The Kiwi dollar has been weakening over the last 6 months and I got quite excited when I was getting about $2.10 per euro on my credit card. The other day I got a rate of $2.34 to the euro and that prompted my brief lunch time clothes purchases. But... I have been talking about getting a 55m-200mm lens for my camera. They're cheaper here than back home and the shops match prices if you seem same item cheaper elsewhere. So today I decided to do something about it. I was buying the lens and a polarising filter and not only did they match Christchurch online site price but they bettered it. Of course I don't yet know how credit card rate but I'm expecting it to be good. Happy me :)
3 weeks to the day to heading home for Christmas... I'm excited!
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Bits & Pieces
Well, I've managed to whittle down the large number of photos that I took on hols to the 27 that I've put up on flickr. Needless to say I have many more that I could put up but I'm trying to show some restraint :)
Week back at work is fine... been pretty busy. Just 16 working days to Christmas break :) Will be a long journey home but I'm looking forward to it!
No climbing or running at the moment... ankle has been misbehaving (i.e. swollen and sore) for over a week now. Hopefully it'll get bored and go back to normal soon.
Kiwi dollar is so weak at the moment... as a result I had a brief shopping visit at lunch time :) And no, it wasn't shoes!
Week back at work is fine... been pretty busy. Just 16 working days to Christmas break :) Will be a long journey home but I'm looking forward to it!
No climbing or running at the moment... ankle has been misbehaving (i.e. swollen and sore) for over a week now. Hopefully it'll get bored and go back to normal soon.
Kiwi dollar is so weak at the moment... as a result I had a brief shopping visit at lunch time :) And no, it wasn't shoes!
Monday, 24 November 2008
Some holidays snaps
Sth Island was great. Don't even know where to start.
Visited Picton (dodgy motel - I slept on floor),
Christchurch (stayed with some friends),
the totally breathtaking Lake Tekapo,
Mt Cook National Park (2nd visit there and I still haven't seen Mt Cook - the mist at back of photo is Mt Cook),
Arthur's Pass (cold but so so beautiful),
Punakaiki,
Cape Foulwind (I love the irony of me staying in a place called that!) where we had beautiful meal and great time in local bar,
Motueka (beautiful bird sanctuary near beach),
Takaka (I LOVE the Wholemeal Cafe), Farewell Spit (stunning) and Pohara where we spent 2 nights in the wonderful Sans Souci Inn. Oh and photo is of when three grown men spent nearly 20 mins trying to get one tiny little bird out of the hut :)
And that'll have to do for the moment as there's no way I can blog everything that I saw and/or did. I have many many more photos (like nearly another 370) some of which will make it up on to flickr at some point :)
Oh my favourite new phrase from the holiday was "meadow muffins" to refer to sheep (or other) dung in fields :)
Oh and I realised this morning that I have one too many silver/grey hairs in my head. It would seem that age is catching up with my head.. maybe time for visit to hair colourist soon.
Visited Picton (dodgy motel - I slept on floor),
Christchurch (stayed with some friends),
the totally breathtaking Lake Tekapo,
Mt Cook National Park (2nd visit there and I still haven't seen Mt Cook - the mist at back of photo is Mt Cook),
Arthur's Pass (cold but so so beautiful),
Punakaiki,
Cape Foulwind (I love the irony of me staying in a place called that!) where we had beautiful meal and great time in local bar,
Motueka (beautiful bird sanctuary near beach),
Takaka (I LOVE the Wholemeal Cafe), Farewell Spit (stunning) and Pohara where we spent 2 nights in the wonderful Sans Souci Inn. Oh and photo is of when three grown men spent nearly 20 mins trying to get one tiny little bird out of the hut :)
And that'll have to do for the moment as there's no way I can blog everything that I saw and/or did. I have many many more photos (like nearly another 370) some of which will make it up on to flickr at some point :)
Oh my favourite new phrase from the holiday was "meadow muffins" to refer to sheep (or other) dung in fields :)
Oh and I realised this morning that I have one too many silver/grey hairs in my head. It would seem that age is catching up with my head.. maybe time for visit to hair colourist soon.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
I did it.
I did the 5km.
I don't know my time as I was so focussed on getting over the line that I totally missed the rather huge big timer right in front of me! Hopefully I find out tomorrow.
Foot/leg is pretty sore but then again it was sore before I started so reckon it's fair to say that it isn't any better.
Calves feeling a little sore now... maybe time for some more stretching!
Pretty happy with myself.
I don't know my time as I was so focussed on getting over the line that I totally missed the rather huge big timer right in front of me! Hopefully I find out tomorrow.
Foot/leg is pretty sore but then again it was sore before I started so reckon it's fair to say that it isn't any better.
Calves feeling a little sore now... maybe time for some more stretching!
Pretty happy with myself.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Wonderful Music
Yesterday evening we went to see and listen to Hesperion XXI perform in Wellington town hall. Unfortunately both of the female vocalists were unable to perform as they were ill but... I need to just say that the music was wonderful. The instruments were wonderful... the oud had a beautiful sound from it. Jordi Savall's 360 year old viola de gamba was just beautiful with a fantastic performance of Musical Humours (Tobias Hume). I could go on about all of the performers but I'll stop as I'm not a musical critic. What I will do is finish by saying that, it was an evening of wonderful, beautiful music.
A leisurely Sunday
Last Sunday we had a wonderfully leisurely day which was needed by both of us though probably for different reasons! Dave had valid reason in that he had been involved in a 12 hr mountain bike team event the day before... I had been supporting :)
Kiwis really do these things properly... there were some serious tents set up with tables, chairs and BBQs. We weren't too bad either (thanks Ian!) with tent, 2 chairs and heater (which I needed later on in evening). Some of the teams take the event very seriously whereas others... well they're just doing it for fun (though having said that a 12 hr event is a 12 hr event!).
So, on Sunday lazy morning with a tasty brunch before heading out to go for a short walk along the Rimutaka Incline Trail. The sun, when I was in it, was lovely :) Not sure how far we got (probably not very) as there was lots of stopping to take photos... have I mentioned that I love my new camera??
Kiwis really do these things properly... there were some serious tents set up with tables, chairs and BBQs. We weren't too bad either (thanks Ian!) with tent, 2 chairs and heater (which I needed later on in evening). Some of the teams take the event very seriously whereas others... well they're just doing it for fun (though having said that a 12 hr event is a 12 hr event!).
So, on Sunday lazy morning with a tasty brunch before heading out to go for a short walk along the Rimutaka Incline Trail. The sun, when I was in it, was lovely :) Not sure how far we got (probably not very) as there was lots of stopping to take photos... have I mentioned that I love my new camera??
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