bits and bobs...

I so don't like that expression, but nothing else came to mind when writing this post...

Last weekend Patrick and I headed up to Marlborough Sound because Glynn and Jayne were getting married. Proper wedding of about 4 days...pfieuw! I think we all had a great time because of the location, the people, the 'getting to know each other' and the happiness of a wedding in general. Of course! I spend most of my time doing hikes, going kayaking with millions of dolphins, chat with new lovely people, play volleyball and admittedly I also got dressed up like a girl. And we danced...lots!

Loads of pictures are taken, none of them are mine. Patrick has some nice ones on his blog (and none of those are his...) Have a look and enjoy.

Then, finally, this weekend was a lazy one. Yes. A weekend in Christchurch! I made some nice dinners for friends as a thank you for always picking me up by car for all those wednesday walkies. Gin and tonic master was in the house as well...mjummie.
We (Steve, Patrick and myself) did some biking the next day and on Sunday Patrick arranged my Christmas present: a picnic. Lovely if I may say so! Nice fresh bread, good champagne and he even scored some Dutch cheese!

And on a more geeky note: I could not get around it anymore...communication to Europe is seriously failing so...I bought a laptop. Which meant that Patrick did the proper research online (geek as he is...), we went into several shops (read: he chats with the sales person while I drink my smoothie quietly next to them and try not to look to puzzled) and at the end I was more than happy to get the card and pay. And the next step was very predictable and recognisable too....Patrick wanted to play...Looks familiar, doesn't it Sjoerd??

Don't get me wrong though: I love it that way. Get the stupid thing going the way I would like to and then I will use it. Whoever wants to play...be my guest. Next step Internet at home...what a mission...

Inland pack track

Two weeks ago we (a bunch of 8) took off for a nice beautiful (easy) hiking trip on the West Coast. The Inland Pack track. Sort of fairy tale scenery: secret side tracks, little and big caves, good weather, pitoresque camping site next to the river and a lot of hiking through the river itself. Good stuff.

Water from everywhere...where are the gnomes?

Funny water gnome...

Secret track...

Nice lunch spots...

Great food...and great people

Bums...and men doing the dishes...

Fantastic camping!

All pictures are taken by Berit: thanks!

Katrina has send me some excellent pictures of ice climbing from a few weeks ago. So I thought I would put them up to prove that I did it...(not that you can see it is me...but still) In all honesty it looks more scary on the picture than it really is...Let's say Katrina is a good action photographer!!

Ice climbing

In July 2008 I went on a hike with some friends and I made some really nice 'icy pictures'. During that freezing, snowy hike I learned that Paul and Bronwyn love ice climbing.



'Wauw' did I think back then. Since that time I've been dropping hints on how amazing that must be. I mean, ice climbing on a glacier: I have never been on a glacier before (when travelling around with Eefje last year, I saw it for the first time), let alone climb one...crampons, ice axes and just 'walk up' an ice wall...



So again, I was planning on having a cruizy weekend, but when Paul asked me whether I wanted to join them, I was totally excited to give it a go!



On Friday we took off to Franz Josef glacier, to climb it the next day. An hour walk to the glacier, and then an hour walking on the glacier to find that perfect first ice wall to climb. The walk itself was interesting enough: I love the ice (mind you: it is summer here!)



First climb was very interesting. Paul and Bronwyn explained to me what to do and off I went. First meter up was fine, and then adrenaline kicked in. Honestly? I haven't been that scared in a long time...I was just hammering those ice axes in, pulling myself up thinking '...must...get...up...there...'. Totally forgot about the technique, my feet, my hands etc: it was just purely using my arm power to get up.



Half way through I stopped to catch my breath and I thought about going down and never ever do it again or continue and do better next time. One guess what I did...However, not surprisingly that I was completely pumped when I finally reached the top.



Paul and Bronwyn must have giggled though...



So before the second climb I went through the technique again with Bronwyn and this time I absolutely loved it: it went great, I was thinking clearly and it was absolutely cool. I really liked it. When I got down, Bronwyn was smiling. Probably very satisfied.



No pictures of me climbing up the wall (will check with Katrina or Rebecca if they have any...)

Ahum...Hello, anybody?

I know I know, what is keeping me with an update. In all fairness, there are several reasons, all with their own solution...
1) I do so many fun activities during weekends. Even if I think I will have a quiet(ish) weekend it turns into an active one. 'We are going kayaking, grade 2, down the Hurunui river, wanna come?' or 'We are going hiking to the West Coast for 3 days and you are coming with us' or 'There is a place free in our car to go ice-climbing, are you interested?'.
Solution: just go and enjoy. Live now, is my NZ motto!

