The Thursday with no burgers after all

 Hi,

Barely any photos yesterday.  The work iced latte - but already posted that.  Just took a selfie at work because it is Pink Shirt day.  Stop bullying.  There's a good thought.

Speak up.

Pink shirt day

Anyway...  yesterday.  I got a lift home with Ange which was super nice.  Mike was out with some work mates for a bit.  I made tea when I got home.

Quite like these Buddha bowls

Mike was home not too long afterwards.  Bed early and up for a walk into work.  Slight wind - but sunny.

50 mins door to door.  Not bad for a pre work walk.

Got a terminal visit this morning with a bunch of work colleagues.  Woot!  Then back to work for the afternoon.

The weekend beckons.  Eurovision party time.  Saturday boot camp.  Tidy house.  Pack for our wee trip.  Eurovision Sunday morning.  Airport.  Sorted.

Have an awesome weekend wherever you are.

Love,

Angela

The Wednesday with another run

 Hi,

Work was busy.  Did get brekkie with Celia @ Mojo in the Asteron building and Roanne tagged along for the coffee part.  Good to catch up with them both - like old times.

Iced latte @ brekkie with Celia and Roanne's hands

For Iona

In another surprising turn of events, I caught up with Andrew for lunch.  I was expecting him to decline with his crazy workload.  But I ordered early and we stuffed a toastie sandwich down and checked in with each other.  I do remember what he looks like.  Just!  Hahahah.

Lunch iced latte with Andrew.  Yeah - who?  

Went for a run with Callan after work.  Stunning conditions. m Did the distance (5km) but need to run the entire way next time instead of walking sometimes.  Callan was in the mood for a chat.  I can't run and chat yet.  Hahah.

Chilling for Ange

Home with Ange in a fortuitous meeting when I got back to work from my run and she was just heading to her car.  Mike and I climbed in and were happy to get a lift home.

Cooked tea.  Went to bed.  Mike painted the basement.  It looks good.

Work iced latte

Up for deadlifts with Quentin.  Busy day today.  Burgers tonight with Sarah, Hamish and Ryan.  Woot.

Take care.

Love,

Angela

The Tuesday with a lunch run

 Hi,

It's not often a day at work leaves me brain dead - but Tuesday certainly did that to me.  Went for a lunch run in gorgeous conditions with Callan - managed 4km.  We have another attempt today (Wed) - let's see how that goes. 

Work iced latte perfection

Mike in ice

By the time 4pm came around, and I got through the multitude of meetings that comprised my day, I was a little dazed and confused.  At 4.10pm I realised I was just staring at my PC.  Very weird.  Managed to get a bit done and then headed home with Mike closer to 5pm.

Leaving in the evening

Crescent moon

But we did get home and sort out tea and then went into the pit for a spare pair of boots and found weta in the door frame.  Guess it is awfully like a weta hotel.

Weta in the door frame of the pit

Hello pretty weta

Went to bed early and up to a wonderful morning here in the best wee capital.  Took many pics.  Hahah.

Wednesday morning

Sunrise at work Wednesday

About to catch up with Celia for brekkie.  What an awesome way to start my day.

Take care.

Love,

Angela

The Monday with dragon boat dinner

 Hi,

It was medal giving ceremony for the dragon boat team on Monday.  Mike (CEO) presented the entire team (dressed in the team singlets) with their corporate C bronze medal.  I was very happy to have that happen - good on everyone for managing that.

Tiny feijoa

After work it was the dragon boat team dinner with drinks at Foxglove first and then Master Kong for tea.  But Foxglove was closed so Cuckoo got our custom.

Stunning sunset

The evening was amazing after some heavy rain.  And at Master Kong, I was chuffed to get the MVP award (along with Carl).  The coach and manager rightly got their own awards.  And my award is really a team award.  I paddled alongside a lot of awesome people up front.  So thank you everyone.

Tuesday morning bus

Mike was kind enough to come get me after it finished and when I got home, I got ready for the next day and we were both in bed by 8pm.  Hahah. We're getting old.

I did wake at 4am with a massive downpour of rain.  The spouting above our window must overflow and the water was pelting down on something.  Most likely the windowsill.  I might need to explore that one day when I remember and it is dry.  :-p

Off to the gym for a PT session with Quentin.  PB in squats - 40kg.  Oosshh.  Back to work for a busy Tuesday.

Take care.

Love,

Angela

The weekend in Hawkes Bay for Mike's half marathon

 Hi,

I packed the car at 4pm after work on Friday and landed in bumper to bumper traffic from town all the way up SH2 to Upper Hutt.

Really?

Anyway, stopped at Caltex in Upper Hutt to get a full tank and the next stop was the Sol Y Mar B&B just north of Napier.  Google maps took me up SH50.  No traffic that way.  Nice.

Into bed by 10pm and up at 5.30am to fuel the athletes.  Mike, Janine and Ana - me and Daniel on support.

We left the B&B at 6.30am and we were at Splash Planet car park around 7.10am.  The race competitors queued for a toilet stop and then it was time for getting into the start chute.  8am and they were off at a slow shuffle.  There were a lot of people.

Fueling for the race at 5.30am

Start line athletes

They're off racing - and I am checking out iced lattes

Daniel and I wandered back to the car and went to have brekkie at Bay Espresso - where we used to go when we had NY up here in 2018.  Wonderful still.  Go eat there if you're in the region.  Great vege options including a plant-based section.

