Life in general
Posted on Sat, 30/06/2018
Our very first hangi experience I am ashamed to say, is the one we needed to create when Monique Fiso was here. She may have sent thru a list of what tools and accessories we needed, but other detail was somewhat limited,...>>>
Posted on Thu, 05/04/2018
A wonderfully inspiring lecture in this age of extremism and polarisation. I do want to believe that the rise of the hate groups that we are currently experiencing through the world is not an end point. The pendulum...>>>
Posted on Sat, 28/10/2017
W're about to head out for brunch with Hannah, an occasional event that I look forward too, because even though we live in the same house, our respective weekly routines mean that we don't often get to catch up, so...>>>
Posted on Sat, 16/09/2017
It must be springtime because my interest is piqued by gardening again - something I've never been as consistently dedicated too as I'd like to be. By happy chance I got to watch this video, and thought it was utterly...>>>
Posted on Tue, 08/08/2017
By a somewhat circular path we ended up with a couple of nights to use at The Round Tent in Raglan an experience I really can't recommend highly enough. We'd done a cookschool on Sunday morning and...>>>
Posted on Sun, 23/07/2017
Have just finished watching this gentle but incredibly powerful documentary on sustainable agricultural practices. Can't recommend it highly enough. The genuiness and sincerity of the people involved shone through...>>>
Posted on Sat, 15/07/2017
A particularly on point TED lecture regarding the amount of time that we are spending in front of screens, and what that can mean. I especially liked the concept of 'stopping cues', not something I'd contemplated...>>>
Posted on Mon, 06/03/2017
We picked Hannah up from Tauranga airport early yesterday evening, being a wee bit late to get there because we sidetracked to have a gelato after walking up the Mount for the first time in a long while. Hannah had just...>>>
Posted on Sat, 11/02/2017
Off road biking is an activity I hope to do more of in my future - the little sampling I've had so far has been enormously enjoyable, and it's something I aim to get fitter and better at. Even so I recognise that...>>>
Posted on Mon, 06/02/2017
After a pretty intense few weeks, Rick and I find ourselves at home alone for the next couple of hours, with no need to be anywhere and that includes for once at work. Even Benson has gone to crash out in the shade...>>>
Posted on Sun, 01/01/2017
Rick and I got home last night just in time to see in the New Year a deux, which after a big evening service felt kind of appropriate. He's headed out for a bike ride this am, and I'm doing my morning reading on line...>>>
Posted on Wed, 23/11/2016
An explanatory read about the reasons why people have voted for Trump, which kind of makes sense on the one hand, but which is unbelievably depressing on the other, because it offers no bridge, no way forward, no way of resolving...>>>
Posted on Mon, 14/11/2016
Just picked up on this video of the caving stage of the ARWS that Hannah is currently competing in. Felt ill watching the competitors trying to squeeze thru skinny gaps in massive walls of rock underground. Thankgod I...>>>
Posted on Sat, 12/11/2016
After weeks of spending far too much time reading stuff online about the in's and out's of the American election, the unthinkable has happened, and I'm almost unable to be bothered now going back online to listen...>>>
Posted on Wed, 09/11/2016
I haven't been able to be much of a presence at the restaurant tonight as I kept flicking over to the house to check the latest updates from America. I simply can't believe what has happened, and I've tried...>>>
Posted on Fri, 07/10/2016
I was interrupted while listening to this TED talk by a phone call from a gentleman wanting to quiz me over someone he was looking to employ. We had an amicable chat because the person he was questioning me about is...>>>
Posted on Wed, 28/09/2016
I am really trying to focus on something other than Donald Trump, but my morbid fascination in the man and his ascent within American politics continues. Watched the debate with Hillary Clinton yesterday and felt immense...>>>
Posted on Wed, 07/09/2016
I am trying really hard not to fixate quite so much on Donald Trump these days. To not spend too much time at the computor reading endless reports on the ghastly qualities of the man himself and the people around him. And...>>>
Posted on Thu, 01/09/2016
I needed to watch this today... But wait! There's more...this is wonderful stuff!! ...>>>
Posted on Tue, 23/08/2016
This video is some of the cleverest ironic viewing that I've had the pleasure of watching in awhile and it helps explain for me why people in the crowds are cheering Donald Trump when he makes the bizarre false...>>>
Posted on Tue, 16/08/2016
