The weekend with Wellington fun

Hi,

Looking at the pics, it seems that all I have done is drink iced coffees.  Hahah.  But the weekend was very good.  I can't remember hardly anything at this stage.

Monday morning iced latte

Friday night was a good one at home with the boys.  Saturday had Mike leaving early to drop off two friends tramping over the Papatahi Crossing overnight.  He walked in some of the way with Doro and Zoey and popped into Zany Zeus's on the way home.  They met Sally in the queue there.  Funny.

Meanwhile, Toby and I went into town and tried to get some Christmas shopping done.  To no avail.  But we had a lovely lunch together at Felix.

Friday afternoon iced latte

We left each other in town - Toby off home on the bus and me to my appointment.  Got back home and relaxed with the boys for the day.

Friday morning iced latte

 Sunday saw us up early, but not quite as early as we wanted.  I was doing my last bike ride before Taupo, and Mike was picking up his friends at the other end of their tramp.  So we headed off to the Wairarapa via Maccas for brekkie.  As we drove over the hill, Mike commented that there were a lot of buses on the road.  My brain then realised Toast Martinborough is on just before Taupo - and sure enough, it was today.  Gah!  We changed my bike route to avoid Martinborough.  Turns out it was all easy.


I started my bike ride at Featherston at about 10.20am.  I was intending to only ride about 50 km and take it easy - mainly just to make sure my bike and gear was working well.  Finalise those last few wee things so I am good for the ride next weekend.  I rode down Ocean Road and thought I would turn around and ride back after 25km.  I got to there, and wanted to go a little further.  Turned up into the East link road and saw a Road Closed sign.  Just went to the top of the wee hill, and turned back around.

I road back, into a bit of a head wind - even though I thought it was a head wind on the way down.  Picked up a rider training for Taupo towards the end and enjoyed a wee chat with him.  Got to Featherston and saw Mike had texted and called.

Rang him - he was walking with Toby and the trampers and still had about an hour to get back to the car.  So, I turned around and rode back.

Ended up doing 90km - but still fairly easy.  It was all good fun.

The car picked me up about 200m from their road end.  We went back to a bakery in Featherston and I ate a meat pie for the first time in ages (I haven't been eating meat at all).  Back home, and I dropped Mike at work for a few hours before our movie we had booked.

Went grocery shopping, then discovered a lot of calls from Mike.  He got the time wrong and actually the movie was at 5.45pm!  Went through checkout, drove home, collected Toby, shoved frozen/chilled stuff into the fridge and then drove back.  We got a park right outside and met Mike and enjoyed Justice League.

Woot!  Great weekend.

Hope your week is good.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with nothing much

Hi,


Mike always says my marketing leaves a lot to be desired when I titled my days as "with nothing much".  But really, there wasn't a lot happening yesterday.

Toby did pop in to see me at work after his exams.  We chatted about how they went - he thinks they went ok.  He was up late the night before cramming - says Grandy told him that trick.  Hahahah.  Well, he wasn't too stressed or anxious so I was proud of that.  I bought him some sushi and sat with him while he gobbled that up like I hadn't fed him for days.  Just like the cat, really. 

Finally convinced myself to ride home and enjoyed it.  Mike beat me home though.  Doh!  Cooked tea - the boys had some pasta concoction I made up (broccoli, bacon and cheesy sauce - can't go wrong there!) and I ate more asparagus and haloumi.  Oohh - my dinners are like gourmet.

Anyhow, I had a restless sleep.  It's not like I couldn't sleep, because I actually fell asleep with Mike reading with the light on.  Woke myself up when I dreamed my foot slipped out of a pedal.  I think Taupo might be on my mind.  And fell asleep again, only to be woken up by Mike shouting out to Toby.  Then the rest of the night, I seem to waken, and fall back to sleep.  Who knows?

My ride in this morning was lovely.  The wind is getting up a little.  The sky is slightly overcast.  But it is dry and the weekend beckons.

