike is heading up to Ruapehu with the tramping club. Yes - into the severe weather warning. Nice. Hope he brings loads of books.
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The Tuesday with normal activities resumed
Hi,
Yep - Tuesday was normal in its execution. Thank goodness for that! Work was busy, but really only normal busy. I caught up with a client for a coffee and got to try the Soho cafe's iced coffee again. It is quite a good consistent iced coffee and I give it a solid 8.
I rode to the library and collected Toby and the car and then drove home to make tea. I found my fossil book of New Zealand and read about the place where we collected some fossils on Saturday. About where we were collecting fossils the book says it is illegal to take them from the reserve. Aidan's interpretation of this was we were basically in the car park and not the reserve, so it was all good. Next time I am reading the book before I head out fossil hunting. Hahahah.
Toby is doing his paleontology badge for science at school - hence the interest in fossils from everyone all of a sudden. Good fun!
Today is weird. So dark still. I got dribbly rain on me at the top of our hill and down here in town there is nothing. Just overcast. And it was supposed to be sunny. What's with that?
Must be time for a cup of tea. Have a wonderful day.
Love,
Angela
Yep - Tuesday was normal in its execution. Thank goodness for that! Work was busy, but really only normal busy. I caught up with a client for a coffee and got to try the Soho cafe's iced coffee again. It is quite a good consistent iced coffee and I give it a solid 8.
 |
| Yes - I made the client take my photo. Yes, he thought it was a little odd. |
I rode to the library and collected Toby and the car and then drove home to make tea. I found my fossil book of New Zealand and read about the place where we collected some fossils on Saturday. About where we were collecting fossils the book says it is illegal to take them from the reserve. Aidan's interpretation of this was we were basically in the car park and not the reserve, so it was all good. Next time I am reading the book before I head out fossil hunting. Hahahah.
Toby is doing his paleontology badge for science at school - hence the interest in fossils from everyone all of a sudden. Good fun!
Today is weird. So dark still. I got dribbly rain on me at the top of our hill and down here in town there is nothing. Just overcast. And it was supposed to be sunny. What's with that?
Must be time for a cup of tea. Have a wonderful day.
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
The Monday with work, work, work
Hi,
Well, with Mike's migraine and late start he was supposed to work late to make up time. But my work turned into worms and I ended up staying until 7pm trying to sort it out. And the really frustrating part is... I never got it sorted out. It was one of those problems.
I rode home in probably the best evening you'll ever see in Wellington. No wind. Blue skies. The sun setting and starting to turn the sky pink. Lovely. The boys were watching the last episode of Sherlock so I ate some late dinner and mucked around avoiding the television. Mike will watch it with me again later.
Mike and I had a bath after Toby went to bed and that relaxed me completely. Bike ride then bath is a great recipe for ignoring work. I slept like a log.
My ride in was lovely this morning.
The clouds were draped over the hills, and oozing down the valleys. Not too sure if you can see it in the photo above. But it was superb!
Have a fantastic day! Enjoy whatever you get up to.
Love,
Angela
Well, with Mike's migraine and late start he was supposed to work late to make up time. But my work turned into worms and I ended up staying until 7pm trying to sort it out. And the really frustrating part is... I never got it sorted out. It was one of those problems.
I rode home in probably the best evening you'll ever see in Wellington. No wind. Blue skies. The sun setting and starting to turn the sky pink. Lovely. The boys were watching the last episode of Sherlock so I ate some late dinner and mucked around avoiding the television. Mike will watch it with me again later.
Mike and I had a bath after Toby went to bed and that relaxed me completely. Bike ride then bath is a great recipe for ignoring work. I slept like a log.
My ride in was lovely this morning.
 |
| View from our garage |
The clouds were draped over the hills, and oozing down the valleys. Not too sure if you can see it in the photo above. But it was superb!
Have a fantastic day! Enjoy whatever you get up to.
Love,
Angela
Monday, March 10, 2014
The weekend with great weather and even better activities
Hi,
What a wonderful weekend. Not sure I can do justice to the great fun! Friday night, Benjamin came to look after Toby while Mike and I went to see Marcus Chown talk for Christine's birthday. Marcus Chown is an astrophysicist and renowned for making things easy for noobs to understand. It was very enjoyable but far too short. One hour and it was all over.
