why Hello there!

 The relay


As some of you are aware, Adrian and I ran in the Around the Mountain relay in Taranaki on the weekend. The top photo shows Peter handing over to Adrian for the beginning of his first leg, and the second photo is Adrian at the beginning of his second leg. The total track was around 150 km I think, and there was a maximum of 16 per team, so some people had to do two legs. We had 15 in our team. Adrian's two legs totalled to 10.5 km. I did one leg, and mine was 8.6 km. This was only the second running event I've done (although I must point out that the term running is used here purely for event definition - I jog at best, and walk in between), the first being the 7 km Round the Bays in Wellington last February. So I was pretty proud to finish my 8.6 km. Fortuitously I successfully picked probably the flattest leg available! There was negligible shade, and most of the way my view was farmland, road (obviously) and some of the sea, but quite far away. My leg was from Warea to Okato to the North-West of the mountain, and I started at about 12.45 pm so it was pretty warm! The most interesting thing I saw along the way was an Organic Dairy Factory. Ho-hum.

Anyway it took me 1 hr 14 min (and here's where all the fit people go "*gulp* that's terrible!") and that night after dinner I realised I had completely forgotten to put sunscreen on my legs! My pants-length was just below my knees and the sun was at my back, so my poor calves got quite red! However, I did manage to cover the rest of my exposed skin; having said that I think my face sunblock didn't hold out as well as my body sunblock, and I have a slightly pink face, with the advantage of slightly red lips being quite sexy looking :P

After the last leg, our team finished in 13 hr 35 min. The top team was 10 hr 32 min - wow! Can you BELIEVE that there were also 2 people who did this ALONE? Yes, ALONE. The fastest was 20 hr 40 min. I just don't know how someone can function so highly for that long! Amazing.

We stayed at Sunflower Lodge in New Plymouth on both the Friday and Saturday nights, which was adequate, if not a little eerie having once been an old folks' home. On Sunday morning I was half awake at sunrise and I could hear a very annoying and very regular 'churp' coming from outside. I presumed it was a bird, although it was so regular that I decided it must be some kind of engine noise. However after analysing it the best I could whilst half asleep, I decided that no, every so often there was half a beat more between 'churps', so it in fact must be a bird. By this time I was intrigued enough to look out the window, at which time I saw a brown, small bird with still-growing wings and tail, which I decided must be a baby something. First thought: awwww, so cute! Second thought: hang on, how come it's on the ground... shouldn't it be in a nest? Crap, it's fallen out! Third thought: hmm... I wonder if I can get around to that side of the building. Fourth thought: But what would I do with it anyway? My fifth thought, now unmemorable, was interrupted by a mother thrush swooping down and depositing some lovingly regurgitated meal into the baby's wide open beak. SO cute! And this was only about 50 cm from my window. That's the closest I've ever seen that, in fact the only time apart from TV, and although it was 'just' a common thrush, I felt quite privileged! And it was lovely to know that someone still loved the little one! I hope he will survive... hopefully there are not many cats around there... Sadly or not, it was one of the highlights of my weekend ;)

The motorbike saga

Soooooooooooo last Wednesday I passed my full motorbike licence test! I think being ABSOLUTELY freaked out about something actually works in my favour most of the time (if it does take 5 years from my life every time!). I was quite proud! My tester guy was cool too, he told me he had just recieved a bonus for being the 'Most Enthusiastic' AA driving tester. I was appreciative of that. Adrian passed his test on Friday. So we were super excited about test riding bigger bikes, but of course we were away - and very busy - on the weekend so that was kind of impossible.

