The Tuesday with nothing

Hi,

I rode home and got quite wet again, however, not as wet as the ride in!  I collected Toby from the library (who made sure to ask if we were driving home or walking - given I was standing there dripping) and we went home.  Toby did about 3 hours of maths homework and is now done!  Woot!  It is due on Thursday!  I cooked him some dinner and Mike got home and we all ate.

I went grocery shopping and there is nothing like a late Tuesday evening with pouring rain for keeping people away from the supermarket.  Too easy!  Back home and I went to bed.  My head started spinning as I lay down and sure enough - I have that dizzy thing again.  Weird.

I got up for my run this morning.  Found my cap and jacket and started.  But given I could hardly walk straight, it didn't bode well for my run.  I tried.  But it wasn't entirely comfortable.  So I gave up and walked back home.  Decided it would be just as foolish to ride my bike and and so I caught the bus.  For the first time in absolute ages.

Weird dizzy thing.  Hoping it'll go by the end of today.  I have the user group tonight and Mike is also coming.  Mike has got Benjamin sorted for popping around.  Mike is off to the tramping club annual general meeting tonight after user group.

Hope you're all super well and staying dry.  A little bit impossible in Wellington, I have to say.

Love,
Angela

The Monday with drinks after work for me

Hi,

The weather has changed and I got really rather soaked riding in this morning (Tuesday).  The sort of soaking where I wring my socks out when I take them off.  The sort of soaking that means I have put my bike shoes on the heater in a futile attempt to dry them out before I need to ride home.  My bike shorts are there too.  Pretty sure they won't be able to stay there very long.  I'll have to hide them under my desk.  But they might get a good head start on the drying process.  I really don't like pulling on wet bike gear at the other end of the day.  Hahahah.

Still, it was great fun!

Last night I drove home (Mike had the car in town) cooked tea for Toby and then drove back to swap with Mike.  I had some drinks after work with colleagues.  We chatted away at the pub over the road for ages.  Then Ange took me home, so Mike didn't even need to come out in the rain.  Perfect.

I think tonight is straight forward.  I'll ride home, collect Toby, cook tea and watch Toby do homework.  He's doing well with his homework at the moment.

But right now, what I really need is a cup of tea.  And I guess I am rather grateful I am not driving to Waiouru like Aidan is today for her work.  It's not a pleasant driving day.  3.5 hours each way for a 1 hour meeting.  Interesting way to spend your day at work.  Be alright in the wee green car on a gorgeous day!

Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Angela

The weekend at Ruapehu

Hi,

Well, knock me down with a feather.  I have never ever had such beautiful weather up at Ruapehu.  Blue skies, no wind at all.  It felt like I was up in Northland rather than on the volcanic plateau.  Weird.

Ilkse and I drove up in the wee green car with Mike in the Corolla with Toby, Isaac and two other women from the Meetup group.  Poor Ilske - I sang loudly the whole way.  Hahahah.  The drive was lovely - top down the entire time and plenty of stars to look at.  I showed Ilske the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.  You only see them away from the city lights.

Sunset on the drive up!

Into bed rather late - maybe after midnight.  It made it hard to get out of bed early.  I achieved this by remaining in bed until denial was extremely difficult.  We got away for our walk by about 10.30am.  Off to see Taranaki Falls - which are nowhere near Taranaki.  Just in case you're wondering.

Mt Taranaki in the morning from the lodge- in the far, far distance!

Selfie showing not a shred of snow on the skifield

Toby and Isaac begin the walk

Mike - why are you taking a photo of me that close?

Are you completely mad?

Nice spot for a rest

Ngaurahoe looking amazing!

Selfies with Ngaurahoe in the background

Toby got himself some new sunglasses.  He chose some aviators and loves them to bits.  Funny wee chap.  He does look cool in them!

I can see myself, Toby!

Sunset Saturday night

We went to the pub across from the chateau for Saturday night dinner.  Very nice - although a bit slow with the service.  My steak was good though.

Back up to the lodge and Ilske and I lay out on the deck and watched the stars for about 45 minutes.  I saw a couple of satellites overhead and two shooting stars.  Jupiter and Saturn looked good too.  Off to bed and I managed to finished my book.  Definitely a great weekend's achievement.

Up to have breakfast and cleanup the lodge.  We got an extra hour sleep in because daylight savings finished. A walk on the way home was discarded in favour of a cafe lunch!  Oh yeah!  Mountain Rocks in Ohakune.  I like that place!

On the way home in Ohakune

Iced coffee at Mountain Rocks cafe.  8.5

Ilske had to endure another 4.5 hours of me singing nearly the whole way home.  She has a lot of fortitude.  Wellington had the worst weather of the entire trip.  I had to put the roof up at Ilske's house.  Pesky drizzly rain.