We nipped into a chinese takeway on Courtney Place for a quick meal. Kara was there and a friend of Christine's (Rachel). Christine was off to another session at 8pm so it was gobble and go. Mike and I got home with my bike (puncture still) and collapsed into bed.
Saturday I was up early and getting ready for my birthday present bike ride with Aidan. I fixed the puncture, pulling out a huge shard of green glass from the tyre (lucky Andrew taught me how to perform the glass patrol). Eventually I got all the stuff in the car and said goodbye to the boys and went to collect Aidan. She was ready too and just as excited as me. Well, not sure it is possible to be as excited as me. But she was pretty close.
We popped into Thorndon New World to buy picnic stuff and we certainly had a lot of food. Then I had to drive so slowly over the Rimutaka Hill because Aidan gets car sick. In fact, she went very quiet. And muttered "granny" every now and then when my speed crept up. Even once we got down to the flat part on the way to Lake Ferry we had to pull over and allow her to settle her stomach. But there was no puking! Yay! It might have been just her iron will stopping that though.
We continued down to the coast and came across a car perpendicular to the road. The driver got out and chatted to the car in front of us and then she got back in. I think she was lost and turning around. She dithered about a kilometre down the road again. She was a little scary to think about on the roads.
Once we got to the coast we parked up and got on our bikes. I had my skinny road tyres and two panniers (the picnic!). Aidan had a baguette bungeed to her cross bar on her bike. It looked perfect - the only better thing would have been her basket on the front with it poking out. The gravel was sometimes a bit deep and soft for my bike but Aidan skimmed along nicely.
We saw a load of people doing stuff. Fishing, surfing, cycling. We crossed a few fords and the second one had a soft gravel bottom and my bike stopped in the middle. I was still clipped into my pedals when I realised I was going nowhere. I unclipped pretty quick and got a wet foot. We rode for about 5 km along the coastal road until we were truly off-road and sinking in soft gravel. That made a good spot for a picnic.
The people belonging to the cars behind us were surfing just below our picnic spot. Aidan was hoping they would lure in whales to investigate. But no whales were seen. Plenty of birds. And kelp! The sea was a stunning colour!
We contemplated the scenery for a while before deciding we really should get back to the car so we could do all the other things on our list too. On the way back, Aidan negotiated a huge muddy puddle only to stop right at the end and put both feet down in it! Eeeeewwww. I looked back and saw her face! But she immediately cracked up. In fact, there was a fair bit of giggling from the two of us as we rode back. It was such fun!
Once back at the car, we changed into jeans and we went around to the Pinnacles and went fossicking for a bit. I finally got to use my geologist hammer! It was a lot of fun too!
We also went into Lake Ferry itself. Our intention was for a cup of tea at the pub. But it was closed for a private function. Steph was getting hitched, according to a sign on a house. And most of the town were in attendance. So we drove back to Martinborough, following a German registered campervan for a good portion.
We eventually dragged ourselves away from a cafe (Aidan liked their hand cut chips and the iced coffee was a good 7.5). The decor was decidedly odd with naked women painted into normal landscapes in paintings on the walls. Aidan even found a painting that was weird in her toilet. But, the food was good!
Aidan and I chatted about Bruce Springsteen and religion and all the things that we never have time to discuss during our busy weeks. It was a fantastic day! And Mike had organised a BBQ at our place so it was great to see Josh and the boys when we got back. Aidan certainly chose the best birthday present! What a wonderful memory!
Next day was Toby's social day. Tris, Sam, Emerson, Duncan and Will came over. They all had lunch and then watched Jurassic Park. They flew upstairs like locusts from time to time to empty the pantry. The went down to the park to play as well. They seemed to have a good time!.
Then it was into the boring ironing part of every weekend! Got that out of the way while watching Season three of Sherlock Holmes. Toby likes it now (Tabor influence).
Today is stunning here in Wellington. And seems to be like that for the rest of the week! Cool! More of this weather please. Mike however did get a migraine last night during the night. He is at work though and feeling okay.
Have a fantastic week!