A short, sweet video interview of Courteney's coach, Carmen Small and her husband. Carmen has been so supportive of our daughter ever since her earliest days of riding in America, and though we have never met her in the...>>>
Posted on Sun, 07/08/2016
I'm supposed to be heading out for a walk, but thanks to a primer from one of my favourite columnists Grant Smithies, I've just watched a truly delightful 3 min long documentary on a wonderful chinese couple who...>>>
Posted on Fri, 22/07/2016
In amongst the incomprehensible madness coming out of the RNC convention at the moment, most of which I'm struggling to process, I found this video balm for the soul. Surely America can't go from this man to Trump......>>>
Posted on Sun, 10/07/2016
I have confessed a couple of times this week in general conversation with friends that I have an incipient sense of dread about the rise of nationalism and extremism across the world, because I don't see what can lance...>>>
Posted on Wed, 08/06/2016
Rick and I are currently obsessed by 'Homeland', riveting viewing, and an depressing commentary on the hate perpetuated between cultures, religions and countries. The human despair that results from that conflict,...>>>
Posted on Mon, 23/05/2016
A superb essay on the grotesque joke that is Donald Trump's rise to being presumptive nominee for the Republican Party. Can it really be true? ...>>>
Posted on Sun, 15/05/2016
Have just come back over to the house after a Sunday cookschool - nice class with interesting mix of people we know extremely well alongside some newbies, which all made for vibrant chat, and we lingered longer over coffees...>>>
Posted on Thu, 21/04/2016
A link from my eldest daughter - totally appropriate for me here and now, and says it all really.. and says it all rather well! ...>>>
Posted on Thu, 10/03/2016
An amazing man, an amazing speech - 'let death be what takes us not a lack of imagination'... ...>>>
Posted on Mon, 07/03/2016
The look on my daughter and my husbands face at the finish line of the B Grade road race at the local club champs yesterday kind of says it all. Rick thought he had the race sewn up, and she pipped him at the post. A state...>>>
Posted on Thu, 03/03/2016
Courteney has finally written a blog on where she is at currently and what her year ahead is looking like... and prior to that another blog on a rather special family trip we made back in January that involved pushing...>>>
Posted on Thu, 25/02/2016
I work out front in the restaurant, and that involves constant interaction with a wide range of types of people. Some are a positive delight and some I may be somewhat less enthusiastic about. Some are repeat customers who...>>>
Posted on Mon, 05/10/2015
Have a couple of hours of bookwork ahead of me, and by way of a slight procrastination I just happened to end up watching this, and had to share because it literally was laugh out loud!! Quite how the animators got that...>>>
Posted on Fri, 26/06/2015
Carmen Small is an ex team mate of Courteney's and now her coach, while still racing professionally herself. This interview with her makes for special reading, especially the bit at the end about little girls being inspired...>>>
Posted on Wed, 27/05/2015
Don't ever try and tell me that Weimaraners are scatty, as some people do..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_CrIu01SnM ...>>>
Posted on Fri, 15/05/2015
I needed this very clever and witty speech in my life this week! ...>>>
Posted on Tue, 21/04/2015
This link was sent to me by a dear friend, and I've forwarded it on to a number of close female friends as you do!! - but even Rick was laughing as he watched it. Brilliant!! ...>>>
Posted on Mon, 06/04/2015
Lots of queries from people asking how Courteney's racing year is progressing. Rick spends much time on the computor tracking and analysing race results, and calls me over occasionally when there's something...>>>
Posted on Sun, 22/03/2015
' House of Cards', and 'The Good Wife', are compulsory viewing in our household. Both are TV series with deeply cynical views of the political process, and I have no doubt that watching them...>>>
Posted on Sat, 14/03/2015
Courteney is back in America, the team camp is over, and they're at the start of a full on racing calender which will cover the next few months... and that means that here at home from now on it's...>>>
Posted on Sat, 21/02/2015
As I write this, both my daughters are far away competing in tough events, and I have no way of knowing how it's going for them, which means I'm pacing around a bit, trying to focus ( unsucessfully!) on other stuff. This...>>>
Posted on Sat, 14/02/2015
Been a lazy sort of day, which my head kind of needs in advance of Valentines night...ordinarily on a full night we will do 18 tables or thereabouts, tonite we are going to do closer to 30, and the phones have been ringing...>>>
Posted on Thu, 05/02/2015
