The Wednesday with nothing

Hi,

Wow - what a weird day.  Work was hectic, culminating in a rush out to have a coffee with a client at 3.30.  The cafe they selected had a limited tea and coffee menu and I was stuck for what to choose.  The client knows me well and asked the staff if they make an iced coffee.  They said they would do one.  Choice!  I got one served up and it was pretty good.

Iced coffee at Cafe 1815

But the caffeine kicked in (I never drink coffee, I live on decaffeinated tea at work) and I started bouncing off the walls, talking a mile a minute and one of the people said "Angela, you don't drink coffee much, do you?".

Rode home like I was possessed!  So, that's a benefit, I guess.  It was yucky weather.  Windy and raining.  I rode past the library and collected the car and went back for Toby.  No sense us both being drowned.

I cooked dinner for Toby and some for Mike as he was due to ride home.  But after serving Toby his, I waited, and waited.  Eventually Mike rang and he was past due home and still at work.  Toby had just called out for seconds so Mike lost his meal.

I went back into town and collected Mike and picked up a few groceries.  I packed my stuff for the weekend and Mike worked at home.  It was a relaxing evening.  But I couldn't fall asleep like I usually do.  Midnight before I fell asleep.  Iced coffees?  Bad news at 4pm!

The weather is rather pants and the forecast for our ski weekend is similarly pants.  Galeforce winds.  Nice.  But, if anything opens, I'll be there!

Grandy bought new sneakers for Toby while he was away.  They are size 8 UK.  Two sizes bigger than me!  There is no way I can jam his feet into my old ski boots now.  He's lose more than toenails.  He'd lose toes!

Have a fantastic day!
Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with nothing for me

Hi,

I had a bit of a panic yesterday - Toby called me and said he had an exam and had to stay later than usual at school.  I had to ride home, grab the car and drive over to collect him.  Off I rode, furiously, up the hill.  Lucky it was a nice evening, after some earlier rain.  Not too windy (that came later in the evening).  But just as I got home and started to change, Toby texted to say he was getting a lift home from Susan (Jake's mother).  Hooray!  Thanks Susan.

I cooked up spaghetti bolognese for dinner and Toby ate it all up (it is one of his favourites after all).  Mike rode home and was starving, so he also ate spaghetti bolognese for his dinner (I was keeping it for his lunch).

Mike had a lot of prep to do for tramping club things.  But Kara rang in the middle of it and cheered me up no end and decided, spontaneously, to come away skiing with us this weekend.  Woot!  Happy about that.  It's been probably 15 years since we skied together last.

Relaxed for the evening before bed.  I was asleep pretty quick, despite Mike working on the laptop.  I hope Shona and Sharon had a good day yesterday for their birthday.  And it's Karen's birthday on Friday.  Busy week for the Emmerson girls.  :-)

The ride in this morning was a bit wetter.  No rain, but it rained heavily overnight so the roads were wet.

Have a lovely day.
Love,
Angela

The Monday back at school

Hi,

Happy birthday to Shona and Sharon today!  Yay for birthdays!

It was a bit of a shock to have to leave work at the normal time and go and collect Toby.  I guess I have got used to working back.

I rode to the library and collected the car and Toby and headed home.  I had made a lot of butter chicken on Sunday night, so Toby had it again for tea today.  Made it rather easy.  Mike rode home from work and also had his dinner.

We had a relaxing evening, putting off packing for the weekend and cleaning Mike's bike, in favour of lounging around in the bath and reading before bed.

Toby is still feeling the transition to Wellington time.  Poor chap.  He had a tough morning this morning.  Complaining he had no sleep.  Well, he was sleeping when we went to bed.  And he slept through his 4am alarm!  4am!  Crazy time.

I loved my ride in this morning.  The roads were bone dry.  Hurtled down the hill.

I've had a tea already this morning.  Got meetings a lot of the day.  Going to be busy, I think.

Have a wonderful day.
Love,
Angela

The weekend with my first ski day

Hi,

I had a great weekend!  I drove up to Raetihi (near Ohakune) on Friday night and had a lovely time singing away to myself.  I never got lost, despite the maze of rural roads in the pitch dark I had to navigate.  I got to the farmstay house at 10pm after leaving Wellington at 6pm.  Not too bad.

I shared a room with Barbara (a friend of the organiser - Tim) and she wanted to ski.  So I found a willing accomplice.  The next morning we drove up to Turoa and skied together all day.  It was such fun skiing with her.  I haven't skied with a woman that is better than me before.  I'm usually following men over the mountain.  I quite enjoyed it!  Barbara is German and skis beautifully.  Here's hoping I get to ski more with her, and it rubs off on me!

Barbara and me at the top of the High Noon Express lift

The snow was sheet ice off piste and okay on piste.  Not many rocks poking through.  They must have been making man-made snow overnight.

In the interminable queue

Everyone and their dog (well, I never saw any dogs actually) was up there, so the queue for the High Noon Express lift was long.  But I think the longest I ever timed it was 30 minutes.  It was usually around 20 minutes.  Barbara skis with a flask of tea - that was rather welcome in the lift queue.

Back to Ohakune to buy supplies for the house (more toilet paper was needed) and shopped in New World with half the mountain.  Drove back and got ready for dinner.  The theme was mid winter Christmas and we had turkey and stuffing, and veges.  It was so good.  We retired to the lounge for dessert.  The pumpkin cheesecake was so good!

Dinner Saturday night

In a dress, no less! With high boots.

I even wore a dress.  And here is evidence of it.  Hahahah.  Toby's quote when I sent him the photo was "What a very uncommon sight". Yep.  Sums that up.

