The weekend with birthday parties

 Hi,

Another big weekend. This one saw us celebrate Polly's 90th. Woot! Let's see how the weekend all unfolded.

Data brekkie Thursday morning

Te Papa - cool look at Britten bike

Friday I went with Mum into town and we parked near Te Papa and met Polly for lunch around 11.30am. Poked into some exhibits before going over the road to Te Tākina for lunch at the cafe. The food was a bit average - iced latte was good. The service was less than stellar with our main server being a bit impatient with us. Main issue being they made assumptions and did not realise that old people can't hear well when there is such loud ambient noise. They need to check their patrons and note the age of them is really quite high on average. So best be more considerate with your main customer base. In saying that - they had some very nice staff on that perhaps have already understood that. Maybe our server just didn't want to be there.

The experience doesn't make me want to rush back there.

Te Tākina cafe - was average

Walked a bit back to my work and got ready for dragon boating. Yes. I got a call up for a Friday evening race. Woot!

Mum models

Friday afternoon fun

I was in the second last row and seated next to Florrie and behind Emma. Great fun. We got on the water around 6.40pm and had our race. I think we came last in that heat. Strategic, obviously. I know the team did well on Saturday in the main races and came second in the Corporate C final. Good on them!

Waterfront

Stunning now

Walking back to the car

After the race we walked back to the car and headed to Kara's for a quick hello there. Mum has a really sore neck and back and Kara checked it out. I got some bath bombs and flowers from Kara. Awwww. Thank you Kara.

Saturday saw us up to get ready for Polly's party. Mike, Toby and I went to Maccas in Petone to set us up for success with terrible coffee and reasonable McMuffins and hot cakes. It worked.

Maccas yucky iced latte

Polly's cake

The food was looking great from Bella Italia - as was the cake. We put up the marquee that Sally and Andrew have in the shed. Our practise with Aidan's borrowed one for my birthday meant we got it up really fast. So I headed off to collect my mum and Helen and bring them back - with Toby along for the ride. We also had to stop off to get some beer and wine; we fitted that in and we were back 10 mins before kick off.

Sunny backyard

Bella Italia food looks so good

Under the marquee

Other end of the table

There it is

Toby chilling

It all went very well. Photos were shared after lunch. We saw Pop Kelly in one with Mike and Polly and Ron and Sophie. So nice. Oh - and Mike was holding Fred the cat. That pic was at Dunback. Awwww. Other photos were a perfect summary of Polly's main life highlights. Her nursing. Her marriage. Her kids. Her house and garden. And her fun times.

Cake and speeches

Flowers from Kara

Sunday was lovely to start with - but the weather slowly changed through the day.

Sunday stunner

Smudge models for us

At Seashore Cabaret

Mum and Toby and I went to Petone and had brunch at Seashore Cabaret while Mike did Callan's trapline.

Mum waits for her turmeric chai

Food is here

At Capitol

In the afternoon we went to Capitol for dinner. Polly was there already. Mike got out of the bush and came in with Sally and Andrew courtesy of Callan's personal uber service.

We had such a lovely meal. Capitol is owned by the parents of  Toby in Year 9 that meant our Toby changed his name to Roland at high school. So nice to meet them. The food was so good. The service was absolutely lovely. Thank you Polly and Mum for paying for a delightful meal and all your company.

Reading menus

Watching La La Land

Back home to watch La La Land. It was an ok movie. Went to bed quite late given we were up at 5am to take Toby to the airport for his 6am flight to chc.

Mike went to the gym and I drove home.

WFH today. Lunch with Ed and my mother at Ngaio today.

Hope your week is a good one.

Love,

Angela

The weekend with riding and dragon boat racing

 Hi,

I got an awesome pic from Toby - an accidental selfie when he was trying to take pics of Tessa with some cute dogs. But he looked like a male model so I had to show him off!

My model son!

Friday saw me head away a bit later than I wanted to the US Marines memorial for a bike ride to test out my distance a bit more. Full battery and I sat on assist level 1 the entire way to see what would happen. I did 60km. There was a stiff headwind coming at me from the north so I was sitting on about 16 to 18km/hr on the way north - and much faster on the way back. More like 23km/hr. 

I rode down to Paekakariki and then up past Peka Peka to about 4.8km south of Te Horo when I came across the new bike path that was not yet open all the way through to Otaki. On the way up I jumped off the path to visit the Waikanae bakery. But on the way back I decided to head down the Waikanae River. 

Expressway at Paraparaumu

Lunch stop @ Waikanae bakery

Their iced latte went down a treat

End of the open bike path - 4.8km south of Te Horo

Back along the beach

Back home and Mike was out for a while with some mates after work. I was fast asleep by the time he got home. And he was up early for a lift from Callan and Stacey to the airport. He was off to Chc to visit Toby and Dram Fest.

Moxley draped over me

Covered by cats

Made haloumi and egg pie

And chocolate roughy biscuits

I made pie for my dragon boat race day lunch - and biscuits for the team. And I was away early and parked under work - ready for the big day. I thought I was not super likely to race much - but it turns out they did need me. I raced in row 3 with Kate as my partner. And it was such a good day.

Let's go!! Dragon boat race day!

Getting ready

Nails in the team colours

Boom!

Perfect conditions. Overcast. Still. Dead calm water. Superb. And we got better with every race. We ended up in Corporate D final. Wellington High School warriors were in our race - along with Dragon SSS. I think we raced at about 3.30pm.

Drama ensued. We were the last boat loaded - and out of our 19 paddlers (yes - we were one paddler short from the get go) we needed 12 of the supplied carbon fibre paddles. We waited, and waited. Eventually the organisers told us to go - and gave us heavy wooden paddles that were more like clubs!

