Fresh Fish

Yum Yum! Or Num, Num as a colleagues daughter would say.

I dined on a plate full of fresh fish last night for dinner, totally divine! 6 different types stacked up (forget the vege’s), Snapper, Golden Snapper, Hapuku, Pink Maomao and Tarakihi caught from Tutukaka and flown straight to my plate- note the fish were not caught in the marine reserve at the Poor Knights.

Apparently the dive/fishing trip was fun… I cannot quite bring myself to go and stay on Mark and Denise Barnes 53′ catamaran with 12 others for 5 days – it would drive me mental, I need my space. But the diving is supposed to be sensational.

One of my favourite ways to have fish cooked is lightly covered in a mixture of egg, minimal flour, sea salt and cracked pepper pan fried with lemon infused Rice Bran Oil – Delish!

Blood Moon Eclipse

I was all set to watch the red moon eclipse last night; when the earth passes between the moon and sun for a total lunar eclipse. I had put the day in my calendar a while back when I heard it was going to happen.

Yippee! The day had arrived but I could hardly stay awake. By 9 O’clock the moon was a quarter covered – how long was this going to take? I went to bed.

Craig and I took turns jumping out of bed to spot the changes in the eclipse. Quarter by quarter it changed but once the whole moon was covered we couldn’t see a thing – I had missed the red glowing moon somehow… even binoculars didn’t show anything.

Oh well maybe better spotting next time – 2014

So, why red? Well… You will still see the moon because of deflected light from earth’s atmosphere. But as the atmosphere absorbs blue light, the moon appears red.

So, why Blood? Apparently it is mentioned in both the old and new testaments. In Joel 2:31 it talks about the sun turning to darkness and “the moon to blood.”

 

Mt. Holdsworth Track

I had the opportunity to climb up Mt. Holdsworth on Saturday with a friend. It was a great day considering the weather in Wellington was crap.We headed off at 1115 hrs with packs on and a roll we had picked up from the French bakery in Greytown on the way through – a must if you are passing through.

It was t-shirt and sun hat weather, no winds, clear skies. We were well equipped though for all weather conditions, including a first-aid kit and GPS etc.

The parking spot was like CBD parking, literally, every man and his dog were there. I didn’t know dogs were allowed up there, we past about 5.

At certain ‘intersections’ it was like 5 O’clock traffic – not that we minded as we weren’t staying over in one of the few huts up there!

Nearer the top the wind had picked up and the cloud was forming over the hills – time to done on jumpers, jackets, gloves and woolly hats.

We came up over the crest of the hill and hit the snow and wind! Walking with a permanent lean to compensate for the wind was a trial but then we rounded another corner and there was Powell Hut in sight – Yeah!

The scenery is spectacular from up there, views from Lake Ferry through to Masterton and beyond.

A quick bite in the hut (those French rolls tasted twice as good on an empty tummy) and then we were wrapping back up to hit the trail back down. I do not like going down hill it always leaves me with sore knees and/or shins. I took my walking poles but didn’t use them.

It always takes me longer to go down, we got back to the car park around 1615 hrs to find the car-park still looking like the CBD; god knows why so many people want to BBQ out there at this time of year – freezing after the sun has gone down! Brr!

It was nice to sit in a warm car and head home for a hot shower and Nachos for dinner.

My GPS eTrex Vista Garmin data said we climbed an elevation of 1225m and 7.92km in each direction, 2.10hrs up and 2.15hrs down.

Learning the Art of Golf

I have been lucky enough to be given a few golf lessons under tutorage of Scott Puddick at Heretaunga Golf Club in Wellington – fabulous surroundings, a must for a game if you get the chance!  First lesson I was taught about the grip, stance and set up and as a bonus a trick to practise (keeping your hands slightly forward of the ball, providing correct angle for impact).  Next lesson will be the swing, and the third the ’short’ game – Oh it’s very exciting… yeah and frustrating when you only hit a few good balls out of a bucket

Practise, practise, practise….

If you get a chance to poke your nose through the clubroom doors and look around do so.  I do laugh at the old Scottish tartan curtains hanging there - they are in need of an overhaul.

The old boys all have their bottles of spirits on the tables (apparently the same table every time), then the middle aged boys have their bottles of red wine (also on their set tables) and there isn’t a woman in sight.

So, here is to more bend, tilt and drops!

Wellington Phoenix Rock!

What a great game – I was lucky enough to get in to the Ericsson box at the stadium to watch the Nix take on Melbourne. The 2-2 draw result is only the half of it!