I have been a fan of the Humans of New York facebook page for a long time now. There is something about the revealing glimpses into peoples live, all of which are framed in a completely non judgemental way, that are totally...>>>
Posted on Sat, 24/01/2015
Hannah is an adventure racer - she enjoys off road, more than she does keeping to the tarmac. And over the years of fronting up to some of her races in support, we've discovered that those multi - sporters are a different...>>>
Posted on Fri, 02/01/2015
A photo taken of Courteney while out on a training ride today... its a new year, and that means a new team and new kit... Contractually she has to wear team appropriate gear when training in public. Her mother is happy because...>>>
Posted on Fri, 21/11/2014
Road Cycling magazine have just done an interview with Courteney which encapsulates the year she's had and her plans for 2015. ...>>>
Posted on Fri, 21/11/2014
With the Christmas Cookschool series that we do each year, we very deliberately steer away from any traditional approach to Christmas cooking. Partly because we feel that those people who like to stay with traditions, will...>>>
Posted on Sun, 16/11/2014
During our daughters teenage years, we were frequently spending our Saturday and Sunday days, acting as a courier service to sporting events dotted all over the central North Island. Those roles frequently included supplying...>>>
Posted on Tue, 09/09/2014
I am not exactly technologically adverse - I use a smart phone and a computor, and can't now imagine life without them. But I do still prefer to write in my paper diaries in long hand, and I prefer my books to be made...>>>
Posted on Mon, 25/08/2014
My breathing is my bete noir - and limits me on a regular basis from making the kind of progress that I'd like too with exercise. Sometimes I feel like I'm taking one step forward and then have a lousy day, which...>>>
Posted on Sat, 02/08/2014
I know I should be big enough to see beyond, but sometimes you read something that just stops you short, and makes you splutter. We had a leisurely start to the day this morning, and had the Herald and the Bay of Plenty Times...>>>
Posted on Mon, 28/07/2014
The team Courteney races for in the States, Team Optum, were one of two American teams, chosen to race in La Course, which was a precurser to the men arriving in Paris at the end of the Tour de France. The professional...>>>
Posted on Thu, 17/07/2014
This is a very cool video of the team Courteney rides for in America.... ...>>>
Posted on Mon, 05/05/2014
A supposed friend sent me this photo today , with the statement " I've found us a Tshirt". Whatever did she mean?!? ...>>>
Posted on Sat, 03/05/2014
Just love this.. more and more in the restaurant we are observing smart phones out on the table with their screens glowing in the dim light, and people using them rather than talking to the people at the table with them....>>>
Posted on Tue, 08/04/2014
After six and a half years of study, Hannah has applied for and got a job, which to our great delight is here in Tauranga. She and Andrew love the Bay because they are exercise kind of people, and here they can run up...>>>
Posted on Sun, 06/04/2014
First major outing for our girl post surgery, and so nice to see her in team kit with a huge smile on her face at the start of the sponsered ride... ...>>>
Posted on Fri, 04/04/2014
One of my basic tenements in life, if you will, ( and it doesn't sound too grandiose!), is that women are equal to men - not the same, but equal. And being the mother of two female children, it mattered to me greatly...>>>
Posted on Tue, 01/04/2014
The latest copy of Uno has a large photo of Courteney and Anneke (a fellow ex-Otumoetai College student, who is professional tri-athelete), posed and buffed in their training kit. Inside Liz French has written a great article...>>>
Posted on Thu, 23/01/2014
Courteney's latest blog kind of captures where she's at - I'm getting asked alot by people how she is, and whats happening, and this kind of says it all......>>>
Posted on Wed, 15/01/2014
Need a bit of high octane positivety in my life right now, and got sent this by someone who figured it would put a smile on my face, which it has surely done!...>>>
Posted on Wed, 08/01/2014
A few queries from people wanting to know how they can keep track of Courteneys race on Saturday. This is the website that it will be streamed live from, and it starts at midday. Rick is currently dropping her over...>>>
Posted on Tue, 10/12/2013
Perfect for the start of my day - I've just had to unwedge myself from between the two dogs who bounced into the bedroom and curled up on either side of me on the bed, in the process kind of locking me into position. I love...>>>
Posted on Fri, 08/11/2013
Woke early this morning, and got up to do some work at the computor, rather than lying in bed thinking about it, and that now means I'm slightly ahead of myself for the day. We have a cookschool on this morning, and...>>>