However, Adrian went and test rode directly after passing his licence test on Friday. He tried a Honda CBF400, and realised that the speedo was stuck on zero, no matter what speed he was doing! Ergo, the mileometer thingee was not ticking over... dodgy. How long has it been like that?! I'm not saying it was TSS that did it, but surely they should have checked this! Anyway, then he tried the Ducati M400 (which, I must say, is a gorgeous mini-beast), but there was also a problem with that, which I can't remember - perhaps it just wouldn't start. So he moved onto the Kawasaki ZR-7 (mmmm, just mmmm), which he managed to ride all the way to the beginning of the 100 km zone at the new Dowse interchange when it... broke. Would you believe it?! It just cut out, and left him having to 'park' in the gutter beside the roadworkers. At about 2.50pm, I got a text from him saying "I'm going to be quite late. I can explain". You see, he was scheduled to pick up a fellow relay-runner and I from IRL to go straight up to New Plymouth at 3pm. At this time also, a cold southerly rain had just started. So poor Adrian was stranded on the side of the highway with a broken bike, late for an appointment, getting cold-rained on, and waiting for the guys from the shop to come pick him up. Oh dear.

So, today was my turn. I went to TSS in my lunchtime to try some out. I was quite nervous. I was wanting to try the CBF and the M400 but I thought they might still be getting fixed, and they were. So the guy asked me if I wanted to try the ZR-7 (which, being 750 cc, is rather a leap from our 225 cc Scorpio). I was a bit reluctant, however I told myself that I'd have to do it at some point, and today was a nice day and I was there right next to it. And it was pretty. And Adrian had told me that the small amount of riding he'd done on it was quite easy and very smooth. So I took off from the back of the workshop and after first intersection the nerves turned into ooohhhh yeah I'm so cool. I was totally under-estimating the coolness factor on the bigger bike after the Scorpio. I wanted to get to the highway so I could go fast, so I went towards the Esplanade without really knowing the most efficient (while also having the least difficult intersections) way to get to a higher speed zone. Anyway I turned onto the Esplanade and... fut, fut, fut... it broke again. Haha! I think I handled it rather well, although the fact that there was ample parking space for me was kind of helpful. After the guy came and picked me up in the truck I went back to work.

Riding the 750 (which actually was a very nice, smooth, fun and dare I say it, sensual ride for me), along with the conversation in the truck with the mechanic about a considered test ride on the sexy red Ducati M900 (cue quivering of knees), I was rather elated. Hence my facebook status update: " Sorry little red Scorpio, although you are very reliable and you were my first, you simply don't satisfy me anymore." I have had recent daydreaming fantasies about owning... mmmmm I won't take you there, it's my special place. This is only the very beginning my friends.



Incidentally, for those who are wondering, no I am not doing the ACC 'Protest' ride tomorrow, despite the general feeling amongst the fellow bikers at my work.


In other news



I am waiting on the reception of my course grade for Digital Electronics. I may not pass. If I do, it will be a C. We shall see.


Also, I feel it appropriate for mention here, that last night I had a moving dream. I woke up (twice actually, I can't remember if the case in point was the 1.45 am wake-up or the 5.38 am wake-up) and there were tears falling down my face onto my pillow and even after I was well awake I couldn't stop crying. I was dreaming about a good friend's funeral. It was a 'happy' funeral (you know the type, I'm sure), with balloons and colour and music and dancing and games for the children, because we knew she wouldn't want have wanted everyone standing around moping and crying. It was amongst the dancing and singing that I noticed the said friend herself, was at her own funeral. She was of course appearing in spirit form (although quite visible), I think because she didn't want to miss out on all the - quite literal - fun and games that were going on, quite frankly. In the midst of the fun, I ran up and hugged her, and of course, her ghostly form consisted of nothing tangible. My arms went through, floundering with themselves, and that was the moment it dawned on me that I had lost her. And it was when I started crying, then woke up. I got up to go to the bathroom and blow my nose, and came back to bed, still with tears streaming down my face, and said to Adrian, "I woke up crying, because I dreamt that Bex died, and I still can't stop".


I think that dreams like that are made for us to remember what we have, and how easily it can go.


xxx

PS. I also once dreamed that I was the owner of a litter of kittens who spontaneously turned into nail files and got lost at the rubbish dump. Perhaps not all dreams are meant to be taken seriously.