The Wednesday with spin for me and no run for Mike

 Hi,

Oh - the blog seems to have sorted itself out. Yay!

What happened yesterday then? Well, after a lovely brekkie with Khemry (mentioned that yesterday) there was a fairly busy day at work. Then I decided the best plan was for me to ride home. Feed the cats. Then drive back down to Spin. And see if Mike and Andrew were ready for a drive home.

And that is exactly how it panned out.

Spin was good - 6 - 7pm. And turns out Grace has moved from Mondays to Wednesdays. So she is still there after the spin renovation disruptions. Then I drove down to where Mike and Andrew were enjoying a beer or two and they leapt at the chance of a ride home.

Dropped Andrew off. Heard of Sally's PB in deads! Woot! And then home to bed for us. Both cats slept on our bed together for ages. Not so much of a cease fire as it just being cold.

Hahah.

Up to ride in and then off to gym. 37kg squats. Then leg work. Gah! I have jelly for legs now - but so need to keep that up.

Spin after work today with Juliet. Awesome.

Today is like a Friday for me. Sweet. Got a cafe date tomorrow. Then gym at 4pm with Juliet. Then catching up with Sreejith after work to hear all about his recent work adventures and life in general. It has been AGES!!

Saturday park run in town for Mike. I will go fishing with Khemry. The messages for the rest of the weekend. Little things. Life admin.

Have a wonderful day. Enjoy your weekend.

Love,

Angela

The Tuesday with quiz night

 Hi,

It was good to catch up with Elly and Tom last night at Southern Cross for a charity quiz event. Ocean day 2023. And Andrew was a late ring-in. The perfect addition to a quiz team.

Private quiz!

He's is so ready

Mike and I had a nice walk there from our work. But the food available at the pub was a bit average. Oh well. It filled a hole.

Quiz was fun. Not many rounds - but it was a fund raiser, so you could buy answers and they had games between rounds.

At the halfway point we were in front! But at the end, in the final analysis, when the other shoe dropped, we got 41 points - 1 behind the winning team.

For our effort, we got a $100 Ortega fish shack voucher. Woot! Thanks! And Mike won a raffle prize - $100 at Kapura pub. Which Mike frequents. So he was happy.

Uber home via dropping Andrew at the station. Into bed. Up for brekkie at The Lab with Khemry. Sweet! Good to see her. Let's go fishing this weekend!

Hey Khemry

The Lab do a good iced latte

And at work now. Hope your day is a good one.

Love,

Angela

The weekend with the kings birthday and a tramp

 
Hi,

I have no idea what is happening with the blog site today. It was all weird. Anyway - huge weekend. First King's Birthday weekend for many of us. We actually heard the 21 gun salute from our house yesterday at midday! Conditions must have been just right for the sound to carry.

Tuesday work iced latte

We left Friday after work for our tramp - Pouakai circuit on Mt Taranaki. Picked Caitlin up from Z shed at 4.30pm or so and headed north. Loved the new motorway all the way past Otaki. Filled up at Sanson and basically ate junk for tea. Stopped at the Stratford motor camp and enjoyed a good sleep there. Nice wee cabin with a double bed and single bunk above and another single bunk bed (for Luke and Caitlin). Stacey and Callan were in another cabin. Stacey found a great wee place - cheap, clean, warm. 

As we got ready for the tramp, Caitlin realised she had left her tramping shoes in Wellington. But a quick check of shoe size showed she was about the same as me. So she wore my car sneakers for the tramp. They are my rattiest pair. I do not know how she did that quite tough tramp in my daggy sneakers. She has fortitude.

Up and away by 8am and found a wee cafe in Stratford that was perfect for an omelette to power my day.

Nice iced coffee

You know you're in Stratford when...

Got the best view of the maunga for the entire weekend from the cafe

Out at the North Egmont visitors centre by 9.30am and off tramping. We tackled the circuit clockwise. And to be honest, I have no idea if there is an easier way or a harder way. Our way seemed tough. But we also had a lot of down which would have been hard work the other direction.