Love,
Angela
What a wonderful weekend. Not sure I can do justice to the great fun! Friday night, Benjamin came to look after Toby while Mike and I went to see Marcus Chown talk for Christine's birthday. Marcus Chown is an astrophysicist and renowned for making things easy for noobs to understand. It was very enjoyable but far too short. One hour and it was all over.
We nipped into a chinese takeway on Courtney Place for a quick meal. Kara was there and a friend of Christine's (Rachel). Christine was off to another session at 8pm so it was gobble and go. Mike and I got home with my bike (puncture still) and collapsed into bed.
Saturday I was up early and getting ready for my birthday present bike ride with Aidan. I fixed the puncture, pulling out a huge shard of green glass from the tyre (lucky Andrew taught me how to perform the glass patrol). Eventually I got all the stuff in the car and said goodbye to the boys and went to collect Aidan. She was ready too and just as excited as me. Well, not sure it is possible to be as excited as me. But she was pretty close.
We popped into Thorndon New World to buy picnic stuff and we certainly had a lot of food. Then I had to drive so slowly over the Rimutaka Hill because Aidan gets car sick. In fact, she went very quiet. And muttered "granny" every now and then when my speed crept up. Even once we got down to the flat part on the way to Lake Ferry we had to pull over and allow her to settle her stomach. But there was no puking! Yay! It might have been just her iron will stopping that though.
We continued down to the coast and came across a car perpendicular to the road. The driver got out and chatted to the car in front of us and then she got back in. I think she was lost and turning around. She dithered about a kilometre down the road again. She was a little scary to think about on the roads.
Once we got to the coast we parked up and got on our bikes. I had my skinny road tyres and two panniers (the picnic!). Aidan had a baguette bungeed to her cross bar on her bike. It looked perfect - the only better thing would have been her basket on the front with it poking out. The gravel was sometimes a bit deep and soft for my bike but Aidan skimmed along nicely.
 |
| Warm weather and spectacular views |
 |
| Plenty of picnic stuff in those panniers |
 |
| Is that a baguette on your bike, Aidan? |
 |
| The best picnic spot! |
 |
| Nice feet! And Aidan's kinda look okay, I guess. |
 |
| First feijoa of the season |
We contemplated the scenery for a while before deciding we really should get back to the car so we could do all the other things on our list too. On the way back, Aidan negotiated a huge muddy puddle only to stop right at the end and put both feet down in it! Eeeeewwww. I looked back and saw her face! But she immediately cracked up. In fact, there was a fair bit of giggling from the two of us as we rode back. It was such fun!
Once back at the car, we changed into jeans and we went around to the Pinnacles and went fossicking for a bit. I finally got to use my geologist hammer! It was a lot of fun too!
.JPG) |
| Fossil hunting! |
.JPG) |
| Some kids excitedly asked us if we were archaeologists |
 |
| Iced coffee in Martinborough afterwards |
Aidan and I chatted about Bruce Springsteen and religion and all the things that we never have time to discuss during our busy weeks. It was a fantastic day! And Mike had organised a BBQ at our place so it was great to see Josh and the boys when we got back. Aidan certainly chose the best birthday present! What a wonderful memory!
Next day was Toby's social day. Tris, Sam, Emerson, Duncan and Will came over. They all had lunch and then watched Jurassic Park. They flew upstairs like locusts from time to time to empty the pantry. The went down to the park to play as well. They seemed to have a good time!.
 |
| Toby's friends came over for lunch and a movie and a play in the park |
Today is stunning here in Wellington. And seems to be like that for the rest of the week! Cool! More of this weather please. Mike however did get a migraine last night during the night. He is at work though and feeling okay.
Have a fantastic week!
Love,
Angela
Friday, March 7, 2014
The Thursday with nothing for me and Toby and more tramping club for Mike
Hi,
I went to grab my bike from the basement at work and found my back tyre was completely flat! Stink. I spent a while pumping it up with my hand pump, hoping that might be enough to get me up the hill. But no. I went back into the shed to get my helmet, came back and squeezed the newly inflated tyre to check. Almost flat again. Okay- that's not an option. No time to change the tube. Guess I need the bus option. Jumped on a 14 in my bike gear. I was the brightest person on the bus in my fluoro vest. At least Toby was home and not missing me in the slightest.