2) I realise not having a computer is starting to become a nuisance. I cannot write the amount of emails I would like to do, nor do I have time to blog at work (obviously). Furthermore, skype would be useful to keep in touch, but if there is no computer, talking into cyberspace becomes quite difficult...
Solution: buy a laptop as soon as I have a free weekend to look into those horrible gadgets (can you see the paradox between point 1 and 2 appearing...I can...)

3) I hate to say it, I am crawling away in shame, but after 6 month in my exhilarating job, my lovely job has recently taken over. My project was kicking off in February (the actually launch and the first teaching sessions) and that has taken more time than I wanted. Last minute budget changes, adjustments to the workshops and just first time teaching takes way more preparation time than the next ones. Working 12 hours per day became more than 'incidental'. And, as you probably know, this is my biggest fear...falling back into that old rhythm of working my ass off. The good thing about my job is (although, this happened in my former job too: I just like working...), that the project is doing well. My parents always call me a 'regeltrien' and that is a good characteristic to have when doing project management. And the teaching: I truly, absolutely love it. And even though I say so myself, I am good at it. Of course there is always room for improvement (life would be boring otherwise!), but it went amazingly well. So the solution to this issue is simple, though extremely tricky for me:
Solution: cut back on hours... Sounds simple, but for those who have been there before: it is absolutely not easy to do. So good thing I have climbing buddies who want to climb at 5.30, Wednesday Walkies at 7 (which I have been cancelling...) biking buddies who want to be ready to go at 6, a boss who gets seriously angry at me for working to much, a lovely Patrick who verbally assaults me if I stay in work too late and in general friends who do the things I mentioned in the first reason of not updating the blog regularly.

Enough excuses though. Behold: the last 6 weeks in 'vogelvlucht' [bird view: I like the Dutch word, sorry!]. Enjoy!

1 week ago... and last weekend while I am at it!

A week ago the most significant thing that happened was that Warrick, a good friend of Patricks, decided to drag Patrick in his kayak off the Hurunui River. Being the only one who never done proper kayaking, I got myself a 'sit-on-top' kayak and I went along with the cool people.

Thank God I'm comfortable in water and that I learned so much on the rafting trip in November, otherwise I would not have been as relaxed as last week. Result: I'm afraid I have another hobby to add to my list...It was great!

And this weekend Patrick had enough of my work ethics and he forceful dragged me to Akaroa where we had a relaxing weekend. The weather was crap on Saturday so it turned out to be lazy easily (for some people it comes more natural than others ;-)
So I finally had time to read. Some old Dutch newspapers my mum send me ages ago...I do love those proper newspapers. Ever thinking of sending me something: send me your old 'zaterdag Volkskrant' and I’m happy.

Of course we played some games and finally I got my act together: I won most of them. I think my brains were too tired from work lately to beat Patrick. Good to know I am back! (except for Penté, I'm still learning the tricks...)

All pictures from the past 6 weeks are stolen of Patrick's blog (although some of them are taken by me, thank you very much...).

2 weeks ago...

The great thing about being friends with Steve is that he is a fantastic hiking organiser. With 8 of us we went over to the West Coast, where I hadn't been since my first time in NZ. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. We camped near some extraordinary hot pools and the second day we did a 10 hour ish day walk. Beautiful, knackered but if you are having fun with the people around you, it's truly blissful.

Since I was absolutely tired from work, knackered from the walk and I had eaten some food which didn't agree with me, I got sick overnight (I couldn't walk, I felt miserable and I had a fever). Yes, the body is a great system of telling you that you do too much!

Luckily it was gone by the next day, so going back was fine!

4 and 3 weeks ago...

The lovely Patrick turned 30. Massive shock for him, but strangely enough the world just continued as it did before...But I have to admit that his English Garden party was a big hit. Fantastic hit.

Loads of great pictures (see his blog), but this one is lovely because it shows Berit and myself. Berit is mostly a climbing buddy, but basically a 'everything-else-too' buddy.


So difficult to buy something for the birthday boy, so I decide to take the easy way out and organise a weekend away with a theme. Turning 30 means that you are getting old, so what can you do to stay young? Exactly: do a competition, do something you have never done before and do some exercise.

As you might know, Patrick and I both have got a golf fetish, so when we noticed a sign 'Dutch Golf' a few months before, we had to do that. Which is basically 'boerengolf'. It was really fun. Let's keep it at that. Yes I lost with 1 point, but I did get to be the new 'course champion'. Damned proud I was (not)...

The something new element was horseback riding. I loved it, and I almost wet my pants by watching Patrick do his best not to fall off. It was hilarious. Poor Patrick, he is never going to do it again. But he tried which keeps him young...!

And bad luck for us, all the mountainbike tracks at Hamner were closed due to fire danger...Or good luck for the lazy among us...