28 May
Oh my! What a cold day! The fog rolled in before I got up and stayed most of the day. It did clear and Ron and I headed off for a rod only to find it has just cleared in our little patch of town. We rode through fog for much of the way around the half marathon track. My fingers froze - new full fingered gloves are the next buy. On the plus side when the fog cleared it was a beautiful crisp day. I even biked right up Broughton St hill without stopping! It's been a while since I managed that. Not a long ride but it is still a ride.

Another lovely weekend in Queenstown. No bikes but on Saturday and Sunday I went for a walk on the Frankton Arm Trail. I really must go up sometime and go for a ride to Mt Rosa. It will be good training.
    Frankton Arm looking towards the Remarkables Looking toward Cecil and Walter Peaks.

I also drove over to Cromwell and spent the afternoon with my brother. It is ages since I have seen him and I can't remember the last time it was just him and me having a yarn.

This is his front garden.

On Sunday we went for breakfast at The Boatshed. I was welcomed with  a glass of champagne for Mother's day. I can highly recommend The Boatshed as a place to eat. It's a bit tricky to find though. Ask a local.

Holiday

I don't think that I am very good at this blogging business. We have just had Easter and spent the  school holidays  away up North.
I managed one big ride during Easter, out through Pukerau and then up to Kaiwera and down Diamond Peak. I was shattered!
We spent time in the Bay of Islands over the July break from school to attend a wedding. While there we went kayaking and for the rest of the time we sat in the sun and read. Aches and pains disappeared.
I did check out the terrain for our big ride and it does look quite hilly. But we will be fitter by then and thus more able.

Recovery

Just a short ride today. It's a lovely day but cool. At least I went out. I did notice the nether regions were a little tender but that settled quickly. I think we saw a young tui in the garden last night and I thought I heard one early this morning. It would be lovely to have tuis nearby. Ron thinks it might be a hard winter this year so we will have to keep the birds fed. There was a blackbird in the glasshouse when I got back and it was in a right panic.

Whew!

The danger of Cyclone Cook passed with a whimper in Southland and today was a pleasant morning to go for a ride. By the time I got out the wind had cone up a little and I'm not fond of wind. However I decided that I have to train myself to enjoy wind. Relish it even. So off I went with the wind behind me. I figured that if I rode to Pukerau then the head wind would be from Kaiwera and down Diamond Peak. At least I would be going downhill into the head wind. I had conveniently forgotten how far it was.
I scooted out to Pukerau quite quickly for me. I stopped at Camp Colomba and took a photo of a tiny waterfall.  Then onwards and upwards.  By the time I came over the top into the Kaiwera basin I was beginning to feel tired. I thought of ringing Ron to come and get me and then thought I had done all the work getting up and I didn't want to miss the run down.
By the time I turned onto the flat of River Road I had talked to myself and decided that fitness is as much mental as physical and I had better develop some mental stamina.
I didn't manage to ride up the last hill to home though. I was knackered. 
44 km isn't really far but it was for me.
Now that I have recovered somewhat I am quite pleased with myself.

Injury and a party

Gently getting back into the burn and there was a beautiful day. Te sun was shining, I had on my summer dress (might be the last chance for a while) and my pretty shoes with a bit of a heel. Leaving a school I stepped off the kerb and onto the road and a little stone. Whoops a daisy! Over on the ankle and I hit the road - not in the way I wanted either. They say that you know you are getting old when you fall over and people rush to help instead of laughing. I guess I am getting old. Rats! I spent most of the day with ice on it and resting between appointments. The physio kindly strapped it for me in the afternoon with no appointment. By Friday morning it felt much better but no gym for me. Stayed very quiet all weekend - except for the party I had with my twins. Our birthdays are actually on the 5th but we had it on the 1st so we could all be there.  All happy at a combined 129 years.

It wasn't possible to have all the family here but there was a selection.

Rest week

My body has been aching. So I decided to take some advice and rest a bit. I have had a few days off and today I went for a 27km ride. I had forgotten how many hills there are coming up from Friend Road to the Lady Charlton corner. And I forgot to put on sunscreen. Pity this isn't me - there is more of me than that. And the map shows the fastest bit down past Aunty Mary's place and that was not the case. The fastest part was down Broughton St hill. It always is.