I did get an iced coffee with Mike late in the afternoon yesterday. Mixed Business has a great consistent iced coffee. I give it a solid 9. And yes - I am booked in to get a haircut!
The evening was stunning after the manky morning. I sat on the deck reading for a bit. Mike came home and scoffed down dinner and went to his committee meeting. Tramping nerd.
Friday night we're out with Christine to see Marcus Chown speak. He is a physicist that makes things clear for physics newbs! Should be a good night. It's Christine's birthday today. And Prince Edward's. Hahahah.
Friday today! Yay! Hope you have a great weekend. I have my birthday Saturday tomorrow with Aidan. Her present is a bike ride with me. What an awesome present. Hope the weather stays okay. And I get to collect fossils as well. Geology hammer and bike riding? It just might be a perfect day! Toby has a social Sunday planned - lunch and a movie for him and a few mates. Nice! And Mike would like to get friendly with the chipper and help Christine move whiteware around. Should be a great weekend.
Love,
Angela
I went to grab my bike from the basement at work and found my back tyre was completely flat! Stink. I spent a while pumping it up with my hand pump, hoping that might be enough to get me up the hill. But no. I went back into the shed to get my helmet, came back and squeezed the newly inflated tyre to check. Almost flat again. Okay- that's not an option. No time to change the tube. Guess I need the bus option. Jumped on a 14 in my bike gear. I was the brightest person on the bus in my fluoro vest. At least Toby was home and not missing me in the slightest.
I did get an iced coffee with Mike late in the afternoon yesterday. Mixed Business has a great consistent iced coffee. I give it a solid 9. And yes - I am booked in to get a haircut!
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| Mike said I looked like I was falling over as I tried to tuck into the wall to avoid over exposure |
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| So I straightened up - and the photo does look much more normal! Hahahahah |
The evening was stunning after the manky morning. I sat on the deck reading for a bit. Mike came home and scoffed down dinner and went to his committee meeting. Tramping nerd.
Friday night we're out with Christine to see Marcus Chown speak. He is a physicist that makes things clear for physics newbs! Should be a good night. It's Christine's birthday today. And Prince Edward's. Hahahah.
Friday today! Yay! Hope you have a great weekend. I have my birthday Saturday tomorrow with Aidan. Her present is a bike ride with me. What an awesome present. Hope the weather stays okay. And I get to collect fossils as well. Geology hammer and bike riding? It just might be a perfect day! Toby has a social Sunday planned - lunch and a movie for him and a few mates. Nice! And Mike would like to get friendly with the chipper and help Christine move whiteware around. Should be a great weekend.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, March 6, 2014
The Wednesday with tramping club for Mike
Hi,
The weather is still quite wintry here but I made it in this morning without getting too wet - just a sprinkly bit of rain on the top of the hill. Yesterday was busy at work but I did manage to squeeze in lunch with Aidan. Her colleague has a grape vine in the Hutt Valley and it produces the nicest grapes. Aidan brought me some and they were delicious globules of sweetness. I got away on time from work and found Toby at home despite the wet weather. I was expecting him to be at the library because he's there even in the nice weather. But no - he went home on the rainiest, wettest day so far.
Mike went to tramping club and we drove in to collect him because it was yucky weather and we wanted him home as soon as possible.
Mike has something else on for tramping club tonight. I am a tramping club widow.
Oh - it was Mike's mother's birthday yesterday! Happy birthday to Polly! I hope it was drier down in Dunedin than here!
I need a tea. Desperately.
Have a wonderful day. Apparently Wellington is going to get nice weather after today! Yeah - bring that on!
Love,
Angela
The weather is still quite wintry here but I made it in this morning without getting too wet - just a sprinkly bit of rain on the top of the hill. Yesterday was busy at work but I did manage to squeeze in lunch with Aidan. Her colleague has a grape vine in the Hutt Valley and it produces the nicest grapes. Aidan brought me some and they were delicious globules of sweetness. I got away on time from work and found Toby at home despite the wet weather. I was expecting him to be at the library because he's there even in the nice weather. But no - he went home on the rainiest, wettest day so far.
Mike went to tramping club and we drove in to collect him because it was yucky weather and we wanted him home as soon as possible.
