The Tuesday with my parents heading home to Aus

 Hi,

The cat content is at peak levels today, readers! Hahah.  We have had a run of good weather here. Stunning days since Friday. My parents got ready Tuesday morning to head home and their Uber came at 12.15pm and whisked them off. I got messages from them that they got home late our time after a wee delay on the plane. So good to have them here. They seemed to really love their holiday, Yay. I was very sad to see them go (and still sad as I type this).

Monday evening stunner

Smudge keeping me company

Both cats in the office with me

It was hot on Tuesday and the cats draped themselves all over the house in an attempt to avoid the sunshine.

Tuesday morning: last pats with Smudge

Moxley tucked up in her crate

Such a hot day

When Mike got home, we had tea and then watched some TV before driving off at 9.30pm to try and spot the comet. I suggested Makara. Hopeless as it did not see enough to the southwest. But I did see 3 of the planets that are currently aligned (along with Uranus - which you need a telescope to see). So I saw Venus, Jupiter and Mars easily.

It was the nicest evening. T shirt and shorts at 10pm on a beach. Unheard of. We popped up Wrights Hill to see if the height helped but it was too late by then and we disturbed the local astronomy club out looking at the night sky. Oops.

If it is clear we might try again tonight.

Comet hunting at Makara

Selfie in the dark

Up to ride in. I did not tighten one of my bike rack attachments and it fell off just up on Mairangi Road. Oops. Need to reattach that when I get home.

Met Mike after his gym for a French Kiss cart iced coffee.

Tuesday morning French Kiss cart iced latte

Chatted a lot to Juliet at work. And trying to get on top of things still. Have an awesome day.

Love,

Angela

The weekend that was a long one in Wellington

 Hi,

Big news from this weekend is that Janine finally got to Carkeek hut with Mike and Andrew. Huge effort and it must be such a pleasing feeling to achieve that.

Meanwhile, I was busy in Wellington. Thursday saw me ride home and nearly get skittled in the driveway for New World on Molesworth St. A ute was about to pull in, having driven up the road with the bike lane next to it - with many cyclists on it. One of which was me. He indicated. Good work, mate. Paused at the cycleway - so I thought, he can see me. So I continued along the cycle way. And then he went. Like - why did it pause if he wasn't even looking for bikes? Anyway, I slammed my brakes on. Did a wee skid. Stopped fine. He got a fright. Goose. Probably cursed cyclists even though he must have got a licence from a cereal packet.

This gave me a huge boost and I got my PB on the strava segment going up the hill. Shaved 5 seconds off. So happy.

Home before Catherine and Kate got back from their tramp. Walked to Burger Wisconsin and ate in the Plunket park with them.

Friday saw me at the gym in town for a long session with Quentin. Squats and deads. Ossshhh. 90 mins.  Then back to find Catherine and Kate gone already for their day. I got ready to ride with Maureen. Rode to Onslow College to meet her. Then we rode through Johnsonville and Tawa to Colonial Knob. Up the easy way to the lookout. Then up to the two higher tops. Great views. 

Halfway up - hi Callan and Stacey's house!

Views over Porirua

Views to south

Awesome ride back down to Spicer Forest. A lot of trail in the pine forest - over wee bridges and through wee creeks. We ended up in Ohariu Valley and up Old Coach Road. 3 hours and 50 km. So good. I loved it.

Back to pick up Catherine and a quick drive by into town to pick up Kate. Then out to the Hutt to get fish n chips with Sally on the beach. So nice.

Saturday saw me take Catherine and Kate to The Botanist. Kate loved that place. And it was delicious. Dropped them at the airport for their check in.  1pm. Then I tried to visit Kara but she was out.

Back home to tidy and get ready for my parents. Popped down to Bluebridge and they were off the ferry nice and quick. Good crossing for them.

Ferry terminal

New packaging for the Lewis Road iced coffee

Sunday morning iced latte

Chillies coming along

Vivienne

Xxx

Contemplation

So peaceful

Took Mum and Dad to see where Vivienne's resting spot is located. My mother appreciated the surrounds. Upsetting but good for Mum to see where Vivienne is now. All peaceful.

