The Tuesday with dinner and a movie

Hi,

Mike got a migraine during the day - and that was after he went to the gym and did some amazing work on the free weights.  Good on him.  But also - sad for him.  He went home sick - and then binge watched some Netflix.

Cats played chase

Weird post in Facebook - but it makes perfect sense to me

Meanwhile, I met Jo after work and we went to Mr Go's for dinner.  Jo kindly ate the vegetarian options, although she also went for popcorn chicken.  Pretty sure Toby would love that.

We went to Gold Lounge to watch Mama Mia Here we go again after dinner.  I enjoyed the movie - it was just happy fluff.  And who doesn't like a good Abba pop song?  Catchy.

My bus arrived just as we stepped across the road and Jo walked back to her place.  She still beat me home by 5 mins!

Mike was feeling a bit better - but had red puffy eyes.  Probably from playing with the cats all day.

Tonight we're watching Fantastic Beasts at our place.  With dinner.  Uh oh.

Have a great day!

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work

Hi,

It was certainly hard to get back into the routine of things after such a great weekend.  however, the day flew by and I did manage to get a Spin class in after work.  Yay.

I got home and discovered Toby had done his washing.  Yes, I know!  I am putting pics up to shock his Grandy though.

Toby's hanging up

Clothes just strewn

It's proof we need Grandy to visit, just to show Toby the best way to hang clothes.  Like a lure.  It'll work!  Hahahahah!  She'll know now that Toby is my true offspring.

When I asked him about the washing load, he said he threw in his entire dirty washing basket of clothes.  I suggested he should have sorted it and done two washes to ensure the clothes could actually move in the washing cycle and have a hope of actually getting cleaner.  He said to me:  Do the clothes get wet?  I said:  Well, yes, they do.  He then said:  Then the clothes are washed.

What can I say?

We all had tea together - Jase helping Mike cook chicken nuggets.  Jase and Toby chose that over porterhouse steak.  Go figure!

Right.  Time for the day to start again.  Oosshh!

Love,
Angela

The long weekend in Wanaka with Andrew

Hi,

Photos are being all grumpy with the Internet and not wanting to sync.  Sigh.  Let me recount and possibly my phone may decide to interact with the ether.

Or not.

Anyway, I had Thursday off work, and finished my packing in the morning, after watching the "Mike and Toby Morning Show" which I reckon I could sell tickets to, and market it as a comedy/drama.  It consists of a lot of repetition and shouting.  Kinda slapstick, I guess, if I had to choose a genre.

Mike shouts down the stairs.  Often.  The refrain is usually "Get up Toby!".  And "Sorry Jase".  Or "I want to see your head around the door!".  This is from Mike, who is invariably not ready himself at this point.  Possibly still only clothed in a towel. 

Anyway, when I ask if they are aiming for the 7.46am bus, Mike says yes.  I point out we haven't seen Toby and Mike is still in a towel and the bus is coming in 4 minutes.  To which Mike replies:  We're going for a later bus.

Well, wonders never cease.  They do make a later bus - and when I suggest Toby will be late for his school on that later bus, Mike says he has science first thing and that teacher thinks the buses are all dysfunctional and Toby only needs to roll his eyes and mention dodgy buses and that teacher is ok with that excuse.

OMG.  What are we teaching Toby???

Anyway, I call an Uber (after an issue briefly with my credit card - which was a sign of things to come) and get to the airport nice and early.  I check our luggage (one suitcase and a ski bag) and wait for Andrew to arrive.  Meanwhile I eat a sandwich at Wishbone.

We get on our flight and we touch down in Queenstown by 1.35pm.  Collect our red shiny RAV4 and head to Arrowtown for a late lunch at the bakery there.

Car overlooks Andrew, overlooking the Crown Range Road and Queenstown

View from Treble Cone

Ski feet on fresh cord

A selfie that is not quite as hapless as some

 After eating a great veggie pie and custard square (and feeding sparrows and waxeyes) we drive over the Crown Range road to Wanaka.  Andrew hires his ski gear from Mt Outdoors (or something, opposite New World, but on the corner) and we check into the motel.  Fairway Motel.  On the main road into Wanaka from Cromwell.  It is a nice clean unit.  Number 10.  No complaints.

We got a kebab (for me) and a burger (for Andrew) and ate it on the foreshore, watching the darkening lake and mountains and then we went back to get a good sleep ahead of the skiing the next day.

