Kia Ora Guys

The rain just kept coming on Monday and the rain bounced off the tin roof like rocks. For the first time since we arrived I had to utilise the tumble dryer to get things dry. I took the bike out in the rain to get Mel her new puzzle book which was hot off the press today and I knew it would surprise her.

It turned out that Mel's day at work had been rough so the puzzle book cheered her up,it didn't take long to get the first quiz underway and work was forgotten about until tomorrow.

I was awake for 6am today and it was a total contrast to yesterday's weather with the winter sun low in the sky, and as long as you were in the sunshine it was warm too. I took a ride to the bike store to enrol in the mileage program they run,and ended up browsing for a while before taking the long way back home,which turned out to be a mistake as the Auckland weather struck and I got caught in a heavy downpour, which meant I had to clean up the bike when I got home.

When Mel arrived home we decided to go for a walk but only got as far as the garden gate before the rain started to fall so it was a quick run back to the house and we started dinner instead.

The morning chill disappeared and the sun burnt off the dew from the grass.I applied for a few more jobs which passed the day quickly. Mel got home and we had a delicious meal of venison and blue cheese ravioli which was so tasty we didn't want it to finish. Once the dishes were in the dishwasher we were in the car and driving across town to take Andy to the airport,as he was heading home to the UK after a fun packed 2 months in NZ and Fiji. We dropped him at the airport and said our goodbyes but something told us he would be back again. He wheeled his cases into departures and got himself ready for the long flight home.

You could see the breath leaving my mouth as I scraped the ice off the car windscreen this morning,Mel was dancing around on the grass trying to stay warm but after a few minutes she was on her way. Doug arrived at the gates ready to go shopping and we jumped in the car and headed off to Devonport,and luckily this week I didn't lock the keys in the house!!!!

One good thing about being at home is all the chores that would take up time on an evening or weekend get done and this afternoon it was ironing.We decided to stay in Friday and I turned in around midnight while Mel stayed up watching T.V.

Saturday arrived and I was up early again and tried not to disturb Mel as she had been up late. I clicked on the kettle and emptied the dishwasher while waiting for the PC to start up.By the time it was all done Mel had woken up and was ready for hot coffee. The glorious weather was still with us so we took the bike out and rode to Matakana for the farmers market,it's around an hours ride and we had a browse around the market and stopped for coffee and a piece of the best rocky road in the world. About another hour North is Waipu cove and it had been a few years since we were last there so decided to ride up for another look as the weather was so good.

It is a gorgeous beach and today there were only around 4 people on it as we sat at the picnic bench and enjoyed the views across the still water to the islands in the distance.It was just as we remembered it and we enjoyed it for a while before setting back off to Auckland. The ride back was really breezy as we had the wind in our faces all the way back to the front door of the house and it took us a while to warm ourselves up.

Once we had warmed up we swapped 2 wheels for 4 and headed off to do the shopping which isn't my idea of fun but it had to be done all the same,we finished the day with homemade pizzas and a walk into town for a few beers in a bustling pub as the All Blaks were playing.

Sunday was a real lie in and it was 9.30am before we woke up,I can only think it was the bike ride yesterday that tired us out.We lazed around and had eggs for breakfast whle watching a re-run of Magnum P.I,then it was off to find some boots for me to stop my feet getting soaked. It didn't take long to pick a pair,we had come prepared and from there it was a short ride to Cornwall Park for our picnic lunch that we had brought with us. we found a picnic table in the sunshine and tucked into our sandwiches while playing scrabble.The pigeons milled around at our feet waiting for the crumbs from our lunch,there were even people using the BBQ's to cook their lunch.

On the way back to Devonport the fuel light came on but we decided to risk it and try to get home on what we had,and luckily we made it. I prepped up the veggies for dinner and Mel warmed up by the heater,once the blood was flowing and we were warm we did what most sane people would and stepped back into the cold for a walk into town for coffee,the wind was bracing as we walked along King Edward Parade with the wind whipping in off the harbour but it was nice to stretch our legs.

The real treat was in store when we got home as it was roast pork and crackling with vegetables which was beautiful and we both had empty plates at the finish. That brought another week to a close for us and it all starts again tomorrow morning,so we shall see what the week has in store for us.

Lots of Love

M & M
xx