Nepal 2015 - Ghorepani-Poon Hill-Tadepani

< 29 Sep - Hille to Ghorepani


We got up at 4.30 a.m. to walk up Poon Hill and watch the sunrise. At 3,210m this is the highest point of our trip. It was warm and my thermals were not needed. But I set up the camera and played with the exposure and grabbed some nice photos.

Nepal 2015 - Hille-Ghorepani

< 28 Sep - Pokhara to Neyapul and Hille

We left Hille early - just before 7.30 a.m. (on the 29th) to try and beat the hottest part of the day on the steepest part of our seven hour walk.

And it was so hot. And so steep. And quite high.

Nepal 2015 - Pokhara-Neyapul-Hille

< Nepal 2015 - the adventure begins

We've started our journey - by van from Kathmandu to Pokhara, then bus to Neyapul and the start of our hiking.

Nepal 2015 - the adventure begins

Contents

26 Sep - The adventure begins
28 Sep - Pokhara to Neyapul and Hille
29 Sep - Hille to Ghorepani
30 Sep - Ghorepani and Poon Hill to Tadepani
1 Oct - Tadepani to Jhinu Dada
2 Oct - Jhinu Dada to Tolka
3 Oct - Tolka to Dhampus
4 Oct - Dhampus to Sarangkot
5 Oct - Paragliding to Pokhara
6-7 Oct - Pokhara to Kathmandu
8-10 Oct Kathmandu and home again

Our Nepal adventure was the most wonderful experience.  This is part one of several. 

It all started with a long haul flight.  It's been so long since I've gone anywhere involving 15 hours' flying!  First leg was Wellington to Sydney.  Easy short flight with no issues.  But we had a reasonable amount of time in Sydney in the departure lounge in transit.  Our group formed a 'base camp' and some of us made forays into the shops for things while others read, chatted or dozed.  We got to know one another a bit.

The next flight was a long one to Malaysia.  And we got there in the middle of the night, so nothing was open apart from a cafe in one of the terminals.  After trying out the train between the terminals, we settled into the cafe and "owned" that part of it with all 13 of us and our carry on luggage.  This was a fairly lengthy stopover too.  One of us (Frances) upgraded and had a bed to sleep in for the stopover.  Others found a couch near the gate.  But the three of us were so excited, we sat in the cafe and chatted away, making short trips to explore things.  Toby found the juice bar and got one of those.

From here we caught our flight to Kathmandu and that flight was also quite long but passed relatively quickly.  We saw Everest out the window so I was completely chuffed by that.  Even if my holiday finished then - it had been worth it!

The Wednesday with packing for Nepal

Hi,

Well, given we're leaving today (Thursday) for Nepal, it only seems right that we have finished packing for it.  Hahahah!

All done.  Three bags full.  But two of them are bags of clothes to donate, so we should come back lighter than we are leaving.

Iced coffee with Mary and Celia at Mixed Business

I did manage to get a coffee with Mary and Celia yesterday - supposedly to ensure a smooth transition to Mary from me while I am away.  But mainly to catch up.  Celia said I need to find a way to include feet in my iced coffee shots.  Totally!  Any suggestions for the best way to capture that?  Become dexterous with my feet?

I had a late meeting and Mike ended up taking me home.  Finished packing, had tea and generally fell into bed.  But I didn't sleep like my usual log.  Not sure why.  Excited?  Hahahah!

Got a half day at work now and then Mike will collect me at midday.  I think John is collecting us and taking us to the airport.  Woot!

It's going to be a wonderful trip away.  Mike will have many memories and he gets to share with us.  We'll be thinking of you all while we're away.

Love,
Angela

The Monday with packing for Nepal - sort of

Hi,

Wow - the weather continues its slide into winter.  I drove in yesterday to take Toby to an appointment, so I missed the fierce weather.  I left work early and drove across town, wondering why some parents have nothing better to do than collect their child from school.  That's what public transport is for!  Chaos.  Anyhow, we got some medicine and got home.  And found Mike there already!  Yay!