The Nix played very well during the first half, their defence was great, particularly #4, the Brazilian! They had heaps of chances to score but failed to put the ball in to the back of the net.  The penalty goal was unfortunate which left the first half 1-0 to Melbourne after an extra 3Min’s of play.

Second half saw another goal to Melbourne – doh! Nix played like crap in the front line, couldn’t put the ball away, boring game.  Then out of nowhere the Nix got a second wind and managed to score not once but twice! The crowd was amped in its pants at this stage.

I don’t think I have even seen a crowd this excited at a rugby game for a while, shows you what a change to a game of soccer has done for the city!

I think the entertainment on the Fran Wilde Walk and in the park prior to the game was great for a family environment – Well done Phoenix corporate.

14,421 fans attended the game – lets hope they all come back for more! If you are an avid fan head to Yellow Fever for your Nix fix or to the Merchandise store on the cnr of Cuba and Dixon Sts.  Not much product in store yet but apparently they are getting more stock in daily over the next 3 weeks.  I hope their customer service picks up a bit more before then.

Here’s to another great game on Sunday Sept 9th 5pm against Newcastle Jets - Go the Nix!!

The Mighty Crampon Purchase

Man are these babies delish! Grivel, G14 crampons with forged steel front points perfect for extreme ice climbing and they look fabulous on the Scarpa Cumbre and Freney boots.

We got stung tax this time importing from US. Customs rang the other night saying we needed to pay GST and $22 Customs Fees… doh!

If importing from US your maximum duty free purchase is NZ$400 and from Aussie NZ$800. Yet, the reverse if you are importing from NZ the value is Euro1000 or 1000 whatever currency you are playing with.

Also, customs said don’t just send items in individual shipments to get around the maximum value as they will match them up, make sure there is a few weeks in between deliveries!

The only adjustments I need to make to my set of crampons is getting my bottom plate cut shorter as my boots are so tiny.

I also got us sets of snow gaiters from Bivouac in Mercer St.

Now we are ready to hit those Mountains!

Knocked Up

No it’s not me!! This movie was terrible, mum, Craig and I watched it in Ohakune, we all thought the same. The odd funny line but not really a movie to watch again. Yet, I have heard other people have enjoyed it…. hmm maybe watch it for yourself and make up your own mind.

Comedy: 2.5 pillows from me

Miss Potter

A good Drama for the female gender out there – it is a good story about Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children’s book, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”, and her struggle for love, happiness and success.

I watched it with my Auntie Vicki and cousin Monique who were down from Napier for a girls weekend in the big city. They went shopping and to a dance show etc etc

Biography/Drama: 4/5 pillows from me

The Best Ski Day this Season

Had a fabulous day up the mountain a week back – it rocked! Totally the best day I have had skiing his season, powder, a little sun, no wind and no crowds.

I now have my perfect ski day sussed, how can I possibly ski anything else? Fresh powder in the morning, crisp weather not too cold and not searing with heat, no wind. A few people around, as everyone knew it would be a great day up the Mountain but not crowded like school hol’s etc.

I was a speed demon for the day, zoom zooming everywhere – until the boys went screaming past me.

I thoroughly enjoy having the Tune-Ups ear candy in the Giro (Omen) helmet, makes it a lot easier to answer a call – texting is a pain though, as mittens and cell phones do not mix well.

Olympic Football Team Lose

I went and watched the last game of the season for the Olympic Football Team that Craig coaches – Wow what an experience!!

I have never seen so much adrenalin rushing on and off the field! The Greeks definitely know how to wind themselves up… and me!

The passion they have and show for this game is amazing. I actually think they are lucky to have a coach, the lack of respect I saw today wouldn’t have me putting up with the crap Craig did – boy I could have knocked this old guy out. He over ruled a call the coach had made to put a young player on by yelling to this young guy, ‘Do not get on that field boy, you will not get on that field.’ The young guy walked away in a sulk, then wouldn’t listen to anyone else.

Then the old man had a go at the player after the game – I cannot believe what I saw today.

One guy got sent off for arguing with the ref, he had been getting louder and louder prior to his red card, you could see that one coming.

This is just the tip of the iceberg… my blood is still pumping!

BTW… they lost to Miramar 7-2, an arse whipping. (It may have been more but I lost count after 7)

Can’t say I saw any good football from Olympic, Miramar put some nice shots away and deserved to win. They held composure during the heated moments – this is what lets Olympic down – try telling a Greek that.

Still cannot get over the fact that the sideline dictated that last part of the game – if I saw the old geezer again I’d probably send him a line or two – but then again the money still talks doesn’t it?

Anyway points to Craig for doing such a great job with the team and putting up with the shit that goes with the role – reminded me why I don’t play team sports.