The weekend with dragon boating and half marathons

 Hi,

What a crazy busy weekend.  Lots of activity.  

On Friday, my work colleagues decided to fire up the brand new barbecue and we had a spontaneous barbecue lunch. Complete with some sort of vegetarian burger patty that was quite yummy.

Mojo iced latte with Maureen

Callan cooks up a storm for Friday lunch

Saturday saw Mike up super early despite his late night Friday to make me scrambled eggs.  Must have done the trick. 

Headed down to the city in the car and Mike dropped me off at work at 8am.  We had our first race at 9.30am.  Next one at 10.50, next one at 11.30 then a lunch break.  The 4th race was at 1340 and the last one was the long distance 1km race at 1430.  

We use the BBQ again on Saturday for dragon boat fun day

PB - 193 heart rate during one of the races

The whole day was such fun.  Good weather.  Great teamwork.  We are pretty competitive.  Very chuffed. 

Mike and I caught the bus home after it all.  And I fell into the shower and then relaxed with Moxley for a bit.

Moxley finds a comfy spot for a snooze

Now on my arm

Next day was Mike's day for activity.  And wow - what a lot of activity he had.  Up early for brekkie and getting ready.  Then Janine arrived at our place and we drove in.  I dropped them close to the starting line and went to park in Clifton Terrace.  Walked back and found them on the start line.

On the start line

Laces tied and ready to go!

When the race started, I watched them both run over the start line with the other half marathon competitors and then went to Hangar for brekkie with Sally and Andrew.

Iced latte @ Hangar

Sip!

After brekkie we wandered around town a bit.  Watched the start of the 6km wave - there were so many people.  The wave just kept going and going.  Good to see Wellington up and active.

Mike and Janine did so well.  We got updates from Mike every now and then and we followed him on Messenger Live Location.  Well, sort of live.  Like 3 mins ago live.

Mike did it in 2 hours 16 mins.  If he hadn't had to go bush and do a wee he would have easily done it in 2:15.  21 km.  Wow!  I am very proud.

Janine also nailed it - I think she was about 2 mins faster than Mike.

Medalists - well done!

Ready for Master Kong yum cha

We went to Master Kong to celebrate.  Yummy food.  Got quite full.  Back home to chill and then at 5.30pm I went to the Bichan family dinner.  Retrieved my undies from Helen (she had collected them from Iona and Col - I left them there last time, tangled in their washing) and then enjoyed conversation with everyone.

Back home to collapse into bed.  Up early for gym with Quentin.  Boxing.  Oosshh.

Toby starts uni lectures today.  He has a lot of work on - and weirdly a Saturday class.  Not sure what that is about.

Timetable

Good on him!

Love,

Angela

The weekend with great company and adventures

Hi,

Wish all my weekends were that much fun.  I guess, actually, they often are.  Makes the week days crawl by.  Maybe I need more weekend boredom in my life to even out the week days?  Hahahah!

Friday after work, Mike and Monica (and their kids, Jessica (10) and Daniel (is he 6?)) arrived to stay for a few nights on their road trip around Wellington.

We found beds for them and introduced them to Burger Wisconsin.  Hahah.  After chatting on the couch for a bit, I started to get sleepy.  I left Mike talking to Mike and went to bed.  I barely noticed when Mike came to bed, apart from Toby dropping something on my head.

Next morning we went into Te Papa after some cereal and toast.  Went to the Dreamworks exhibition - it was quite good.  Loved the cartoonists table when they projects cartoons onto the paper like they were being done as you wanted.

Toby at Dreamworks

Toby and I found the art desks with software to make cartoons.  I totally loved it.  I want to do this on my tablet now.

We made a cartoon of a dragon snorting smoke from its nostrils

Our hands on the ball

Toby's first squid - Clive

From there we had Yum Cha and then wandered back home.  Mike and Mike went to get BBQ stuff and we waited for their arrival (I did spray Round Up while I waited).

Mike and Karen also came to visit (with Adam, Rebecca and Jacob) and we all chatted away, catching up on news.

BBQ stand

Eventually it was late and we collapsed into bed.  Next day we got up early and drove Toby to Aidan's place and us to Paekakariki to have a breakfast with Mike and Monica.  Andrew joined us.  Then we said goodbye as they headed home to Auckland and Andrew, Mike and I went to Queen Elizabeth Park to start our bike ride.