Posted on Tue, 17/09/2013
Brad has built Courteney a fantastic new website - totally polished and professional looking. Now all she has to do is keep uptodate on the blog writing......>>>
Posted on Mon, 19/08/2013
Sometimes you listen to what people have to say, and you are reminded that there are some extraordinary human beings out there... and that can go along way to keeping your faith in humankind....>>>
Posted on Fri, 16/08/2013
Just home after a busy night in the restaurant, which I was was quite relieved about, because the week up until now, has been very quiet, way too quiet in fact for my peace of mind. Tonight has reassurred me that people...>>>
Posted on Tue, 13/08/2013
'A great meal served by warm hearted and generous souls makes you feel as though you've already been hugged and you have an overwhelming need to share the love' A quote from the latest Ideas in Food blog, that struck...>>>
Posted on Wed, 31/07/2013
The American racing season is coming to an end, and Courteney will be heading back to NZ in the near future. She's just sent thru this link to a very cool video that someone in the Womens Optum team has made of the year......>>>
Posted on Tue, 30/07/2013
The sort of worldly wisdom, that I think more of us should listen to more of the time... Old Farmer's Advice: Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. Keep skunks and bankers at a distance. Life...>>>
Posted on Thu, 18/07/2013
We are dog people - even though they can be inconvenient, demanding, messy and smelly. We love our dogs, and this pretty much covers most of the reasons, why I prefer to share my life with canine company......>>>
Posted on Fri, 12/07/2013
A delightful video, which proves irrefuteably that sometimes creatures who are different can still get on... Just wish I could convince our pooches that the default position on birds isn't that they are automatically to be...>>>
Posted on Sat, 06/07/2013
I'd just been feeling a little sorry for myself, because I'm currently following a 9 week programme, to get over my inability to run - to be able to breathe and run simultaneously would be rather a wonderful thing for me...>>>
Posted on Fri, 05/07/2013
An article on Jade, one of Courteney's team mates, in her professional team in America. Impossible not to be inspired......>>>
Posted on Sat, 29/06/2013
Friends in for dinner at the restaurant last night had come from the opening of the Jeff Thomson exhibition at the Tauranga Art Gallery, and showed me the invitation, which included a photo of one of the handbags he's made,...>>>
Posted on Sat, 15/06/2013
I recieved a card in the mail today, from a lady I am inordinately fond off, over something that happened in the restaurant last week. The sentiments expressed by her in the card, were sweet and much appreciated - but I've...>>>
Posted on Sat, 18/05/2013
A wonderful rendition of one of my favourite bits of music! - Loved the little boy on the drum......>>>
Posted on Thu, 11/04/2013
We had some friends in the restaurant last night who were enquiring as to Courteneys progress in the States, and I was explaining to them that she and her team had been in a large Tour at the weekend, the Redlands Cycling...>>>
Posted on Sat, 23/02/2013
Yet another hot, dry day - part of the continuum of this amazing summer we're having...I'm about to head out for a walk, to clear my head before what is going to be a busy service tonight. We're slightly understaffed out...>>>
Posted on Fri, 22/02/2013
Lots of queries from people about what 2013 holds for both our girls, and where Courteney is concerned I often wish I had a computor handy at the restaurant, to show people a series of photos like in this...>>>
Posted on Thu, 14/02/2013
Courteney will be just about be finishing her 2 week training stint with her team, in Califonia. She flies home on Sunday, to get in another 5 weeks or so of intense training before heading back to America and the start of...>>>
Posted on Tue, 12/02/2013
Courteney has just sent thru a request to get good friends of ours to tape the Sky TV coverage of the Elite National Road Champs, so she can watch it when she gets home next week. It includes coverage of both the male...>>>
Posted on Mon, 04/02/2013
We went over to the Mount this am, not that there was much view from the top, with such low lying cloud ? but given how much we all need the moisture for the parched earth, I decided not to mind too much. Usually the good...>>>
Posted on Fri, 25/01/2013
Rick and Hannah have just been out for a run, and coming home they cut thru the back of the restaurant and encountered by chance a couple who'd driven their car across the section and were loading a large bag of plums that...>>>
Posted on Wed, 16/01/2013
I happen to think that this woman is the best essayist out there - I impatiently wait for her to post her once a month article, and always read with pleasure. As usual, she has nailed the issues of guns in America with frank...>>>
