Cycling in Japan 2016 - travelling to Abashiri and meeting the cycle tour

Wed 31 Aug - Today was mostly a travel day. But it started early for me with a run through Sapporo. I left the room at 6.30 a.m. and walked to a park that bisected the streets in an East West axis. I guess in another country it could be called an avenue.

I started running once I got to the park. I looped from one end to the other. At the far end (opposite to the radio tower thing that looks like a kitsch minute Eiffel tower) I came across a rose garden. It had a sign in English. So I read that it was a garden to commemorate the Munich Olympic games. That same year Sapporo hosted the winter Olympics. I suppose the two cities dealt closely with organising the two events. And when the atrocities were committed during the games in Munich, it must have affected Sapporo a lot.

The other side of the rose garden was dedicated to Portland, Oregon. It was the first sister city in the U.S. to partner with any Japanese city.

Both sides of the roses had a wonderful perfume. Wreaked havoc with my run times. As did the many traffic lights on every city block. I may have Jay walked a lot.

At one stage I ran through a huge tai chi class. I hope it didn't mess with their Fung shui. No one flinched from their arm stretching and back bending.

I got back to the room thankful for the long walk the day before because I ended up running through the city streets looking for our hotel street and crossed streets I recognised from the day before. Yay! I was soaking wet because it was so warm and humid.

Jumped in the shower and then asked Col to sit on my pack and zip it shut while I finished getting my shoes on. It took both Col and Iona to close it. Not sure what's gone wrong with my pack. It's exploded. We stepped out to walk to the train station, only to step into rain. Dug out our jackets and kept heading to the station.

We grabbed some bread products from a bakery and found our platform in plenty of time. Sat there eating my sandwich (a normal one with eggs and ham - far better than sweetened yoghurt as a sandwich filling) and pizza sub.

Got on our train and had fancy seats in the reserved carriage. Iona booked us in style. We watched the scenery fly past. Even the rural train goes super fast. I can't imagine the Shinkasen speed!

Our train stopped at Asahikawa and we switched to our bus replacement. Iona navigated us directly to the bus station and the bus stop. I managed to hook into the Starbucks Wi-Fi across the road while we waited for our bus. Texted Mike from there to update him.

We tried to get on a local bus that also stopped at our stop. Fortunately a fellow passenger on our bus (in the queue with us) spoke great English and stopped our impetuousness. Did I just invent a word? Swype thinks so.

Anyway, our bus came along shortly and we got the front seats. Col took her sea sick medicine and zonked out. I had free WiFi on the bus and updated Mike with plans. And maybe social media. I also rang Mike on the Wi-Fi. Yay for free bus Wi-Fi.

The scenery was incredible. Hilly region with loads of trees and the odd ski field. I saw a few chair lifts going up them too.

The houses in the rural areas take great care of their front gardens. Carefully manicured trees shaped beautifully. Flowers. Rocks. All artfully arranged.

The rivers were flooding and full of churning muddy water. Loads of trees stuck under bridges. The recent weather has hit Japan hard.

The bus stopped off at a few train stations around about. But we got into Kitami at 1.30 p.m. or thereabouts. Wandered over to the train station very early for our 3.08 train and managed to jump on the 1.40 train. Yay!

This train was full of high school children in uniforms. And hot! It was close to thirty degrees with just ceiling fans in the carriage. Once the kids all left, we moved to a table seat and I poked my head out the window the whole way to Abashiri.

I looked windswept and very interesting once I arrived. Ha ha. We walked to our hotel from the station. Maybe 800m. Dormy Inn. It's rather nice. I have my own room.

We dropped our bags and I washed my running gear as it was fermenting in a plastic bag in my pack. Then we headed out to find something to eat. We'd missed lunch in our dash for the earlier train.

Well, this was a fun adventure. It seems a lot of places close between 2 and 5. We walked into a pub but Iona was unsure what we'd find beyond the front door so we trotted back out. Stepped into a coffee house full of older women, eating ice-cream in bowls. Odd feeling to  it.

But the woman behind the counter ushered us in and we took a table. Their menu had no English and no pictures and she had hardly any English herself. But we eventually realised she was saying she had pasta. I thought "pasta" was some Japanese word I hadn't heard yet.

Now, I do realise there are many Japanese words I haven't heard, so that might sound slightly weird. But once she added the word "Italian" in front of "pasta" we eventually figured it out.

Then she described different kinds of pasta. To no avail. No idea what she said. So we settled on the first one she mentioned.

We wondered what we were in for, really. But after some preparation behind the counter, we had a lovely bowl of spaghetti marinara. With ham, for good measure. I loved it! Might have been something to do with me starving. But it was good!

Wandered back via the 7 11 across the road from the hotel and bought an iced coffee drink and some junk food. Sat in Iona and Col's room and chatted to Mike and scoffed food.

Back into my room for a chill out before meeting the cycle tour at 6 p.m. in the lobby.

Dai is our guide, along with Tats. Ernie is an ex pat Brit from Sydney and 70 years old and fit as a fiddle by the looks. Then the three of us.

