The Tuesday that really should be Friday already

Hi,


What a slightly weird day.  In early to get to Spin - and Vanessa joined me.  She is up for the week with work stuff, and staying just opposite the gym.  Fortunately May is "bring a buddy to a session" month so Vanessa tagged along after filling out a form.

I also caught up with Andrew - yay!

Iced latte @ Machete with Andrew

Iced latte @ Machete with Victor

And this is why the cafe thinks I have fifty million boyfriends (and some girlfriends).  Hahahah.  They give me a hard time for it.

Anyway, after work I rode home and enjoyed that.  Bit of a slog as my normal bike is definitely not an eBike and I have to do all the work.  The wind was getting up too - but nothing too dodgy.

Cooked tea for Toby.  Checked out the honed concrete - it looks so good.  The old steps must be weak because their honing there took out a chunk from the front.  I wonder if it will be possible.

Got rugged up and collected Vanessa from her hotel and then headed to Celia's house for some telescope viewing.  Except - it was cloudy.  So we drank tea around the kitchen bench and chattered.

Mike got home from Auckland and went out to see the SnowCrew for drinks.  And from that little escapade, I got very dubious texts with emojis that meant nothing to me, but made Vanessa and Celia laugh.  And the hand actions Vanessa had to use to explain them finally dawned on me.

Turns out Mike's phone had been grabbed by a certain young lady who shall remain nameless.  Aha.

Anyway, dropped off Vanessa and picked up Mike (from the same location - that was convenient) and headed home.  Phew!

Great evening - I really enjoyed the tea session with Celia.  I should totally do that more often.

Have a great day!  It's haircut day for me.

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work with no Mike

Hi,

Ok - you can tell it is haircut week.  Hahahah.  I did get a chance to catch up with Celia over coffee.  I went straight from that into a Skype meeting where I talked fast and loud.  Now a lot of people know why Celia thinks I should be banned from having coffee - or only have it for the entertainment of others.

Messy hair - good iced latte @ Machete with Celia

Toby came into work just after 4pm and we left at 4.40 and went to parent teacher interviews.  Most teachers said he should contribute more in class.  And one said he should do that because he thinks differently to most people - said everyone else is vanilla compared to Toby.  Wow!  My son is amazing!  Toby was quite pleased with the feedback.  Good on him.

We had Maccas for tea at the Basin, then waited for a bus that seemed to get later and later - never any closer.  Toby convinced me to get an Uber.  It also seemed to get further away.  Some weird space warp.

Anyway, got home.  Went to bed super early.  Before I left at 6.10am this morning, I set my alarm clock up in Toby's room.  Hahahah.  I hope he made it to school.

Have an awesome day!

Love,
Angela

The weekend in Wellington and with Mike tramping

Hi,

Mike left early from town for his Ruahine's tramp - after a little hiccup with his phone.

Toby and I went out to see Seven Deadly Stunts at the Circa theatre with a group from work (Macs Brewery for tea beforehand - which I didn't really enjoy).  Toby loved it - it was really good fun.  Such an entertaining wife/husband team from Christchurch.  They performed seven stunts from old sideshow times.  The woman escaped from a straitjacket, she also walked across broken glass.  They played Russian roulette with staple guns.  Bull whip stunts.  Yep - it was a lot of fun to watch.  If you get a chance, take your teenage son along - he really loved it.

Sam and I wore our red checked shirts for farmer Friday (it was also May the 4th, so you can see my Star Wars t-shirt too).

Sam And I got the memo

With our washing machine broken, I was stuck for getting the clothes and sheets and towels all sorted for the coming week.  Sally said I could bring it over and use her washing machine.  So, Toby and I loaded the Ford up with washing and tried to start the car.

Tried.

And failed.

I ended up getting an Uber for Toby to Ethan's house while I tried a little longer to see if it would start.  No dice.  Sally kindly said she would come and collect me - and my washing.  So I went out to her place and we enjoyed a Zany Zeus visit while the washing progressed.

Close to 5pm we left for a family takeaway night.  Caught up with Iona and Col, and everyone else.  Allison was also there.  We ate Thai takeaway.  Mmmmm.  I left my paneer cheese in the fridge - stupidly.

Some Gilbert logistics (well, actually, ones that worked out) meant Sally let me use her car to take Iona and Col home (and some washing) and Aidan took Sally and Andrew home.  Woot!

Will these dry?

Iced coffee at Wharewaka cafe - I think it is called Karaka

Next morning I dropped Iona and Col off at the ute - and still forgot the paneer.  Doh!  We all met for brunch at Karaka cafe at the Wahrewaka.  Good iced coffee.  Quick market trip and then I got dropped home.

Toby came home at 5pm from his weekend.  And Mike got home around 6.30pm.  Crazy times.

Thanks to Sally, I got the washing all sorted for the week.  And had extra time with Iona and Col before their Blenheim life began (totally - with Col moving there now).

We need a new washing machine (or a fix - again) and to get the car sorted (or a new one!).

Mike was up at 4.30am this morning to pack for his Auckland trip - Hamilton is in there too.  And Toby and I have parent teacher interviews at 5pm today (for an hour). 

Fun times!

Have a great week!

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with eBike cycling all over

Hi,

I did get a great brekkie yesterday before work with Nicky.  Little Peckish - and I had some Southland cheese rolls.  Mmmmm.  And the obligatory iced coffee.  They do a good one there - for the ice cream and cream version.  Nice.

After work I rode out to Habit @ Evans Bay for a spin class there.  Sreejith drove out and joined me.