Up at 6.30am, and away by 7.40am.  Not too shabby.  We ate muesli and orange juice in the unit and that seemed to do the trick.  Purchased our lift tickets online (and a lesson for me).  Made wraps for lunch (cheese slices) and we were off.  We were at the office getting our Treble Cone lift cards by 8.30am.  Got a car park 10m from the office.  And we were on the lift as it opened around 8.55am.  Oosshh!

After a few runs, I went into the ski school and ended up in a lesson with Josh from Suffolk.  He was lovely and as it was only me, the lesson was only an hour.  According to Andrew, who saw me ski before and after the lesson, it made a big difference.  Maybe I just need to ski with Josh all the time?  Hahahah.

I had a lot of fun with Josh.  Did Main Street.  Then Sidewinder.  Then he took me to the poma lift, and he taught me to ski backwards!  I was so happy to finally do that.

Caught up with Andrew after about 40 mins of skiing on my own after the lesson.  Andrew took me all over the place.  We found fresh powder all around in various places.  Even got a few runs in the saddle.  Cloud Nine was fun - and South Ridge was my favourite over that side of the mountain.

We skied until late - the powder had made my legs a bit like rubber so I moved to groomed stuff before Andrew did.  As we eventually packed our weary selves into the car and headed down the hill, the lure of the Mitukituki road proved so hard to resist and we turned left at the bottom of the hill and started to explore.  We drove up to Raspberry Flat carpark and checked out the views there.  Andrew talked to a possum hunter for quite a while.  We saw a climber's rental car in the car park.  He had been out since the Friday before and ended up in an epic climb and pulled his PLB.  He got rescued the following Friday.  Wow - he was lucky.  Some Australian army chap.

We wondered if the lack of crowds on the skifield was due to poor weather and it being Friday.

Andrew captures the day!

Next morning we were up early at the car park at Treble Cone by 8am.  And we waited for the lift to open, jumped on and once again had the field to ourselves for a lot of the day.  Ok - maybe we had to queue briefly for a few runs in the Saddle.  But only twice.  And hardly a queue as we know it at Ruapehu.

Fresh cord is all mine!

We see some first tracks behind Andrew

We did spend more time in the Saddle today than yesterday.  The clag lifted and we enjoyed good viz for a lot of the day.

Selfie take #17

Wait.  Selfie attempt take #23.  Oh, I give up!

Mind you, when Andrew takes my picture, I end up looking like a giant! See the tiny people?

Picturesque

Saturday saw us eating takeaways (Thai) in the unit before an early bed.  Up later on Sunday and we checked out and headed over to Queenstown via the Fresh Choice supermarket to buy lunch provisions.  We drove out 12 km south along the Glenorchy Road to the Mt Crichton Loop walk.  The walk was an inspired option as we had no time for a ski morning and the olives we bought were perfect with the baguette and cheese.

Summers Hut on our Mt Crichton loop walk

Andrew in the tunnel

 

Andrew checking out the lake from the loop walk

Me and my baguette (in my backpack) at Lake Dispute

Headed back to the airport, popped the car back, checked in and headed back to Wellington with no bother (on a smaller plane this time).

Awesome long weekend - thank you Andrew.  And thanks Sally and Mike for letting us run away and play.

Love,
Angela

The Tuesday with movie night

Hi,


After work yesterday I met Toby then Andrew, and we walked to Reading cinema.  Mike met us there, and we all gobbled down something for dinner.

For the first time, I tried the pizza place - Tommy Millions.  I got two slices of the Four Cheese pizza.  Should have just grabbed one.  And maybe not the cheese one.  Too greasy for me.

Anyway, we went to see "Ant Man and the Wasp" - and although it took me a while to warm to the movie, by the time it ended, I had enjoyed it.  Toby made a big call and said it was his favourite from the Marvel franchise.  Oooohhh.  Mike and Andrew hadn't seen Ant Man 1 so I imagine they were perplexed at times.

Got an Uber home, and then I drove Andrew to his place.  He threw things for our weekend into a suitcase and then I was back home with it, ready for my packing.

Truly worthy Gilbert plan in action.

My phone isn't syncing to the Internet - so no pics of anything.  Moxley slept upstairs with us again.  But not between us this time.  At least, I don't think so.  I may have been too comatose to notice.