Col took the time to gloat that it looks like 3 is the minimum number for the tour to proceed. We fitted our bikes and they seem awesome. Then we headed out for dinner. Savory pancakes. I ordered the squid one. Scrumptious but I couldn't finish it.

Back to the hotel and off to bed. We're meeting at 8.30 a.m. for our first day. It's a loop so we're in the same hotel tomorrow night too.

Terribly exciting. I can't wait to start riding. Apparently a cyclist was chased by a bear recently in the later stages of the tour through the national park. No puffins though. That mystified the guide when I asked about that.

Right. Time to sleep and up to start the actual riding. Bring it on!

Cycling in Japan 2016 - Sapporo

A stabbing white light pierced my closed eyelids and I opened my eyes to wonder whether the sun was exploding in its death throes. But no. It was Iona, opening the curtain a sliver to check on the day. The day light coming into the room from her tiny parting of the curtain was invasive. We commented quietly on the effectiveness of the blackout curtains.

It reminded me of the solar eclipse in London when the sun was covered about 98% and yet it was barely noticeable that most of the sun was blocked. Yep, I'm comparing Iona's curtain parting to an eclipse. No, there's no foundation in science for it. Just the brain memory of flooding white light.

Anyway, we cycled through the shower. It's a tiny bathroom. Possibly one of the smallest I've ever been in. With the most electronics. The toilet has buttons I'm too scared to touch. Iona has it sorted. Something she does makes her giggle every time she goes in there.

Iona has embraced the gowns and slippers provided. Col and I are undecided. Mainly because we haven't actually tried them yet. In fact, I'm so uncouth I keep forgetting to take my shoes off at our hotel room door.

We leave the room in search of breakfast and finalising our transport logistics. Some of our trains are broken due to Typhoon Lionrock that caused land slips last week so we have to make some other plans.

Hunger is a force to be reckoned with. We found an excellent wee restaurant and we ate a bowl of noodles (me), fish with rice (Col) and rice and egg and pickled wet socks (Iona). Iona even ate the pickled wet socks and declared it all delicious. I tasted the wet socks, and thought it was more like pickled unidentifiable green vegetable, finely chopped, with nothing resembling wet socks. Mind you, I tried them from Col's plate.

From there we visited the tourist information place. Again. We think they must be darting for cover when they see us now. While Iona stood in the queue, Col and I harassed another poor woman. This one had "volunteer" on her jersey. She spoke no English. And our Japanese is very sketchy. I've mastered konichiwa for hello. Arigato for thank you. Oy shi Kat ta for "it's delicious" and that is it so far. This woman was so patient and tried to understand our crazy requests. I found a brochure for a museum in Hakodate about the indigenous Ainu people and was asking if there was something similar in Sapporo. Amazingly, she understood my question and took off to rummage through the shelves of brochures. But she couldn't find whatever it was she was looking for. I then asked about the botanical gardens. She was very excited to inform me there was a little museum there with indigenous artifacts. Yay. We all left each other pleased.

Once Iona had train tickets reserved and we had information on flights from the end of the tour back to Sapporo to try and get our dates back on track, we left for a walk to a sports store (looking for rugby jerseys for Col) and then coming back to the gardens for a quick lunch.

The sports store was great. Iona tried on togs. How she plucked up courage to tackle togs without prepping for days, I'm completely unsure. I fancied some too but I'm still trying to psych myself up. Col never found rugby jerseys. But the togs were a great find.

We headed to the gardens via a massive mall. As we passed a travel agent, we decided to enquire about prices for flights from Abashiri to Sapporo. We got Wi-Fi so I emailed Ken (tour guide for the cycling) to ask if we could get dropped back at the airport. I unfortunately had a Swype fail with the email subject to him. He thinks I think I'm on a tour called "Hokkaido whitetail cycle tour" instead of the "Hokkaido Shiretoko cycle tour". I may be mystifying him.

We ate our bakery purchases outside the travel agent while we waited for Ken's reply. The croissant was great. To this moment I'm unsure what was in my sandwich. I have to say, if I had to guess, I'd call it sweetened yoghurt. Which makes no sense in a sandwich. So I'm not dwelling on that any longer.

We've decided the sandwiches were leftover dinners in between white bread. Col had potato peanut curry, with bacon and egg as well. Weird. Iona's was a normal chicken lettuce sandwich. It was an amusing lunchbox medley. And my sandwich was obviously meant to be dessert.

Ok. No reply from Ken so we decided to buy the tickets. Bought them with cash because their machine wouldn't accept either credit card. Great.

Wandered to the museum from there. Paid our 420 yen to get in. Found a lovely museum with stuffed animals and old Ainu artifacts. Pottery. Sleds. Hardly any English.

And... One of the cabinets had stuffed puffins in it. Japan has puffins! I'm going to ask Ken if we can find puffins.

Found a rose garden. Scared off a bunch of women weeding it with our presence (It may have been coincidental that they left as we arrived). Found the greenhouse. Enjoyed Pocari Sweat from a vending machine (basically Powerade).

From there, guess where we went? Back to the visitor centre. Yes. We hadn't traumatised them enough. Iona remembered we needed a bus reservation for a part of our journey since the trains aren't running.