From the visitors centre, you grunt up for a couple of kms. My watch wasn't tracking properly so at the 2km mark, when it said I had done 60m, I restarted.

We had some sunshine in this section. And rainbows. Lots of rainbows. Caitlin offloaded some of her food to Mike, which sped her up and slowed down Mike. Bit of a win/win there.

First grunt up - into the land of rainbows

Me and Luke

Me, my wind-blown hair and a plant for Andrew

Cold

I loved this section. Basalt columns towering above us. Waterfalls. Interesting plants. So much more forested than Ruapehu or Tongariro. It is a dormant volcano so I guess it has been a long time since a decent eruption.

Lunch at Holly Hut was lovely. Warm fire going. Enjoyed my egg sandwich from the bakery in Stratford.

Boardwalk to clouds

Pouakai hut was a welcome sight. Found our bunk room and turns out we were the only ones in the 8 bed room. There was a Dad with a bunch of 10 year old girls on a birthday trip. How cool. And a couple of others. Plus the warden and her grandson. Nice.

Up to head away the next morning after a very windy night. It was a damp walk. And a lot of up! We walked over two wee hills. Henry and Maud (I think). And a lot of down. My right knee started complaining and I changed my gait and I think that made things even more sore. Doh!

The iconic view of the maunga - with Stacey

The iconic view was shrouded in cloud. But I would like to come back one day when it is fine to see this in all its glory.

Cut wee toe all mended

Back at the lower car park and Caitlin and I waited for 40 mins for Mike to get back with the car (he walked with the others to the visitors centre). But I did get really cold and I could not make my hands work well to get into warm clothes.

Also - my sneakers were worn by Caitlin - so I only had my Ugg boot slippers. Hahahah. We called into a pub in Hawera called Rough Habits and I went out in Ugg boots.

When I got back in the car, I realised I had also been out in public with a pair of undies stuck inside my trouser leg. OMG. Best forget about that pub visit. Hahah. The food was fried - but heaps and tasted good enough. It was well needed.

We continued through to Wellington. Back home by8.30pm. Not too bad.

Monday was spent lazing about, reading.

Covered in cats

Up early Tuesday to bus in (first time in ages) and PT session.  35kg bench 4x4. And a bunch of arm and shoulder accessories.

After work we have quiz with Elly and Tom. Woot!

Have a great (short) week.

Love,

Angela

The Wednesday with work

 Hi,

What a day. Good to have a chance to say goodbye to Nicholle at work. Got a morning tea and a team lunch! Thanks! 

Morning tea prep

Iced latte at The Lab with Nicholle

Got distracted while I was sitting at lunch when I saw a Mirage stopped at the lights on the quay. Wow! Blast from the past.

Spied a Mitsubishi Mirage

All the Vs stashed in my tote

Work oddly was giving away cans of V. So I stocked up my tote. Rode home after work. Cooked tea for Mike. Then to bed.

Upf or a ride in and PT with Quentin. 57kg 4 x 5. Then back work. Tough. Quentin is off to Tauranga at lunch time today for the long weekend.

Missed the iced latte and Dave was cheeky!

Ok - now it's all about the iced latte

Love the new lights at the TSB

Had a coffee catch up with Dave. Good chat to him.

Hope your day is a good one. We're off tramping this weekend. It's King's Birthday weekend here. Pouakai circuit for us.

Take care!

Love,

Angela

The Tuesday with spin after work

 Hi,

Busy at work - and had a quick drink with a work mate leaving soon. Left there and walked to Thorndon gym and had a good spin class with Juliet. Forgot to take any pics.

Work iced latte

Cats in a cat tree

Walked back to work and rode home. Straight to bed. Cats were in a weird mood. Up to ride to work on Wednesday morning.

