31st Dec - TRAVELLING TO CHRISTCHURCH

Big day for traveling and just life I think –

I shipped the girls out to the respective means for transport to Wellington early the morning. When I started the epic journey to Christchurch to met up with louise and pick up Liam on the way from St Arnaud.

This was the day it hit me about being only ”again” at the time. When your “meant” to share your heart and your happiness with that wonderful person in your life, like that song “with you argue with in the morning and make love to at night “ So that was my mild Bridget Jones thoughts on the trip down to St Arnaud … but the good thing I have avoided this Christmas is the never ending questions from relations with my relationship status, huh ?

MENTAL NOTE – try dating - and don’t befriend every boy you met in the new year. Oh help is me greater one ….

I picked up Liam, went for a run and had lunch from Liam's family , which was nice. I cant believe out much Liam looks like his Dad …. Both had big ears and noses … hehehhee .

The drive to CCH was eventful; Liam was driving as my wrist was just about too expired from driving around from the last few days. We were having a great time traveling down and THEN
BRAKES
SPIN
Oh fuck ..
BRIDGE RAIL coming closer
Me, Liam and car ending up doing a 360 spin onto a sweeping corner onto a bridge ..
HEART BEAT – POUND POUND POUND
So that , was near death experience for the year , I so glad Liam was driving has if I was … I don’t know what would have happened if i was driving.

On to happier thoughts …
We had to get Liam’s dressing changed (Liam is having a few issues with holes in his body) , this was great ….. We were is Rangoria looking for a place to change his dressing, we were pointed to the local Mental & pregnancy hospital . We drove up to this run down hospital of sorts with a sign informing us that Nurse Mord would be a nurse of the day ( boy does this sound this a horror movie of what ???) .But as you guessed it - Liam isn’t mental or pregnant.

The night it self ? Well it was better than other years … poker , playstation games , drunken dancing fuelled by vodka …. With two of my best mates. PRICELESS.

29th Dec -DAY TWO Tour de Femme

Two day of the Tour de femme, which is hardish for the girls, Hill Climb time trial up Taraka hill which is just outside Mokutaka. Then a 58km circuit race of 7 loops . I decided to support crew all day. Has the locations were quite far apart and it’s a great day for photos…..

<---this is Lorisa coming up Taraka hill

<---the group going around the corner.

I was totally tired from this outing with sunburn too boot, summer is here.

28th Dec - DAY ONE – Tour de Femme - Nelson

I woke to a beautiful Nelson morning , the girls were nervous which was is warranted for the first day of racing the tour. I bundled the girls into the car down to the Brightwater Motel for their first stage of around 70kms. I left the girls waiting on the start line.

My own plans included to go over to the Abel Tasman National Park to do 21kms of the track . I got there around 10:30am and started off in around 20 degrees with a full pack of food - but I forget my ipod . The run took 3 hours has the track was littered with walkers - the scenery was beautiful , the greenish trees and bluish water.

<-- Fall River , Abel Tasman National Park, NZ

I was hour early before my water taxi , but I was lucky enough to talk an earlier driver into a seat.

I finished the day by visited my boss who was staying in Mapua holiday camp for a well-deserved beer.

27th Dec - TRAVELLING TO NELSON

Well we drove over from Picton in torrid rain to Nelson , which fulled the athletics with confidence for the up and coming race tomorrow. We got to Nelson in good time, mid morning so we headed off for a coffee in the city center . We settled on Robert Harris , which impressively that had wheat free food options , unimpressively we had to walk 500m to a public toilet where you had to paid 20cents to use … Then we made our way to the Richmond to the apartment , it was a newer complex near the Richmond shops. We unpacked and weather was still crap so I decided to go off to visit to the wearable art complex for the afternoon . Also at the wearable arts is the classic cars complex, took a few pictures of some the beautiful old cars .

<--- now that is style.

Actually wearable arts gallery was quite small and maybe not worth the entry fee, but there wear some unusual pieces…. A wedding dress made from rubber gloves .. or a dress made from children’s dolls ?

26th Dec - TRAVELLING TO PICTION

Well we make the ferry successfully. I managed to find Lorisa’s house and also find Lisa at the ferry terminal. The most challenging moment for the ferry trip was when me and Lorisa stand in car park packing two cased bikes and numerous bags into my muddle of a car. Made for a tight fit. The ferry was very full of screaming children and tired parents so I decided to make it more pleasant trip with having a few wines.

http://www.dyslexiafoundation.org.nz/

70,ooo New Zealand children have dyslexia . Interesting that only formed when there was a uproar on Close -Up(TV show) about the state of Dyslexia in New Zealand School's.

i have struggled with this all my life and so has my mum and my flatmate .... so it effects 70,000 children ... and just imagination how many adults ?

The Goat run

Well this was my first 21km adventure run , it was on the 2nd Dec and was held in Tongorino National Park.

