The crossing

Tongariro and Ngauruhoe
Emerald lakes
Red crater on Tongariro
Jo, Jack and Sean with Ngauruhoe behind


All went really well. Took about seven hours, with an early start of 6 am. Jack walked well.

The craters looked amazing the lakes and ground steamed around our feet. The army was apparently practicing off in a far valley, but at the time we were convinced the craters were booming! Very scary.

The weather was perfect, still and mild for the ascent, bright sun with a breeze on the tops and then overcast for the trek down and out through the forest.

All over and back to our car by 2.30pm and zoomed off to Taupo for a lovely relaxing spa or two.

Fondue do

Had a fondue do last night to celebrate Ben turning 21. His dad provided the beef, venison, rabbit, blue cod and paua ( all culled with his own fair hands) for the main, while I did the dessert fondue; chocolate, fruit and marshmellows. Veges were optional. Tequila seemed to be the drink of the evening. Fun times.

Today I was in at the dojo, I have a good routine that gets me through all my syllabus and keeps the heart rate up for 45 minutes, ends with a circuit - ugh, burpies are hard on my back. But loving getting back into it all. Stairs tomorrow then away for the week to the North Island and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The long range forecast is improving for our time up there, however there are swarms of jellyfish at Mt Manganui -double ugh!

Ben 21

1 week

2 years

7 years

14 years

18 years

Just a day

Today turned into a rest day. Listen to the body! I was just was a little sore in too many places to head in to the gym for another cardio session, this is the joy of being in what I'm calling week -1. Next week is week 0, more holiday, with no programed training apart from a seven hour wander amongst some volcanoes (although I'm dithering about taking my gi to Auckland, there is a class on Monday night I could attend...might do that yet). So this week was a ease in after Christmas and I feel as though I've done OK. Weights again in the morning.

Tomorrow night we are having a do for Ben who turns 21 on Monday (When I'll be away). Phew 21! I was married, owned a house , and had been working for 4 years by the time I was 21. Ben is at varsity completing a psychology degree, and has just moved away from home into a flat last week.

It won't be a big party, just a few family and friends. He wants to fire up some fondues, so his dad will come up with a variety of meat; venison, rabbit, paua, etc. While I get to do the chocolate and fruit for dessert. Half the family is still away on holiday, so we will do a big family lunch later in the month. I've spent the evening baking kiwi biscuits (Chocolate chip cookies) and sausage rolls - some of Ben's favs.

I've also put together a photo album and Cd of Ben from 0 - 21 years old. It was a very nostalgic trip thru my life, his smile seems to falter at about 7 when my first marriage broke up. And the photo of my mum with all the children, 5 days before she died, made me cry. It's been 9 years, but I've been missing here more and more lately - very odd

Slow start

Lazy days at home and work. I love this time of the year, even at work it feels like a holiday and is so relaxed. Great being there on my own, getting thru heaps of backlogged work.

The gym is all good too. Going at odd times as they are still on their Christmas hours, good to have a steady programme again and I can feel a little burn here and there. Not looking forward to the early morning starts that will take over in a week or so.

Been to the dojo a couple of times, amazing what you(I) forget in three weeks. I guess my new stuff just hasn't bedded into my brain yet. The floor isn't any softer either.

Went to Twilight tonight - wasn't looking forward to it as I loved the books, but once I got over the shock of the faces not being the faces I had in my head it was pretty good, mindless entertainment anyway.

16 weeks

Well, really it's 14 weeks until my grading. This week is an oddity with me home alone (yee hah!) and not working much and then I have a week away in the North Island doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing - hopefully getting better weather than this! And then the fun really starts...

Training up for my 1st kyu grading. I have had a great chat with Senpai Di and between us have nutted out a training schedule. I've eased back into the gym this week after a few months of lack lustre attendance and I started with the lovely stairs again - a little depressed at how hard they are.

I know that a lot can be achieved in 14 weeks, but for me it's a matter of finding a good balance between work and exercise. I tend to be filled with guilt over what I haven't done rather than pleasure at what I have achieved. It's all so subjective as well - fitness. Sometimes when everything hurts and you're tired out it's very hard to remember that you're doing OK.

I struggle (a tad) with the whole food thing too. Always wanting to lose weight and yet knowing that I am perfectly fit and heathy as I am - a good fighting weight :-) But there is always that dream of looking great in a bikini - pipe dream that it is at 46. I am soooo shallow!

So anyhoo, yesterday I had a great weights session at the gym, ran some stairs, did my push ups, and ate healthily. Today is cardio at gym and call into dojo (first time since 6 Dec!) and run lightly over my sylllabus. Classes don't start up until end of Jan.

Plus I get to babysit Phoebe today - bonus, bonus, bonus.

