Friday, May 22, 2015

The Thursday with sick Mike

Hi,

For a day that had no meetings booked in, I was a bit concerned.  But, true to form, the day booked up.  Guess the novelty of having space in my calendar was a bit too tempting.

I had lunch with Aidan.  At Mojos near her work.  The soup was average.

Aidan happy she's eaten an Afghan cookie


I did catch up with Celia for a much needed chat with her.  She knew of $2 coffees at The Old Bailey between 2 and 4pm.  So we scooted off there and I was contemplating getting a coffee (which I don't like) when I decided to ask if they did iced coffees.  They said yes, and what's more, only charged me $2 for it.  Wow!  What an awesome deal.  And it was pretty good too!

$2 iced coffee at The Old Bailey!  Score!

I rode home and enjoyed the exercise.  Got home and found Mike in bed.  He isn't very well but I think he is intending to come into work today.

I cooked tea for me and Toby and then watched a documentary on human evolution.

This morning was a great ride in.  Dry roads completely.

Weekend looming.  Can't quite come fast enough.  There is a daywalk tomorrow that Mike is leading.  If he's not well, I'll lead it in his place.  Other than that, I want to take Toby to see Jurassic World.  And do housework.

Exciting, eh?

Have a fantastic day.

Love,
Angela

Thursday, May 21, 2015

The Wednesday with sick Mike

Hi,

Well, Mike was still sick when I got home - and he'd slept most of the day.  He certainly slept most of the evening.  I watched three documentaries in bed and he slept through them all.

Mike came in with Toby to collect me and my bike and we got home and I cooked tea.  But after tea, Mike pretty much went to sleep.  Toby did his homework and then disappeared downstairs for a while.

This morning Mike declared himself better.  So I asked him to join me for breakfast.  He ended up moaning softly with his head in his hands.  I don't think he is better at all.  He's working from home again.

Right!

I need a cup of tea.  My ride in was so windy.  But the wind seemed quite warm.  It is supposed to turn around to a cold southerly soon though.  Might blow me back home.

Time to find that tea.

Enjoy your day!

Love,
Angela

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The Tuesday with quiz for Mike and dinner with Ange for me

Hi,

Mike had a quiz night after work so he gave me the car keys and I took my bike home.  I just managed to tidy a little and get Toby his dinner when Ange came around.  She wanted some seasons of Downton Abbey as she is as addicted to it as I am.  So, I cooked tea for us and we chatted away for ages.  It was really good.  She is wonderful company - intelligent and kind.  And my fresh pasta I had in the fridge turned out to be really good.  Who knew?

Ange's hand had "Angela" on it

At one point during our chat, I noticed Ange had the word "Angela" on her hand.  So, I said to her "Ange, why have you got your name on your hand?".  And she said "No, it's your name!".  It was the funniest moment!  Like Mike, she writes things on her hands so she doesn't forget things.  Nice to see she didn't forget me!

She headed off and I mucked around for a bit before going to bed.  Toby also had his bath and went to bed.  I may have fallen asleep before Mike came home.  He wanted to talk and talk, but I was comatose.  The poor guy.  Anyhow, from my sleep fuddled mind, I think he might be getting sick, from what he was saying.  And today he is working from home, as he doesn't feel great.  Uh oh!

Right.  Time for tea and to start the day.  Have the most wonderful day!  Let's hope Mike doesn't get too sick.

Love,
Angela

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Monday with Mike back from Chch

Hi,

Well, the day was brilliant for sunshine.  So much so that Aidan decided she needed to get out amongst it and emailed me if I was free for lunch.  We ate our lunch on a cold concrete wall outside parliament.  But the sun on our backs made up for the cold underneath us.  I enjoyed catching up with Aidan - she's been a little elusive of late.  And with her adventures coming up (presenting at a conference in England in early June and meeting colleagues over there), I will take advantage of random, spontaneous lunches with her as I might not see much of her over the next wee while.

I rather coveted her leftover enchiladas.  I mean, my bread roll was pretty good.  Made just how I like it (given I made it, that's a good thing!).  But, her enchiladas were so yummy looking.  She never even contemplated a lunch swap, I noticed.  Her portion was a fair bit smaller than my bread roll though.  It might not have dented my appetite in the slightest.  And I seemed to do a lot of talking this lunchtime, because my bread roll took far longer to consume than her lunch.

I caught a slow bus home and found Toby happily eating his way through the fridge.  But I made his favourite dinner (chicken schnitzels) and he ate all that too.  Mike got home while I was still awake!  Yay.  His trip went well.

We went to bed fairly early as I was getting up early for my run and Mike wanted to get some work done nice and early.  However, I suspect he merely had more time to read the entire Internet.  Hahah.  He was in a good mood.  We ate breakfast together and I was telling him about someone that I thought wasn't doing exactly the right thing (according to Angela - so, no judgement really) and I called that person a goose.  Mike burst out laughing, snorting his coffee through his nose.  I was slightly indignant that my comment had got this reaction until he said he found my words so funny.  To him, the "goose" would be "what a stupid #@!$%#@ idiot!".

I was a little appeased by this.  But later, after I had gone down to wake up Toby, I came back and I have no idea what I said but he decided to chase me around the house, threatening me with kisses.  As I ran away from him, I wondered what on earth I was doing.  I'd rather be caught if that was the threat.  So I ran into the bedroom and threw myself on the bed and waited for his embrace.  But all I got was uncontrollable laughter.