Kapiti Island behind my bike

Selfie riding

Andrew and Mike discussing the awesome trail

We had such fun!  Saw the US Marines memorial.  The tram lines.  Had an iced coffee at Raumati before taking the coastal path back.  Mike tried to cycle on the sand and fell over, still clipped in and pedalling.  The family 2 m from him were entertained.

Back home and we got ready for Toby's big day today.  His first day at high school.  He was very excited.  Nervous and excited.  Normal.

We got up at 5.45am on Monday morning and heard Toby already walking around.  He was dressed, fed himself breakfast and brushed his teeth all before 6am!

We all caught the 13 bus to his school.  Took nearly an hour!  He'll have to catch the 7.30am bus.

We had a powhiri and we left him sitting in the crowd, waiting to be sorted into his class room.

Wow!  I am also very excited.  He is so big now.

First day at high school

Toby waits to be sorted into his year group

Right.  The day is glorious.  Hello birthday month!

Have a wonderful week.

Love,
Angela

The weekend that was just great

Hi,

So, I rode home on Friday and found Toby all ready for his weekend. He took some money and walked down to the Wadestown shops to buy his Burger Wisconsin burger and came back to eat it.  We watched Rocky II for our Friday night movie  Toby declared it better than the first movie.

Mike was already off and driving up to Taupo for his colleagues who were doing the Oxfam 100km walk challenge.  He was the support crew for them.  It was tough even being the support person let alone the actual walkers.  Crazy people.  But amazing endurance.  Both teams we had an interest in did well, and the third team stuck at it and made it in 32 hours.  Wow!  Just wow!

Meanwhile, Saturday morning Aidan came to collect me and Toby and we went to archery in Trentham.  The rain hosed down as we approached the range but mysteriously it dried up completely for the thirty minutes Aidan shot her arrows.  The boys stayed in the car and I watched quite a few ends.  Aidan was really good.  No arrows flew off anywhere they shouldn't.  The pair of paradise ducks far behind the target (called a butt) were perfectly safe.

Watching Aidan was great fun.  Seeing the effort she had to put into every shot was amazing.  I have no idea how hard it is to draw her bow, but it must be tough.

Aidan showing me how it's done

From there we went to Upper Hutt to find a cafe.  I had been to one before but had no idea where it was apart from it being in the high street.  But as we walked around a corner, it happened to be right there.  We all ate lunch and I got super full.

Good iced coffee in Upper Hutt

Being super full wasn't conducive to going swimming.  But we did so.  H2OXtreme.  I like that place.  Aidan and I got changed and met the boys outside the changing rooms.  It's funny seeing Aidan without glasses.  But she's not as blind as Mike without his, because she could recognise me across the crowded pool when she needed to.

The boys were immediately into the game of "drown the other boy" so Aidan and I left them to it and went on the water slides.  Aidan plucked up courage on the easier slide before trying the blacked out one.  As I went down behind her I heard a lot of screaming.  But as we came out of the bottom of the pool together she tried to tell me that screaming wasn't from her.  Aha.  Sure, sure.  I knew better.  And when the lifeguard said we could go down the slide together, I knew for sure it was her screaming.  We did that quite a few times before Aidan tried the super fast, steep yellow slide.  But after water was forced up our noses due to our poor technique, we went back to the blacked out slide.
The boys also eventually went on the slides.  But they got bored faster than us and I lost them and went on the slides for a bit by myself.  Aidan was enjoying the spa pool.

Time to leave and we all got changed and Aidan dropped us off home.  I went grocery shopping and then cooked tea for them,  They played games and watched the first Rocky movie.  I bought rat bait from the supermarket and laid that in the roof space.  Mainly because the rats have been moving furniture up there over the last few days, waking me up!  Didn't hear them last night!  Yes!!

Next morning Aidan came over for breakfast and we chatted away before heading into Cuba St for the Love Parade.  Aidan met up with some friends and Celia and Serge turned up so I chatted to them.

Aidan and Celia await the start of the parade

Toby noisily whistles the parade people

Watching the parade before we joined on to the end

Celia and her children were right there too

Toby's hair looks so blonde in this photo!

Celia and Serge in the parade

My shadow and Aidan's shadow.  She looks like she's carrying a feather in her teeth!

From there we went to Yum Cha at the Grand Century.  Aidan managed to move the car closer - which was incredible because the traffic was diabolical.  We ate there and then she dropped us off at home.  And as we opened the front door, Mike got home from Taupo.  Yay!

