The Thursday with stuff

Hi,

Yay for catching up with Khemry, Yosan and Serge for coffee.  And maybe a slice of pecan pie for me.  Mmmmm.

Iced latte at Pickle and Pie with Khemry

It was a good one.

Serge and his scroll

And a bonus lunch date with Mike at Bethel Woods.  He had their WOAP burger and declared it good.  I had their mushroom one - and it was so tasty.  Enjoyed a long walk back with him.  made the afternoon way better.  Thank you, Mike.

Iced latte perspective

Got an iced latte in with Andrew this morning.  And reminded it was 3 years today that Iona and Col and I went to Japan.

Ooohhh - take me back there, anytime!

Japan 3 years ago today

Take me back!

Weekend is looming large in my future.  Indian festival with sari tomorrow.  Woot!

Toby seemed ok with his exams yesterday (he had two - Drama and History).  Nothing on for him today.

Have a good one.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday that surely was actually a Friday

Hi,

Mike drove Toby into school - down Aro - and discovered it only took 10 mins.  Wow.  Good on them.  Toby said his exam was ok.

It meant Mike drove to work - so I went and found the car after work and Mike met me there soon after.  Drove home.

Look!  A partial rainbow.  Like a double rainbow - but smaller.  And, not actually a real rainbow.

Cooked tea.  That sort of thing.

Mid speech about how good this iced latte will be...

Oh - you have taken it already?  Surprise!

Mike decided we should watch Chernobyl.  Ummmm.  OMG.  I made it through the first 20 mins and decided it was too horrible to contemplate, and rolled over and went to sleep.

First thing Mike said when I woke him this morning was:  Chernobyl got worse.

Good call on my part, then.

The day beckons.  Toby has more exams.  Good luck for those.

Oh - funny story from yesterday's bus trip.  It's the only day I get to bus in.  I have to wake at 4.35am every other morning in order to walk in and get to my sessions on time.  Wednesday - the bus usually gets me to The Terrace at 6.29am and I run like mad for my class and get in there at about 6.33am.  The instructor knows and says it is ok.

But at the moment we have the most considerate bus driver in the world.  He takes every turn like he's carrying eggs.  Hence, I was hurtling out of the bus at The Terrace at 6.36am and running, fall bore, to the class.  And - yesterday - another woman dressed like me was doing the exact same thing.  Muttering as she galloped down the steps about being late.

It's not like he's late.  Just not fast like the normal drivers. 

Anyway - enjoy your day.  It's gorgeousness personified here today.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday that felt like Wednesday

Hi,

I was a bit confused all day as to what day of the week it was.  Pretty sure my brain was convinced it was already Wednesday.  But, Tuesday it was.  All day.

I do love Tuesday mornings.  I walk in, get to boxing at 6.15am, then run to Spin for 7am.  By the time I get to work at 8am, I am so chill.

I see Andrew!  In a vase.  

I want this t-shirt

I caught up with Andrew for lunch because work got in the way of a morning coffee with him.  Meetings!  Hah!

Met Mike on the way home on the bus.  And enjoyed dinner with the boys ahead of them deciding to walk to the supermarket.

We have a lot of milk in the fridge now.  Like - a lot!

Have an awesome day.

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work

Hi,

 Monday.  Indeed.  Came.  Stomped on me.  Left the same way.

The anticipation...

Mmmm, yep - it's good.

Iced latte was good though.

Did get to Spin after work.  Bought sushi for Toby to celebrate a (successful, I hope) BIO exam.  Grabbed it from the fridge at work after Spin and rushed to the bus stop.  Only to miss my bus by seconds.  Gah!

 Facebook showed me a post from this day 10 years ago.  And it got the most comments that year (probably ever!).  Pretty sure it's because my wee boy is so gorgeous.

Facebook popped this up from 10 years ago.

Texted Mike.  He planned drinks after his burger meal with me and his friends - which didn't really fit in with my plans to get home early.