Mike has something else on for tramping club tonight. I am a tramping club widow.
Oh - it was Mike's mother's birthday yesterday! Happy birthday to Polly! I hope it was drier down in Dunedin than here!
I need a tea. Desperately.
Have a wonderful day. Apparently Wellington is going to get nice weather after today! Yeah - bring that on!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The Tuesday like a Monday
Hi,
Getting back to work on a Tuesday is a little odd, as it is just like your Monday and you're asking everyone how their weekend was. A day behind the whole week!
The day went just fine - busy - but good busy. I did have a meeting with Aidan that didn't go according to plan. The plan was to actually meet up and have a short walk after her run. What actually happened was she stood in reception for ten minutes then left and I stood in reception for ten minutes then left. Hahahah. Better planning needed, obviously.
I rode home to collect Toby at 4.30 and rush him back to his dental appointment. That went well and then Mike and Toby went out for some food while I caught up with work colleagues at work. I got dropped home by Ange afterwards.
The weather has turned cold and wet. My ride in this morning was a little bit freezing and had my mind turning to my long-fingered gloves that are usually only used in the depths of winter.
Now it is Wednesday and my brain is saying it is Tuesday. I am so confused!
Have a fabulous day!
Love,
Angela
Getting back to work on a Tuesday is a little odd, as it is just like your Monday and you're asking everyone how their weekend was. A day behind the whole week!
The day went just fine - busy - but good busy. I did have a meeting with Aidan that didn't go according to plan. The plan was to actually meet up and have a short walk after her run. What actually happened was she stood in reception for ten minutes then left and I stood in reception for ten minutes then left. Hahahah. Better planning needed, obviously.
I rode home to collect Toby at 4.30 and rush him back to his dental appointment. That went well and then Mike and Toby went out for some food while I caught up with work colleagues at work. I got dropped home by Ange afterwards.
The weather has turned cold and wet. My ride in this morning was a little bit freezing and had my mind turning to my long-fingered gloves that are usually only used in the depths of winter.
Now it is Wednesday and my brain is saying it is Tuesday. I am so confused!
Have a fabulous day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
The weekend in Auckland with Bruce
Hi,
Our frivolous weekend in Auckland to see Bruce was such fun. Thanks to the Tabors for looking after Toby straight from his school camp week. Poor Aidan sent me a text of woe on Saturday morning as Toby reported explosive diarrhoea and Duncan had a cold and Emerson had his infected cuts back again. Needless to say, they had a quiet weekend at home.
We left early Saturday and I was quite sick still. It turns out I slept for about two thirds of the drive up. Poor Mike was bored to tears by my lack of stimulating conversation. But it was a sunny day, and the roof was down and it was good fun, I'm sure. The parts I was awake for looked good anyway. We had breakfast at Levin (Maccas) and then stopped at the New World in Taihape to stock up on provisions for the car.
We ended up stuck in Ironman event traffic in Taupo in the hot summer sun because Mike didn't know of the existence of the Taupo bypass road. But it was good to see the event!
We got to Auckland without any problems and found the Sampson house easily. A quick cup of tea and Wally dropped me and Mike off at Mt Smart stadium. Thanks Wally. We wandered into the venue, spotting Sally and Andrew from outside the fence. We ate a sausage from Fritz's Wieners and went into the mosh pit area to stake a place. Sally and Andrew were close to a jutting out stage part. It was good!
We listened to a great set by Jimmy Barnes with a surprise by Steven van Zandt joining him for a song he wrote that Jimmy sang. It was good fun!
Bruce opened with a cover of Lorde's Royals and I thought it was an excellent version. It harkened back to lyrics Bruce used to do I reckon. Roz was also there - in the stands. I tried to spot her, but it was too hard.
Bruce did Born in the USA end to end. Very good as Downbound Train is one of my favourite songs of all time. We left at the end of the concert and eventually found Wally. Sally and Andrew got dropped off at their place and we collapsed into bed around 1am!
Next morning I was eventually up and Mike and Wally went to Mitre 10 for some shopping and then I went into town to see Hannah and her hostel room. It was great - what a good set up she has. She'll have such a great time this year. We found a cafe (Mezze Cafe I think) in an alleyway north of Kitchener St. I want to go back as the food was good and the iced coffee could be a 10/10. But I need to double check. More iced coffees are needed from there to do a really thorough assessment.
