The Monday with nothing much

Hi,

Despite the poor weather forecast, it remained quite nice yesterday.  I enjoyed my ride home and Mike and Toby were well into the evening routine by the time I got in.  We had dinner (yummy falafels) and then pretty much retired for the evening.  Mike was a bit shattered.

Goodness, there really wasn't much happening yesterday.  This morning I had a good ride into work.  It is so warm and sticky, even at this time of the day.  But again, it is supposed to be rainy at some stage today.

Not much on today either.  Will ride home, hopefully the long way.

Have a great day!
Love,
Angela

The weekend with loads on

Hi,

What a wonderful weekend.  Busy though.  Friday night was lovely - Toby, Mike and I had a BBQ at work before the weekend kicked off.  The weather was cooler than it had been, but still nice for being outside.  Home to watch a movie for Friday night family time.  I fell asleep!  The Mask, with Jim Carrey.  I think the boys loved it.

The next day we had the laziest day ever.  We knew we should be Christmas shopping.  We knew it!  But my book called to me.  And the entire Internet called to Mike.  And Toby only answered to computer games.  Eventually we did get enough energy to leave the house (well, I managed it twice).  I went grocery shopping in the morning and popped to the beach to eat some strawberries.  The day had something special about it.

Something is missing though

Then in the afternoon we sat on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine.  I read for ages and may have got a bit of sun before I piled on the sunscreen and grabbed a hat.  We tried to gather some energy and motivation and we did finally leave to find a BBQ.  But the BBQ shop was closed, out of business.  Mike popped into Queensgate to get some things for his costume then we went home to get ready and drop Toby off  at Yingting's house having run out of time for any shopping.  Hopeless!

Anyone spot my foot?

Mike and I attended a work BBQ and it was scrumptious.  Then off to Shed 6 for the Christmas party.  That was a lot of fun.  The theme was "What did you want to be when you grew up?".

Anyone say they needed a paleontologist?

How about a nerdy scientist?  Need one of them?

Home early enough and a good sleep.  Picked up Toby the next day and off to La Boca Loca for brunch.  Met Sally and Andrew there nice and early and had coffees.  Then the Tabors arrived just as we settled into the table.  Had a great meal with them, catching up with Jackie.  We had time to spare before The Hobbit at 1.30pm so we nipped into the Weta cave.  First time I have been there.

Emerson and Toby trying out for a scene with Gandalf

 I posed with a troll.

Pose!

Toby has a much better feel for the dramatic than I do!

Bite me!

The Hobbit movie was great fun!  I loved it.  I think everyone loved it although some complained about the cliffhanger ending.  It was marvellous!

The iced coffee at the Roxy was superb!

I give it a 9/10.

Mike and Andrew went tramping (don't think they were being virtuous - it was a craft brewery tramp around town) and I went home to do the ironing.  Done!  Ooosshh!

Time for the week to begin.

Have a lovely week - the week before Christmas!

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with Toby's birthday

Hi,

Toby said (when I collected him from the school holiday programme) that he had the best birthday ever.  And to think he was asking why he had to attend the holiday programme on his birthday.  Hahah.  The chap that runs it has his birthday today (13th) so he had a cake to celebrate both their birthdays yesterday.  That was very nice of him.  It made Toby's day.

Lunch at Rahzoo with Hayley

Mike and I caught up with Hayley before she leaves for the UK for Christmas.  She has settled in nicely and work has already kicked off.  We've made tentative plans for the week Toby is away with my mother for some nights out on the town.

I do like Rahzoo's iced coffee.  A consistent performer.

I went to collect him after my busy afternoon stopped being busy at around 4pm (yes, the problem got solved - nothing like a reboot to sort things out).  Mike was shattered by the end of the day so he took Toby home on the bus and I rode home.

Mike got Burger Wisconsin in and then Christine and Tom came for a sleepover, so we added to the order and Christine picked it up on the way over.  Toby and Tom had a great time together before bed, and Mike introduced Christine to the wonders of awful YouTube videos.  Hmmmm.  Not sure that was a great step forward.

I absolutely slept like a log.  Possibly even before the light went out.  In fact, I think I may have woken up when Mike gently prised my Kindle out of my hands.  But it was merely a blip in the coma.