Posted on Mon, 14/01/2013
Just had a good nights sleep in our own bed, after a whirlwind trip to Chch to watch National Elites. Courteney had an amazing race, and we are simply thrilled for her! We had catered a wedding the evening before...>>>
Posted on Fri, 11/01/2013
As a by the by, for those interested in following the race live, this is the link to the website where the feed will be happening. Courteneys road race, the Elite Women's, starts at midday, Saturday 12th....>>>
Posted on Thu, 10/01/2013
Have just sent out the electronic version of the newsletter - the hardcopy one will have to wait until Simpson Print come back from holiday on Monday, but wanted to lock in the dates for the next cookschool series, and knew...>>>
Posted on Fri, 21/12/2012
I went over to the restaurant about 10am this morning to have a cup of coffee with Rick and go over a couple of things for lunch service today, and 2 hours later I've flicked back over to the house to have a quick shower...>>>
Posted on Thu, 06/12/2012
Offiicial notification that Courteney has been re - signed by Team Optum, to race in America again next year. Exciting stuff for her, especially since they will also now be UCI accredited, which means the team can join races...>>>
Posted on Thu, 29/11/2012
I had a crap walk/run this morning - head just not in the right space, and didn't feel good out there, and didn't like the fact that I didn't feel good out there, so came home feeling a bit sorry for myself. And then watched...>>>
Posted on Mon, 12/11/2012
We went to see this movie last night, and it was a magical experience. A wonderful, uplifting delight. Two male protaganists from completely diverse backgrounds, who are both at heart, essentially nice people, and who ultimately...>>>
Posted on Sun, 11/11/2012
Nice! We didn?t reset the restaurant at the end of service last night, because Courteney had invited the Tauranga Cycling Club, to come by after the Sunday morning ride, to have coffee and cake and listen to her...>>>
Posted on Thu, 08/11/2012
I came back over to the house last night with a rather too large glass of wine, to read the round up of the election results, knowing by then that President Obama was definitely back in, but wondering if some of the remarkably...>>>
Posted on Tue, 06/11/2012
I have just come back over to the house after rolling out 100 small savoury rugalachs for a catering job we have on tonight. I was getting the vibe from my husband that he was feeling a bit under pressure, so I volunteered...>>>
Posted on Thu, 04/10/2012
Postgrad diploma capping... We think she's pretty impressive! ...>>>
Posted on Thu, 13/09/2012
This series of articles kept me sane, ( I had time to read them all...), while waiting for hours in St Georges hospital in Christchurch for my youngest daughter to reappear after having had surgery earlier...>>>
Posted on Sat, 08/09/2012
I had to apply a little internal pressure to get myself out the door this morning to go over to the Mount for some exercise. Rick and Courteney were heading out for a ride, and I figured the morning would be a good time for...>>>
Posted on Tue, 28/08/2012
We had friends for dinner on Sunday nite, and one hadn't really got her foot in the door before she was quizzing Rick as to his opinion on whether or not Lance Armstrong was a drug cheat, given all the publicity over the...>>>
Posted on Thu, 23/08/2012
Liked the interview with Brian Turner in the Herald this morning. A man who says much, succinctly. I have faith that 'emotion and reason will get you to a place of genuine feeling. Vulnerability is what I've felt...>>>
Posted on Thu, 23/08/2012
Courteneys year of racing in America is about to come to an end, and she is heading home next week. We have both our daughters due home actually, becos Hannah and Andrew will currently be getting on a plane in...>>>
Posted on Sun, 03/06/2012
A lady I'm very fond of, came in for dinner at Somerset the other nite, and as I moved to greet her in the bar, I wondered what it was that was different about her. Hadn't seen her in awhile, and somehow there was something...>>>
Posted on Tue, 22/05/2012
Everywhere you turn at the moment, you are beset by leaves - great shoals of dried leaves which waft across the road from the line of pin oaks and congregate in our carpark .Likewise the magnolia on the house side is currently...>>>
Posted on Thu, 17/05/2012
Got an animated email from our older daughter earlier in the week exclaiming over a food box that she'd just signed up for which she is going to get weekly. Smart business idea I thought - although possibly you'd need the...>>>
Posted on Sat, 05/05/2012
Courteney is currently racing in the Tour of Gila which is in New Mexico, and Ricks found this series of photos of the second stage that was raced yesterday and which give a feel for what she's experiencing. Lots of climbs...>>>