Me, Ed and Sam decided to make a weekend of it, so we left Wellington on the Friday afternoon. There was a wee problem - has i had the BIGGEST hangover(this is very rare, i think my last hangover was in London 2002 at "Church") from the Thursday night, I had far too many wines and what else was on offer that night . I couldnt barely drive let alone think about running 21 kms on a rocky trail ! Good news was that Sam did alot of the driving - hooray. Bad news was the car was playing up with this silly dashboard light kepted coming on - grrr

We staying in a really nice looking newly building motel which had spa bath in the unit PLUS an outdoor spa set up . We basically got there and went off rego for the event at the Powerhorn... then there were the people there were string beans , runner beans .... i think nobody was over 70 kgs - running is a thin person sport. I felt i made the weigh in, but i felt i was abit short on the experience front, has my only experience was a "mountain running race" was 10 kms and i had a personal coach running with me in Oct.

We had a lazy rest of Friday night . Sam was very organised and was packing and repacking , i just wasnt to sure what i needed, so i looked liked i was packing and repacking. Also enjoyed my faivourite TV show House. Then we went to sleep and the tap started to drip and then drip some more , and then it was a bit of a foundation . Me and Ed were able to sleep through wee issue, but poor Sam had afew issues.

"the day of" , we were up really early and its was really cold . We left Ed in the very warm motel room and ventured to the bus stop just down the road. It was 45 min journey to the ski field start. Lucky for me there was cafe that served REAL coffee. Also with another stike of luck , Sam let me borrow her iPOD to run with .

We were the last of the runners to go, "Wave 3" , i decided that i must be the slowest runner in the race and promptly hang at the back of the group. We were off in mass, down a hard road , my poor feet and knees didnt like that start. But once on the tramp track i was at home - just like running up the back of Karori. I soon realized that i was a bit better than my self seeded position, so i spend 2 hours passing people to get into a run group with people of similar ability - this is where the iPOD came in useful .

The track itself was interesting , we had river crossings, big rocks , small rocks , ice and snow . Also there was minium bush cover and it was a beating hot sun, it was good that i bought sun screen at the ski field shop .

My 21km effort was 3:57 in lenght - I was so happy to get under 4 hours and beat afew people i know from Wellington too. Sam did a great job and did the run in a time of 3:27. Post the event we bused back to the motel for a shower and spa .

We went the prizegiving and it was like normal sport prizegivings as it was very long and involved , i remember we had to sit on the floor and my arse just went numb. Sam won a prize thou so it was worth getting a numb arse thou. But the best was still to come .... we had dinner in town where i had the best steak with blue cheese sauce uummmmmmmmm.

I found my life goal document.....

TASK DATE COMPLETED (bold is '"to do")
· Getting over my fear of speaking 2005
· Being a play 1995
· Learn language
· Jump off a building 2003
· Jump out of plane
· Buy a house
· Get a degree 98/2002
· Get a masters
· Finished the C2C
· Run a off road marathon
· be a mum

Travel to:
Ireland (03)
Spain
Romance island
England (03) need to return !
France/Paris (03)
Topical island/forest
Scotland
Italy/Rome(03)
Cambodia
India
Canada
Argentina
Laos/China
Prague (that bridge)
South island..... more more more ONGOING

· Follow the Tour de France
· Ride a camel
· Write a book
· Learn to shot a gun
· Show an art exhibition of my own work 2006
· Work/raise funds a volunteer organisation (Oxfam)
· Finished the Tour De Femme 2004
· Learn to MTB 2005
· Finish a; spirit tri (98), track cycling race(05) , adventure race(ARROW 2005) , horse competition(96) , swimming comp(95), mtb bike race(05), off road running race(95), kayaking race ,
· Compete an overseas event
· Climb a mountain EVERY year

The year that was and the EXCITEMENT of the year to come....

in no order , of course ...

So what did i do this year ?
- finished my first 21km adventure run
- got a job i love
- started to learn to dance, swing
- finished my first 10 km mountain run race
- finished Kapaito MTB race
- bought the most wonderful loving cat from the SPCA
- sorted out my diet - i am wheat free and happy
- put some art into the affordable arts awards
- finished my first Multi sport race
- tried to climb MT Egmont
- finished 2 * 6hrs Adventure races
- went to the states for a holiday
- went on Charity Bike for 5 days to raise funds the Lower Hutt Hospice
- boys :had one relationship, one short term thing with somebody that just wasnt right , one long term crush
- Did the xterra race
- started studying PMI
- studyed boat skippers
- still going to toastmasters
- started re-branding thinkingorange

What i am doing next year ?
- finished re-branding thinkingorange
- get my PMI qualication
- starting going to PMI meetings - starts in Feb
- go to a web conference
- get better at dancing - bought DVD
- get ahead with with my career. try getting into the öutbound nagivation career training camp
- get my next toastmasters qualication
- get better at nagivation skills - booked into OPC on 13th Jan DONE
- go to China with Oxfam , Sept - started
- Do better at xterra , bet 4:43 , April - training started
- get my wrist fixed - the path has started - 13 Feb
- enter the telecom phone book design cover competition
- get my teeth fixed, after my wrist
- do the Charity bike again in March
- maybe do the Whangnui river trip, depending the wrist problems ?
- do more running races ; 21km winery run , 25km trail run or something like that ?
- plan more travel for the next afew years , post the career development ... $$$

old friends are the best

like the quote saying in one my older posts ...

Friends for a life time - i had four wonderful friends contact me today, just to talk, plan to get together, care and share mine and their lives ups and downs . Two from overseas and two other places in NZ.

Thanks for being the prefect friends. Love you guys x.