Took Mum and Dad to see Makara beach then back up Ohariu valley to get fuel for the car then home.

Then off to visit Helen and see Iona. Lunch there. Then picked up Maureen from her place and out to see Banksy.

Banksy was really good. He is thoughtful about what he does. And makes you really think about it. Hard hitting stuff in a stencil format. Wow.

Off to Joe's Garage to meet my parents. Lovely dinner. Then droped Iona at the airport and then Maureen off at her place. Saw Dave and his daughter and Jack and their wee dog walking just up from Maureen's place. Nice.

Monday was chill. Run for me. Then a tidying frenzy with Mum. Sally came over. We had a cup of tea then a walk with Mum in Otari Wilton bush. 2.5km. Back to the house. Mike and Andrew arrived after their mega tramp. Had some tea. Looked at photos.

And off to bed. Up for work today. Sunny again.

Parents leave at lunch time. Such a good visit.

Enjoy your day,

Love,

Angela

The Wednesday with work and packing for Mike

 Hi,

A good blog is a fast blog. Hahah.

Rode home after work. Nearly got skittled by a ute driver going into New World. Skidded my back wheel as I hauled on the brakes. Was scared. Shouted a bit after the fact.

Mike got me a French Kiss cart iced latte

Wholegrain wholemeal sourdough

Got home and fed the cats and then made sourdough. Mike got home after his dinner at Hillside Kitchen with work mates.

He packed for Carkeek hut siege attempt #7. Then bed. Up for various things Thursday morning.

The weekend of chaos starts. People coming and going. Super excited to see my parents. And Iona. And everyone else.

Have a great weekend.

Love,

Angela

the Tuesday with planning and a spontaneous dinner out

 Hi,

Planning day came and went in a blur. Seemed ok. Let's see how the quarter pans out. Already got told about a piece of work needed this morning that was not in the plan. Hahahah.

Planning iced latte fortification

Moxley Monday

After work, we went out for drinks at Bin44 and then dinner at Otto. Karin, Emma and Michelle came. Other work colleagues were there too. Funny.

The food at Otto is so vegetarian and vegan friendly. Very nice too. Mike like the beers on offer.

While we were there, my parents and Mike's mother were also having dinner in Dunedin. And today my parents drive to Chc to see Toby.

Right. Better get stuck into the mahi. Have a great day.

:Love,

Angela

The Monday back at work

 Hi,

Big day at work today so short blog. Monday was good fun working from home. Less meetings than usual so got a bit done to prep for today.

Cats enjoyed my presence - but they were tetchy with each other. I think after Smudge saw Tenzing off, she was on edge and Moxley was in the wrong place. That is - far too close to Smudge. I caught Smudge holding firmly to Moxley's ear.

My pics are not inserting. Goodness knows what that is about.

Mike got home after work and we chilled with tea and TV. Chatted to Mike's Mum for a bit. She gets to see my parents today and they are having dinner at No7 Balmac. I love that place. Had a good sleep and up early as a real shock to my system.

Gym with Quentin. Bench. 35kg 6 reps x 5 sets. Yeah - my arms are like wet noodles now.

All day planning at work today. Wish me luck!  Have a great day.

Love,

Angela

The weekend in Wellington with trap line work with Callan and Ange

 Hi,

Well, here I am at my desk at home starting the working week after an excellent holiday break. Yes, I will blog more about our adventures for you. And yes, I apparently say that every January and you never hear anything more. Sorry. Hahah. Mike found a bunch of draft posts in my blog recently that were my good intentions.

Friday saw us take Chris and Gail to the airport for their flight to AKL. And Mike and I jumped at the chance for lunch at The Botanist. Woot!

Smudge cat model

Moxley with all paws on deck

Saturday was gorgeous. Mike and Janine did park run in Waikanae. We got a few things done around the house. Callan and Stacey were on the ferry coming home from their southern fun.