Nice ride in this morning.  Dry roads - the wind has got up a bit though and it is supposed to rain later.  No longer Toby's birthday.  But still birthday week!

We have a work social club BBQ tonight.  Should be fun - especially if the weather holds off.

The weekend is chock full of exciting things.  Lunch at the new Tabor house tomorrow (will check that is still needed), drop Toby off there, get back home and get into our elaborate costumes and attend the work Christmas party.  Sunday we have brunch at a Mexican place at 11am, followed by The Hobbit.  I've read this movie is better than the first.  Can't wait to see it.  Mike is then going on a special tramp with Andrew.  A tramp involving fit, medium and easy trampers.  You join it when you think the pace will match you.  It involves a few craft breweries around Wellington.  I am highly dubious.  Hence I am happy they get a big lunch at La Boca Loca before the movie.

Have a fantastic weekend.  I will!

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday before Toby's birthday

Hi,

Happy birthday today for Toby!!!  Eleven years old.

It was another warm day yesterday in Wellington - a cruise ship was in port but I don't think they'll be flocking to immigrate here just yet.  It was nice, but not spectacular.

I had two lunches yesterday.  Awesome when that happens.  The second lunch was fortunately reduced to a coffee.  Hahahah.  Met up with Aidan for a quick first lunch.  First time I have caught up with her since her thesis defence on Monday.  She has recovered from that ordeal (it wasn't so arduous for her anyway - after three years or more of dreading it, it was anti climatic in its final form - all that hard work obviously paid off) and could talk in sentences of more than three words and some words even had multiple syllables.  Well done to her.  Not sure when she gets her degree actually conferred and can be called Dr. Aidan.

Also saw Christine as I was waiting for Aidan.  She happened to park her car right in front of where I was sitting.

The second lunch didn't start quite so well.  My lunch date had forgotten and I didn't have her cellphone number.  I emailed her and she got that and came running.  But I was unaware she had got the email and was wondering when I should wander off when she arrived.  This is a woman from a client that I got to know over the course of a project.  We had a good chat - mainly about bicycles.  She wants to buy one.

Rahzoo iced coffee with Kimberley

Then back to work and not long after that off to collect Toby.  Then a bit more work and then on the bus home.  We sat next to Andy, my old manager from my last work.  So, I did a lot of brief socialising today.

Home to cook tea for me and Toby.  Mike eventually got home but Toby and I were fast asleep.

This morning is Toby's birthday!  He got up at 5.30am.  Excited, much?  I stumbled out of bed and found the presents and left him contented in bed.

Present detritus surrounds Toby

Time to start the day!

Have a wonderful day.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday WFH

Hi,

WFH = Working From Home in our office.  I came in early on my bike and did a release into a production environment before office hours for a client.  Then Mike drove in and we swapped and I went home to look after Toby.

I set myself up on the dining table, with two cushions on the chair to bring me up to typing height and worked.  The day was lovely and the doors to the deck were open all day.  Even got some washing done.

Another benefit of WFH.  Home made iced coffees!

Mike had a tramping club BBQ on after work so I drove in to get him and he came home (worked a bit!) and then headed off.  Toby and I had dinner (chicken korma - yum!) and relaxed before bed.

A leisurely evening.  Very nice.  Today sees a big cruise ship coming into port.  And the weather is windy and overcast.  But it is supposed to improve.

Have a marvellous day.



Love,
Angela

The Monday with Aidan hooning through her defence

Hi,

Had a good day yesterday, despite Toby being at my work all day.  He was so good - just sat there and played on his iPad, or on my spare laptop.  Turns out he has a limit to the amount of YouTube videos he can watch in a day.  Hahahah.  I bet he thought it was unlimited.  No, it's not.  It's quite capacious.  But not limitless. The receptionist messaged me to say a parcel was in reception for me and would I come down or would my minion come down for me.  He went.  Great delivery service.

Toby hiding at the Backbencher

After work we went to The Backbencher for dinner.  Sally and Andrew joined us and we ate and chatted.  Toby had cabin fever from being inside at my work all day so he ran around Parliament and climbed John Key's trees.  Eventually we left there after a nice meal (even Andrew wasn't too scathing).  Sally and Andrew left for the station and Mike and I collected Toby from Seddon's statue.

