Penny"s Birthday!

Penny's birthday weekend blog at Last! This was a major effort and the delay seems to have been some program bug preventing me from uploading the pictures. Well blog without pics is just unthinkable! So here it is at last.We trolled off after Penny's morning at school on thursday. That meant the house husband (me had to zoom around to make sure we had the delectable viands for our stay at Matarangi (And pack). At last we were off with a hiss and a roar up to the queue waiting to get on the motorway. The weather was lovely and despite the start we had a delightful scenic trip and in the usual time. once there it was unload the bags and off we went for a beach stroll.

What a great evening it was too! Friday was great as well and after a lovely beach walk

where the sand seemed very desert like. note no New Zealand Godwits today to take a picture of so Penny instead. Soon it was time for our lunch , typical of the weekend, lunches were frequent and long.


Penny had her sights set on a big beach swim this time so after a limber up with me for about 30 mins on saturday, sunday seemed to be the time to go for it. Of course the weather wasn't so good and it became very choppy as soon as high tide came around but off she went into the briny The tiny figure boldly battled the waves for half an hour before wading ashore minus an earlug and nearly losing her hat. Well it was a good exercise anyway.
someone else had different ideas

Wekll I didnt stay there all the time, I had my 7+km beach run too. Actually the second time I've run on the flat after my tendon problem as it was the Corporate Challenge run last week where I joined the ex colleagues in the Watercare team and got a free T shirt.
Just thought Id put in an artistic pic of the trees at the end of the golf course walk Monday was similar weather like but we found the water had warmed up considerably so we wave bashed without our springsuits before the trek home. A great time I even did some gardening. lets see if the plants survive the summer. certainly the passionfruit have blossom so something good is happening.

Must be Spring

well we're walking around the botanical Gardens quite a lot now after Pen's knee is just about back to normal. And what do we see but the latest clutch of Geese.

well thinking that winter was over weve had a good time mainly sitting out in the garden.. that is until today when we had a really grey day. didn't know whether to rain or just be cold. we had all seasons. Typical i suppose for Auckland Spring. Unlike some who feel like they're inside a fan oven (see C Waters)

all this after we've been doing all sorts of things in the garden like planting stuff which Anne seems to provide an inexhaustible supply. Also trimmed the leaves on the palms outside the front so we can actually see daylight. Lastly the outside of the house. waterblasted (gently) most and removed yards of stuff from the gutters where the huge macrocarpas shed their needles. even through the mesh screen!

Today penny decided that 60 lengths of the pool was the target. I couldn't believe when she appeared at my arm when I had just completed 42! I guess that means I am busted from doing the Rangitoto swim. I can't see me being able to effectively double my speed to finish in a respectable time. Penny is almost at the 20 mins per km target while I struggle with an almost impenetrable time of 35. Consolation is I think swimming is boring anyway. (unless black fins suddenly appear of course) the view is always the same, wet. I'll be joining my running mate Alan on the Corporate Challenge fun run soon where we can both hobble over the 5 k him after falling off the garage roof and I with the tiny residual of my tendon strain.

well bedtime calls so till next time then.