The Wednesday with a bike ride after work

 Hi,

Shane got me a new oat milk iced latte called innerbloom. And it was delicious, I have to say. Would recommend.

Oat milk latte was delicious - thank you Shane. Innerbloom. 

Lunch at work - with Celia

Caught up with Celia for lunch at work - and enjoyed her company and the sunshine. Jessie and Caitlin joined us at the end but we didn't get a lot of time with them.

After work I rode to the point with Maureen. She was on her pedal power bike and I was on my trusty eBike commuter. Wasn't even fair. But she was as amazing as ever. 30km in the saddle all up. Not too bad given I will be riding those distances on Great barrier this weekend.

Dinner when Mike was at a meeting in town

Got home to find Mike was in town at an architect forum meeting. I admired Dave's work on the teop step and the architraves before making myself a salad.

Dave is mighty - look at this step!

So good

Off to bed when Mike got home. And up to drive in and go to the gym and then data brekkie (with John and Kris) before grabbing some cheese for the weekend and a spare tube from Giant.

Data brekkie this morning (Thurs)

Working from home to get a few things done at lunch time (kitty litter refresh mainly) then away by Uber with Tom for our big adventure.

Have a great day - and enjoy the weekend.

Love,

Angela

The Tuesday with Dave the builder and working from home

 Hi,

Mike and I both worked from home yesterday. The rain in the morning kept me glued to the house. And it was good to see Dave progress with the top step in only one day. Wow.

Lewis Rd

Top step renovation in progress

Dave's legs

New step

Smudge inspects the new step

Moxley also helps check the new step out

Garage gym session yesterday - photos or it didn't happen

After work we had tea and then my mother called. So Mike went back to work (downstairs) and I chatted to her for ages.

Then off to bed for the two of us.

Up this morning for a superb ride in. Sunny. No wind. But I have to say - that nip is in the air. And usually that isn't felt until towards the end of Feb. The weather this summer is really unusual.

Have a great day.

Love,

Angela

The Monday with working from home with the air con repairer coming

 Hi,

I took no photos yesterday. None. Hopefully Mike took some!

Well, I have photos of our prepped-up bikes,
ready for our Aotea Great Barrier Island adventure

That drybag on the back looks a bit tenuous

And surgically installed into Tom's Mondeo.
"Retrieving and reassmbling them will be non trivial" he says.

Worked from home and had the Wasabi air con chap (Nate) turn up to assess our heat pump in the lounge.

Yeah - he said the outside unit's circuit board was fried. And that no one made that part anymore. So he had to check if a new board would fit into the old board's location.

No.

And then he checked the piping from the inside unit to the outside unit. No. He can't re-use that. So he will need to reroute pipes through the upstairs wardrobe. 

The final analysis? A quote is coming to us for an entire new system. Inside and out. Oh.

After work Jon and Chris turned up, and Mike got home as I was scratching around for more conversation to keep it all going as they sat in our lounge. I was not expecting them. Thought it was Mike at the front door when they came. 

Mike had exciting stories of his commute home (yes really). He got off his bus and walked partway home because traffic was banked up around Karori Tunnel for some reason. Grabbed a second bus ... that made it about 1km before a sharp smell of burning rubber and brakes made the driver go take a look ... to see smoke pouring out of one of the back wheels. "Everyone off and catch the bus behind me" he wisely said. Mike started walking again, before flagging down a third bus for the last kilometre home. 

The sight of an empty road at the end of the tunnel,
with people in hi-viz vests waving vaguely at the drivers,
was enough to convince Mike to get off and walk. 

It's not normally that exciting. But I like my bike, none of those dramas when I'm in control of my own destiny.

By the time Mike finished his story it was dinner time, so we got Burger Wisconsin in for dinner for us all. No cooking needed. Woot. 

Jon and Chris will be in St Arnaud by now as they were catching the 2am ferry over to Picton and heading there. Hope it is not as wet as here!

We have Dave coming today to get the final things done in the house. Stairs might be finished soon. And we have new mirrors to put in the bathrooms. 

Could be almost done for the inside of the house by the time Dave is done. Fingers crossed.

Have a great day.

Love,

Angela

The weekend in Wellington

 Hi,

So much to catch you up on. Brekkie after gym on Thursday with Kris, John and Shane. Then lunch at Gemini with Shane and Jason to see Tim.