Posted on Tue, 24/04/2012
Copied from the Team Optum website - thats our girl in the middle!! Women Sweep Podium at Foothills Classic An orange and black sweep at the Foothills Classic road race. Meanwhile, back on American soil,...>>>
Posted on Thu, 22/03/2012
We had some special customers in the other nite who I hadn't seen in awhile, so there was much catchup chat as the evening progressed. Pauline always has the duck, but doesn't like it with any bones, so all staff are alerted...>>>
Posted on Sat, 17/03/2012
Both our daughters are racing this weekend - Hannah and Andrew are in a team in the 24 hour Arc Race up at the tip of the Coromandel, and Courteney has the time trial stage of the San Dimas Tour in California. I've been...>>>
Posted on Mon, 12/03/2012
Our day yesterday was planned around being able to sit at the computor from 1pm and watch a livestream of the first race Courteney has had in the States this year. It was a Criterium which isn't her preferred form of road...>>>
Posted on Thu, 01/03/2012
Apologies! - but Rick, who spends hours on the computor keeping up to date with racing results, has just alerted me to a new photo of our daughter in her team kit in America. Click on her photo - and you get the girl, looking...>>>
Posted on Thu, 23/02/2012
I am delaying going over to the restaurant becos it is currently hosing down, and I don't want to get my recently washed hair wet - otherwise it will go all frizzy! These things matter, ok?!! We have a leak in the restaurant...>>>
Posted on Fri, 10/02/2012
Courteney left for America on Monday. She is going to be based in North Carolina this year, but first she's gone direct to LA and straight into a 2 week training camp with her team. Last year she was based in Texas. Going...>>>
Posted on Mon, 30/01/2012
I was given a flight as a birthday present last year - the son of good friends who's training to be a pilot was going to take me up in a little Cherokee for a swish around the region. Couldn't have been less enthusiastic...>>>
Posted on Sun, 29/01/2012
Finally! They've formally announced the team Courteney is racing for in the States this year - Team Optum - a renamed ( becos of new sponsers), Colavita, previously one of the top teams. Our girl flies out in just over a...>>>
Posted on Fri, 20/01/2012
Professional cycling has become Courteneys life, and her calender year revolves around the major Tours. On Boxing Day she flew down to Nelson for the Tour de Vineyards, and from there she headed on to Christchurch for the...>>>
Posted on Thu, 19/01/2012
I am currently sitting writing the addresses on my second box of envelopes for those people who still want to recieve the newsletter by conventional mail. It takes me about two and a half hours to do a box, and is something...>>>
Posted on Sun, 08/01/2012
My husband came home today, and I have both my daughters heading home tomorrow , one from Christchurch and one from National Park, and tomorrow night I'll cook dinner and we'll all sit round the table and talk about stuff,...>>>
Posted on Sat, 07/01/2012
I am beyond excited! Courteney has just ( literally only moments ago!) got 2nd in the Road race at Elite Nationals. I'm waiting for Rick to ring me back - he's videoing the medal ceremony at the moment I think,. I've been...>>>
Posted on Tue, 29/11/2011
My dentist plays Andre Rieu DVDs when I'm in the chair, and I've never quite had the heart to tell Kevin that I find Andre just too nice for my somewhat prickly sensibilities. However, that said, even I had to...>>>
Posted on Sat, 26/11/2011
This is appropos of nothing really, but some of the following photos of warning signs came thru in an email from a gentleman who's delightful sense of humour causes me many a chuckle at my desk... These somewhat took my...>>>
Posted on Sat, 26/11/2011
I really do need to go for a walk, becos have a group coming in early tonite and need to be back in time to feel organised... But before I brace myself to do battle with the wind, I've been trying to sort thru my inbox and...>>>
Posted on Sun, 09/10/2011
The raffle has been drawn. Our lawyer came out and did the honours over a glass of pinot and general chat, and drew the name John and Glenis Cronin, out of the box. A huge thankyou to everyone who bought tickets - the response...>>>
Posted on Sun, 09/10/2011
The Motu Challenge which our family competed in yesterday, is a classic example of a multisport event in this country that attracts a wide range of people, from top athletes thru to the weekend adventurers who enjoy...>>>
Posted on Fri, 07/10/2011
We are all about to head out the door, on our way to Ohope where we stay overnite in a friends house, and leave before dawn to be in Opotiki at the start of the Motu Challenge. The family team has a slightly different...>>>
Posted on Sat, 24/09/2011