Had dinner and watched television while ironing and slept the sleep of the dead.  What a great weekend.  Such fun.

Have a great short week.  My parents arrive soon.  Can't wait for that!

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work

Hi,

What a great Christmas break.  I can't possibly do it justice.  So I won't bother trying.  Here is a summary.  We had a great Christmas Eve together.  We got our last minute things and Aidan popped in with her mother for a while.  I got a spa appointment from Aidan and a hand knitted woolly hat from Susan.  Toby got an awesome t-shirt (and exercise book) from the boys.

I got a hat for winter from Susan!  Thanks.

We made our contributions for the Christmas lunch.  So we had it out of the way for Christmas morning itself.

Christmas Eve

Mike's mother came around for Christmas Eve and we sang Christmas carols around the piano.  Made me happy, although I think Mike's mother would have appreciated singing that was in tune.  Enthusiasm doesn't really make up for lack of talent in the singing arena.

Christmas morning was lovely.  Toby woke up at 4.30am but we convinced him to go back to sleep.  He did!  Second Christmas morning was much easier to handle.  We put on Christmas carols and opened presents.  Great fun.

We drove over to Sally and Andrew's house for lunch and caught up with loads of family.

Dessert table

Mike going back for seconds

Toby looking festive

Ham.  Mmmmmm.

Our contribution for lunch

Aidan carved the yummy ham and beef and we all tucked in.  And tucked in.  And maybe even tucked in a bit more.


 I stayed later than Mike and Toby, enjoying the food and company.  Eventually I took Christine and Brian home and went home myself.  Madly packed (although Mike had done some) and fell into bed.  Up early for the flight to Auckland and then onto Brisbane.  Karen and Scott met us and we joined slow traffic north out of Brisbane for two hours.

Got to Peregian Springs and immediately felt at home.  Mum and Dad are good (Dad was at work when we got there).  Swimming was on the agenda every day.  As was eating.  And shopping.

Just Dance moves.  Toby shows how it's done.  And gets the high score, much to Abby and Tyler's surprise

Second Christmas at Peregian Springs

Lots of swimming

Out for dinner

Hot work, sleeping in Queensland

We went into Noosa for a walk and brunch.  I had a great iced coffee at Gaston.  Very good.  The next day we came back for a surf lesson.  Me, Toby, Tyler and Abby.  I was possibly the most hopeless.  But I had such a great time.  The sea was as warm as a bath.

Great Iced Coffee at Gaston in Noosa

Noosa beach

On our walk

Aussie World highlight for me - Ben and Jerry's ice cream

We also got to Aussie World.  On a really hot day.  I was happy to find Ben and Jerry's ice cream there.  A coffee flavoured tub hit the spot.

Aussie World

We're about to eat chocolate!

After a week, it was time to come home.  Toby and I left with Karen and Scott (Tyler and Abby were staying longer with Mum and Dad).  We drove to the airport and got there super early.  It was so relaxing!

Toby at the airport coming home

Andrew looking pensive

Mike collected us from the airport and even at 1am I could tell the front garden was incredible.  Mike and his mother had wrestled it into a lovely garden again.  Thank you so much! What a lovely surprise.  By the time I fell asleep it was 2am Wellington time. Made getting up tricky business. But we had to get up for another family celebration at Sally and Andrew's place.  This time it was for Helen's 80th birthday.  What a great day!  Speeches, food, loads of family to talk to.  People I had only seen in photos.  I loved it.

Col and I have no idea where the camera lens is.  In our defense, it is dark.  In my defense, I have none.  It's my camera!

I wore a dress

Next day was another day of excitement.  I had my spa appointment with Aidan.  We got our toes done and the massage on my feet was delicious.  We went for lunch to Yum Cha and drove around a bit in the car.  Nice weather for a drive in the convertible.  Took some photos of my toes.  Aidan stomped on my toes to flatten them for the photo.  I often stand with my toes up - not sure why.  She didn't think it was how they should look for the toe photo.

Aidan stomping on my toes.  

My toes match my outfit perfectly

Driving in the wee green car was fun in the sun!

Toby was invited for a sleepover to the Tabor household.  So Mike and I got grocery shopping out of the way and dropped and collected bikes.  Home to eat and then ironing and then bed.

This morning was hard to drag myself out of bed and to work.  Ooooo.  The shock of it all.

2015.  Ooossshhh!  Here it comes.

Have a fantastic year.

Love,
Angela