Thurs data brekkie

Catch up with Tim

Ride after work with Maureen

Then after work Maureen and I rode to Chocolate Fish and back. 25 km for me. We saw a lot of police cars, an ambulance and the police boat over on the peninsula. No idea what was happening there. Mike and Callan were out for a run and we passed them too. The weather looked stormy but it wasn't windy at all.

Left Maureen at work as she heads up the quay to her place. And I tried to see if Mike was around to ride home with me, but heard nothing. So off I went. I did push up a bit of the hill. But I got back on and did ride up the steepest bit on Pitt St. So - yay.

Thank you, Maureen.

Chocolate Fish is now closed

Iced latte at La Cloche

Friday I took my bike into Giant for a service. I grabbed a bite at La Cloche and then drove home with Mike. Got my greenhouse back up. Plants seem ok.

Tomatoes

Greenhouse back up

I drove back to get my bike. John at the bike shop said: what have you done to it? It's cracked.

Then laughed and laughed at my horrified face. Hahahah. Bike was all good.

Saturday we did not park run. But we went to Sally and Andrew's place to hear from Winifred from our trap line about cat predation. They are not sure if it is worth doing anything as the kiwi are thriving. So we will ponder on any opportunity that might be there. Ok - Andrew will ponder. Callan came to listen to it too.

We had a quick lunch there from the Waiwhetu bakery. Then home.

Sunday I made brekkie for us. French toast. Then off to Hey Day via the train station where we picked up Janine. Met Jon and his friend Chris there. Enjoyed a catch up and drinks and food. Jon is moving back to study. Chris is holidaying from Korea with him.

Sunday brekkie

Hey Day to see Jon

Then home to get the bikes ready for our trip to Great Barrier Island next weekend. Rode them to Tom's house all kitted up. Few issues with mine to sort.

Walked back home. Had some tea. Mike did the taxes. And bed.

Up this morning to WFH for me. Mike went to the gym and work in town. And now the air con company is here to try and get the heat pump working in the lounge.

Hope your week is a good one. Happy Australia Day to the Aussies.

Love,

Angela

The Wednesday with garage gym after work

 Hi,

Got a few messages done in my lunch break with Mike and then bussed home after work with Madeleine. We had a garage gym session. She is so strong.

I dropped her home afterwards and headed back to our place and decided to drive up our bike route, just in case I saw Mike. And I did! He was pushing his bike because the road is steep and awful. But I had no space in the car - no bike rack. So I took his really heavy backpack and he rode the rest of the way home.

Sourdough baked

We made tea and I baked some bread. Watched some YouTube and then off to bed. Bit of a muggy night. Up early to ride in on my pedal bike. Riding after work with Maureen.

Got to take my bike in for a service tomorrow. And maybe sort out my greenhouse to make it more resilient. Stupid winds!

Have a great day.

Love,

Angela

The Tuesday at work with a walk home with Barb

 Hi,

After an iced coffee date with Mike when he got to work, we also had lunch at Gemini together. It was cold in Wellington and I fancied a nice omelette. Done!

Gym

French Kiss iced latte

Heading home

After work I walked home with Barb. She is a machine and I usually huff and puff to try and keep her within arm's length. But this time I mostly made it - and could kinda talk. The recent tramping and trapline must have boosted a bit of walking fitness.

Mum pinged me when I was close to home about something and when I got home I called her. 2 hours later we hung up. She needed a good chat. And I loved it. So nice to get a glimpse into their day.

I was about to get into bed when Mike finished at work. So I drove in to get him. And when we got home, we were not long out of bed.

Up in the morning to see the cats sleeping next to each other on the top of the white couch in our room. Awwwww. It is almost like they like each other.

Woke to find the cats sleeping together in our room

Mike rode in and went to the PT session with Quentin. And I walked in. I will bus home with Madeleine after work and have a garage gym session and then drop her home.

And bake my bread when I get back.

Have a great day.

Love,

Angela

The Monday as the tag end of a long weekend

 Hi,

What a huge weekend. I met Maureen for brekkie Friday after her gym session. Then returned my pants to Mountain Warehouse and got dropped off home.

Tidied a bit.

Thunderbird cafe iced latte

Zucchini from Celia

Saturday saw us up early - 5am - to drive to Palmerston North to do park run there. Why?! Well, why not?! 

We collected Janine who parked at Pauatahanui, which is right by an offramp and onramp. We collected her with a quick off transmission gully and back on routine.

Park run was by the river and it was a very brisk cool southerly. I did ok for my first run in ages. Achillies was good. 38 mins. Bit slow.