I love the way she pounces on the monsters under the duvet.  She's like a super cat with her leaps.  Very entertaining.

Hope you have a brilliant day.

Oh - look!  I got the phone to sync!

Early morning iced latte @ Machete with Andrew

Slightly later iced latte with James - and a photo bomb of a man's bottom

So James took another from the side.  With me rather curious as to what he was doing...

Love,
Angela

The Monday with work

Hi,

Work was so busy - and I did manage to get to Spin afterwards.  The buses were running less frequently by then, so by the time I caught a bus, Mike was finished at his dentist visit.  So he came home with me.

She loves wires

She's under the duvet

Cooked tea - Toby boycotted as he wanted pizza.  Sigh.  I thought the pasta pesto was good. 

Relaxed before bed - which was actually not very long as it was quite late by the time we got home and cooked tea.  Bed.  Phew!  Moxley slept on our bed - inbetween us.  When I woke at 5.30am, I was isolated from Mike and freezing cold.  The summer duvet is just a tad too cool without Mike's heat.  Hahahah.

Have a great day.  Mike, Toby and I have movie night tonight.  Ant Man.

Love,
Angela

The weekend with me and Toby in Wellington

Hi,


What a lovely weekend - Mike got away early on Friday after work (although he did hit the traffic leaving Wellington) in Ana's car to head to Whakapapa.  Toby was at home, having been to the doctors.  Apparently he has an inflamed jaw from something like smacking his teeth together or something and has to eat softish foods for a bit.

Anyway, we had a relaxing evening, and went to bed fairly early.  Iona was up early to try and see the Senelelion moon (total eclipse with the rising sun in the opposite side of the sky) but the clouds defeated her.

Love hebes

The three of us (Toby, Jase and me) all went to Joe's Garage for brunch.  Well, actually, it was lunch.  But it was good to have an iced coffee from there again.

We all went grocery shopping before getting home and relaxing before I dropped Jase off at his work.

Moxley

Jase fixing the bike

Chase!

Moxley loves wires

Sunset Saturday

Joe's Garage iced coffee

Sunday was the day I exerted my super powers - specifically "finding things".  I found three of Mike's dress belts - he said he had none anymore.  Found a casual belt too.  Found my sunglasses.  Found Mike's snowboarding helmet.  Found $50 under the bed.  Oossh!  Finders fee.

Jase and I tried to fix the DRZ.  Turns out society has failed us.  We both like the idea of being mechanically minded - yet have never had a lot of exposure to it.  Hahahah.  We'll sort that out during the week.

Toby mowed Joan's lawn (on the corner - she's away) as it was finally not soaking wet.

And we did laundry.

So - all in all - a good day.  It felt like we achieved stuff.  And Mike found his Apple watch charger - along with his Skinny phone - at the lodge.  And his actual charger.  He had been complaining (and secretly blaming me) that it had disappeared.  Meanwhile people had found his phone at the lodge and told him there was a phone left behind.  He'd mentally berated someone so slack as to leave their phone behind and emailed the lodge punters to see if anyone claimed it.

No one did.  Because it was indeed his.

Mike got home pretty early from Ruapehu.  Around 6pm.  I cooked tea - chicken and vegetarian enchiladas.  Yum!

Jo dropped around for a cup of tea before her weekend finally wrapped up.  She'd also been away with Mike - but in her car with Momo, Doro and Janine.

So, pretty busy.  But I feel like I got stuff done.

Hope your week is fun. Andrew and I are off to Treble Cone Thursday and back Sunday.  Oosshh!

Love,
Angela

The Thursday with Roz

Hi,

I never have any evidence that I meet with Roz.  Sigh.  She is like that ninja friend of mine.  She does exist - honest!

I actually had lunch with Mike (and Celia and Victor) as he was up my way around lunch time.  What a bonus!  We ate dumplings.  Mmmmm.

Then after work, I met Roz and we negotiated the phantom buses to our house.  Mike also got home - but he had dinner plans with Maarten so we ordered our burgers while Roz played with the cats.  And then tucked in when we got back with them.

I dropped Roz at her hotel, collected my bike, changed my cleats over to the new ones, did laundry - and whatever else I managed to get done.

And the weekend beckons.  Mike is off to Whakapapa with a bunch of people - and I have Toby to entertain.  I see brunch with poached eggs in my near future.

Have a great weekend!

Love,
Angela