Auckland Half Marathon 2011

Auckland turned on another beautiful day for marathon day this year - perfect sunshine, light breezes, temperatures that would have got up to the high teens by late morning.  I was only doing the half this year - I haven't got nearly enough work in to consider doing the full.
After some horror stories of people missing the start because the ferries across to Devonport were too full to transport everyone, I decided to be safe and get one of the earlier ferries - ended up on the 4:30am one.  Seems like a bit of a silly time to go for a cruise on the harbour really.  I then ended up sitting around for a couple of hours in Devonport ferry terminal until it was race time.
The race itself was more crowded than I would really like - 7000+ runners means it was always busy and you had to weave in and out a little bit the whole way.  The North Shore section of the race is really quite hilly - more than I remember from the full last year (that part of the course is the same).  The second half of the race showed that I hadn't really done enough miles - I had intended to be able to kick on a little, but didn't really have much energy left.  Oh well.  1hr48-ish will have to do for this year.  It's a PB by somewhere around 5min, so I can't really complain!

Strange sleeping

Joanna sometimes has a sleep in the afternoon, sometimes she just plays during rest time.  Sometimes she plays for a bit first, and then ends up sleeping in some really weird positions: Sleeping Super-Hero:

Yes, she really was fast asleep, standing up like this:

New rail...

Just got around to putting up a new rail above the stove - for hanging a handful of implements and oil bottles.  I reckon it looks pretty good - let's see how functional it is.

Ice skating report...

Mel mentioned the other day that we were going to go ice skating... the kids were really excited at the idea, but had no idea what it was really like.  They discovered that it's actually kind of hard!  Mel went for a spin around the rink first to make sure she could stay upright before taking Ben round.  Ben really struggled to stay upright, spending most of the time hanging onto Mel with his feet sliding all over the place.  Joanna wasn't a whole lot better, although she didn't thrash around quite as much as Ben.  With a little bit of practise, Ben was getting slightly better, although he still hadn't quite worked out how to effectively propel himself forwards.

I managed to stay upright going round by myself, so took Joanna round as well - which worked fine until we were about 2m from the edge, when I sprawled on the ice with Joanna next to me.
They both enjoyed the experience - I think it was a little different from what they were expecting though - not quite as easy as gliding along effortlessly!

4 Seasons

One of the things we like about Hamilton compared to Brisbane is that each season lasts its traditional 3 month period. We get warm summer, autumn which get cooler and the leaves change colour and fall off the tress, winter which is cold and wet and spring where the sun gets warmer, the bare trees grow new leaves and the flowers bloom.

The one problem I have is with clothing in spring and autumn. As the weather is changing either cooler or warmer, some days are suitable for shorts and t-shirts, some days long shirts and pants are needed. Which means for at least a couple of months in each of the seasons the kids need both summer and winter clothes at hand. Which makes for messy drawers and regular weather checks in the morning so the kids make suitable clothing choices for the day.

We're going ice skating...OUTSIDE!

There is currently and outdoor ice skating rink in the city. It is something that I've seen in movies and magazines and have always thought it would be a cool thing to do (the outdoor ice skating thing - I've done a lot of ice skating indoors). The kids have never been ice skating. So we thought it would be a great family activity - something we would never get to do in Brisbane and probably will never get to do again (this is a one-off thing that the council has set up for the duration of the world cup).

(It has been slammed by locals and others as the council wasting rate payers money, I probably agree, but will still take the opportunity for a possibly once in a lifetime experience)

Cookie cutter produce

While preserving our harvest of leeks this morning, I was pondering the nature of modern recipe books. When fruits and vegetables are listed in the ingredients of most recipes, in most recipe book, they simple just list a number - not a weight. But anyone who has grown their own fruit or veggies know that they can come in a variety of sizes...For example leeks (seeing as that is what I was dealing with at the time), the only way I've seen leeks listed in a recipe is by number eg. 2 leeks, finely chopped. However you can have tall leeks, short leeks, fat leeks, skinny leeks so that the amount of chopped leek you have could vary greatly. Which got me thinking...have modern recipe writers succumb to the supermarket 'cookie cutter' approach to fruit and veggies, where they demand they are produced to look all the same size, colour and shape. Or are they just lazy and can't be bothered working out more specifically how much of a fruit or veggies is required (by working out a weight).

Obviously I realise that recipes should be used a guide and there is room in any recipe to make adjustments and variations based on personal preferences. But for those who are culinarily challenged and like to be able to follow a step by step recipe and have the finished product look the same as the picture, a more specific measure would be helpful/reduce stress.

Good news!

After fearing I had not earnt enough (marking QCS papers) to pay for our flights to Brisbane...I got paid this week and it was enough to pay for the flights with about $200AUD left over. (That's after tax, so I'll still also get another $200 after I fill out my tax return next year)

Zoned out

My brain feels like it has used up all it 'data' and is on slowed down speed this morning. Not much getting done.

Got him finally!