...long time no write. Well its all been relatively normal over the last few weeks. Been walking down the hill to work in the mornings., going to the office, walking along the harbour front at lunch times and if Im still feeling healthy walking back up again. Been trying to get fit for our big walk over Christmas - the Keplar track which is a ridge walk over 4 days. We will be in hut 2 for Christmas day - unfortunately that means carrying our dinner up the hill on day 1, but it will be well appreciated. We just bought new cooking pots for our gormet pasta and sauce or hopefully something a bit more festive! Also been going to pilates for those abs of steel so hopefully I wont crumple under the weight of the rucksack....and a wee bit something different which leads me to....
Ian and Karens most amazing day...
On the weekend just past it has to be admitted that we were having a bit of a social tumble weed moment and were missing friends and family.... Then Ian (being a total gem) suggested on Sunday we go for a kayak in Welly harbour. So we just hired the double kayak for an hour and paddled around oriental parade including through the big fountain in the sea. This was entirely Ians fault as he wouldnt stop paddling, though he did say he did slow down eventually - like when I was under the fountain getting soaked! So I soaked him with my paddle (ahh sweet revenge!).
So we were pottering around the harbour for an other while when we heard a scream and Ian shouted "karen. Dolphins. Lots of them. Paddle fast!) Wow there were loads of them - my guess is 100 or so. They were swimming really fast in a big circle
round the harbour hunting fish and ...playing! They were jumping and twisting and riding just below the front of the kayak. They were all around us and the other 10 or so kayakers who were out. One even came up and squirted Ian in the face - I really like seeing them race in and out of the water, jumping and flicking their tails in the air. So for an hour we paddled like mad to keep up with them. It was great!
Apparently about half a dozen times a year the dolphins corner shoals of fish in the harbour and go on a mad feeding frenzy. So we joined in and had fish and chips for dinner. I actually did dream about dolphins that night - I dont think I will
forget that experience.
Christmas...
We got a tree up last week yippee! - and its really cool as Ive never had one before (Ian had a Christmas weed once with some flatmates). Ive included a few photos of what is quite possibly the ugliest tree in the southern hemisphere - though we did cut off a random branch and tied it to the big gap on the trunk of the tree. I think northern hemisphere trees are definately a better shape for hanging the baubles on. Saying that there arent going to be too many trees in the southern hemisphere
with a knitted santa claus! (I actually knit these first in primary school - Jen actually still had the pattern - must be a museum piece by now).
So its 7 working days to go and counting - cant wait!
Karen x
