Good morning on Wed, Dec 9

Hi,

Decemeber is also flying past just like the other months of the year and Toby's birthday is creeping up on us.  Not to mention Christmas soon after that.  It all can't come soon enough for Toby - he is very excited.

Last night we went out to see Where the Wild Things Are.  Toby and Mike loved it.  Toby was enthralled with this movie and made insightful comments about it.  But, for me, it missed the spot.  The movie was very good and the director captured things well.  I especially liked the ending where Max and his mother never talk.  Other directors would have put "I love you" in and ruined it.  But Sendak's book would have done it all without words, and so did Spike.  It was superb.  But for me, the Wild Things aren't filled with human frailities.  They just want to have fun and Max wants to have authority.  But Max realises there is more to life than having fun and bossing people around and wants to go home.  These Wild Things have complex personalities.  Too complex.

Anyhow - it was a fantastic night and a good adaption of a book to a movie.  Toby crashed into bed and was asleep in an instant.

It is tennis and karate night - second last of each for the year.  Toby's Christmas and birthday presents are in the green room downstairs so my parents can collect them and hide them in the car boot to wrap them up.  Ma came into town yesterday at lunch time and we went shopping.  There were so many packages I had to leave them at work as I couldn't get them home on the bike.

Tomorrow is another work Christmas party - the biggie.  It is an afternoon thing, but I might ask Ma if she can collect wee Toby from school just in case I get delayed.  I'll be on the bus and it'll be close to 6pm.  So I'd rather have Ma step in and safely collect Toby is she can. 

Phew.  We have to bake the cake tonight for Toby's party.  And ice it tomorrow night.  Oh dear.  It should be entertaining for me and Mike.

Have a great day!
Love,
Angela

Good morning on Tues, Dec 8

Hi,

What a lovely morning.  Keas went well last night and it was the last one for the year.  We meet again in February.  It was such a lovely night the keas all ran around outside like mad things.  But the Kea leaders were invested during the evening when we managed to gather them all together in one spot.  I now have my own scarf and woggle (as does Mike).

Tonight I'll ride home like the wind (after meeting Ma around lunch time) and collect Toby and drive back into town for Where the Wild Things Are.  I can't wait!

That's about it for now.  Busy at work and have another Christmas party this Thursday afternoon.  Phew!

Love,
Angela

Good morning on Mon, Dec 7

Hi,

We had a wonderful weekend full of excitement and romance. Ahhhhh. Isn't it lovely? First up was our IT Christmas party. The food at work was superb with a Mexican theme and yummy salsa to eat with corn chips. We also did our Christmas present game and we got plenty of loot for Toby to fill up his stocking. The pub was... very pubby. But we had a wee quiz round and it was good to catch up with people and their Christmas plans.

Wee Toby stayed with Grandy and Gramps on Friday night but he might have been missing our company a little more than usual. However, bright and early Saturday morning we popped around to collect him and head out to the swimming pool. It was assessment day. And, Toby swam like a machine and the instructor never even asked for a second opinion from another assessor. Toby is now a penguin and will be swimming lengths of the pool next term/year. We were so proud of him.

From there we went straight to the NZTE Kids Christmas party organised admirably by Carol from work. Toby had a ball and I saw one of the funniest things I'll see all year. Mike dressed up as Santa to hand out the present. Some of the wee kids may have been fooled but we knew Toby would see right through it. So we has prepped him to play it cool. Sure enough, Toby let out a big exclamation of "Look! Here's Santa". Right on cue, like the good actor we asked him to be.

But, the funny event was about to unfold. Or, should I say, undo? As Mike was halfway through the present giving, he leant out to hand a present to a child, and his Santa pants fell right down. I missed it, but caught the action afterwards as Santa "Ho ho ho'ed" his way through trying to pull up his pants without falling into a giggling mass on the floor. I laughed so much.

Turns out Mike has missed the drawstring on the trousers when he got dressed. Lucky he stuffed that cushion up his jersey and it also didn't fall out. A Santa giving birth in front of the children may have scarred them permanently.