Glad I made him so happy.  Hahahah!  Funny boy.  But he really shouldn't laugh like that when his wife throws herself on the bed and waits to be caught.

Oh - Aidan had some good news.  Yesterday morning as she was showering, Josh came back from the basement and told her to stop showering because the water was overflowing from the drain and running all over the stored cartons.  She gave him that look (the one that says you must be stupid, I am covered in soap and I am going to wash it off right now!) and then resolved to have a look at the damage when she got home from work.  But she found a giant hairball blocking the drain and fixed her plumbing woes herself.  I think she felt rather empowered by this.  Certainly a lot richer for not needing to call out a plumber.  And apparently no damage to stored stuff.  Perhaps Josh has a Gilberting gene?  Maybe he told Aidan it was thigh deep water with storage boxes floating around?

It was raining as I rode in this morning.  Funny day out there really.  Rainy, and cloudy, but with sun peeking through.  I need a cup of tea.

Right.  Mike is off to a quiz night tonight.  I will ride home and feed Toby leftover chicken schnitzels.  Woot!

Have a wonderful day.

Love,
Angela


Friday, May 15, 2015

The Thursday with weather chaos in Wellington

Hi,

Happy birthday to Benjamin!

Well, there was a lot of water.  And it filled up everything till it was overflowing.  I got into work relatively unscathed by it all.  But it never stopped pouring with rain for hours.  Wellington just couldn't cope.  At about midday the Hutt River burst its banks somewhere and people started heading home if they lived that way.  It took Rex 2.5 hours to get to the hills just above Petone there.

Eventually I heard that buses were cancelled at Toby's school and they would keep the children there until collected by parents.  Magnus's mother went to collect him and she looked out for Toby.   But he was at swimming.

This was a huge surprise to me.  What swimming?  Turns out swimming has started every Thursday/  Toby borrowed spare togs and drip dried himself.  Good.  He made the dive team too!  Woot!

Anyhow, Aidan was also over there to collect her boys.  So she kindly got Toby too.  He got dropped off at our house and I had pizza turn up to keep him fed.

Meanwhile I ventured cautiously out to get lunch (not far!) and an iced coffee with Rex.  Staying dry was high on my list of wants and needs.


Rain outside work
Mixed Business iced coffee goodness

After work I attended a business networking session to hear about how to listen your way to better leadership.  It was interesting as it was an english interpretation of the brain chapter I am reading at the moment on how your brain makes you behave a certain way.  Flight or fight.  All that stuff.

I liked the science version better.  But, it was interesting enough.

Ange dropped me home and then she bravely took Celia home.  The roads had cleared by then.  Ange has been a trooper for me lately.  I'm pretty lucky to know her.

Mike got home from Christchurch, blissfully unaware of the chaos in Wellington really.  But he did check our roof space immediately.  All good up there.  The rats don't have a swimming pool in the suitcase - yet!

Sally and Andrew also seemed to have got away lightly with their existing roof leaks.  Yay!

This morning my run was lovely.  Not a breath of wind and no clouds at all.  The stars were shining just for me.  And about 3 other runners.  But I'm not counting them.  They shone for me!  And I did close to my PB.  About 4 seconds off.  And so close to going under 30 minutes.  This close!

Misty, still start to the day

 Right.  Time for tea.  And it's Friday!  Woot.  No plans.  Well, not much.  Two movies back to back on Sunday for me.  But apart from that - nothing.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love,
Angela

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Wednesday with nothing much

Hi,

Yesterday was a blur of meetings - although one of them was a client meeting at a cafe.  And they know me very well, so they were happy to take my photo of iced coffee #126

Actually, I have had the iced coffee here before - it's at the Wellesley and I think the cafe is called 1812 or something.  It's not a bad iced coffee.  Not too sweet.  Ice cubes.  Good.  Solid 7.5.

Client willingly takes my photo


I rode home and was pleasantly surprised that the evening was actually pleasant.  Yay!  Got home and cooked a new recipe from my book.  Lamb kebabs.  The boys liked them but I was a bit disappointed.  Next time I make them, I will use the barbeque.

I did my homework and then went to bed.  Mike tried to work next to me in bed.  Not sure how successful that was.  Mike is off to Christchurch again this morning (Thurs) so both boys were up early.

I left them at 7am and they were both mostly dressed and Mike at least had a coffee in his hand.  So it bodes well.

The weather is pants.  My bike gear is hanging over the heater next to my desk.  Hahah!  I look like a drowned rat.

Have an incredible day!

Love,
Angela

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Monday and Tuesday that disappeared

Hi,

Well, I was so busy yesterday at work in the morning I never got time to blog.  Or have a cup of tea.  Madness.  And I had to head home at lunchtime and work from home because Toby was off school again, sick.  So I fed him soup and toast and cooked him tea later on.  He is off to school today, so I hope he is really coming right.

On Monday night I cooked tea from my new recipe book.  They tasted pretty good, if you ask me.  And you really can only ask me, because Toby merely poked at them and ate the rice.  And Mike was away in Chch, so he is having his today for his lunch.


Chicken kebabs I cooked Monday night from my new recipe book

The picture in the book - mine compares well, I reckon


This morning my ride in was lovely.  It is really quite windy.  But so clear.  The harbour looked stunning this morning.

The view on my commute to work this morning.  

Better get stuck in.  I have a mountain of work.

Love,
Angela