Cruise pix

Not so pretty, but home is home. Vollendam docked at Port Chalmers.

Story seas just off Milford Sound.

Captain Cook's Cottage - in Melbourne of all places!

Last Supper.

Seán, Jo and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The little things

The Cruise was fabulous and Seán's lectures to the Elderhostellers were well received. I throughly enjoyed life onboard the ship as could be expected - little to do except read, eat and mooch about. Not withstanding the norovirus outbreak of course!

Favourite moments were; entering our cabin every night to find an origami towel creation, loved these ones the most; choosing from the menu each evening - such yummy food and no cooking or washing up to do for two weeks; chatting to the lovely people in our tour - especially Fran, Dorrie and Geri (our tablemates); visiting my home town at midpoint of the cruise and popping home with the children.

Tents and itouches

In a tent in Arrowtown with my daughter using her itouch and the neighbours wireless connection! They haven't passworded it, duh! Lovely night starry sky. Night night :-)

Cruisy

Five weeks to cruise time. Coming out of a long cold winter the body is a little pallid and while it's karate ready it's not so bikini ready. Not that it’s a tropical cruise, but there do seem to be plenty of swimming pools on the boaty boat boat.

So, a few weeks of cardio blast at the gymbo, a little mindful eating, a walk a day and then a new bi-ki-ni to stun all those elderhostellers who will be sharing my boat.

I'm hiding away a few good reads for the trip as well. Including a smattering of NZ books that I 'should' read, being a good wee librarian. I imagine they will get left at the bottom of the suitcase though, and the light & fluffy chic lit will be chosen instead. But I can try.

Brown

I have been a 2nd kyu, brown belt, for a week now and only been to one class – that’s a bit of a record for me. Usually I can’t wait to head back in and learn my new syllabus, but I was pretty tired after this one. A few bruises, here and there, but mainly weary of training.

So, a week off…and gosh, I feel even worse. I think it’s a myriad of things; the end of winter, lots on at work, fighting off those bugs that I have successfully kept at bay for the last couple of months, etc. It could even be my stupid thyroid medication – big fuss in the news about side effects caused by a new formulation of a drug that 70,000 New Zealanders have to take. Weary, weary, weary.

It was a good grading though, I felt pretty decent most of the time – can’t jump for nuts and the stairs that I have been racing up and down for months felt ten times worse on the day– but hey, that’s the point I guess.
So, my next six months (apart from learning my new syllabus) is all about learning to spar – better protection and better techniques – punching, kicking. I want a yokogeri like my daughter’s.

Anyhoo, the photos are pretty crap so only a before and an after. And I guess I’ll drag myself down there next week.

Glorious wattle

Spring is just around the corner and our wattle is in full bloom. Each morning we wake to tui and bellbirds singing as they fossick for nectar – or whatever it is they fossick for in trees.

Is there such a thing as light sparring?

No, and the bruises prove it.

Mind the head

An update as instructed…

Ok, ok, Senpai, I do feel guilty about not heading down to the dojo tomorrow at 6am, but it’s just so cold!!! I have no excuse; I’m just not going. And worse, I probably won’t make Tuesday night class either – work thing, grrrr.

One of my favourite senpai sent me the following video clip with the helpful comment “What do you think of my new move?” Much is made of me not protecting my head and much is made of a certain other senpai, who will be visiting on the day of my grading, being able and willing to kick to the head. It was enough to make me wince. Whether it’s enough to make me block my head? Who knows?

A snowy day on the bus

Last Saturday up in Halfway Bush. We usually cancel the buses when the weather is like this, but it caught me unaware and once I was heading up the road it was too tricky to turn back. Fortunately the bus is quite heavy and, while it was snowing, it wasn’t icy so there was no slipping or sliding.

I even had the right bus for the conditions - note the penguins on the side :-)

Excuse the photos, I only had my camera phone.

Beach training - Timaru June 22nd

A couple of new senpai

Last fight is over

A hug with mum at the end. Zoë's friend and mentor,Senpai Di rushes up from one side while Sensei Seán, Zoe's brown-belt teacher (and stepfather), comes from the other side.

Zoë's last fight was with me, Grrrr!

I was told halfway through the grading that I would be Zoë's last fight. The candidates often get to choose their own last fight person - often their training partner or an inspirational teacher and Zoë had been thinking bout two or three different people. But she wasn't given the choice in the end. Jun Shihan told me it was me and I was flabbergasted, It was a big honour to be given to a green belt! So I asked a few blackbelts for advice and was told to go really hard out. So I did.

Awesome Zoë

Well, my wee girl just rocked. Most amazing weekend; from the trip up to Timaru, when she got a little emotional, to the day of her grading where she shone right though to the last fight - which was with me!