After the party, we went back to Queensgate for the Santa photo we get every year. Toby looks very handsome in it. I did a little more Christmas shopping before heading home to get Toby ready for his sleepover at Christine and John's place. Dropping him off there was a little fraught as he decided he didn't want to stay there. But Christine understood completely and diverted him easily. We drove into town and checked in to the Intercontinental and got ready for dinner. We walked down to Siem Riep and had a lovely meal before going to watch the Time Traveller's Wife in the Gold Lounge.  Mike loved the movie adaptation of the book and I thought it was quite good too.

Back to the hotel and asleep by midnight. But this was my third midnight sleep in a row and I was pretty tired when we woke up on Sunday morning.

We met Christine, Tom and Toby at the Thorndon Fair and wandered around there for a while before heading home where I fell into a coma for a few hours. But once I woke up I felt ok and we cooked up some yummy Indian food for dinner and Mike went and got Ma. They opened a 1999 bottle of red wine and said it was pretty good! It was the Villa Maria $41 bottle. So it was probably the pick of the bunch of 1999 bottles we have left.

So, it was a grand weekend. Tenth anniversary celebrated. Toby passed swimming (it only took 18 months or so). Thorndon Fair visited.

Wee Tyler had her party yesterday so I hope that went well.  I am sure I'll hear about that later on.  Now, our week ahead is to prepare for Toby's party.  Should be ok.  Presents and cake remain to sort out.

Love,
Angela

Good morning on Fri, Dec 4

Hi,

It's wee Tyler's birthday today.  She was born pretty close to midnight, so she's definitely 6 by now.  :-)  What a wee tot she was.  Hard work for her Mummy (and quite scary for Daddy too I bet!).

We had a great evening last night.  I was fed a home-made burger as soon as I stepped in the door.  Mike had a half day and took Toby to the orthodontist and then to get a haircut.  Toby got an x-ray of his mouth and it appears he has all his adult teeth in his head.  Even wisdom teeth already.  We have to take him back when he's twelve to check on crowding issues.

Today I had Toby drop-off duty and Toby went dressed head to toe in green.  He is in the Tui House at school and it is House Day.  He has fruit (watermelon and rock melon) to share for lunch with the hordes in an ice cream container.

Mum will collect wee Toby from school today.  His overnight bag is inside the front door (Ma - can you grab the clean pair of jeans on the couch and put them in too for his Santa photo shoot tomorrow after swimming?).  It is very exciting.  Toby has a sleepover tonight and tomorrow night at Grandy and Gramps' place because we have our IT Christmas party tonight and our wedding anniversary celebrations tomorrow night.  Ooooooooooooo.

Tomorrow we also have the NZTE Kids Christmas Party to attend at Lollipops.  Toby is keen on that.  Aaaahhhh.  Mike has to dress up as Santa because we have found no takers for the job.  I'd best take the camera along, eh?  If anyone wants to volunteer now, let me know.

Have a great weekend.  happy birthday Tyler.

Love,
Angela

Good morning on Thurs, Dec 3

Hi,

Can anyone explain to me how a short week (I had Monday off) can feel like 5 days by the time Thursday rolls around?  I am sure it is Friday today.

Anyhow, Toby passed his grading last night with a good, solid performance.  He made a few mistakes but must have hidden it well from the examiner (he did have to grade 10 children after all, whereas Toby's parents only watched one child!!).  He concentrated well, and tried his best.  But if he wants to make the yellow belt grading in March next year, he'll have to practise a lot more.  We are very proud of him.

Well, at least we are past that hurdle.  Now, if only he does as well at swimming this Saturday.  Wee Tyler (and it is her birthday tomorrow - Happy Birthday for tomorrow, Tyler!) passed her assessment this term.  So I am hoping that bodes well for Toby.  Toby has been in this class for years!  The next class actually teaches them to swim (I can see the next class while Toby has his lesson) so I am hoping we can move into that soon.  Fingers crossed.

Mike has a half day at work today (he has the afternoon off) and will collect Toby for the orthodontist and then a haircut.  I must try and find a Santa photo place for Toby this weekend or next.

Ma and Dad were both sick last night so they didn't come around.  I'd be surprised if Dad went into work.  I hope they get better soon.