Ended up on the next bus together.

Gave Toby his sushi (which made him happy) and learned that he was confident about his exam.  So - yay!

Slept way better last night than the night before.  Walked in nice and early.  Little bit wet.  But nice enough.  Not too cold.

Have a lovely day.

Love,
Angela

The weekend in Wellington with sari fitting

Hi,

Mike got away with the van and entered the north-bound car park (erroneously called State Highway 1) shortly after 5pm.  I got a text from Celia indicating his safe arrival at the lodge while I was fast asleep.

Up Saturday to tackle some housework ahead of a trip to Anjali and Sreejith's house for trying on the sari.  Anjali took me to an Indian shop and I found some pickle and spices, along with a petticoat and blouse for under the sari.

Back to Anjali's house to try it on.  5m of fabric, tucked in with pleats and a safety pin seemed to do the trick.

Wow!

Anjali works some magic

Anamika dresses up to join me

Perhaps I can pull off wearing this to the festival next weekend after all.  Sreejith kindly took me around to see Ebby and Deepa and meet wee Ethan.

Hello wee Ethan

OMG - talk about gorgeous.  He is so cute.  Deepa's parents are over to help out.  Which is good as Ethan is preoccupied with eating and sleep is a secondary thing.

And happy birthday Ron

Sunday saw a lazy morning for me.  Toby got through a lot of study for the weekend.  Yay.  He discovered a VPN that lets me watch American soccer.  Yay for Toby.  He set up the Echo Dot int he bathroom and set them to use his account.

I think I have outsourced my IT support.

Went to the Thai place in Tawa and had birthday dinner with Ron, Helen and the extended whanau.  Caught up with Vivienne and John - not seen them for a wee while.

Back to Ron and Helen's house for cake and tea.  And then off to Melling to collect Mike from his weekend adventure.

They had blizzards.

Toby has mock exams this week.  So wish him well.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with busy stuff on

Hi,

I am going to call yesterday "good busy".  As opposed to "bad busy" - which is totally draining. 

Verve iced coffee with Mark H 

"Good busy" is frantic, but in a reasonable way.  I suspect there is a fine line between what sends things spinning into the spiral of "bad busy" and things that spread wings and soar into the wide, open, bluer-than-blue skies.

Ok - yes.  I have had caffeine.

Mike is off to Mt Ruapehu after work today.  Yay!  Hope he has a great time.  Toby has mock exams next week and is in study frenzy mode.

I am meeting Anjali tomorrow to try and find some sari under garments.  Hmmmm.  Could be "interesting".

Enjoy your weekend.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with date night

Hi,

Caught up with Andrew ahead of one of the craziest days.  Hahah.  A little bit of calm before the storm.

Cheers

Slurp!  And Jordan photo bombed it.

It was full on until 5.30pm when I downed tools and left to find Mike.  Did discover spilled shampoo in my locker, in my shower bag.  Kinda oozed out a bit.  Smelled like a summer day in an Otago fruit orchard.

Met Mike and we Ubered to the Penthouse cinema and enjoyed a lovely dinner.  There wasn't a lot of vege options - which was a shame.  But next week - Blinded by the Light is our date night.  Yes! 

Tonight we chatted away, sorted out some finance stuff, ate dessert (Afghan cookie for me) and then headed into the cinema to see "Same, but different".  It's a NZ film (rom-com - it was date night!) and being distributed by the film makers themselves.

They were there and talked afterwards.  21 days to shoot.  $100k to make.  1 year from script to screen.  And the crew met in the 48 hour film competition (same one Toby did a few months back).  And they have stuck together, thick as thieves, ever since.

Caught an Uber back home.  So late for a school night.  11pm.  OMG.  But - yay - Quentin had his 7am cancel, so I moved my 6.30am to 7am and Quentin and I had a sleep in.  Yes!


Rainy day today.  :-(  Mike has to ensure he really has packed for his weekend skiing.  It is going to be epic!  Such good snow.