Enjoy your day. Last day of May. Wow.  It is June tomorrow. Birthday month for Mike and Mum and Michelle. Oh - all the Ms.

Have an awesome day.

Love,
Angela

The Monday back at work

 Hi,

I worked from home and tbh, with all those meetings, it was definitely a good call. Headed into town for Spin at the gym. Bumped into Janine who was also in my spin class. We had Chelsea - who looked like  she was going for her instructor test as she got videoed. Hope she passed because it was a great session.

Blurry pic of a nice van

Surprise Spin buddy

Mike was all day at his St John first aid course - with the second part today (Tuesday). So he was in town and met me after he picked up some groceries when I got to the gym. He sat in the foyer of the gym and got some homework done.

Back home and we cooked tea (home made burgers - those plant-based Beyond ones) and then fell into bed. 

Up for a ride in and PT session with Quentin.  35kg squats. 4x4 I think. Then 142.5kg leg press. And other torturous leg work. Including more ankle mobility.

Back to work. Busy day.

Spin after work today with Juliet @ Thorndon. Let's see how that goes.

Love,

Angela

The weekend in Wellington with a mud race for Mike

 Hi,

What a weekend. It was quite the whirlwind. Mike was up early Saturday for his Tough Guy/Gal race with Callan and Stacey.

Cuckoo with Ben

Home on the bus with Mike

4n20 vegetarian pie - was good

It had rained all night and as we drove out to Camp Wainui, it was very wet. We got there at 8.30am and we could see they had to organise different parking as some of the lower grassy area were really soggy. Lucky we had a 4WD vehicle - they pointed us up past the race start to higher ground and we found a good spot. Mike and I sat in the car for a while until Mike had to brave the conditions to register.

30 mins before the race start

Going to get wet and dirty

Callan and Stacey found us and we sat in the car until 9.40. That was when the rain eased off and by the time we got to the start line, it had stopped. And it stayed away for the duration of the race.

The organisers made some big calls. Good on them for having safety as their main concern. Everyone was doing one loop now (so all 3 got to run together!) and they cut out the big climb up a rope called Everest. So it was a shorter loop.

The punters assembled all clean

Waiting for race start

Hey Joycie!

There were a bunch of people we knew from our last workplace. So good to see them. Manisha was competing and did so well. What grit she has! Joycie was there, showing what a great supporter she is of her mates. Coffee date soon, Joycie! Saw Brendan and Lucy smash it. And Hayden (from years back and our dragon boat sweep for a few seasons) came top 10! Oosshh.

Go Manisha!

And they finish well

Filthy Mike

Mike leaps over the finish

The intrepid trio made it in under an hour. They would have been faster on an empty course - but you have to queue for some of the obstacles. I was very impressed with them all! Well done!

I made gingerbread

Mike headed off to Survivor night and I made gingerbread. They got to Corner Creek (bottom coast of the Wairarapa) and decided they could not survive there. So they call decamped to someone's crib in Caterton. Good call!

Moxley chills on me

Sunday saw Iona pop in for a cup of tea. We chatted for a bit before Mike got home from his adventure. Then Iona and I went to her ferry, via a tent pick up in town. I also got a stash of late season feijoas. I said goodbye to Iona as she got into her queue and walked back to work and rode my bike home. With the 10 feijoas in my back pocket of my jacket. Hahahah.

I ate the entire feijoa stock Iona brought me

Dinner to celebrate this guy's birthday

Then Mike and I headed out to Barry and Kath's place for tea with everyone. It is Barry's birthday on the 29th (today!) and he is 55. Woot! We had such fun. KFC and chips. I got corn nuggets. It was a treat.

Jake, Stephen, Mike, Helen, Janine, Dean, me, Barry

So much laughter. The way Barry and Stephen banter is hilarious. They asked after everyone in my family so I gave updates.

Back home and into bed for me and Mike. Mike is away on a first aid course Mon and Tue. Hope that goes well for him.

Have a good week.

Love,

Angela