The Wednesday with Aidan back - but not much else happening

Hi,

Woot!  This morning is stunning here in Wellington.  And I have also been meaning to mention it is birthday week for Michael.  Happy birthday Michael.  It's always busy for Shona this time of April!

Stunning sunrise view to Mt Kau Kau

Mike trying to photo bomb it.  Lucky it's just the top of his head because he only has a towel on!

Yesterday was busy but fun.  Mainly because Aidan flew back into town from her crazy (but essential) one week dash to New Hampshire to see her family.  And because I'm not likely to see her for ages yet, I did manage to squeeze in a hello as I dropped her from her house to her work.  Yep - after about 28 hours non stop travel, she went into work.  And she looked remarkably good for it too.  Pretty sure it wouldn't be terribly fun for my colleagues if I attempted a similar feat.

And, as is becoming a tradition, I got some socks from her visit.  Hahahah!  I was actually wearing the last pair of socks Aidan got me on her previous trip back to the US.  I like a bit of symmetry.  Toby should like these ones, as they feature a lot of orange.

Loving my most recent sock present

I ended up driving home and collecting Toby from the library as I went up the hill.  He was chuffed to get a ride home.  Cooked tea (chicken enchiladas) and promptly had to try and force Toby to at least try some.  He ate the salad I made him.

But Mike got home and enjoyed them!  Yay.  And he has them for lunch today too.  Good work.

Nice ride in this morning - it really is a lovely day today.  I am busy today and tomorrow in a workshop.  And tomorrow we leave for Auckland for the three day weekend.  Can't wait!

Have a wonderful day.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with not much

Hi,

Not a lot happened yesterday really.  It was nice having Mike in the office, but even then I never really saw him much.  I was busy.  Typical day, if a few more meetings than usual.  I did catch up with Ilske for a coffee date though.  That might have been the highlight of the day.

I rode home and found wee Toby at home, getting stuck into Tim Tams and not getting stuck into his homework like I wanted.  Hahahah.  I started tea and Mike got home just as I served it up.  Perfect timing.  He had a migraine yesterday so he is feeling a bit washed out.

The evening disappeared in a flurry of inactivity.  Well, I can't remember anything dramatic happening, at any rate.

This morning went well.  Aidan has landed back in New Zealand.  Yay for that.  I rode into work and the roads were damp from overnight rain.  It looks like it might rain today too.  Southerly again.  But at the moment it is fine.

Right.  Time for a tea.  Enjoy your day!

Love,
Angela

The Monday with nothing much

Hi,

Well, I guess the Monday did throw something up. I got a new job at work officially announced yesterday. I am a huge mouthful of a title now. Support Team Lead CRM & SharePoint Yep. That's me. In practise, it's the same job I have been doing for ages now. Just recognised with a job title. But I guess there are extra challenges that will come my way because of it.

I am rather excited, I guess. A change is as good as a holiday.

Right. As for yesterday, it all worked out ok. Mike went to Chch. I dropped Toby off and rode in from the library. A slight flaw in my plan meant that Toby walked home after school and didn't stay at the library. I looked for him before calling home and finding him there already. But we weren't late so it was all good.

Came home and made tea. Did some homework (Toby - not me). Relaxed before Mike got home. He had been at Scouts with Emerson and Duncan, showing the Scouts what he packs for a tramping trip. Mike said it was good fun. What wasn't so much fun is that he got a migraine right in the middle of it and had to do his talk without really being able to see his audience! But his vision cleared before he had to drive home and it sounds like it wasn't too bed - he just put himself to bed and that was that.

As I type, Aidan is in Chicago airport, waiting for her flight in an hour to LAX. Then it's the long hop over to Auckland through the night. She loses Tuesday entirely. Unlike her Thursday last week that was interminable. I hope her trip back home was good for her and her family.

Today is a normal day. I think. Work madness. Oh. No. I just remembered. We're supposed to go out. I think I might go home and do Toby homework and cook tea. Mike can go out.

Have a fantastic day!

Love,
Angela

The weekend with loads on

Hi,

What a busy weekend.  Mike and Toby got back around 1900 on Friday night and they were looking very happy and relaxed after their week in the bush.  Josh and the boys looked good too.  All up, it sounds like a successful adventure.  Good on them!  Mike will no doubt write it up for us to enjoy.

After  they both had a wash, they were allowed near a bed.  Hahah!  We slept in because Ilkse's 4WD Saturday was cancelled due to poor weather so we had no reason to get up early.  Instead we went out to brunch at the Dowse and bought a few things like an electric blanket for Toby's bed and a rubbish bin for our room.  Stuff like that.

Iced chocolate fun at Dowse

Please pose sensibly!

My boys are fun!

My iced coffee

Fingers over the camera as the boys try to "help"

Outside the Dowse

From there we headed home and Mike cooked dinner for us.  Mmmmm.  It was good.  We had an early night really (or I did) as I was getting up early for an archery have a go session with Ange.

Sunday morning from our house

The day was stunning - beautiful view from our house over the misty valley to Mt Kau Kau.  I collected Ange at 7.20am and we drove out to the end of Sally and Andrew's road for our archery session.  I had such fun.  Ange did too.  We want to do the beginner's course now.  We spent two hours shooting at the targets.  We started quite close to the target at about 12 m.  But after our first end (where I actually got arrows in the bulls eye) he said he'd never had such a good class and we moved back to the next mark.  I think we shot the rest from 14 m.