Enjoy your day.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with stuff

Hi,

So - I had this client meeting.  Rae loves Machete's iced lattes too.  With one sugar - just like me.  And last time we met, she was early and I was late, and she ended up paying.  So I thought - right.  I will put a placeholder in at 9.30am, to remind me of the meeting.  So I would be there for 10am nice and early.  Buy the coffees and wait.

Selfie madness

Ummmm.  I was busy in the morning.  But at 9.15am the reminder (of the reminder) popped up.  Oohh - my brain said - don't be late.

So I hurtled out of work, and got to Machete ahead of her.  Ordered the coffees and sat, waiting.  9.35am came and went.  And I slowly realised I was a full 30 mins early.  Cos - sharp like a marble.  That's me.

I was faced with two iced lattes.  Do I drink them both, run back to work for a bit, then come back and order more?  Or sit here, and be laughed at by Paul and the cafe crew and chill?

I chilled.

Client arrived.  We drank iced lattes.  Well, I finished mine.  She started hers.  And caught up.

Shucks.  Yep - I am silly.

Anyway, got through the rest of the day without anything else super dumb happening.  I hope.  Got home.  Sorted tea for Toby.  And Mike.

And shouted at the washing machine.  Mike also shouted at it.  LG?  Life's Good?  Well, not for our washing machine.  Not good?  Maybe?  It decides it is "unbalanced" and stops with a tinkle tune that is different from the "I have finished my job correctly" tinkle tune.  And you need to haul out stuff, and replace it and set it going again, hopeful you have fixed it.

Which, often, is not the case.  And it is unbalanced again. 

Oh for the days of the trusty F&P top loader.

Anyway.  Laundry woes.

Have an awesome day.

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work - with Toby and a sore head

Hi,

Ok - I have to say, there is nothing worse than the school ringing you and saying something like:  Roland has had a head injury and needs you to come and pick him up.

Anyway, Mike got an Uber to him and they let him go home.  Mike went home to work from home and "look after him".  He was ok.  Slept a bit.  Got scrapes on his elbows and hip, and a bump on his head.

Monday morning iced latte

Cats surround Toby

Got home and cooked tea for everyone.  Chicken schnitzels for Toby - one for Mike, and a bowl for me.  Rice, spinach, corn, hummus, boiled eggs.  Yum!

Slept well.  Up early for a walk in, boxing, then spin.  Yes!

Hoping the day is less frantic on the parenting front.  Take care, Tobster.

Love,
Angela

The weekend with the Forbes family visiting

Hi,

The weekend was a good one - fairly chill.  I made it my mission to relax and try and shake off this silly thing.

Mainly worked.  Oosshh!

Happy iced latte time

Sad about something - last day with Victor for a while...

Caught up with Victor for our last iced latte together while we were nominally in the same team and before his 10 week holiday.

Ten weeks?  There are some of us that believe he will be begging to come back well before then.  Hahahah.  I reckon Susan will plan out his holiday and he'll be back when she's good and ready for it. 

:-p

Two at once?  OMG.  New caffeine addiction levels?

Went out to find Iona on Friday after work.  She sent me an unexpected message that she was at Te Papa.  Limited time only.  So I packed up at work and raced down there.  Only to end up on some weird treasure hunt.  The prize being at least a hug from Iona if I found her.  Not a bad carrot.

Got to Te Papa bang on 4.30pm.  Saw loads of weaver types leaving in droves.  Not looking too good for catching that demo then.  Must have finished.  Wandered around Te Papa trying to find her.

Got a text update.  With some people outside Dragon on Tory. 

Yep - I know where that is.  Raced out of Te Papa.  Up Tory.  Another text update.  At Poquito.  Ooohh - I know where that is too.

Found her.  Got my hug.  And ended up meeting her weaving mates and having a drink.  Lured Andrew there too.  Mike had to go home for Toby duties.