When I got home I saw the breakfast bowls still out on the table, untouched.  I asked Mike if they had breakfast this morning.  Yep, he said.  So I asked why the bowls were still out.  And he said that every morning he stumbles around the kitchen with Toby and they find bowls and spoons and then sit down and discover bowls and spoons out.  So, he finds it confusing to have two lots of bowls.

Oh.  I have only done it for about 7 years - every morning!  So I asked if he wanted me to stop.  And he said yes.  They'd get their own bowls.

Cooked tea and we all ate, while listening to Toby practise his speech for school.

Mike in his happy place

Yep - happy place

Even happier place after the third watch

Mike entertained himself after dinner with some Eurovision goodness.  He is so funny.  Then we packed for Nepal.  We have to finish tonight.

News flash.  Just got a text from Mike saying that Toby was disappointed he had to find his own bowl for breakfast.  Moaned he had to do everything himself.

Note to self:  I can never make everyone happy.

Hahahah!  Crazy boys!

Have a wonderful day!

Love,
Angela

The weekend with packing for Nepal - sort of

Hi,

That was a weird weekend.  The weather was so bad that Mike and I took the weather forecasters at their word and stayed inside all weekend, glued to the couch for the most part.

We did eventually venture out, but only because inaction was threatening the packing for the coming trip to Nepal.

Saturday I read two books.  And did a pile of laundry.  I can't really say much more than that.  I did sort out the fish tank though.  It looks so good.  You can see the fish!

Getting close to being finished

We did go out on Saturday night for Indian takeaways at Hamish and Sarah's house.  That was good.  And we all watched Jaws 2 on television while Mike and Sarah took over some portal or other.  Ingress.  Madness.

Back home and a grateful crash into bed.

 Up the next morning for a run.  I had put bread on so when I got back, we ate that.  Mmmmm.

Went for a run Sunday

When we eventually got out of the house, we saw this sticker on a car and now Toby wants it.  

Toby wants this sticker for our car

Back home and got ready for Josh's birthday by ironing my way through the shirt mountain.  Groan.  But I got there.  Finished the last shirt as we piled in the car.  Wandered over to Highbury and had a great time, relaxing with Josh, Aidan and friends.  Andrew turned up too.  Woot!  I took Jane to the train station and filled up with petrol.

Josh cooked amazing burgers as usual and we ate well.  Chatted until we all yawned like mad.  Then home and the finishing touches to the fish tank had it all done.

The finished tank - looking almost as good as new

This is the last few days before Nepal now.  The count down is on.  Toby has an appointment today and then two days of school.  Mike and Toby have Thursday off and I have Thursday afternoon off.  We go to the airport at midday on Thursday and we're not back until Sunday, Oct 11.

The weather is still really pants here.  People are stuck on Ruapehu due to blizzard conditions.  Amazing stuff.  And the All Blacks won their first game of the RWC2015.

Have a wonderful week,

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with a quiet evening

Hi,

Thursday was a blur of activity at work.  But I did get a coffee with a work colleague (Sally) during the day after a meeting with a client.  Columbus on Featherston St, under the old ANZ building.  Grant Thornton it is now, or something similar.  It wasn't too bad.  Ice, cream and reasonably strong coffee taste.  But no sweetness.  I added some sugar but it never dissolves in iced coffee so it was bitter until the end when I got granules of sugar.  Mmmmm.

Iced coffee at Columbus

I got the car to take home and was so delayed at work that Mike ended up coming home with me.  Yay for that.  Boo for being delayed.  But it was all good because I had put the slow cooker on in the morning and the delicious smell of beef stew permeated the house as we stepped in.  Mmmmm.  My beef stew is good.  We ate it all up and then chatted away for a while.