I think this might be the last they see of us. But we haven't left yet.

Back to the hotel to relax before hunger drove us out. Ramen alley was our destination. We found the best tiny place. Well, actually, the restaurant down the road found us the best ramen place. The first place we went into (with a cartoon yellow duck outside) only had one meal available. We looked confused. He took pity on our inability to name any other did besides ramen and took us outside, down the street and to a ramen place.

He wasn't wrong. It only seated eight people. An obscure Beatles album was playing. The chef cooked right in front of us. Patrons entered and used an electronic machine to order and pay. We missed that part. The waitress took our order. I had roast pork ramen. Col had spicy ramen. And Iona had butter corn ramen. Iona's came with a huge cube of butter floating on top. But the corn was delicious. Mine was scrumptious. Col's was good too.

Wandered back to the hotel and crashed into bed before 7.30 p.m. Bring on a deep sleep like last night!

The Monday without Angela

It was a fairly uneventful day yesterday - Toby and I both had a good time.

Toby helped me make his lunch and chose what he wanted in it.

I got together some chicken for dinner.  Having MyFoodBag really helps!

I might make a bit more of an effort tonight...

Cycling in Japan 2016 - First Day Excitement

What a great trip so far. The flight out of Auckland was fine. It left at midnight and I was hoping to sleep, but I was a little keyed up. And hungry. I waited until dinner was served and then slept with the green neck pillow we've had for years.

Turns out I slept quite well because I was surprised to see New Zealand time was 7.30 a.m. when I woke up. I reckon I got 5 hours sleep in a reasonable chunk.

Hong Kong was amazing. I haven't been there since I was twenty one and things have changed considerably. A new airport. A new county in charge. I hadn't considered how much I wanted to see Hong Kong again and found myself wishing we had some time to explore.

This isn't Wellington Airport

My phone knew an event was on for me and said that I was checking into the Nest hotel in Sapporo that day. Given Iona booked it and didn't add me as a name had us pondering the tentacles of Google. Somehow it knew.

But a few hours was all we had. Got onto the four hour flight to Sapporo and settled back. Col and I were starving and ate most of her huge bag of nuts and seeds and fruit. I picked out the fruit and happily ate the bus and seeds leftover.

Landed in Sapporo and was overwhelmed by the heat. 28 C by the time we got there. We sat in the Japan rail office to activate our real passes. Then we found a seat on the train and wedged ourselves in with our luggage and watched the attractive rail scenery pass our window.

After visiting the tourist centre, we split up. Brave or foolish. You decide. Ha ha. Col and I set out with a map to find our hotel as Iona was worried they'd sell our room. Once outside I consulted the map and was stunned with the gorgeous evening and bustle of activity. It was around 5.30 pm by then.

Despite the map not bearing any resemblance to our surroundings, we set off boldly. But after a few blocks I was suspicious. Suspicious enough to look for a hotel we passed to see if it was on my map. No. Hmmm. More suspicion set in.

I casually flicked my glance on the map to the north of the train station (we were supposed to be out the south side) and found the hotel there. Oops. I told Col that we'd headed the wrong way. We cut back through the station, telling Iona on the way that she'd need to go out this way. After a few blocks (where happily the map corroborated my physical environment) we found the hotel.

Booked in and braved the smoking corridor to our room. Threw our gear in then waited for Iona in the lobby.

She found us! Only had to ask directions one or twice. Oosshh.

Rearranged the furniture in the room with the brash boldness of stupid tourists. My cot bed was out up on its end against the wall and we separated the two large single beds. Col and Iona shared one and I got a bed that was a decent size. And we got some space back in the room.

We went out for dinner and found a great place. No English but plenty of pictures on the menu. Ordered some stuff. It was yummy.

Back to the room and we all crashed. I was asleep in seconds. My pillow was a bit like sleeping on a cliff. But I was so tired it didn't matter. And we're wondering if they have rice in the pillow because that's what it feels like.

Off to find breakfast now. A day in Sapporo beckons.

The Weekend with Angela en route to Japan

So I'm guest posting while Angela's away. I'll keep you up to date with all the exciting comings and goings in our house and some news from Angela if I hear it.

Saturday I was still sick and coughing and spluttering. The Doctor has me on wicked strong meds though and as at today they're doing the job.  Angela was packing, and worrying about whether everything would fit in her bag, and if it mattered that her bag straps were falling apart.  But it all fit, and I think she has everything she needs.

Saturday night we went to Mama Browns for yummy decadent food...

... followed by Suicide Squad at Gold Lounge.  Reviews from the three of us were mixed.  I thought it was great.  If Cara Delevingne was to try to bewitch me into her zombie army I don't think I'd put up much resistance.

Sunday morning we saw Angela off on the plane. I think she's still on planes right now, after a brief stop in Auckland to buy duct tape to fix her bag.

What else does Angela talk about in these things?  Ah yes, cooking at home.  MyFoodBag was delivered right on time, giving us a great choice of meals for Sunday night - pan-fried fish with kumara and hollandaise; open lamb pie with broccoli and pea smash; or beef katsu with vege rice and sesame broccoli.

So we left it all in its boxes and had Indian takeaways.