That's about it.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela

Good morning on Wed, Dec 2

Hi,

I seem to be living is a state of perpetual confusion at the moment.  There is so much going on around me and I am sure we're going to miss something.  Yikes.  I apologise in advance if I have missed something.  So long as it's not Toby's birthday or our tenth wedding anniversary, I should be able to recover the situation.

Speaking of which, we'll have a family party for Toby on Friday night (for Sally and Andrew and maybe Vivienne and John) and another one on the Saturday night after his party on Saturday afternoon.  He's going to expect three parties every year now.  Oh dear, what have I done?  Heheheheh.

And all going well, Mike and I will be out celebrating 10 years of marriage this Saturday night.  Woo hoo!  I'd best sort out something, don't you think?

So, no time for chit chat.  I have things to do.  Have a great day!
Love,
Angela

Golden Bay for the weekend

Hi,

It's the first day of summer - and wet, wet, wet here.

My mother and I had a wonderful weekend sampling the delights that Golden Bay has to offer. It all started on Thursday evening where I had booked in a haircut meaning that Mike had to start Gilbert Logistics a day earlier than anticipated. I think of Gilbert Logistics as an organisation involved in making mountains out of molehills. If Gilbert Logistics can make an easy task difficult, they will find it. Send us all your easy, straight-forwards jobs and we guarantee to put a spanner in the works. You have a plan that only has 3 permutations? That's not nearly enough. Send us your details and we'll supply you with 5 free permutations at no extra cost. In fact, we are so good at it, we can almost guarantee a permutation or two, WITHOUT knowing your plans at all.

Mike actually had a tight leash on the Gilbert Logistics machine and kept the plan on a well-executed course. We met up at the library and ate Burger Wisconsin in the brilliant sunshine with the O'Reillys. I had already packed for the weekend so there was no rush in that regard. Lucky for us, because I had spanner item number one waiting. I had decided to attend the First Karori Scout Annual General Meeting for the evening. It was supposed to last one hour, but took two! Mike had Toby under control and I went off to represent the Keas at the AGM. When I got home Mike and I read until past midnight. What were we thinking?

Friday morning I was up earlier than usual because Mum was driving to collect me at 6.40am in time for the ferry check-in at 7am. I drove down to the dock and we got on nice and quick. We got seats in front of the TV and we were pleasantly surprised to see they have updated their movie list for the summer crowds. We watched two newish movies - 17 Again and Race to Witch Mountain. It filled in the time. Mike told us off for not getting out to enjoy the scenery and I guess I am guilty of taking it for granted through the sounds.

We drove off the ferry at about 11.30am and headed up Queen Charlotte Drive to Havelock. Mum kept Oooohhing and Aaahhhing with every curve when she got a glimpse of the views down the sounds. We drove non-stop to Nelson where we wandered around the main street for 30 minutes giving our legs a good stretch. Then we picked up a few items at the supermarket and headed over Takaka Hill to Golden Bay. The hill went up and up for ages and a steep plunge down into the valley on the other side. I wasn't going to be heading back and forth over that hill as I had entertained notions of doing. We found our accommodation at the Pohara Top Ten Holiday Camp very easily and our wee cabin was 3m from the sandy beach. Perfect. Mum stretched out on the bed and fell into a coma. I read one of several books I had along for the weekend and watched the wind whipping up the waves outside.

We wandered out to the Penguin Cafe for dinner - I ordered steamed mussels and Mum ordered Thai fish cakes. There was a little confusion over the food and I got my mussels as a main after Mum finished her entree fish cakes. I blame Ma talking to the waitress about Scotland. The wee lass had spent two years in
the Shetland Islands and actually thought Mum was English. Heheheheheh. I guess her mellowed accent bears little resemblance to the accent they use in the Shetlands.

After dinner we booked into Sans Souci for the next night. Sally had recommended it from her holiday here about 18 months earlier. Ma tried to get into the Sunday night bookings as they were serving veal on that night, but they were full. So, Saturday evening it was, and their slow-cooked steak.  We went back to the cabin and it was my turn to fall into a coma. The rain started but I never heard a thing. Slept like a log until morning. Pleasant.
 