Mike and Toby watched more Rick and Morty while I read.  And when I eventually put my book down (I was 60% through and it had finally got riveting - not that the build up was bad, it was just looooonnnngggg!) I was asleep in seconds.

Time to face the day ahead.  Woot!  Maybe with a nice cup of tea.  Last weekend before we leave for Nepal.  Awfully excited now.  We need to pack.  I need to finish cleaning the fish tank.  It's all going to happen!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with lunch with Aidan

Hi,

I had a fairly social day during work hours yesterday.  I met Ilske for a coffee and enjoyed my first iced coffee in days!  Actually, it should be over a week, because that insipid one from Scorch-o-rama wasn't much in the way of iced coffee.  Caught up with her news - she heads overseas when we're away.  So, it won;t be until November before I see her again.

I started the fish tank cleaning and now I can actually see the fish - when he swims over to that side.  Just like he did when I took a photo.  Such a happy, co-operative fish.  This is because Aidan has said she will pop in to feed the fish on the condition she can actually see the fish.  Fair enough.

Fish tank cleaning in progress

Mixed Business iced coffee goodness

I also caught up with Aidan for lunch.  We went to the Vietnamese place over the road and we both had the chicken on rice.  It was really good.  Chatted away for a while.  She showed me some bowls she just bought.  Yes, bowls.  Normal cereal bowls.  Although she suggested they would probably be better for yoghurt.  Guess they were a bit shallow for mountains of cereal.

The rest of the day flew by in normal mild amounts of panic.  As work is prone to having.  I rode home and enjoyed the workout despite the strong headwind.  Got home and started dinner.  Toby got his dished up and Mike got home so I ate with him.

Not sure where the evening goes after that.  Reading.  Chatting to Mike.  Anyhow, I had a great sleep and my ride in this morning wasn't too bad, even if it was wet and windy.  No actual falling rain during my ride.  Just wet roads from previous rain.

Time to kick start the day!  Oooossshhh!

Have a wonderful day, wherever you are.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with lunch with Josh

Hi,

And the nice weather continues into the week.  Tuesday was really quite pleasant.  And I got to have lunch with Josh at the dumpling place, so that was good fun!  Caught up with his news.

When it was time to ride home, Mike gave me the car keys.  Turns out he had the car right over the road and it needed shifting before the parking ticket expired.  So I moved it!  All the way home!

Cooked tea for Mike and Toby - things buried in the freezer for ages.  Mike was so proud of me using up stuff.  We want the freezer and fridge to be emptied ahead of our trip to Nepal.

I need to get onto keeping the mailbox cleared while we're away too.  We get junk mail, so that needs to be cleared out.  I might ask the neighbour.

Busy at work leading up to being away.  My ride into work this morning was so nice.  Dry roads - warm wind.  I pedalled like mad.  Hahah!  Can't wait for the ride home.

Toby is back at school and Mike said he was in a positive mood this morning.  Which is a bit different to how I left him, so Mike obviously worked some Dad charm on him.  Good work!

Have a magnificent day!

Love,
Angela

The Monday with jabs!

Hi,

Ooooo - I feel a bit tired this morning.  Yesterday Mike and Toby came into town and met me at the Travel Doctor near the Green Man pub.  We got all our jabs for Nepal.  I got typhoid and hep A.  So did Toby.  Mike got MMR!  Apparently he is the exact age to have missed immunity.

We went home and I jumped back in the car and went grocery shopping.  We needed some stuff.  I never did the grocery shopping for the week at the weekend.  The mountain of ironing was more than enough housework for one day!

Anyway, I got home and Mike helped unpack the groceries.  I pretty much went to bed straight away.  I tried to read but it was hard to keep my eyes open.  Mike and Toby bonded over Rick and Morty again.  And when Mike came to bed, I really, really couldn't stay awake.  In fact, I think I fell asleep despite Mike talking on the phone in the bed next to me.