Smudge was very interested in all this and in a moment of weakness I let her lick a drop or two of butter chicken sauce off a plastic lid.  She absolutely loved it. Later I caught her on the dining room table slurping on the remains.  I threatened to turn her into mittens.

We still managed to destroy the kitchen in spite of our lack of culinary effort.

I did clean it all up this morning though.  Honest.

OK so dinner, housework, weekend activities.  I think I ticked all the boxes.  Was that enthralling?

The Thursday with herby chicken for tea

Hi,

Well, I had an unexpected call from Toby's school to come collect him from sick bay.  But I think he has come right now with a rest at home.  He also has the day off for mid term break today so he has a long weekend.

I worked from home for the afternoon before starting to cook tea.  We had herby chicken.  It was pretty yummy.  Huge hit with Toby.  Yeah - I forgot to take a photo.

I am nearly packed for my holiday away to Japan.  Got a little bit of rationalisation to do now.  And I fancy a nice brekkie out somewhere Sunday morning before my flight.  If Mike is ok.

He is still pretty sick.  He woke at 4am coughing his little heart out.  Poor guy.

Right.  Time to have a cup of tea and get through my last day at work before holidays.  Sayonara!

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with Mike sick but at work

Hi,

Mike is still sick, but he went to work.  And went to visit the pharmacist to get something for his cough and got told off.  Hahah.  He has the worst cough mixture invented to take and was told to up his asthma meds.  Not sure it's helping much.

I rode home after the gym and a busy day at work.  Jeepers.  I need a holiday!  Hahahah.

Cooked tea.  It was pretty good.  Crumbed lamb with some weird vege thing with zucchini, silverbeet and tomatoes.

Smudge exploring and looking like a piece of art - I was on a chair to see better

I used my new wooden spoon to cook - I got it from Serge in his return from his holiday!  Cool, eh?  It has my name on it.

Athens is helping me cook

Crumbed lamb with veges

My toes

I said I would show off my toes.  Here they go.  Looking mighty fine, as usual.  Hahah.

The day beckons.  Not sure I can fit anything inbetween work meetings.  Things like real work.  It's a little crazy.

Have a great day!  I hope something really special happens in your day today that makes you happy.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with busy evening stuff

Hi,

Mike was kind enough to get out of bed and come and collect me from work.  We got home and I cooked tea for us.  Beef lasagne.  Quite good.

Beef lasagne

I was busy cooking tea and getting through my laundry.  Once I got a bit of that done, I headed out to get some groceries.  Yay!

Sunrise today

So, it was a busy evening.  But everything seems vaguely ok.  Mike is going to work today against my better judgement.

Hope your day is good!

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work

Hi,

I had a weird day at work before heading off to the day spa for some foot pampering.  Now my toes will look even more fabulous than usual when I am in Japan next week.  I forgot to take a photo of them though.  Tomorrow!

I grabbed a bus home, and it arrived just as I ran to it - perfect timing.  Then got home and went to get Toby some dinner.

Mike is so sick!  He is coughing like a big coughing thing.  Toby is better though and off to school this morning.  Mike will likely have another day in bed.

Sunrise

Sunrise and moonset

The cat didn't like the kitty litter I got at New World.  She has been finding somewhere else to do her business.  Mike got out of his sickbed this morning and made a mad dash to the vet to get her favourite brand.  Apparently as soon as Mike put it in her tray, she went to use it.

Fussy thing.

Right.  Time to have that tea I seem to be desperate to have.

Enjoy your day.  Hope the weather is as good where you are as it is here.

Love,
Angela

The weekend with a work snow trip

Hi,

Had a great skiing weekend.  Weather was superb for the skiing.

Waiting for Mike past Pukerua Bay

We had to wait for Mike's car in Pukerua Bay to transfer some bags and Andrew to our car.

Stunning view from the lookout

They were very squashy in the Corolla with five people plus skis and luggage.

This is why we had to meet them

But once at the mountain, it was beautiful conditions for skiing.  I skied all day with Andrew on Saturday.  We stuck to the far west.

Sunday morning looks lovely

Sunday I got up with Toby.  We got him skis and a lift pass and had three runs down Rockgarden before we went over to the West Side quad.  We skied there for ages.  Toby loved his skis.  I couldn't keep up with him.

Break!

Let's go, Mum!

Fresh cord beneath Toby

Feet shot

Selfie

Caught up with Christine and Tom for some late sledding action outside WTMC lodge.  Then in the car for the drive home.

Toby and Tom sledding

Great weather.  Mike is sick though.  Terrible cough.  Toby is also sick.

Have a great week.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with packing

Hi,

Yes - we're off to the mountain again this weekend.  Yay for ski season.  We're leaving after work.  I am travelling with Christine and Tom and Toby in Christine's car.  Mike is taking our car and some random punters.  His car will be full and probably squashy.

I caught up with Serge and heard about his holiday - it sounded like an amazing trip.  US.  Germany.  Netherlands.  Croatia.  Italy.  Greece.  And he bought me an iced coffee.  First one for August.  Mmmmm.