On my first end, the instructor asked me if I had ever done this before.  I said no.  And he said for me to not think about anything and just keep doing what I'm doing.  I was the only one he changed the sights for.  Turns out my dominant eye was giving me gyp - I am left  eyed.  Which doesn't work well for archery.  I kept having to try to remember to close my left eye.  If I was off with my arrows, it was because I was shooting with the wrong eye.  Towards the end the instructor came over and said that he wasn't ignoring me.  He just saw nothing for me to fix right now.  Hahah.

Anyhow, I had a lot of fun.  And I am keen to try it again.

I take aim

Fire away

Ange took me to Caffiend on Jackson St afterwards.  And the iced coffee was pretty good.  More like an iced slushy.  Crushed ice and ice cream.  Good taste.

Another iced coffee at Caffiend with Ange

Back home and I tidied before Celia came to say hi with her two wee girls.  Toby loved it.  I convinced them to stay for pizza and we ate and then Celia left to explore the Wellington war memorial changes.

Chaos in Toby's room with Eva and Charlie

Mike was out at tramping meetings and I got the ironing done.  Then I took him into work to get some stuff done for his trip to Chch today before driving up to Josh's place.  But Mike ran out of time and we pulled the plug on his beer drinking chat with Josh in favour of homework and getting ready for the week ahead.

Weird ironing experience in front of our bedroom mirror

A bit chaotic this morning as Mike got ready for his flight.  I dropped Toby off at the bus stop and rode in from the library.  Got an appointment with him at 5pm today.

Have a wonderful week ahead.  Short week next week for ANZAC Day.  Yay.  Love this time of year with its short weeks.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with a movie with Ange

Hi,

Well, the plan was to fill in my day and evening so I never had time to think about much besides work.  It worked pretty well.

I got an iced coffee in with Rex and Jo.  Rex doesn't drink coffee (like me really) but the caffeine from the iced coffees makes him a bit funny.  So we decided to try a decaf iced coffee. Rex was in love with it, I think!  Decaf FTW!

Decaf iced coffee.  Yes, there is such a thing!

Work disappeared in a blur of frenzied activity as it usually does and then I was collecting Ange from the pub to heading off to see a movie.  She drove closer to the movie venue and we walked the last wee way.  I enjoyed the evening - crisp and clear.   We watched the Second Best Marigold Hotel and it was a good distraction.  It stands up well to the first one.  Different tone to it.  But I had a few laughs.  

Hi Christine's house!  Mt Vic catching the sunset.

Ange dropped me home and I think I was asleep in seconds of my head falling onto the pillow.  Such a late night for me.  I did wake up at 4 am when I got a text from Aidan.  She had landed in LAX and was waiting for her next flight.  I rolled over and got another hour in before the alarm went off for my run.

Had an alright run.  Average time.  Hoping to blitz it on Sunday.  No idea why.  Just because.

The weekend should be awesome.  Mike and Toby are due back and I have missed them.  I might cry when I see Mike.  I need to get a grip!  Hahahah.  Then 4WD with Ilske tomorrow.  Then archery with Ange on Sunday.  And time with Toby.  Mike is away for Survival Night.  But that is a misnomer.  They eat bacon and drink beer all night.  Guess they still have to survive that!

Right.  Time for tea.

Have a brilliant day.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with lunch with Aidan

Hi,

What a funny day yesterday.  I am supposed to go for a run with Mary around lunchtimes on Wednesdays.  But yesterday it all went a bit pear-shaped.  We delayed our run until 4.30pm but then Mary got held up at a client site.  So it never happened.

But it did mean I got a lunch with Aidan and her colleague, Greg, instead.  Yay!  We went to the dumpling place.  Not sure what Greg thought of it but I enjoyed it.  And I think Aidan did.  She is off now for a week to visit her grandmother in the States.  Her grandmother has been quite sick and Aidan is fulfilling her grand-daughter (and daughter) duties.  Apart from the flying she dreads, I don't think it is a duty to her at all.  It's important.

The weather is still deliciously cold here.  I am looking out at the Hutt Valley and it is shrouded in misty light cloud.  So, actually, I can't see the Hutt at all.

Tonight I am off to the movies with Ange.  We'll see that Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movie.  Should keep me entertained for a while.

I do need to finish tidying the house.  I have just been watching Downton Abbey in the evenings and neglecting my housework duties.  But the boys should be home tomorrow so I really need to sort out a few things first.

Have a great day!  Safe travels to Aidan.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with not much

Hi,

After a freezing, busy day at work, it was nice to get a bit warmer on my ride home.  But I ate so much during the day it wasn't funny.  Started with breakfast with Fran, which was yummy and a mountain of food.

Fran and the tip of my mountain of food at The Green Man

Client bought me this chocolate mousse from Louis Sargeant

I was still recovering from that when Rex and Jo asked me to join them for lunch.  I was still full, but I figured, I wouldn't eat much tea so I may as well join them.  I ate another mountain of food - this time noodles.

Got back to my desk and I realised I had a client meeting.  Rushed out for that and ended up with the richest chocolate mousse on earth and I ordered a hot chocolate to boot.  I was well and truly living on the edge.

Back to work and all I wanted to do was lie on the floor under my desk and groan a lot.

I got absorbed in work until Aidan texted if I wanted to come to her place for tea,  Uh oh.  Undone again.  I rode home, got changed (a bit too slow for Aidan; she ate her tea as I was still riding up the hill) and drove over.  I got a huge bowl of chilli that was delicious but very filling and rich.  I almost managed the entire bowl.

Chatted over a cup of tea before heading home.

So, all in all, I ate enough calories yesterday for the entire week.  Hahahah.

Have a brilliant day.  Not too shabby outside, even if it's still cold.

Love,
Angela