When the alarm went off at 5am, I was completely asleep.  That never happens.  I went for a wee run, but I am quite tuckered out now.  I think the combination of jabs and deep sleeps and early morning runs has made me a bit sleepy today.  Oops.

My arm is a little tender where the jabs went in.  I suspect Mike and Toby probably feel the same.

Still, nothing on tonight.  I get to ride home and make dinner and sort out Toby (he is off sick again today!).

Have a wonderful day.

Love,
Angela

The weekend with loads of fun

Hi,

Friday night we all cuddled up on the couch and watched a movie together.  Unfortunately Netflix buffer blew out and the last quarter of the film didn't load, so we have no ideas what happened at the end of the world to Kiera Knightly and Steve Carrell.  But Mike still wants to see it, so we'll try and watch it this week.

Mike and Toby then watched an episode of Rick and Morty.  It's their new bonding thing.  I watched one.  I think that was plenty.

Off to bed and not quite enough sleep.  But, never mind.  The whole weekend was beckoning at that stage.

Lunch date with my boys

Toby had a birthday party sleepover to attend so we all headed into town.  Which was unusual to be shopping there.  We had lunch at Mama Browns and then bought Jackson his birthday present (wrapped in Dora the Explorer paper).  From there we bought hiking socks for Nepal and then had a drink at Ti Kouka.  I like that cafe!

Eventually we dropped Toby off at Paintball on Willis St and then headed home to get ready for date night.  But we found National Geographic when we got home.  And our freshly made bed was very inviting.  So we lounged around reading and never actually left the house for dinner out.  Hahah.  it was great!

Both fascinated by a construction site

Toby test drives a chair at Kathmandu

 Next morning we were up to have breakfast instead of a dinner date.  I chose Scorch-o-Rama at Scorching Bay because I have never been there.  My iced coffee was a 5/10.  Mainly because it may as well have been a vanilla milkshake.  What coffee taste? My food was ok, but the scrambled eggs were disappointing.  I recall Aidan made some about 4 years ago that were perfection.  That is what I am waiting for - one day - somewhere.  Someone being able to make eggs as well as Aidan.  Perhaps it is impossible?

Sunday brekkie date

Great view!

Iced coffee at Scorch-o-rama

I wandered briefly along the beach as the day was stunning.  And I decided my feet needed a perfect backdrop, to offset their inherent loveliness.

Feet at Scorching Bay

From here we picked up Toby from Jackson's house and got some picnic ingredients and then Mike dropped us off in Johnsonville for us to do the Skyline walk to Karori.

Nearing the top of Mt Kaukau

Toby testing his Nepal gear

Enjoying the view at the top of Mt Kaukau

Acting the fool!

Toby in the distance

Toby negotiating the trail with Wellington behind him

We had a great day for it.  T-shirt weather the whole way for me, and 3/4 of the way for skinny wee Toby.  The views were stunning.  Our gear stood up to the test.  We left at 11.20 and we stepped onto Makara Hill Road at 3pm.  Woot!  Toby was awesome!

We walked down to the bus stop as Mike was busy and couldn't collect us.  As we got a view of the road from above, we saw a bus leaving.  Oh.  Sunday schedule.  Maybe there wouldn't be another one for an hour!  I texted Aidan to see if she was free to collect us.  But as we got to the bus stop, a bus pulled up to the terminus and we waited only 5 minutes.

However, we weren't out of the Sunday schedule woods yet.  We had to change buses to get home.  So I texted Aidan again and she said she could do the Karori bus tunnel collection.  Yay!  We got to the bus stop, jumped off the number 3 and walked up to the Northland tunnel and waited for either Aidan or the bus to our house.  The timetable said our bus was a while away.  So, Aidan's car was looking great.  Then the bus turned up!  Weird.  We hopped on and Aidan could go about her Sunday business without her needy friend pestering her.  Yay for public transport.