Mixed Business iced coffee goodness

Went to the gym and then rode home sedately (that means I was tuckered out!).  Cooked tea for me and Toby.  I loved it.  And when Mike got home, he loved it too.  Said it was the best meal.  Pulled beef tortilla wraps.  With carrot, apple and - wait for it - brussel sprout slaw.  And chipotle sour cream.

Yummy wraps

No - Toby didn't enjoy it.  It had black beans in it.  But I reckon if it was missing the black beans he might have been happier.

Finished packing after tea and tried to tidy up.  Eventually crashed into bed and started reading.  Then - Mike rang me.  He wanted a lift home.  So I hauled myself out of bed and put on a jersey and drove down to get him.  As a reward for my selfless behaviour Mike picked up my coffee addiction at the supermarket for my drive up tonight.

I really might be addicted because something told me just to drink it when I put it in the fridge when we got home.  But I stopped myself.  Iron willpower.

Right.  Time for tea and then the bedlam of the day will start.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Ski hard - like me!

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with gym

Hi,

After my gym session, I had no legs getting back up the hill after work.  Hahah.  Tough work.  I got home and cooked tea.

Yummy lamb dish

Toby loved the lamb - not so keen on the potato, edamame beans/spinach salad. With mint pesto.  But I thought that was scrumptious - and I have those leftovers for my lunch today.

Mike got home eventually after his tramping meeting.  But he'd already had something to eat - so he also gets leftovers for lunch today.

We need to pack for the ski weekend tonight.  And I have started to pack for Japan already.  So I can pull most back out.  No need to cart stuff everywhere if I won't use it.  Right?

I have an iced coffee date this morning with Serge - he is back after his long holiday.  And I need an iced coffee fix for August,

Have a lovely day.

Go NZ in the womens hockey!

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with lovely weather

Hi,

Crazy days.  Rode home and started to cook tea.  Chicken and roast vegetables with feta.  I loved it.  Toby liked the chicken.

Toby played guitar for a bit, looking every inch the budding rock star.

Looking cool

Dinner

Not sure what the day has in store, but busy would probably sum it up.  The day is stunning.  One of the best.  Great ride in.

Still getting sick though.  And so is Mike.  Oh dear.

Have a great day.

Love,
Angela

The Monday with gym and a ride home

Hi,

I made it through my Monday at work.  It was pretty busy - but not as busy as health officials must be in Havelock North for the past few days.  Not a happy place to be, I imagine.  Havelock North

I also caught up with Sophie for lunch.  We ate at the food court but then squashed in a nice walk around a part of the waterfront.  She is good, having just got back from visiting her family in Brisbane.  Wee Pax is good too - and making mischief, as he should.

Anyway, after a session at the gym and rode home and enjoyed pleasant conditions.  Not much wind and no wet roads.  Got home and decided on fish for tea.  Toby likes fish, but didn't appreciate this one with a miso glaze with sesame seeds on top.  Mike and I liked it ok.  But we'd also choose something else.  Looked good.  And if I remembered to take a photo you'd see it.

Worked with Mike a little after tea and tidied up a bit.  Laundry and stuff.  We're away again this weekend so it all needs to be done during the week.  Including tidying and luxing and cleaning.

Something has to give - and it is ironing.  I am wearing a jersey all week over my shirts.  No judging!

The wee cat slept on our bed last night and I think subconsciously I scrunch up to avoid her.  Anyway, I vaguely woke at 4.45am and stupidly stretched and got a massive cramp in my left calf.  I had to leap out of bed to stretch it out.  And now it is throbbing.  Sigh.

I can also detect a sore throat coming on.  Mike is also getting sick.  I only hope if it gets worse, it is all over before I fly to Japan for my holiday.  :-)  Not sure it is a good idea to wish a cold to worsen though.  I think I'll use powers of denial.

Wee Toby and I are playing the guitar at the moment.  He has it at school and we're practising a bit at home each night.  I haven't touched the guitar in years.

Right.  Time for tea.  Have a great day!

Love,
Angela

The weekend with some skiing, finally

Hi,

Wow - this snow is the best since 2007 when we moved back to New Zealand.  That season there was 5m of snow at Whakapapa.  This weekend there was half that - 2.5m.  And it was fresh and such fun to ski on.  That extra snow hides all the sharp rocks and you can ski so much more terrain.

Friday Toby and I met Ilske after work at the Interislander terminal where we kept the Corolla for the weekend.  We transferred gear to Ilske's wee Jimny car and poor Toby could hardly move in the back seat.  But he didn't complain and we joined the slow traffic out of Wellington to head north.

Got to the lodge around 11pm, not long before Mike.  By the time I was ready to park, Mike was also ready.  So we walked up together to the lodge.  Found our room and I was asleep before hardly any time had passed.

Up late because  the weather wasn't great.  But I got into the lift queue and my season pass just worked.  Woot!

I skied by myself.  Waterfall express was open - but just that one and the new Rangatira express was open.  Couldn't see hardly a thing in front of me.  Whiteout the whole time.  A few runs weren't quite as murky and that was wonderful.  The snow was superb.

But, after another session where it clagged in again, I decided to join Mike for a hot chocolate break.  But it turns out the reason why I was skiing straight onto lifts was because everyone was in the cafe.  So after queuing for a bit, we decided to just head back to the lodge.