I slept well that night.  Up to have breakfast and then headed back to Wellington to see the boys and do all the messages and ironing before school starts.  Got home at 1pm and Mike and I went out grocery shopping and collected my bike from work (remember the locked out incident last week?  Well, I got in out of hours this time!).  Then home to iron.

I got lots of hugs from Toby when he got home from his playdate with Jake.  We sat and watched a documentary on human evolution and then had baths before bed.

What a marvellous weekend.  I can't wait to ski with Barbara again.  And she has a son who is 10 - so a perfect ski companion for Toby too.

Have a fantastic week!  We're off skiing this coming weekend too.  Here's hoping I get two days skiing in!

Love,
Angela

The Thursday where karma bit me

Hi,

For the first time this week, I left work on time!  Yay!  Off to meet Sally and Andrew and see "What we do in the shadows" again.  Sally and I went to Dragonfly and ordered dinner and Andrew arrived just as Sally and I were contemplating finishing the starters and pretending we never ordered any.  We flew through our mains and rushed down to the Embassy.  Sally got the tickets and in we went.

I had another good laugh - although perhaps not quite as much as my first viewing.  However, I noticed I laughed in different places - so it was good fun.

We took the bus back to the other side of town and I jumped off to head to work and grab my bike and ride home.  But weirdly, both doors were locked and my access card wouldn't open them.  Fortunately, I was Terrace side and a bus was coming in 2 minutes to take me home.  Also, fortunately, I had house keys on me.

As a sign of how old I am looking now, I have to say a very nice young man offered me his seat on the bus.  Well, perhaps he is just so polite he'd offer his seat to any woman and not just some lady his mother's age.  I politely declined, but I secretly was pleased that someone had raised a man with such nice manners.

Got home and popped in to get car keys.  I wanted to get my weekend groceries so all I need to do on Friday after work is head up north for my ski weekend.  Jumped in the Corolla.  Wouldn't start.  Oh no!  Could I drive the wee green car up to the mountain, with my gear?  Spoke to Mike.  He suggested I could, but said I should use the green car now to go shopping, then call the AA to get the Corolla fixed.  Plan!

Went back inside the house, grabbed the MX-5 keys and back to the garage.  Oh no!  This car also wouldn't start.  Yep.  I must have really make some godlet grumpy today!  Spoke to Mike again.  Rang the AA.

Sat in the Corolla and waited for the AA.  AA man arrives.  He starts the Corolla after holding the ignition down for a while.  Turns out it was flooded from me driving it out the night before to get ski gear in and then driving it back in - all while it was cold.  What?  Never heard of that.  But the MX-5 really was toast.  Flat battery.  But - back to plan A.  Choice.

Except - I have to buy groceries on the way up tonight now.  Never mind.  At least the car works.

Upon reflection, I think it went rather better than it might have.  The bus came in 1 minute when I was locked out of work.  At that time of night it might easily have been a 60 minute wait.  And if I'd been lazy, and not wanted to go grocery shopping at 9pm, I would have been trying to start the car just before coming into work on Friday morning.  AA would have been flat out.  I would have seen my ski weekend flash before my eyes.

Maybe the godlet took pity on me?

Mike and Toby are back tomorrow night (Saturday) and I am back Sunday night.  Back to school on Monday for Toby.  That'll be tough.

Have a fantastic weekend.  I am hoping for sunny days and fluffy snow.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with no Mike and no Toby

Hi,

I rode home last night and the roads were dry.  It was really rather nice to stay dry for a change.  I got home and rummaged around in the loft for my missing ski socks and scarf.  Found them - and found Mike's missing silk gloves too.  Yay!  All packed for the ski weekend.  By the MetService forecast, it has snowed hard this week and should be quite nice at the weekend.  Here's hoping.  Of course, I can always hang around the gorgeous accommodation that we have booked, reading.  That wouldn't be a hardship either.

Actually, the accommodation is really nice (according to the website) and it is close to an awesome looking mountain bike trail.  I think Mike and I will do it one weekend this coming summer.

Farmstay is here and the mountain bike cycleway is here.  It looks amazing!  I really want to do it.

My ride into work this morning was also dry.  I had a bit of bike maintenance to do - my chain was beyond lubed and into dry squeaking on the way home last night.  I degreased it and lubed it this morning after it dried and my ride in was so peaceful.  Gear changes - quiet.  What was I thinking, neglecting my bike like that?  Poor wee thing.

It is entirely possible I am seeing a movie tonight with Sally and Andrew.  Which is why I am packed already for the weekend.  I do need a few groceries for the weekend though.  Maybe after I get home?

Right.  Time for a tea and to start the day!

Have a fantastic day!
Love,
Angela

The Tuesday without Mike or Toby

Hi,

Mike's flight to Dunedin went without a hitch yesterday.  However, Toby's flight from Brisbane was delayed for over two hours due to engineering issues.  Apparently a de-icing part was faulty.  Guess they thought they might just need it flying into snow-shrouded Dunedin.  Poor Dad had to wait in the airport until the flight finally took off.  Poor Mike had to sit in Dunedin airport for over 5 hours - with 30 minutes of free slow wi-fi.  Hahah.  It's a shame for him.

I went home and put heaters on all over the house.  It was freezing yesterday.  I was in bed early and reading when the boys rang from their cabin in the campground in Dunedin.  It was freezing in there too!

Had a great sleep though.  Up to ride in - it was at least dry riding in.  I want to ride home the long way tonight.  I have a new front light.  Hoping it lights the way nicely.  I need to finish packing for my weekend skiing, tonight.  Tomorrow night I think I'm off to the movies with Sally and Andrew.

Right.  Time to get stuck in.  I need a tea.

Love,
Angela