Back home and Mike cooked tea while I ironed the mountain of clothes.  It was never ending.  But eventually I got to the end of the pile.  And got ready for the working week.


Toby is off school today though.  Migraine.  Perhaps we didn't have enough water on our walk (although we had some left when we waited for the bus).  Worth noting for his Nepal walking.  He does usually drink more water than me.

Hope you have a wonderful week!  Here's hoping we get more of that beautiful spring weather.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday that had nothing much on

Hi,

I took the car and left work early to collect Toby from school.  We submitted his letter of resignation to Scots for next year.  Toby is off to Wellington High next year and he is looking forward to the change of school with enthusiasm.  Here's hoping a complete change does him the world of good.

We went to his appointment and despite Toby being sleepy from two poor sleeps in a row, he did ok and then we went home to do homework.  He was pleased because a mask he bought from Germany arrived.  I cooked tea (family pie) and he demolished that.

As we ate, the sunset was amazing.  I took loads of photos.

Gorgeous sunset

Roiling clouds over Mt Kaukau

Sun just kissing the top of Mt Kaukau

It started pouring with rain and Mike rang and asked if I would pop into town to collect him.  I did so and I have to say I was almost immediately in bed and pretty tired.  I read my Sky and telescope magazine that had arrived and was asleep within seconds of turning off my light.

As I listened to strong winds and heavy rain, I was debating the merits of getting up for my morning run.  But when I woke at 5am, it was quiet outside.  I got changed and went for my run and had such a good time.  First run in over 3.5 weeks.  No twinges.  All good.  Can't wait for the next one now.

The weekend beckons.  Toby has a bit of homework.  We have a Wellington weekend.  I need to start packing for Nepal and tidy the house so it looks good for when we get back.  I don't want any mess to return to after a long flight.  Yes, it is still two weeks away, but I need to start now.

And yes, I am terribly excited.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with drinks for Mike and his mates

Hi,

I rode home in blustery conditions - a bit unpleasant.  But I hopped in the car and collected Toby from the library and I settled in to make him some dinner.  He scoffed the sausages at Aidan and Josh's place a week or so back, so I found the same ones and cooked them up for him.  He declared them a little spicy (Gramps - is that your influence?) but demolished one.

It was a pleasant surprise for Mike when he got home to eat the leftovers before I took him back into town.  We collected Andrew from his work and I dropped them at their venue of choice for the AGM of the WANG.  Whatever!  Hahahah!  Mike, Andrew and Josh.  The other founding member (Adam) couldn't make it.  I think it was a quorum.

Oh - a colleague at work made rocky road and used a mould of Han Solo in the carbonite.  I'm not sure if you can tell from behind Serge.  It's life imitating art!  But it was yummy.  A kilo of Whittakers chocolate.  You can't go wrong!

Serge and the Han Solo chocolate creation

Close up of Han in chocolate!

Anyhow, went home and sorted out my evening.  Eventually I went in to pick them up, and drove them home.  I enjoyed chatting to Andrew on our way out to his house as we don't catch up as much as normal at the moment.  I am waiting for his studies to end at the end of this year and we can plan some adventures.

The ride into work was great this morning.  And I have brekkie lined up with Ange and Roanne.  Woot!  Bring it on!

Have a marvellous day!

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with chaotic evening activities - but only for Mike

Hi,

I had a crazy busy Tuesday at work - although I think that is the new normal.  Still, it means the day passes fairly quickly as a rule.

I rode home and jumped in the car and collected Toby from the library.  He was tuckered out after a long day at school.  I know the feeling, Toby!  I cooked dinner for the two of us.  Chicken salad.  Mmmm.  I ate so much,  Does it count if it is mostly vegetables?

Then Toby and I played a game together.  It was a Pro Cycle Manager game where you buy pro cyclists, train them for events then race!  It was awesome!  Tour de France - here we come!  Toby knew I would like it.  And he says Uncle Andrew would like it too!  We might have to show him, once we figure it out ourselves!  We have another date tonight to play and Toby has given me links to YouTube videos explaining how it works.