Mike and I brave the whiteout conditions

Toby braves the conditions to go sledding

He's spotted a great slope on the other side of this wee valley

I went sledding with Toby.  Wow - he really loves it.  He eventually convinced me to try it from his high point - with both of us in there.  And as we got in, I got really scared.  It was so steep and so high!  But Toby convinced me - with a kiss!  And I am so glad.  We hurtled off down the slope so fast!  It was such fun!

Next day was stunning.  I skied with Toby on Happy Valley and enjoyed that before it filled up with people.  Then when the big queue lessened, we joined that and skied Waterfall T.

Sunday was stunning

Mike eventually found us and we did a few runs together.  Toby got tired quickly after that so we skied back down.  Toby enjoyed Rockgarden.  The snow was lovely.

Car park view

Goodbye until next weekend

Ilske had had a bad day, with delays and then falling on ice and hurting her elbow.  But she managed to drive off the mountain and to Taihape before I took over.  Her wee car did great!

Back home at 7pm and I got some washing done before Mike got home.  An awesome weekend - and more of the same next weekend.

Right.  Time for tea.  Have a brilliant week!  in two weeks I will be in Japan!  Wow!

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with packing for skiing

Hi,

Yay!  We're finally off to the mountain.  There is buckets of snow - 2.5m at Whakapapa.  But - there is a front coming to the North Island for the weekend.  I think my Kindle might get a decent workout.  If any lifts open though - I will be up there.  I can't wait!!!

Last night I went to drinks after work to say goodbye to Ange.  As the Germans say, I had a happy eye and a sad eye.  I'm so pleased she has got a new job that will be an awesome step for her.  But I'm sad because I think she is great value and I will miss her.  Selfish of me, though.

Anyway - I met Mike and we got home and finished packing for the ski weekend.  Woot!  So long as he remembers my ski boots, all will be right with the world!

I am meeting Ilske after work, and Toby and I are driving up in her wee 4WD.  So exciting!  Hopefully it is an easy drive up - although the weather is set to deteriorate.

Right.  Time to finish my tea and really get stuck in.  I will try and work through lunch so I can get away as soon as Toby turns up at my work.  Woot!

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with a good ride home

Hi,

We have had the two most stunning days ever.  And it is entirely possible that today (Thursday morning) is the best morning in the history of beautiful, clear, crisp mornings.  Only surpassed by one this good while tramping or skiing.

Anyway, let me get back to this morning a little later.  Last night after gym I rode home and slowly hauled in another cyclist on the hill.  I passed him on the steepest bit in the end.  Ooosshhh.  Got home and cooked tea for me and Toby.  Toby loved the chicken schnitzel - I even got a kiss for it.  The salad was amazing.  Roast kumara and red onion in maple syrup, with green beans and then spinach and thinly sliced pear.  Mmmmm.

Chicken schnitzel with pear and kumara salad

The salad - with garlic mayo

Mike got home not long after and ate his.  Then we chatted about a few things and I went to bed.  But I couldn't sleep.  I have this slight addiction to Lewis Road iced coffee and I might have had quite a bit before bed.  And then I woke up at 4am.  So I reckon I had about 5 hours sleep.  Oh dear.

And it is Ange's last day at work today.  So tired - and miserable at the prospect of not having Ange around to learn from and bounce ideas off.  And do the Stuff quiz.  Sigh.

I rode in this morning and actually had to stop to enjoy the view.  The harbour was spectacular looking, and the hills beyond have snow on them still.  So beautiful.  Like a tourist destination you see in postcards!

It was cold though.  I couldn't feel my hands.  I braked by determining how quickly the bike slowed down - not by pressure on my fingers.

Time for tea and then into the day!

Have a brilliant day.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday in Auckland

Hi,

I really enjoy visiting Auckland - I feel like such a tourist there.  Work went well, and it was a trip well worth it.

However, I have misgivings about the two weeks I will be away in early September as my boys didn't cope well in my absence.  I was gone two days, and things fell apart.  Pretty sure they lived on takeaways.  Mike took a photo of Toby's lunchbox on Monday and sent it to me.  It had the normal snacks, but instead of sandwiches, there was $5.  Hahah.  But that was waaaaaay better than his lunch on Tuesday.  When Mike picked me up from the airport and I asked about the lunches, Mike gasped when he realised he totally forgot to send Toby to school on Tuesday with any lunch - or lunch money.

Toby is going to starve for two weeks when I am away.

Yes, I am now slightly nervous about that aspect.

Anyway, Auckland was good.  Nicolette looked after me (I got a hot water bottle for my bed!), as did my colleagues in Auckland.  Janet was her usual fantastic self.  I'll miss her (again!) when she leaves.

I missed Roz at the airport though - her work turned to worms.  But I was happy enough sitting at the gate, reading, until my flight left.  And I hope to see Roz before my Japan flight in a few weeks.

As I mentioned, Mike collected me at the airport.  It was really nice to see him.  We got home, and Toby was involved with his PC but let me hug him lots (silently, as he was chatting to his mates and he didn't want them to hear his mother whispering soppy things to him).