On the eBike - thanks SwitchedOnBikes

After the class, Sreejith tried out the bike, before I rode home.  I left Evans Bay at 1912 and got home at 1947.  This eBike is so fast.

Little Peckish iced coffee with Nicky

Mike cooked tea for Toby and then when I got home, he fixed something for himself and I ate something fast.  By then it was nearly bedtime!

He decided to pack for his tramping weekend at 5am Friday morning.  Goodness knows how that went!

Plans for the weekend?  Mike tramping (Ruahines).  Toby over to Ethan's house Saturday.  Family dinner for me Saturday.  And lots of housework.

Oh - and I need to buy Fancy Feast by the dozen.  Poor cat!

Have a great weekend.  May the Fourth be with you.

Love,
Angela

The Wednesday with nothing much for me

Hi,

Oh - my phone hasn't synced.  What is going on with that?  It's random.

Anyway, let's see.  I got home last night and cooked tea for Toby.  He is well again after a tummy thing.  Mike got home late from tramping stuff - said the Peruvian talk was one of the best he had ever heard.

Disclaimer:  all the photos below are not from one day.  Honest.  Guess you can tell, as my shirt does change.

Iced coffee madness with Bronwyn

Ok - I think the caffeine has made me crazy

Yep - that is madness

The pic above reminds me of a school photo from Intermediate.  I at least could blame the old photo on a new plate I just got that same day from the dentist.  I have no explanation for my crooked smile here at all.

Another day - an iced coffee at Cake Society with Mary

This iced coffee at Cake Society was less than fabulous.  They served it to me in a plastic cup for one thing.  With a plastic straw.  And it was pre-sweetened.  Very sweet for the volume although once I stirred it, it was palatable enough.  Score?  5.5.  I may have to try again one day.  See if they do a better job.

Ed and an iced latte at Machete - and a photo bomber

Crazy days indeed.

Have a brilliant day - it is stunning here in Wellington today.  One out of the box!

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with normal working things except for the washing machine which stopped working

Hi,

Yesterday turned into a brilliant weather day - and I thought it was going to tip down rain.  I have no idea.  I'm not sure the weather forecasters do either.  Hahahah.

Work was steady and mad.  You get that.  I did get away with Joycie for an iced latte at Machete.  And I managed a later one with Bronwyn (but that photo hasn't synced - I am still mystified by the syncing delay).

With Joycie - and her new keepa cup

She said do something silly

Throwback to 4 years ago at Australia Zoo - Toby is so cute!

I also borrowed the eBike work won for Bike Employer of the Year (thanks to Switched on Bikes!) - we have it for a week to play with.  I played with Celia in the garage at work a bit to get used to it.  Then I rode it home.  It took me about 15 minutes to get home.  I whizzed up the hill at 15/16 km/h instead of my usual 6 or 7.  I loved it!  The battery hardly changed - maybe from 95% to 75%.  And my ride back in this morning was so much fun!

Had a ring-in instructor for the early Spin class too - someone that used to take a class last year and changed jobs and left.  Just filling in.  But it was a good class as a change.

Plasterer gets Tim Tams for doing his job so well

Happy plastering

Anyway, the plastering is fair coming along. 

Toby was home already as he had been sick at school and ended up heading home.  Poor kid.  But he ate well enough so hopefully it is all good now.

While I cooked tea, I put a wash on.  And the washing machine decided to break.  During the spin cycle.  As in - no spinning at all.  Mike got home and after tea we looked at it.  He decided to siphon the water out.  He opened the front door, gave me the end of the hose and started sucking the other end to get the water flowing.

As I poked the end of the hose into the tub of water, I could feel Mike's sucks working through the hose; so I shouted out the door:  "I can feel you sucking!"  And "Suck harder" - just because I am an encouraging wife.  After a few of those shouts, I decided that out of context (say, by a neighbour, innocently wandering around their house or something) it could be a bit dubious about what activity we were actually performing.  So I decided silence was best.  Mike got it all working and we emptied the tub.

I am now going to visit Sally this weekend with washing.  She might only know that when she reads this.  Surprise!!!   :-P

Mike says we need a new washing machine now.

Anyway, there you go.  The adventures of the Gilbert household.  Startling stuff.  Have an awesome day!

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work

Hi,

My phone has finally synced with the blog pages and I can see my photos again.  Woot!  So tonight I will blog about the holidays.  Yay!

Iced latte with Andrew @ Machete

Yesterday I caught up with Andrew and tried to plan stuff.  Not sure we did plan anything, really.  But we have a plan to plan more.

At the weekend, Mike took me and Toby to Joe's Garage and I had an iced coffee there, for old times sake.  Mmmm.  Still a good one.

Toby and I went to see The Avengers - Infinity War.  It was so good!

Back at Joe's Garage with my boys last weekend

Mike got a free margarita

And autumn is trying to make itself felt. It's still warm though.  The leaves are starting to turn to autumn colours.   It must be lovely at Arrowtown way around about now.

Autumnal colours at home

Yesterday I got home and cooked tea for Mike and Toby and enjoyed the work the plasterer had done.  Mike has given up on the builder doing anything, and we will organise the finished work, and deduct from the bill that is still outstanding.

Sigh.

Anyway, the plasterer Mike organised is great!

Time for the day to start in earnest.  Ran into work this morning again - didn't get a migraine.  Yay!  Did Spin.  Now I need to rest up.

We have an eBike at work this week, for our use.  I will ride it home tonight to check it out.

Love,
Angela