Mike was late home.  In fact, he thought he might not be home at all and asked me to pack an overnight bag.  Big work changes needed.  He also had his presentation to do at the Enterprise Architect user group.  Apparently it went really well.  So well, it ran late with excited people engaged and talking.  I wasn't there, but Mike told me one of the techniques Aidan suggested for increasing engagement in your audience worked like a charm.

He rang after it finished and said he didn't have time to come and collect his overnight bag.  He was off to work.  But it turns out the key person never showed up (some chap in Europe) so he was home at a reasonable hour.  Mind you, he did decide to put the recycling in the rubbish bin and I woke to hear rummaging around outside my bedroom.  Again!  Like the demented hedgehog episode.  But this time I was thinking it was an inept burglar - or my husband.  I decided it was likely Mike.  It was!

This morning I rode in and hooned down the hill, pedalling as fast as I could.  Roads were bone dry.  Loved it!  It is still a wee bit cold.

I want to try and do a long walk this weekend.  Not sure if it will fit in.  I might do one at the very least.

Have a lovely day.  Mike has a catch up with Josh and Andrew planned tonight after work.  Hmmm.  I sense more demented hedgehog episodes in my near future.

Love,
Angela

The Monday that went

Hi,

Wow - it was an action-packed Monday in the end.  I managed a lunch with Aidan and caught up with her news.  I made her a bread roll, which I make for others besides Mike and Toby every now and then.  So they all know what they are missing out on.  Hahah!  But I only make them for other people on very special occasions.  I wouldn't want anyone to get complacent with my lunch making skills.  I suspect Mike and Toby might already be dabbling in a bit of lunch complacency.  "Lunch complacency"?  Yep, I've named it and now it is a "thing".

Sally and Andrew have been busy.  They went to Nelson at the weekend, and bought a house!  Woot!  I have seen the photos from the real estate website and it looks lovely.  The offer has been accepted and now they just need a LIM and building report to come through and it's theirs.  It's part of their retirement plans - at this stage.  Obviously things could change, but this is a move in a direction they are considering.

Ooooohhhh.  Nelson.  I love Nelson.  Ever since that summer holiday we had when I was 10 years old.  We stayed in central Nelson, at a motor camp, and we had a caravan rented.  The motor camp doesn't exist anymore.  But my memories remain.  Long, hot summer days.  Beach swimming.  Crystal clear water.  My parents bought me an awesome comic that summer.  A Justice League of America one that was a rollicking adventure.  I had that comic for years.  I still remember Supergirl resuscitating Wonder Woman by using air from a car tyre.  Hahah!  And the song was "Howzat" by Sherbert that was huge that summer.  And dairies sold these bright drinks in the shape of a water pistol.  Oh yeah - Nelson summers!  And we got torches that Christmas.  Mine was beige.  Someone had a blue/green one.

Anyhow, I digress.  House!  Woot!!

Mike and Toby picked me up from work on their way home from an appointment.  We got home and I cooked tea (lasagne) while Mike and Toby worked on homework.  We ate yummy lasagne and chatted away over dinner.  I heard really dubious baby jokes.   Then I tidied up a few things (my old wardrobe downstairs for one) and relaxed in bed reading while Mike did loads of homework.  Apparently his frantic typing was nowhere near enough to keep me awake.

Up today to catch the bus in.  It was an uneventful bus ride.  Hahah.  Can't wait to ride my bike home though.

Right.  Let me sort out the day ahead.

Have a lovely day!

Love,
Angela

The weekend away skiing

Hi,

We've decided to postpone Fathers Day because we were up at the mountain for it.  But I think Mike had a good time, nevertheless.

Friday we left relatively late for a ski weekend trip.  Mike came and collected me and Toby from home on the way out.  I say next to some Chinese students and chatted away to them for most of the trip up.  Lu, Ming and Eric.  Toby was in front of me and watched a movie on the laptop until it ran out of battery.