We walked back to work as I had left some stuff there and I wanted to ride my bike home.  As we crossed the lights at the corner of The Terrace and Bowen, the taxi waiting for the lights started tooting at us.  By this stage it was about 7.25pm and there weren't a lot of people around.  Turns out it was Aidan and Jackie in the taxi heading to the train station to go home.  Aidan had finished her defence and it had gone well.  And everyone had come in to support her when it was done.  She was awfully excited!  Good on her.

Wellington is a funny wee place.  You bump into people.  Who would have said that we would time our exit from the pub, with an amble across parliament to the intersection on Bowen with Aidan coming back from her house after showing Jackie it?  Fluke.  Nice though.

Back to work and Mike grabbed some stuff for me and Toby and Mike caught a taxi home.  I rode home and really enjoyed it.  No traffic.  Lots of fun.

This morning it is lovely.  Warm here.  And I loved the bike ride in.  Pedalled like mad.  I needed to get a release done before work.  But with the school holiday programme not kicking in until tomorrow (despite advertising 9th to 13th), I am working from home today.  Mike will come collect me soon and swap.

Have a lovely day.

Love,
Angela

The weekend that was great

Hi,

Our weekend started off with a bit of despair. We'd thought Toby was having a sleepover and packed accordingly. We were at the pub after work with some colleagues that were leaving when we both got texts from Yingting saying Toby was at her place.

So we quickly went home and collected Toby. Turns out he had sensibly gone there after being deposited at an empty house. And he was happy playing with the boys.

Back home and an early night. Next morning Mike was off to a river cruising course quite early. Toby and I went into town to start Christmas shopping. The first shop I went into had a broken computer and I couldn't buy the items. Aarrggghh. Fared better at the next place.

Met Aidan in town. She purchased my present from the shop with no computer as she walked past it. Still no computer but they had found a manual zip zap. We had brunch at Thunderbird cafe. Yum.

Dropped Aidan off at her new house and got a look around. They have a lovely new house. Great views. Very comfortable. It feels nice.

Toby and I left Aidan and went to find a tree.  Toby selected the tree in 10 seconds time.  The woman was astonished at our tree selecting speed.  Back home to decorate it.  As I sawed off the last ten centimetres, Toby said "That isn't something mothers do!".  This one does!

Decorating

Left to do some more messages. Then off into town to collect a wardrobe for Aidan and Josh. Right. Aidan said a flat packed wardrobe. I had visions of a nice package for the boot of the car. I found a massive wardrobe, completely the opposite of flat packed.

Mike reminded me we had an Allen key in the car when the existing owner couldn't find one. I got a nice cup of tea from her. Then we dismantled her wardrobe and I carted it to the car.

This was where 3d puzzles came in handy. The pieces were odd shapes and not much smaller than the inside of our car. I eventually figured out a configuration that let me drive with all the doors closed. I went to the train station to collect Mike.

Here we had to swap sides because the passenger seat was actually inside the wardrobe. No way could Mike fit in there. I had to contort myself to fit in under a piece of wardrobe and had my knees jammed into the glove box.

Mike took the wardrobe to the new house while I got to do tramping laundry. Oooo. I'm so lucky.

Making sushi

When Mike got back, the house was mostly tidy and we started dinner. Our first sushi. And it was yummy. Toby ate twelve pieces. It's now a firm favourite meal.

Sushi - homemade!

To bed and Mike and I watched a movie and slept like logs.

I got breakfast in bed. Thanks Mike.  And then headed off to do grocery shopping for family lunch. Mike outsourced the cake collection to Sally (thank you so much) giving us time to get everything ready. Mike made a bacon weave that everyone loved.

Minecraft cake

Cutting the cake

The cake was superb! My work colleague Jo can ice to perfection. Not at all like my gingerbread Santas.

An afternoon reading was lovely. 

Family party

Family party 

Eating

Time for the week to start soon. Today is a big day for Aidan. She defends her PhD thesis this afternoon. She'll romp in and be Doctor Aidan before we know it. 

Have a fantastic week!

Love,

Angela