Another Taupo

I haven't been counting, but it must be eight or nine times around that lake by now. Anyway this time it was cool, windy and wet at times - a far cry from the burn-to-a-crisp experience of 2008. All in it was a good do with 11,000 odd riders and the usual good vibe with heart kids beaming across the line and people slaying personal demons left right and centre. Gabrielle was heroic in the face of a raging sore throat and we downplayed our lack of training to good effect. Again Paula and Jane Battersby were the hosts par excellence - big ups to you both! And of course no visit to Taupo is complete without an excursion to the crow's nest.

Close but no cigar

I missed out on landing the Manhire Prize - as the governator said - "I'll be back". Consolation comes in the form of lunch at Logan Brown with the birthday clubbers Annette and Jane.

Also on a positive note is young Andrew scoring an analyst position at the Ministry of Fisheries. Woot! as they say on vorb. Fantastico!

Manhire Prize shortlist!

Well fancy that - I have made the Manhire Creative Science Writing shortlist (non-fiction). This is good news as it is a step towards a free lunch at Logan Brown with Annette and Jane, my fellow goal-setter lunch afficionados. Astronomy title was always going to be a bit of a challenge, but the research was great fun. Winner will be announced on 18 November. I think I said something about a bottle of Veuve Cliquot if I land the big one. You can read my entry here. Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me in my writing!

Kitchen progress

Well it is all starting to come together as you can see. My road bike is gathering cobwebs and Taupo training has been a casualty of the cruel paintbrush. Walls full of fluffy insulation and double glazing make this the warm end of the house and we are delighted with it. Floor yet to come, after the new ceiling and external wall are in place and painted in the dining room.

Borneo photos

Here a few photos from our latest escapade in the world's rainforests. We visited five national parks in three weeks, from Kuching in southern Sarawak to Kota Kinabalu in western Sabah. Attempts to travel lightly were hampered by the usual 'need' for a variety of lenses... photos are here

Kitchen renovations

Tony Shaw is back and that can only progress on another long-anticipated project and the end to procrastination. So laundry has gone and also a couple of walls and the new kitchen area is taking shape. Andrew is helping out and learning lots about building and the odd bit of new language. New features are a skylight facing northwest and double glazing on the windows and door. Kitchen installation is just a week away. Watch this space.

Matt and Keri are engaged!

Big news in the family is that Matt and Keri are engaged to be married! We celebrated with the Bidmeads and friends a week or so at Casa Bidmead in Ngaio. Lots of laughs and good company as is invitable when a crowd of outdoor types get together. Congratulations Matt and Keri!

Graduation day

Big day on Tuesday last week with Andrew's graduation. A rare break in our weather was right on cue and there was no rain on the parade. You have to say that these students scrub up well - what a fine bunch they are and great to see lots of proud mums and dads there and be among them. Graduation ceremony was a marathon of clapping and everyone was happy to be there to acknowledge the achievements. So rarely are academic endeavours publicly celebrated! Well done Andrew Gunn BA(Hons, 1st class), BSc.

Autumnal paddle in the Sounds

A few weeks ago we paddled for three days in the Marlborough Sounds. A great trip with good mates and the usual excesses of food and bad humour. I didn't take a waterproof camera so all my shots are taken from the shore. Weather was pretty good despite the forecast being for severe gales, although there was always a fair bit of scepticsm as the forecasters were predicting northeasterlies. Since when so we get gale nor'easters near Cook Strait. So they didn't eventuate and we had a fine old time paddling around. Only casualty was the hull of Brent's brand new kayak when he ran out of water while passing over a hidden rock. Ian's observation that the hull of Brent's "Epic" resembled that or the Titanic resonated as the fibreglass parted with a sickening crunch.

First post

With a dodgy keyboard I have to be careful about this. I suspect since it was cleaned by a commercial service provider, it has got something sticky in the top row of keys.

Anyway this blog is set up mainly to support other bloggers with their problems on blogspot blogs. So we come to the first problem - how hard can it be to add a photo to a post...


Not very hard at all, Jane!