We had dinner in Levin and then drove up.  We got out of the van just after Scoria Flat on the way up the hill and Mike realised why the steering was getting twitchy.  It was sheet black ice on the road.  We put the chains on and then got up without any hassles.  We dumped all the gear close by and Toby led newbies up the hill to the lodge.  Mike and I went to park the van and Mike was so worried now the van was lighter and the ice was slicker.  We parked when the van decided to stop slipping.  Yikes!

Next morning was a stunning morning.  No clouds.  No wind.  Beautiful snow.  Off piste was icy - new snow during the week has frozen.  It looked perfect, but it was ice.  But the trails were perfect.

I skied by myself all day.  First on the Waterfall T and then when the far west opened, I scooted over there and stayed there all day.

Selfie on Waterfall T

Selfie on the west quad runs

Clagged in for 2 minutes

Had a great time, although I wished I was skiing with someone.  The snow was perfect and there was no wind.  The singles queue at the west quad chair went fairly fast.  I tracked my skiing for two runs and found I hit a top speed of 43 km/hr (it wasn't very steep where I was skiing) and my run was 1 km long and took me three minutes.  Oh!  I was astonished that it only took me three minutes to get down my run.  It made the 15 mins in the queue look like crazy behaviour.  I need a mid week ski holiday!

Saturday night entertainment

Back to the lodge around 4pm and dinner was ready.  Yummy lasagne.  What a treat!  And then I wasn't far off bed really.  Chatted to Sarah a bit.  Ilske worked like a crazy woman in the kitchen tidying up and was getting a bit sick and went to bed.

Next morning was Father's Day and the Chinese contingent decided to make a special breakfast for Mike and the other fathers.  They were up all hours making dumplings.  Yum!

Happy Fathers Day

After breakfast (I ate so much) we tidied up, packed up the van and left at about 11.45am.  It was snowing quite hard by then and they had closed the mountain.

Driving down the mountain in a blizzard

The drive home was nice and fast and we were home in good time to do the chores for the week.  Yay for chores.  Not!

Right.  Time to start my day.  Busy at work today.  A new team member is starting.

Have an awesome week.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with nothing much for me but Mike went out

Hi,

I had the longest day at work in ages.  I am sure it was 15 hours long instead of 8.  Hahah.  Anyhow, I got home and made home made pizzas for tea.  That made Toby pretty happy.

Mike was out and about with his work social gourmet night that he runs.  Must have been a good time.  He didn't get home for ages.  Toby and I had already packed for the weekend, so Mike had to pack when he got home.  Lucky for him he had never unpacked from his trip a few weeks back, so it was easy for him too.

Sept 4th today!  The day we moved to Australia back in 1980.  Wow.  And wee Abby has her birthday tomorrow.  Yay for birthdays!  I hope she has a great day.

We're off to the mountain for skiing but the weather looks really bad.  I might be in my bunk reading all weekend.  Not that it seems such a hardship! Hahah.

Right.  Time to kickstart the day with a cup of tea.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with nothing much

Hi,

Hey - I had a day without an iced coffee!  Hahahah!

I took the bus home yesterday - which was kinda good because I had a new duvet with me for the spare bed.  It would have been terribly bulky on the bike.

Had a relaxing evening - took a bath with Mike.  Toby is still sick, but possibly getting a wee bit better.

The spare room is now looking like a real spare room.  And potentially one that won't make Mike start sneezing and wheezing and scratching.  He can start his evening studying routine any day now - can't you, Mike?

My ride in this morning was a bit damp.  But the wind has died down.  Yay for small mercies.  September is always a windy month in Wellington.

Right.  Time to head off for meetings.

Have a fantastic day.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with nothing much

Hi,

Happy birthday to Cameron!