After checking Hannah was all good (hahahah - she is going to run rings around most people in her course if the other students in her hostel are any indication - she says they just get hammered every night!) we went back home and Mike and I went to the Sunday night concert. We got there even earlier and had a great place staked out right next to a jutting out part.
Bruce came down to that part a few times during the concert and we got a close look at him. Mike almost got to shake his hand (again - he got a proper handshake in the Ghost of Tom Joad tour) but Bruce shook the hand next to his and wandered away.
It was a great concert. Loved the closeness of it - but I think I preferred the Saturday night concert a little more.
Back home relatively early. We even negotiated our way home without GPS and despite an unmarked detour in place (I still got us on the right road). Auckland is a bit difficult to navigate around in.
Had a great sleep and up early. Mike was now so sick he was helpless. Bundled him into the car after saying goodbye to the Sampsons and on our way south. I drove all the way home while Mike dozed. The weather was pants - and was the worst in Wellington.
Eventually got home after 9 hours and Mike crawled into bed. I went around to the Tabors and got an awesome dinner off Aidan (chicken tortilla soup - it was soooooo good). Toby was happy to see me. I was happy to see him. Eventually I managed to extricate him and his possessions and went back home.
Mike is at work today - but he is rather sick still. Cheeky monkey.
Have a lovely week. Short one for us!
Love,
Angela
Our frivolous weekend in Auckland to see Bruce was such fun. Thanks to the Tabors for looking after Toby straight from his school camp week. Poor Aidan sent me a text of woe on Saturday morning as Toby reported explosive diarrhoea and Duncan had a cold and Emerson had his infected cuts back again. Needless to say, they had a quiet weekend at home.
We left early Saturday and I was quite sick still. It turns out I slept for about two thirds of the drive up. Poor Mike was bored to tears by my lack of stimulating conversation. But it was a sunny day, and the roof was down and it was good fun, I'm sure. The parts I was awake for looked good anyway. We had breakfast at Levin (Maccas) and then stopped at the New World in Taihape to stock up on provisions for the car.
We ended up stuck in Ironman event traffic in Taupo in the hot summer sun because Mike didn't know of the existence of the Taupo bypass road. But it was good to see the event!
We got to Auckland without any problems and found the Sampson house easily. A quick cup of tea and Wally dropped me and Mike off at Mt Smart stadium. Thanks Wally. We wandered into the venue, spotting Sally and Andrew from outside the fence. We ate a sausage from Fritz's Wieners and went into the mosh pit area to stake a place. Sally and Andrew were close to a jutting out stage part. It was good!
 |
| Andrew and I check out the crowd |
 |
| Jimmy was in fine form |
 |
| Our view of Bruce! |
 |
| Lunch out with Lesley, Hannah and Chelsea |
Next morning I was eventually up and Mike and Wally went to Mitre 10 for some shopping and then I went into town to see Hannah and her hostel room. It was great - what a good set up she has. She'll have such a great time this year. We found a cafe (Mezze Cafe I think) in an alleyway north of Kitchener St. I want to go back as the food was good and the iced coffee could be a 10/10. But I need to double check. More iced coffees are needed from there to do a really thorough assessment.
 |
| The iced coffee at Mezze Cafe was 9.5. Lesley looks happy with her wine! |
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| Sunday - I was this close! |
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| See? So close! |
Back home relatively early. We even negotiated our way home without GPS and despite an unmarked detour in place (I still got us on the right road). Auckland is a bit difficult to navigate around in.
Had a great sleep and up early. Mike was now so sick he was helpless. Bundled him into the car after saying goodbye to the Sampsons and on our way south. I drove all the way home while Mike dozed. The weather was pants - and was the worst in Wellington.
Eventually got home after 9 hours and Mike crawled into bed. I went around to the Tabors and got an awesome dinner off Aidan (chicken tortilla soup - it was soooooo good). Toby was happy to see me. I was happy to see him. Eventually I managed to extricate him and his possessions and went back home.
Mike is at work today - but he is rather sick still. Cheeky monkey.
Have a lovely week. Short one for us!
Love,
Angela
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