I love being near the sea

Hi there

Below:  Worser Bay, Wellington

Below: Oriental Bay

I love that there's so many swimming beaches around Wellington.

I can walk over the hill to Worser Bay or walk along Cobham Drive to Hataitai Beach.  In the car, it takes about five minutes to get to either of these beaches.   At weekends, I can catch the return East West Ferry from Seatoun Wharf to take me across the harbour to Days Bay.  Oriental Bay is a hop, skip, and a jump away from the CBD.

going to the gym

Hi there

I've now been 30 years going to gyms.  I used to go to Aerobics and I got very thirsty.  Thirty years ago, however, it was considered sissy and weak and not-right to want to take a drink during an intense aerobic class.

I didn't care one bit.  I momentarily slipped apart from my centre-of-the-room class to gulp down some water.  I got lots of snobby looking-down-their-noses looks from other aerobicisers/

Funny, isn't it, how now in gym classes we're encouraged to take drinks of water between or during exercise?   Oh, yeah, I am such an innovator...

Valentine's Day at Hataitai Beach

Hi there

I was happily swimming at Hataitai Beach.  I looked over the road to see which flag a nearby house-owner had flying today.  I love it that often I see other countries' flags as well as the New Zealand one.

But today -   Hey, what the - ?  Which country's flag was that  - ?

Oh of course.  Today is Valentine's Day, February 14!  And NZ is one day ahead of the rest of the world.  Yay.

I love this house-owner...

My latest holiday

Hi there

Okay, yes, another holiday.  I mentioned to a friend, some time back, that I always seemed to be sick or injured when I was on holiday.  He looked at me as if I was completely thick and said, "Because you're always on holiday!"

Oops...

I went to Nelson, at the top of the South Island, this past week.  Two days before I left, I sprained my knee.  Again.   The doctor put me on ACC, which means we get cheaper or free medical help when we're involved in any sort of accident from something as simple as a grazed knee, up to a road crash (and in NZ no one can sue).

My worst bad-knee moment?  Outside the door at Nelson Airport, attempting to get into a shuttle car.   I screamed blue murder as I stepped up into the SUV.  Birds squawked in fright,  passengers heads swivelled towards me.  Air crew gawked.  The shuttle driver and me were both so embarrassed.

I went to a physiotherpist.  She gave me a crutch which didn't really work for my jaunty hiking image.  I'd gone down to Nelson to daily section hike the nearby Abel Tasman National Park, from Kaiteriteri.   Well, that was out of the equation.  I did go down to Abel Tasman but could only sit on Anchorage Beach.  I tottered down to the sea like a fragile baby turtle negotiating hazards.

below Kaiteriteri Beach

below: Tides Restaurant at Trailways Hotel in Nelson City.  A lovely place for a meal.