When I got to bed, I was asleep in seconds.  It was a deep, deep sleep.

This morning is stunning here.  Really gorgeous.

Sunrise this morning in Wellington

My bike ride in was great fun!  Although a car overtook me on the way down the hill.  That was a little unexpected.  There isn't much visibility for cars on that hill to go over the other side of the road.  I would have pulled over but they didn't even slow down on their approach.  By the time I knew they were behind me, they were actually overtaking.  Fools.

But, the day starts here.  I have ample Rooibos supplies.  I am wearing a jersey to stay warm.  The heat is probably going to get sucked from my body at the same rate Rooibos will inject it.  i should remain at a functional temperature for a while yet.

Have a wonderful day.

Love,
Angela

The Monday in Auckland

Hi,

Had a great day in Auckland yesterday - despite Toby's school ringing me and hearing he had a headache and needed to be collected from school.  Poor Mike had to sort that out.  But I heard back later, and Toby was ok and Mike had him safely at home.

My work was busy and then we met a bunch of people and we went to a lovely Indian restaurant not far from work.  It was for Karin's last week, and the conversation was good fun.  Jacqui, Celia, Janet, Ruan, Nicolette and Karin.  And the food was amazing.

Meat!

Celia and Janet enjoying the dinner

After chatting away to each other for ages, we left and Nicolette and I waited for a bus near Victoria Park.  But eventually Nicolette decided the late hour (9.45pm) and the cold (hahahah!) meant we should catch a taxi home.

Her house is perfect - 2 bedrooms.  Possibly in Birkenhead.  Suburbs in Auckland just confuse me.  I got my Rooibos and went to bed.  Read for a bit (too long) and eventually went to sleep.  Slept right through until my alarm confused me no end.  I had no idea where I was for a moment.  Thought I was in my own bed at home, but my phone was in a slightly weird place.

Anyway, Nicolette fed me breakfast and we caught her bus to town.  15 mins through the traffic due to a bus lane.  Easy peasy.

Got a busy day here and then off to hopefully see Roz for a cup of tea before my flight.  If that works out.

Have a great day!

Love,
Angela

The weekend in Wellington

Hi,

How we never saw any snow this weekend I do not know!  In Dunedin we would have!  It was snow weather.  Freezing cold rain.

Mt Hutt has snow!

Toby and I wear the same clothes out - and Emerson photo bombs

Just Lulu photo bombs us

 I had a lazy weekend, really.  Too cold to even get out of bed.  Brrrr.  Toby went to visit Magnus - in his jandals.  With no cell phone.  Or jacket.  And when he walked back, in the hail, he was a frozen wet blob on our doorstep.  I ran  bath for him.

We had tea out at Josh's place on Saturday night.  Lasagne.  Mmmmm.  Good to catch up with him and the boys.  And Lulu.  Toby and I wore similar clothes so I made Mike take photographic evidence.  Toby is not that tall - he was on tippy toes!

Sunday was a bit lazy too.  But I met up with Christine at Le Marquis and we got inundated by old residents meeting about the bus route changes.  Big news in Wadestown.

Grocery shopping followed that and then back home for the evening.

I am in Auckland today and tomorrow.  Experiencing rain here instead of in Wellington.

Have a wonderful day!

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with RPM with Sreejith

Hi,

Had a weird phone call from Mum in the middle of a meeting at work.  But when I rang back, it turns out she had clicked a button accidentally.  So we had a chat on Facebook messenger's phone app.  When she discovered that was free, she was even more overjoyed.  Hahah.

After a busy day at work, and a RPM class with Sreejith, it was good to finally get out of work and ride home.  It was good, but not too windy.  Got home and gave Toby his favourite sushi.  Mike got home not too long afterwards and he made himself tea.

After sitting with the cat for a while, Mike headed off to a mate's house to tune my skis.  Bonus!  My skis now look fantastic and the snow is deep and fluffy up there.  2.5m at Whakapapa.  Woot!  We are up there for the next two weekends (not this one coming though).  So I have my fingers crossed for continued good snow.

I went to bed and crashed.  Mike got home and also crashed.  He was tired before he left.  It's been a tough week.

Friday is upon us.  My ride in was cold, but the roads were surprisingly clear.  The rain during the night was heavy - but the cold wind is dry and the roads aren't too bad.

Hoping for a bike ride tomorrow and maybe a ski day trip Sunday.  But at the moment the weather up at the mountain looks good for snow leopards - and not much else.  Maybe some Yetis.  Yaks.  Transplanted penguins.  Oh wait.  The other creatures would also be transplanted.  Ok - the weather is only looking good for hardy organisms and that discounts me really.  Well, if I was already up there, I'd ski.  But driving for 8 hours to ski in a blizzard isn't really what I am after.

Let's see eh?  I am in AKL Monday and Tuesday so you might not get any blogs.  You might have to wait until Wednesday before you find out about my weekend adventures.  Grim, I know!

But have a wonderful weekend anyway.  My Japan trip is this month and I am getting very excited.  Woot!