Saturday morning was a lazy start to the day. The rain and wind didn't do much for us, and we were waiting for the weather to improve after lunch as the forecasters had predicted. Guess what? They were right. We went out into Takaka to explore the shops and found them all shutting. They aren't open very late at the weekends. We managed to get into a few of them and Mum loved some of the art work on display. After that we drove back past Pohara out to the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park. The coastal road was very, very pretty.

Back to our wee cabin and we got ready for Sans Souci and wandered around there just before 7pm. The other guests started arriving then too. We then had the slow-cooked steak and it was one of the best meals I have ever had, and certainly the best in a long time. The steak was on a bed of risotto with salad all around (including marigold petals - nice colour). Yummy bacon, yummy mushrooms, yummy nuts, yummy apple. It all tasted so good. Thank you for that one, Sally! Not one speck was left on my plate. Mum left a bit on hers so I got to nibble more as we waited for dessert. Mum ordered Chocolate and Almond torte with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis. It was superb. I was happy Mum couldn't eat all that. During the meal, the weather got better and better. The wind died away and blue skies shone brightly through the polonia tree in the courtyard. The French doors were open all evening and the dining was a great experience.

Anyhow, another source of excitement at Sans Souci was the composting toilets. Sally had made sure I knew about them. So despite not needing a wee in the slightest, I told Mum I was off to investigate them. I went into the shared toilets, found an empty louvered door and lifted the wooden lid. What a treat. No smell at all. A big bucket of peaty sawdust to cover whatever you have done and wash up outside in the nice shared bathroom. Very pleasant. I went back to the dining table and told Mum she had to experience it for herself. With misgivings, I watched my confused mother try and find a toilet. But when she got back, she declared the toilets great and would use one over a normal toilet. She didn't just say there was no smell, she said she liked the smell!

When I was up with Mum while she sorted out the bill, I spotted the names of some other diners. Kittos! Imagine! Well, Mum didn't imagine. Off she went, hunting them down and chatted to them for ages. So, ask her for the life history of this New Zealand branch of the Kitto clan.
After dinner we walked up and down the beach at dusk, waiting for any penguins to come ashore. No sign of any. But Ma and I had fun sitting on driftwood logs watching the beautiful sea lap up against the shore with moonlight glistening on the wee waves. Back home for another deep sleep.

Sunday dawned - well, a lot earlier than I saw it. But, by the time I pulled back the curtains for a look, I could tell it was a cracker day. I got dressed into shorts and a t-shirt and wandered down to the Penguin Cafe for the rugby. Go the All Blacks! Ate bacon and eggs and shouted encouragement at the team. Marvellous. Ma turned up about 20 mins from the end and ordered whitebait fritter sandwiches. She had a taste and I got to finish them. Yummo! They were absolutely beautiful.

Off to explore Pupu Springs (or Waikoropupu I think) and I have to say, this was a highlight for me. What a spectacular sight. The water colour was amazing and I hope I never forget it. Apparently, these springs are the largest freshwater springs in Australasia and the clearest freshwater springs in the world! What a claim to fame there! Mum and I walked around the boardwalk reading the informative signs and enjoying the surroundings. The sunny day no doubt gave the springs an even better visual impact. But I can't wait to take Mike there so he can see it.

Back to the cabin to relax in the sun and read. What a pleasant afternoon.
Monday morning was back to rain. Heavy rain. So we packed up and left for the drive back to the ferry. We went right through to close to Blenheim to the Wairau River winery where Mum found two white wines to her liking. She bought two bottles and we ate a muffin and drove the rest of the way into Picton. We
were early so we poked our noses into Picton town centre and then joined the queue for the ferry. There was a 90 minute delay getting away for some reason and we also had to pick up a lifeboat on the way (they had abandoned it during drills earlier that day). Mum went out to see the scenery and I also popped out from time to time (the same movies were on!). The misty weather gave it a haunting feel.

Back into Wellington in time for the going-to-bed routine. I caught up with the news from Mike and Toby from the weekend. Toby swam well and assessment is this Saturday coming. Yikes! Mike says he swam like a machine. Good on him! Sally got back ok from the work meeting in Manila but I have yet to hear in detail about that! Dad was a bit sick yesterday and went home to pine/wait for Ma. Poor Dad.

So, back into the routine already. But a short week for me! Hooray!

Love,

Angela