Daniel and I then drove to the finish line. What a well-run event.  We went the long way - with no traffic - to Elephant Hill winery via the back of Te Mata peak.  Beautiful scenery.  Into the car park with so many cars.  Parked.  Took the constant stream of shuttle buses to the winery.  Found the finish chute and Ana wasn't far away.

She crossed with a time of 1.57 for her first half marathon.  Wow.

Mike was next, close to 2.23.  He was a bit shattered.  Left it all on the course!  Oosshh.  Well done Mike.

Janine was next with 2.38 (but two stops for tummy issues - her moving time was more like 2.25 or so).

Well done to them all.

Being across from the medical tent as we waited was not a lot of fun.  :-(  I hope everyone is ok.

Finisher! Winner!

Happy face

Ate at the winery - there was this awesome Marsala Dosa at one of the trucks.  Absolutely scrumptious.  Then off to a wee bus back to the car park and to a supermarket for dinner options.  Havelock North New World.  Very nice supermarket.

We ate nibbles and ended up too full for dinner.  Off to bed and a good sleep.  Up to a gorgeous day Sunday.

Pics above show the sunrise Sunday morning

Mike and Janine went to the Farmers market in Hastings opposite the house we stayed in a few years back.  The Blue House.

I went into the mountain bike park with Daniel and Ana.  The B&B backs onto the trail.  We went to the start and did Boars Nest.  Up Dragon Fly.  Up Snoopy.  Then Ana and Daniel went to a black trail and I went down Smooth Operator.  Then up the side road and down Boars Nest again.

Mountain biking face

View back over the B&B

Such a wonderful way to spend my morning.  Back to the house for a shower and reading in the sun.  Mike and Janine got back and we ate lunch after some chippies.

Ana and Daniel got back and we packed up the car and headed home around 3pm.  Fairly busy traffic home.  Filled up in Dannevirke at the Caltex there.

Dropped Janine home around 6.30pm and we were home not long after.  Cats were happy to see us.  We ate a Buddha bowl and went to bed around 8pm.  :-)

Moxley in a box

Had lots of sleep.  Wet morning Monday morning.  Bus in for me and gym session.  

Bench weights Monday morning

Busy day at work.  Work dinner after work today.  Trying to convince Mike to drive in and collect me after it.  :-p

Have a good week.

Love,

Angela

The Thursday back in Wellington

 Hi,

Yes - back in Wellington.  Already have a day at work under my belt - Friday to plough through still.  But what a pleasure to go and stay with Iona and Col for a few days.  They always look after me so well.  

Flight back was easy - 25 mins and I was in Wellington.  Jumped into an Uber and was at my desk by 7.33am.

Gorgeous views over Kapiti Island and Mana Island

Ugly Bagel brekkie with Callan

Wandered home on the bus with Mike and we packed for the weekend.  Half marathon day.  Woot!  Mike and Janine are off at lunch time with Ana and Daniel in the latter's car.  I am off at 4pm in our car.  Staying somewhere slightly north of Napier in a B&B.

I just stayed packed from my Blenheim trip and called it done.

Yum - dinner at home was scrumptious

The cats did miss me.  They ignore their dislike of each other to crowd on my lap

Stayed there for 30 mins before my legs went numb and I was wriggling too much for their sensibilities

Super nice to fall asleep cuddled up to Mike.  And a lazy sleep in for the first time in a while.  Working from home makes my logistics so much easier.

Hope your Friday is a good one - and your weekend even better.

Love,

Angela

Missing Angela and Dealing with the cats

It's so good to have Angela home today. I've been pining at home with nobody but the two cats to keep me company. Moxley and Smudge in turn have been missing Angela so have been smooching with me and fighting with each other.

Because we are living through the apocalypse, the cats are having to starve as their food supplies have been cut off. Well, by that I mean the particular flavour of Tuna and Whitemeat Pâté Fancy Feast that is the only wet food they will eat.  I've been trying to get them to eat other flavours with mixed results. Some they sniff at, walk around, look at me accusingly and then grudgingly eat. Others they don't even look at. It does seem to disappear by the following day though.

On Tuesday night, Moxley was bored and in the mood for mischief. She spent the whole evening chasing poor Smudge around. She didn't give her a moment's peace. In the end I got out the laser pointer, which they both love, and wore Moxley out to get Smudge a bit of respite.

But then, Tenzing the neighbourhood bully cat came.

She has a route, where she wanders from window to window and looks in at Smudge and Moxley. Smudge in particular gets very fired up and defends her territory relentlessly. She leaps at the window and hisses and huffs. Tenzing stares balefully back.

Tenzing glares in

Smudge and Moxley stare back (while the truce holds)

Moxley makes some half hearted efforts but she's bored with Tenzing. Live and let live, and there's glass between us anyway is her philosophy I think.

But the two of them did eye her down on the bedroom window... until Moxley decided to have a swipe at Smudge again! 

​She's so mean! 

​There's an external threat, Moxley. Show a united front.

They were certainly showed a more united front the day before. When Mac, the neighbour's big black Labrador, got out somehow and came to visit. He was so happy to see me at the door looking back!

Hi, Mac! Look at his tail wagging in delight.

The cats were both very excited and ran over to look through the window at him and seeing him off like they do with Tenzing.

But when I opened the front door - very carefully! - they both ran off as fast as they could, into the bedroom, peeking out the door and ready to dive under the bed to safety.

Mac, on the other hand, couldn't care less about Moxley and Smudge. He used to have a cat in his family so he was far happier to find a human to play with, than worry about some cats.

I took him home and played with him a bit, and made sure the gate that the builder left open was shut properly. 

Smudge and Moxley are going to be so happy to see Angela tonight.