Andrew and I ended up crashing their dinner at Dragon.  Hope that was ok.  It was for us.  :-)  Yum.

Took me a while to catch a bus home.  But found my boys watching Robocop when I did get home. 

Saturday saw me in bed for a while.  Mike went to the group PT session and worked on his glutes. 

Saturday evening saw the Forbes family come to visit.  And watch the rugby.  Had our now-traditional curry night.  Mmmmm.  Ellen, Alex and Aidan wanted to head home (to the James Cook) after tea, so Theresa took them home.

Just Dance - Toby and Ellen.

Moxley chilling on Richard's lap

Richard watched the rugby to the end (even with my shouting).  NZ 36 - 0 Aus.  Bledisloe stays in NZ for another year. 

Chatted for ages before I drove Richard back to town.  Home by midnight.  But stupidly read until 1.30am.

Panhead cafe near Joe's Garage - pretty good!

Met the Forbes for lunch - a new brewery.  Panhead one.  Corner of Wakefield and Tory.  Had a good iced latte.  Well done!  Decent poached eggs too.

Back home to sort out a few things for the week ahead.  Toby made lemon cake.  And it was scrumptious.

Sally is in Adelaide for work this week.  Wow, she should enjoy that for a change of scenery.

Date night this week.  Yes!

Have a great week.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with me sick and Toby too

Hi,

Absolutely nothing to see here.  Yep - I was away from work sick yesterday.  And Toby ended up with a migraine too.  So the two of us stayed in bed most of the day.  My step count was a measly 149 at 8pm last night.

I felt better around midday yesterday, so this morning I decided to walk in and go to the gym and see how I got on.  Headache cleared with the walk in, dizzy thing sorted itself out.  Spin was ok.  So here I am at work.

Obviously fighting off something that is just running me down. 

Here's to the approaching weekend to sort me out more.

And the Forbes' family is coming to visit.  Yay!  Not sure what the story is - but they appear to be here at the weekend and we have dinner out on Saturday sorted.

Toby says Tessa is settled into her host family in the Netherlands and happy. Double yay!

Enjoy your day!  And the weekend.  Oosshh.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with stuff

Hi,

Tuesday.  Oooshh.  Came in like a boss, hard on the heels of Monday.  Ran me over.  Got Mike with the back wheels.  Then I think it backed up and took Toby out too.

Toby was sick.  :-(  He's off to see the doctor today.

Iced latte goodness

Tiny banana or huge hand?  You pick.  But let me just say, my hands are a close second to my magnificent feet - and perfectly proportioned.

Got that dizzy thing I sometimes get.  Gah!  And it is hanging around.  Pah!  Hopefully it goes away soon.  Maybe I am battling the same thing as Toby but I am waaaaaaaaay stronger than him.

Hahahah.

As if.

Right.  Time for the day to start.

Andrew is presenting at the tramping club tonight.  So although I would prefer to go home and lie in bed and pretend the world is not tilted, I am going to try and hang out for that.  Cos it is going to be awesome!  Spot Height Man.  It's a thing.

Enjoy your day.

Love,
Angela

The Monday with work stuff

Hi,

The day came - the day went.

First one was blurry - so in this one I am talking

Mike did go to the hygienist - so he has super clean teeth now.  Yay for dental hygiene. 

I got home before Mike (and Toby was still at Tessa's house) and made myself some tea.  Mike ate tea before he left town. 

It was pelting down rain.  Mike asked nicely for a ride home, so I changed back out of my pyjamas (it was that sort of night when you get home and want to snuggle in warm PJs and slippers) and headed out to the car - in the stonking rain - and collected him from his work.

Back home and super fast change to pyjamas again.  Yes!

Had a good sleep.  Hope yours was good too!

Have an awesome day.

Love,
Angela

The weekend in Wellington

Hi,

Managed to catch up with Ed and Victor on Friday.  The dynamic duo.  Very entertaining iced latte session.

Look out for Ed!