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with a sprint class with Mary

Hi,

At lunch time Mary and I went to a Sprint class at the gym.  That is 30 minutes of crazy work on a bike.  I have never seen a class that full - every bike had someone on it.  And there must be 50 bikes in that room.

Anyway, as I checked in, I was told I had no more credits for the instructor classes.  And I could only pay with cash.  And of course, I had none on me.  I was off to the gym.  Why would I bring money?  I stood there contemplating my next move.  As I did, the young man, sweating buckets from his session, said he'd pay for me.  He handed over his Eftpos card and I was in.  Wow!  Floored me.  I need to pay forward now too!

Steak, butternut/carrot mash and mushroom/silverbeet sauce

I rode home and got tea ready for me and Toby.  Mike got home later and ate his dinner then.  It was ok.  Nice sauce.  The mash I can live without.

The cat slept on our bed last night - not sure why.  Maybe because Mike still smelled like his fish lunch!  Hahah.  But she was on my side, so I got up around 11pm and moved to Mike's side of the bed.  Then, during the night, she moved between us again.  That cat is so cheeky.  I hope she decides Toby's bed is a far better option, otherwise I might never sleep well again.

Nice ride in this morning, despite the wet roads.  The rain was hardly noticeable.  But it is a cold southerly.  Brrrr.

Time for tea and the day to start!

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with fish for tea

Hi,

I rode home in lovely conditions yesterday after work.  Went for a good lunch time run too.  So not too bad a day for getting some exercise in.

When I got home (a little late as I had a late meeting), I started tea.  Toby and I were happy to try the fish dish this week.

Fish with crispy potatoes and beetroot and orange salad

Toby scoffed down the fish, but did say it wasn't as tasty as other fish dishes we've had.  That might be because he didn't use the capers and mayo sauce that complemented the fish quite nicely.

We'd just finished (a bit late for tea, I know) when Mike texted and I volunteered to collect him and take Andrew home.  They'd been out with Meetup planning trips.  We caught up well with Andrew on our way out to Lower Hutt.

Back home and I was straight to bed, really.  Read a bit and then crashed.  Woke lots during the night but rolled over and went back to sleep.

Time for tea now I reckon.  Have a wonderful day.

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work and with my wee sisters birthday

Hi,

What a funny day, weather wise here.  I reckon it was colder inside work than outside.  I froze at my desk for about half the day before I warmed up enough to be able to type effectively.  I hope Karen had a good day for her birthday.  I am sure she did.

We had parent teacher interviews and I met Mike not far from his work in the car.  We drove to Toby's school and sat in the car as we were super early.  Well, you can never tell with the traffic.  That's my excuse.

We attended our well scheduled interviews - all one after the other.  Boom, boom, boom!  Boom!  (We had 4 of them).  Toby is doing much better at this school.  He is happy and relaxed.  He excels in PE (huh??) and Spanish.  And even his Science teacher (that was his worst mark) says he is doing well and just aced his last test.  Ask Toby what you like about the food chain in the Antarctic.  Apparently Toby understands that ecosystem quite well.  I read his test and I agree.  Well thought out answers linking ideas together well.

Back home and Mike collected burgers so I didn't have to cook.  I had had a headache all day so I went straight to bed.  And I slept really early.  I must have been asleep by 8.30pm I reckon.  I woke a few times in the night.  Thought my sleep was over when Mike came to bed, but it was only 9pm.  And then I woke at 11pm thinking it must be around 4am.  Nope.  Still lots of sleep to be had.  Weird night.  Hahahah.

Took the bus in with Mike this morning.  My bike is still in town after the parent teacher evening.  Hopefully I get to ride it home after work today.

Have a brilliant day!

Love,
Angela

The weekend in Wellington

Hi,

We had another weekend in Wellington.  The weather up at Ruapehu was so bad that no day trip for my first skiing of the season was possible.  And now they have 2 m of snow up there!  Crazy weather!

We had a fairly quiet weekend in town.  Toby's old bed finally got picked up by someone so we have a bit of space in the garage now and can probably get the car back in there.

Wee Smudge is getting a bit more bold.  She roams around a bit more - but still dives off under the couch when someone walks in.  She has realised we eat around the dining table and that has become very interesting to her.  We spend a bit of time growling at her now.

Lamb with honeyed kumara mash and stuffing balls

Toby caught up with his mate Will.  They planned to meet at the local school.  We got there early and sat in the sun watching a family group play tennis.  I thought the woman watching with her back to us sounded like Yingjie.  And when I heard one of the boys was called Alex, I really thought it might be our friends.  But that Alex was so different, I discounted it.  Toby and I wandered around looking for Pokemon.  Then Yingjie and Alex came over to chat!  I couldn't believe it!  We swapped numbers and then Will arrived and I left Toby and Will to hang out.

Saturday night saw Mike off to the pub to watch the rugby and I watched a movie with Toby on Netflix.  We saw the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.  With Megan Fox.  It was actually better than  I thought it would be.

Not a lot else happened over the weekend.  Weather was diabolical on Saturday and surprisingly good on Sunday.

Parent teacher interviews after work today.  That should be interesting.

Right.  Time for tea and the week to start.  Have an awesome week.

Love,
Angela