Approaching the finish line in my green jacket

Next task was to bag some non-DOC huts for Janine. She is collecting hut visits and is onto these less official ones after visiting all 50-odd huts in the Tararuas.

First on the list was a hut in someone's backyard, close to Parkrun and 300m from the river for the Te Araroa walkers. The couple who live there were very interesting. Fiona had worked with Iona at the hospital and did pilates for ages with her. There was also someone staying in the hut.

Hut after park run

Then brekkie at Moxies, the famous Palmerston North cafe, while the car recharged. 

Off to Moxies

Moxies iced latte

Then off to Te Whare Moturimu, a hut recently opened and specifically for Te Araroa walkers. It was about 30 min drive down a rough gravel road - the MG handled it superbly - and another 15 min walk down a forestry road. 

Te whare moturimu.

We headed home after that. I made a sourdough and got ready for Sunday trapline.

Smudge

Sourdough

Picked Maureen up at 8.30am and Andrew at 9am. Got the gear on the way and we were walking at 9.35am. 

Bit drizzly - but it cleared up by the time we got halfway up the hill. We got a stoat on SG line. Right near the top. Well worth getting out of bed for that. Callan did his trapline with Luke from work and got two stoats - and a cat! Wow. 

Stoat in SG2

Happy trapper

Keeping boots dry

Took me and Maureen about 5 hours. That included a lunch stop and faffing about with eggs puncturing and lure spraying. We did not catch Andrew. He said he saw our cross on top of UTS6 so we were ahead at that stage. He must have hurtled up KAT and back along the track while we blundered around in the creek for a few hours.

Smudge in the sun

Monday Mike got up for gym with Quentin. Then home and we bundled into the car for a ride and run along the Kāpiti coast cycle path. Stiff southerly - I had to pedal downhill!

Over the Expressway

Mike running

Angela biking

Ice creams

Ice creams in Waikanae afterwards - I got an affogato flavour. So nice. Then off to Epuni to check the unit and add some numbers to the freshly painted front door. Called in on Sally and Andrew on our way home.

Numbers all lined up

What a great long weekend. Busy. Outdoors.

This morning I bussed in and did squats and bench with Quentin. I will walk home with Barb. Woot!

Hope your day is a good one.

Love,

Angela

The Wednesday working from home

 Hi,

Wet morning here in the best wee capital. But oddly - no wind. The rain is falling vertically in an unusual display of gravity.

No pics from my work from home day. Oops. The day was pretty uneventful. Mike was out after work and didn't get home until late. I watched some of my backed up You Tube channels I typically watch that I missed while away. And went to bed.

Mike confused Moxley when he got home. She was under the duvet with me (we have got a coldish snap here) and heard Alexa say someone was at the front door. So off she scooted to see what was going on up there. And Mike trotted down to our bedroom door and I let him in. Hahah.

Had a good sleep. I do not recall waking up through the night. Up for online garage gym session with Quentin. 40kg squats. 5 x 5. But it was hard. I am so soft after the break.

Mike is heading into work. And I have another WFH day. Groceries are coming. We only got the basics at the start of the week when we got home.

Enjoy your weekend coming up. We will do park run and trap lines I think. No tramping for Mike as the forecast is a bit terrible.

Have a good one.

Love,

Angela

The Tuesday with a bike ride after work

 Hi,

We had lunch at work for Tim for his second last day before paternity leave for his 3rd child. What a great bloke - his kids will have such an awesome bond with him. His mission now (besides getting ready for the new wee one) is to book a tramp into Turere so I can come along.

Tim gets his baby bag

Celia knows how 2026 is going to look

Celia set up the sign by my usual desk to reflect the aim for 2026.Truth.

After work I went for a ride with Maureen. My new bike is so nice. We rode to close to the new development on the opposite of Evans Bay and then rode back. 20km. It was pretty windy from the north. I was tuckered out. Mike collected me from the car parks halfway up our hill.

Mike fixed the bike rack so it would protect my new bike from any future rubbing spots. Woot!

We then had some tea and I baked some bread. I did fall asleep for the second timer on the bread while we watched YouTube. Mike wasn't even sure I was asleep as I was propped up on my hand.

Sourdough

But as I blinked myself awake, he was standing in front of me with the bread, looking very pleased.

Then off to bed. Mike was up for gym session and I am WFH.

Will hopefully drive in at the end of the day and attend Jessie's 10 year celebration before dragging Mike away from his after work catch up. Then supermarket and home.

Have a great day.

Love,

Angela