Got home and did a mountain of laundry, tidying, ironing and generally fussing around getting things ready for the week ahead.  Mike had to drop people off around Wellington.  We were both quite shattered and I slept the sleep of the dead.

My run this morning was inside a cloud.  No rain, I don't think.  Just inside the cloud!  Funny place, Wellington.  Prince William arrives today - he'll hardly see the place!

Have a fantastic week!
Love,
Angela

The Thursday with packing for Ruapehu

Hi,

I rode home in the most glorious evening imaginable for Wellington.  Blue skies, no wind.  It was lovely.  Collected Toby from the library and started dinner.  Toby did his homework and Mike got home.  Lovely evening.

At work though, we went to Bordeaux Bakery and bought a croinut each (me and my team).  This is a combination of a croissant and a donut.  And it was sooooo good you just know it took 3 years off my life!

Most decadent thing known to humankind - a croinut!

Putting the XR200 back in place

We packed for the weekend, fluffing around with the car and the rooftop box and overnight bags.  I got to move the XR200 around and realised I haven't been on a motorcycle for ages!  That needs to be rectified!  We're taking Toby's friend Isaac with us to Ruapehu.  Isaac's mother (Sally) will collect them from school and drop them at the train station.  Perfect!  We'll leave from there at 4.30pm.

I am taking the wee green car up with Ilske.  Isaac and Toby are with Mike and two other people in the Corolla.

I think the Saturday weather is looking ok.  But not too sure about Sunday.  Might be a day walk off the mountain on the way home?  And I personally am hoping for reading and eating!  Hahahah.

Have a lovely weekend!
Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with tramping club for Mike

Hi,

Happy graduation, Michelle.  What a wonderful achievement.  Very proud aunty.

I enjoyed my ride home although if I didn't know better I might assume I had a touch of a cold.  My chest is a little wheezy.  But I do know better and I was just sick a few weeks back so it is impossible.

Toby and I had a good evening, ploughing through homework and making dinner.  Mike went to meetings after work and then the photography night at tramping club.  He got home late and I was a bit asleep.  Managed to let him in though!  Hahahah.

Landscapers come  this morning.  Oooooooo.  Very exciting.

We need to pack for the weekend tonight.  All three of us are off to Ruapehu for the weekend.  Should be nice.  I intend to load up my Kindle and read.

Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with the fig feijoa fisaco

Hi,

Happy birthday to Mike's Dad, today!

I had a lovely ride home yesterday.  Well, to the library at any rate.  This evening I get to ride there and collect Toby and walk home with him.  Mike will drive in so he can do the tramping club run easily tonight.

Managed an iced coffee at Thunderbird yesterday with my colleagues.  Mmmmm.  Their iced coffee is quite good.

Thunderbirds are go!  I give it an 8.

We got home last night and I tried to cook tea but I wasn't really up for it.  But I did manage to drive down and collect Mike with Toby in the car and get some groceries on the way home.  Put them away (thanks for putting away the chops I left out, Mike!) and went to bed.  Mike had work to do.  He's a bit busy at work.

I forgot the fig feijoa fiasco.  Mike had his lunch bag with him when I collected him.  We chatted to Juliet and he mentioned he liked the lunch but never ate the fig because he knows nothing about how to eat figs.  "What fig?" I asked?  "This fig", he said, holding up a feijoa.  "That's a feijoa", I said.  "Oh", he said.  "I don't know how to eat feijoas either.  I have never eaten one".  Turns out the hundreds of feijoas that have come into our house over the last 7 years have all been consumed by me.  Yum!

I got up early for my run and enjoyed that.  Done four weeks on the programme now.  Yay.  I must be running about 2 km in my 30 min sessions now.  Apparently the aim is by 9 weeks I will be running a full 5 km in my 30 min session.  But I am actually enjoying it at the moment.

Yes, tramping club night.  I will go and collect Ed (Aidan's stepfather) and take him to tramping club.  It's the photography competition tonight.  Vivienne likes that one too!

Have a fantastic day!
Love,
Angela

The Monday with nothing much on

Hi,

What a lovely Monday - it was nice to finally see Mike.  I rode to the library and collected Toby.  We went back home and I cooked tea and Toby did a load of homework.  Like lots of it.  I was very happy with that.

Mike eventually got home and I ate my dinner with him.  Mike and Toby went out for a run and then I read to Toby as he went to bed.  Nice evening.  Mike had some work to do that meant I fell asleep while he worked on the computer.  I think work turned into "read the whole internet" and he stayed up late.  Oddly, this always turns into something that is my fault.  I should "make" him to go sleep.  Bit hard when I am comatose.  Hahahah.

My breakfast date was cancelled this morning.  Oh well.  I ate my Weetbix and enjoyed my ride in.  A warm morning out there, but overcast at the moment.

Have a lovely day.  Mike's Dad's birthday tomorrow.  Woot!

Love,
Angela