Toby is still sick and off school again today.  Oh well.

Tuesday went past in a blur.  I did have lunch with Mike where I enjoyed lamb moussaka and washed it all down with an iced coffee.  Because I rarely drink coffee (or anything with caffeine), I was buzzing about an hour later.  It happened to coincide with a chat to someone we made a job offer to at work who just wanted to come in and check before considering what offer to accept.  Apparently my wired interaction didn't put him off and he accepted not long after he left the office.

Pretty soon I was riding home in the rain and enjoying myself despite that.  Got home and cleared out a few old clothes of mine before starting tea.

Mixed business iced coffee

I finished the spare room off so it is vaguely usable by Mike now without him turning into a festering ball of allergies.  Yay for luxing and cleaning out loads of built up stuff.

Tonight I'll tackle my old wardrobe in Toby's room and see what I can clear out there.  Woot!

I bumped into Sally on my way to work.  That's always a great start to my day.

Time to kick start the day with a soothing cup of tea.  I made an awesome lunch today.  I hope Mike likes it.

Love,
Angela

The Monday with a chaotic evening

Hi,

Happy birthday to Jamie today!  Woot!  He's as old as our marriage, so I always know how old Jamie is!  In fact, it is birthday week for nieces and nephews.  Cam tomorrow and wee Abby (or, not so wee anymore) on Saturday.  Wow!  Hope they have a fabulous day.

Monday went by pretty fast, I have to say.  I got lunch with Carl!  He was over for a wedding and let me know that he had a day in Wellington and could we have lunch.  Sure could!  He is looking good.  Melbourne obviously suits him very well.  A bunch of us from work wandered up to The Pub and had lunch.  I got awesome hugs from him and more complaints that I haven't visited him yet.  I need a long weekend to Melbourne planned.

It was a day off school for the boys - two days off actually.  And Aidan had kindly volunteered to have Toby over while she worked from home, looking after her boys.  Thanks Aidan!

I left work almost on time - which is unheard of really.  Jumped on my bike and rode home.  I texted Aidan to be sure I had time to get changed.  Otherwise she'd see me at her house in my bike shorts.  Probably not the best attire for visiting in the evenings.  But she had to head off with Tom to collect Christine, and I was unsure how much time I had before she had to leave.  Timing is everything, don't you know?

Anyhow, I got to her place, already changed into jeans, and got instructions on cooking the boys' tea and even how to get them to Scouts should she be delayed.  Which, I kind of thought she would.  Peak hour traffic.  You might laugh, living in Sydney, at Wellington's peak hour traffic.  But it does delay the normal fast flowing journey through town.  Honest!

I intended to save a sausage for Aidan, but it turns out that Toby loved these sausages.  So all three boys ate two sausages.  Oops.  Poor Aidan.  She'd made salad and I ate that and was pretty happy.  I dropped the boys at Scouts and got back.  Still no Aidan.  Traffic must be diabolical!

Eventually she got home and I had a cup of tea while she made herself a yummy dinner of quesadillas.  We chatted away for a while before the hectic day caught up with her.  I grabbed Toby and drove back home.  Mike had eaten us out of bread at home, after his Indian takeaway leftovers.  Hahah.  But we tidied up the spare room.  It is now completely usable again.  You can get to the bed!  You can swing a very short cat, if you have short arms.  I luxed.  It is no longer completely toxic to Mike.  He couldn't stay in there with his allergies.  We'd created so much dust with all our tidying.  Tonight I need to lux - again.  To get everything.  And then finish putting some things away.  Make the bed and it is ready.  Mike can use it for studying at night.  He just needs to get into routine.

Then off to bed!  And a good sleep.  Nice. My ride in was fun this morning.  Raining on me, but not too heavily, really.  I was mostly dry when I got to work.

I need a huge cup of tea to start my day.  Have a truly magnificent day!  It's Tuesday!  Yay for Tuesdays!

Love,
Angela