He got caught

Made it through the working day and headed home with Mike.  Yay!  Toby was already home when we got there.

My garden thinks it's Spring

Saturday saw us all off to explore the delights of Lower Hutt shopping centres.  Queensgate.  Like the old Airport West shopping centre, if I had to compare to an Aussie equivalent.

Michael Emerson from The Lost Boys

Pop Vinyl had a wee Michael Emerson figure from The Lost Boys.  If I don't get one in my Christmas stocking this year, those boys of mine cannot take a hint.

Another day another bag to explore

Home made iced latte

The weather was off and on pretty bad.  Sunday I only went out to drop Toby at Tessa's house and buy kitty litter and groceries.

Janine came around and showed off her new car.  X Trail.  Very nice.  Should suit her perfectly.

And then the weekend ended.  Boom!  Just like that.

Have an awesome week ahead.  Bye to Tessa - she leaves tomorrow for her adventure in the Netherlands.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with packing

Hi,

Toby has another migraine this morning.  :-(  It has reached plague proportions. 

Dead lifts giving me callouses

OMG - just... What is this, actually?

We were supposed to go away skiing this weekend to Ruapehu too.  But the forecast is dire.  Galeforce winds both days.  And snow.  So much snow.

Not going now.

They have 2.2m at the top.  And over a metre forecast over the next 3 days.

So... no skiing then.  Mike pulled the pin.  And Toby is sick - so all for the best then.

Will get some tidying done.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with a night out with Celia

Hi,

 Ok, so according to photographic evidence, all I have done for the past two days is drink iced lattes.

Morning iced latte

Iced latte another morning

Oh - and try on some glasses at work.  After Khemry said:  You look bigger this week.  Which I interpreted (accurately, I am sure) to mean:  You look fat.

She tried to tell me I suited these glasses, but I think she was just trying to dig herself out of the "You look fat" hole she threw herself in.

Trying on glasses

Hey Mike - how about these glasses?

Another day, another iced latte

I had an iced latte with a client and Steph and Celia.  But I felt a bit odd asking for a photo.  Celia suggested I improvise.

Missed a photo of my iced latte with a client.  This is my artistic impression of what happened.

After work last night, Celia and I drove to the Hutt and bought tickets to see Booksmart (with no clue about the movie really) and went to dinner at "Oli and Mi".

Great food there. I had arancini rice balls for a starter with Celia.  Tasty morsels.  And my main was wontonllini.  A consomme soup with wontons.  And mushrooms.

And chocolate fondant dessert.

Off to the movie (8.30pm) - which I stayed awake for.  And laughed lots.  Hilarious movie that was worth the random selection.  If you get a chance, go see it.

Have an awesome day.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with unexpected drinks out with Arthur

Hi,

I walked into work yesterday and went straight to boxing, then ran from there to the Spin class.  What an awesome way to start the day.

Heart rate boxing - then Spin

You can tell on the heart rate monitor where my spin class started.  Way cool.  Boxing is such fun.

Iced latte @ The Lab

With Arthur down for the day (he did the 7pm overnight bus trip from AKL to WLG.  he arrived here at 6.15am) we went out for lunch and I had an iced latte with him.

Then after work we had a spontaneous drinks with him at The Hudson (Mark's suggestion).  By the time Mike arrived to grab a drink with us, Arthur had left for his 7pm bus back.  It was "Arthur's drinks" - with no Arthur.

We got home and Mike sorted out a late tea for us.  Toby got toast.  :-) 

Crashed into bed.  But Mike seemed to have an awful sleep.  Not sure what happened there.

I have "date night" tonight - with Celia.  Hahahah.  We're going to the Hutt (from work around 5.30 - 6pm) so if Andrew wants a ride home, we're good to go.  Celia and I are having dinner somewhere (no idea) and going to see some random movie that seemed less tedious than anything else on offer at the Lighthouse in Petone.

Yay!  Bring it all on.

Have a great day.

Love,
Angela