We have some odd plans for the weekend.  Mike and Toby sound like they may do a day walk tomorrow.  I have an appointment though so I won't go.  Sunday Mike has volunteered to pick up trampers from the bottom of the Wairarapa so I will take my bike and have a good ride.  Last big one before Taupo.  Shake down anything still needing to be shaken down. 


Have a great weekend, whatever you get up to.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with a haircut

Hi,

What a lovely morning here in Wellington.  We have a rail strike and it is commuting chaos out there.  I rode my bike in and suffered car drivers that had probably sat in unusually heavy traffic and were terribly grumpy by the time they got off the motorway.  So grumpy they had forgotten how to share the road and think ahead.  They should have stayed at home.

Iced coffee at Arabica

Yesterday I caught up with Mary, Rex and Jo for a much needed coffee break at Arabica.  It is a photo pre haircut.  If I get a chance to grab an iced coffee today, I will be able to show you the new cut.  Maybe.  Actually, not sure anyone will see any difference.

I did get a Spin class in at lunchtime to keep me sane.  And after work I got my haircut.  They were running late so I got some extra scalp massaging.  That is totally the way to win me over.  Late schmate.

Jumped on a bus after it and Mike wasn't too far behind me on another bus.  He gamely ran after a couple of buses and got some exercise that way.  Hahah.

Cooked tea for the boys.  Chicken schnitzels - Toby's favourite.  I had grilled asparagus and haloumi.  Mmmmm.

Toby has exams today and tomorrow.  Very exciting.  He seems to be ok about them.  Let's see what he thinks tonight.

Went in for early morning Spin this morning.  Last one with this instructor as she is changing jobs and can't make it to this slot anymore.  We met the new instructor that will take over - but I will be tapering ahead of Taupo next Thursday and won't get to her first class.

Hope your day is a great one.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with a bike ride

Hi,

Yes, I still think the week should be much further along - far closer to Friday - than what it actually is.  I can't believe it is only Wednesday.

I did get a coffee catch up with Celia and touched base with her and the team and what they are up to in general.  As well as hearing about James and his collarbone and his progress.

Iced latte at Machete with Celia

There is something about the Machete coffee that I like.  Not sure what though, given I don't drink a lot of coffee.  And it is all cold when I do drink it.

Celia positioned the flowers just so in the photo.  Hahahah.

After the working day ended, Sreejith and I got on our bikes and headed around the bays.  He made good time - all that extra gym work is paying huge dividends.  On the flat, Sreejith can outride me.  But come to a hill, and I easily catch him.  I suppose it is my commute that makes that difference.

Anyway, I was back home in under 2 hours.  Pretty happy with the bike.  Not quite so happy with my form.  But not a lot I can do about it now.  1.5 weeks to go.  Ooossshhh!

I have my haircut tonight.  As you can tell in the photo, it is a little long and slightly unruly.  It'll be good to have it shorter for the Round Taupo weekend.  Less tendency for it to poke me in the eyes.

Time to kickstart the day.  Hope yours is good fun. Toby has exams tomorrow and Friday (not NCEA - that is next year).  We're very excited about that.  Send him some best wishes for it.  Or some tips on how to write essays in exam situations.  Or how to calculate means, medians and standard deviations.

Love,
Angela

The Monday that seriously felt like two days worth

Hi,

How come Mondays that are public holidays don't feel like two days worth?  Life is odd.

Anyway, let's see.  What did I do yesterday?  Got into work early for yoga.  Had yoga.  Got into work and worked.  As you do.

Oh yeah.  Toby came into the doctors, so I met him there after work (ish) and he got some antibiotics for his ingrown toenail.  Apparently it is a bit (well, I put a word in there, thinking it was going to say "pus-like" but it turned out to say "pussy" which is not the same thing at all) inflamed with pus.  Here's hoping he takes his medicine and it clears up quickly.  He's supposed to rest it up.

I gave him some groceries from my stash at work (I went shopping to get crucial things) and I had to take home the remaining things myself on the bus.