The Botanist with Mike

Sourdough

Sunday was a bit wet. But we had trap line to do and Callan and Ange said they would help! Woot. We picked up Ange early and got the eggs and Erayz all sorted. Then decided to have a coffee. But nothing was open. Except Maccas. I do not like their iced coffees. But they had a good poster up for it. So I got a selfie!

The best was to take a selfie at Maccas with iced latte

Me and Ange tackle Sunny Grove and a bit of KAT

We got a view

Slightly wet

Ange and I did Sunny Grove and drain clearing and Mike and Callan hared off to the top to do UTS and KAT.

It took me and Ange 1 hour 45 to get to the top. Not bad. No rats. We them popped into KAT to do 1, 2 and 3. Still no rats. So back to the main track and down to finish drains. Met Ian McDonald from the trust and chatted to him about his new trap line. With cameras and feral cats. Ange got a sore knee and we had a nice slow descent from close to the top.

We sat in the car in sunshine and read books until 6pm when Callan and Mike got out. They had done the UTS part we missed due to a lack of eggs.

We all got just 1 rat. UTS2. I guess this is good.

Back home after a quick supermarket trip to get Drano and drop Ange home. Readers - the Drano did not unblock the bath.

We had tea. Stared morosely at the slowly draining bath a few times. Got washing done. Tidied a lot.

And now - work!

Hope your week is a good one.

Love,
Angela

Food review - Backcountry Meal, Thai Chicken Curry

I'm quite a fan of Back Country Cuisine - and cuisine it is, otherwise they wouldn't print that on the front of the packet. So I was looking forward to discovering their Thai Chicken Curry experience.

There are a wave of pretenders to the hiking cuisine crown - Radix and now Real Meals are the new hotness amongst the younger set - but the tradition and legacy of Back Country Cuisine is a reputation long and hard earned with an impeccable pedigree. Which is "better"? Like choosing between Warhol and Rembrandt, it's not the right question to ask. Each have their merits and their loyal fan base. 

Unusually for me, this pack was not only within its best before date, but was a very special 25 year Collector's Edition pack. I was looking forward to seeing how Back Country Cuisine has evolved since 2008 when I last bought a box of 40 dinners on special and particularly how this very special 2023 vintage edition would taste.

Prior to unboxing

I travelled to Perry Saddle hut for the true back country experience; a combination of the convivial atmosphere, the 900m altitude and the brown stained creek water all added that extra je ne sais quoi that couldn't be captured by my kitchen kettle. I ensured the required 438 mL of boiling brown water was added - no more and no less! - and allowed the maximum 15 minutes of dwell time to pass. (Top Chefs know that the more time you allow, the better the result when it comes to haute rehydratée cuisine).

Ready for the boiling creek water

Tasting notes promised "a distinctive Thai taste of coconut milk and curry with freeze dried chicken, green beans, rice and cashew nuts". I was looking forward to comparing Back Country Cuisine's interpretation of this famous dish with my experiences in Bangkok and Chang Mai, as well as top Thai restaurants elsewhere in Asia-Pacific. 

I took a slight liberty with my culinary experience and served my meal out of the sachet and onto a plastic dish. While the purists would frown at such a deviation and insist that the correct flavour profile only comes by eating the food direct from the pouch, I did want to visually experience the texture and colour and assess the meal with all my experiential senses. 

Dinner is served

My first impression was of coconut and spice, with the texture of the nuts and the oddly rectangular chicken pieces perfecting the mouth feel. The chilli gave a pleasant lingering aftertaste - the pack promised HOT - 3/3 CHILIS and the flavour did not disappoint (much). 

Your reviewer contemplates the lemongrass

Altogether this meal impressed as a flavoursome, spicy, well balanced serving with enough quantity to satisfy me after a long, hard 5 hour tramp. I'd recommend to anyone hitting the trails of the great New Zealand outdoors, or living out of their car.

Wine match: Winesmith Cabernet Sauvignon.  Dark berry, tobacco and subtle oak flavours; cherry, plum and coffee aromas; great value by the one litre cask at Tākaka Big Fresh.