As we paddled out - we flagged down a boat and managed to swap all 12 wooden ones out for a carbon one. Thank goodness.

However, 3rd stroke out of the start and one of our paddlers broke theirs - so we were down to 18 paddlers.  WHS was out in front with 150m to go. And we were slowly gaining - probably looking at second place. When all of a sudden their boat slid into our lane, didn't even try to correct, and we slammed into them. The 3rd and 4th placed boats crossed in 1st and 2nd place, WHS was disqualified and we probably got bronze by default.

I had such a great day! I love that stuff. Next summer I am all in (barring emergency stitches!).

Back home to get the washing done and relax.

Up Sunday to head out to Lower Hutt and ride up Te Whiti riser with Andrew. Oohh - eBikes are so good! I chatted going up while Andrew was keeping up. And I do have to get used to the motor assist! I fell off as we rode up. I was coming to a tiny washout in the clay - figured my bike would bounce over it. But there was a wee metal ramp across it. So that was an option. As I approached it, a couple came around the corner pretty much into the space I was going to cross. So I changed to the ramp at short notice. Fluffed it up. And stopped in a bush with my bike upside down and a bit of gorse in my hand. It was embarrassing - I did not hurt myself. Andrew was like:  what are you doing?

Got to the top in 40 mins. And then tootled around to the bridge over the road to Wainuiomata.

We picked up some lunch from the bakery and enjoyed that in the sun at 40WLW.

Sunday ride up Te Whiti Riser

Rocket apple from Hawkes Bay courtesy JR and Anita

Then Andrew and I rode to the BBQ for Remutaka Conservation trust for 4pm. Headed off just as a few drops of rain started. As I put the bike in the car to head home, it started hosing down.

Lots of rain overnight. But I rode to work in sunshine. Big powhiri at work for the new CEO.

Hope your week is a good one.

Love,

Angela

The weekend with my mole excision and watching some dragon boating and enjoying the atmosphere

 Hi,

It has been quite the eventful weekend. Started with a sick day for me on Thursday as I had to get a mole excised.  8.30am. But they were late starting because something had broken on their steriliser.

But I was out of there by 9am. So all good. They will do a biopsy on the bit they took out. 3 stitches. Pah!  After my foot incident, that was barely worth getting out of bed for. Two deep dissolvable ones and one on top. Getting them all out on my birthday!

Thursday morning ready for the excision

Numbed now!

And done!

Mike jumped in the car and collected me from Kelburn. He overshot as I tried to wave him down. A wee truck going by in the opposite direction saw all this and tried to toot at him. Once he did collect me, I mentioned the tooting and he had heard it! Hahaha.

Birthday milk

Rest was the order of the day. And a lovely young woman from work visited us at lunch time. Gokila Ubered here and back and brought me some home cooked vegetable kadai. Delicious. She made me feel very special and looked after. Thank you. What a beautiful thing to do.

Delicious lunch from Gokila

Selfie time

V afternoon pick-me-up

Hokey pokey biscuits

I made biscuits during the afternoon. And also re-did the jigsaw puzzle when Smudge decided to do a pirouette on it and scattered probably half my work to the four corners of the room. Sigh. I was upset and looking back it was probably due to needing lots of stitches in the past week.  I do have 10 all up now, after all.

Anyway - Mike also changed my dressing on my foot. And it did look pretty good. And after that I got the jigsaw back to pretty much where I was before Smudge danced across it. So I went to bed much happier.

Changed the dressing

Moxley chills on me

So cute

Red light to allow me to look for the comet

Friday saw me chill out a lot. And Moxley was happy - using me to lounge around on. I also tried to spot the comet Friday night - but might have been a day early for optimal viewing.  However I did the same thing Saturday night - and got Mike out of bed as I think we saw it. Just off to the top right of Mars. A saw a smudge and if I squinted, I could believe it had a greenish tinge. Well, it wasn't a white star - that is for sure. Mike is calling it! Hahahah.

Joe's Garage for brekkie

We parked the car not far from Joe's Garage and enjoyed brekkie there. It was my local stomping ground for a long time when I was at a client site for 12 months or more. And remembered how it was an informal meeting place for us.

When we walked back to the car (and harbour), we bumped into Mark from that workplace. So we chatted with him and his partner. And now I will catch up with him this week for a coffee.

Walked (slowly) to Fank Kitts park to watch the dragon boat fun day while Mike went to PBTech. I met James, Eva and Charlie - with wee Bob. I enjoyed a few races - 2 from my workplace. I did a lot of shouting. And I had FOMO!

Finish line!

Best harbour fun day!

Waving at my workmates

Back home to get ready for a BBQ tea at our place with Sally and Andrew joining us. I was exchanging pings with my mother and she mentioned bacon and egg pie. So I made one - but switched out haloumi for the bacon. Turns out it was delicious!

Bacon and egg pie - but with haloumi!

Rodent #17

Sunday saw us catch rodent #17 - a mouse. In the trap not far from the front door. I also staked the chilli plants that were heavy with their fruit. Hopefully that works for the gale winds we're getting later today.

Gorgeous evening

Tied the washing up

Kiwi crisps

Auckland and Northland and Coromandel are getting hammered again - this time by Cyclone Gabrielle. The Sampson clan seem to be ready for it. Hope you are all okay up that way. Thinking of you. We're supposed to get 120km/h wind tomorrow. I reckon that is windy - even for her - but not the worst we've seen. Except it is an easterly. Totally not the prevailing wind. So some trees may not withstand this.

Hope everyone is ok.

Take care. It's birthday week for me! Woot!

Love,

Angela