Mike jumped on with me and we cooked tea (leftovers) when we got home.  Did laundry.  Made lunch stuff for the week ahead.  Emptied the dishwasher and refilled it.  Got stuff ready for the next day.  Looked for the Camelbak bladder.    Drove stuff into work and collected the bike.  Found the bladder while putting commuting bike back in the garage.  And fell into bed when I got back.


This morning I rode my road bike in - using my sneakers as one of my logistics from the night before didn't go to plan (I brought in my cycling gear to work last night - but actually brought in my road shoes when I need them to ride my bike in this morning!).  Went to Spin.

After work I will ride with Sreejith around the bays.  A nice 50km ride.  Get home, and head back to collect my gear.  Well, that is the plan anyway.

Oh - and yesterday I "watched" a friend's wife compete in this:  Running in a desert  She is running a marathon, through a desert, every day, for five days!  I am simultaneously amazed and scared.  I hope she does well.

Have a brilliant day.

Love,
Angela

The weekend in Wellington

Hi,

What a weird weekend that was.  Friday night was fairly normal at home.  But Saturday I was up early for Spin and Mike was going to tackle the last coat on the new front door.

I went grocery shopping with Toby at some point.  No wait.  That was Friday evening.  Ahhh, yeah.  Groceries Friday and also collected a burger for him too.

And then, Toby came with me to Spin at Evans Bay.  He sat in the car while I attended the class.  Sreejith got in just a few minutes into the class.  Woot!

Spotto at the supermarket - and it's a double Spotto when it's a yellow Mustang

After Spin we collected Sahara from her house, dropped in to see her mother on the way back and then collected some Maccas for brekkie.  Home to eat it, and enjoy the weather.

Saturday home made iced coffee on the deck

Mike's short black

We did get the door done - my job was to hold it so Mike could varnish it.  Tough work for me.  Hahah.

Mike had a tramping club anniversary evening and headed to the clubrooms for photos and stuff.  Came home, and changed for dinner with them all.  That came with speeches - and dessert.

Meanwhile, Toby and Sahara watched movies and TV shows while cuddling on the couch.  Date day.

Mike got home fairly late, but took Sahara home and Toby made sure she was safely on the path to her front door.

Trying the home made iced coffee again on Sunday

Sunday Mike got up early and watched rugby with some mates.  New Zealand squeaked out a win against France.  I went off to Spin - again.  And when I got home, I made another iced coffee with brekkie for me and Toby.

The day passed by in laundry and reading.

Last night we had a wee earthquake.  11.30pm.  Mike slept through it as he has no recollection of it.  But it woke me up, and I said "Earthquake.  I wonder if it's in Seddon".  And Mike lifted his head off the pillow, grunted something and dropped his head back.  And then I fell alseep.

I wondered if I had dreamed it, but no.  The news shows it really did happen.  4.8.  But quite deep - well, 45km is deeper than they have been here.  And it is nearly a year to the day of the big one in Kaikoura that definitely made itself known here. 

The week is stretching ahead into the middle distance.  One more weekend to go before Taupo.  Ooossshhh!

Have a brilliant week.

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with weights training

Hi,


Busy day yesterday - but I did wander out to visit a client.  And scored an iced coffee while I was there.

This was in a cafe on Featherston St.  Under the old ANZ building.  I think it is a cafe chain - but not sure which one.  Perhaps I should have asked for sugar syrup on the side rather than having them add sugar.

Very sweet iced coffee

Looks good though

Got through the day.  Had a weights session with Sreejith and Anjali - which killed me.  At the start, I was thinking the carpet where we were working out looked a bit scummy.  By the end, I was collapsed on the scummy floor without a care about it at all.

Did get home, sort out tea for Toby and then collected Mike on our way to Lower Hutt to pick my road bike up from its service.  Thanks Gary - it is looking mighty sweet. It'll shave at least 5 seconds of my time this year with all that fresh lube.  Actually, he did see an issue with the bottom bracket - and I had my suspicions from some recent rides.  I'll shake it down this weekend and hopefully it'll be great for Taupo.

Other than that - it's almost the weekend.  Woot!

Hope your weekend is a fun one.

Love,
Angela