Well thats a pain! I've just wandered over to the restaurant to make myself a needed cup of coffee, and Craig, who's doing his prep in the morning so he can play soccer this afternoon, tells me that he has some bad news....>>>
Posted on Wed, 21/09/2011
Doug sent me this. It pasted a great big smile on my face as I worked my way thru the various company returns that I had to file with the Companies Office. As you do! I just wish I had that level of energy first thing in...>>>
Posted on Thu, 15/09/2011
My throat is still feeling a bit sore this morning, after a delightful evening of chat and laughter and general enjoyment down at Mills Reef for the 'Tarnished Frocks and Divas' show. I'd never been to the show before -...>>>
Posted on Thu, 15/09/2011
Great news! A text came thru from Errol Newlands last nite saying that Waikato had managed to win the contract to provide a world class velodrome. A determined group of special people have toiled incredibly hard to...>>>
Posted on Thu, 08/09/2011
Flash mobs are all the rage - and Ricks just pointed me in the direction of this one, which is quite appropriate for our family.' I want to ride my bicycle'. The skill and control of those young riders is just extraordinary.... And...>>>
Posted on Wed, 07/09/2011
These extracts from coffee advertisements in the 50s are a useful reminder of why I'm quite adamant about the fact that I am most definitely a feminist, and will always be one, even though I often get told that theres no...>>>
Posted on Sun, 04/09/2011
Home alone. Husband and Courteney left home at 7am this morning for a 5 hour bike ride as you do, so its just me, the dogs, Sunday papers, and the sun on my back. Not so bad really! Never bother too much with the Sport...>>>
Posted on Thu, 25/08/2011
The Road Cycling website has just contacted Courteney asking for her thoughts on how her international racing year has gone. For those interested, a link to the article......>>>
Posted on Tue, 05/07/2011
I wondered what Hannah was watching this morning on her computor and joined her in time to catch the spectacular approach to Whiritoa beach that had been our introduction to her ARC race this year. This link is to the video...>>>
Posted on Sat, 02/07/2011
The Kitchenaid is currently whipping up a buttercream, ( I love the way the Kitchenaid whips butter - it gets it so light and white). I've made orange cupcakes for Courteneys birthday cake, and will ice them shortly and smoother...>>>
Posted on Sun, 12/06/2011
Much against my preferred instincts, I had to get out of bed at 5am yesterday in order to be over in the Waikato for the start of the Maungatautari multisport race that Hannah and Andrew were competing in. My lack of enthusiasm...>>>
Posted on Tue, 07/06/2011
The Liberty Classic is done and dusted - Courteney finished a very respectable 13th, with her fellow Kiwi Team mate Kate in 12th place. This link is to a series of photos of the race, and if I've done it right the one you'll...>>>
Posted on Fri, 03/06/2011
Since my photography class on Tuesday, I've been taking lots of photos at different times of the day to try and get my head around the concept of white balance. Gone are the days when I'd simply turn on the camera and point...>>>
Posted on Fri, 03/06/2011
Courteney has been in America since early March, and is there for another month. All the racing she has been doing to date is building up to the Liberty Classic, the premier female race in the American cycling...>>>
Posted on Fri, 20/05/2011
Courteneys just sent us thru some photos of the 4 day Criterium tour which they competed in at St Louis. The final stage resulted in some drama and a broken wheel, with her running across the line to finish. She was part...>>>
Posted on Mon, 16/05/2011
Multi sporters are a different breed. I'm not quite sure how to describe it exactly, but over the years I've observed quite a cultural difference between the atmosphere at most cycling or triathelete events, and what happens...>>>
Posted on Mon, 16/05/2011
Kate Chilcott is the friend that Courteney has travelled to the States with. They are very literally, eating, sleeping and racing together, and in that intense environment, managing to our very great delight to stay friends. They've...>>>
Posted on Sun, 08/05/2011
Just been skyped by Courteney who's about to go to bed after a big day in which she had a fantastic result in the first stage ( of 4) of the Joe Martin Tour. Ricks out on his bike currently and will be gutted that he missed...>>>
Posted on Tue, 03/05/2011
I hate to confess that I've run away from the restaurant to come home to do some knitting. Bought myself a pattern and some wool today, and sat down just before I headed over to the restaurant earlier, to see if I could remember...>>>
Posted on Sun, 01/05/2011
With the style of restaurant that Somerset is, we get to deal with a wide range of people in our daily business life, and in general the vast majority of people who come thru the door, have done so, intent on enjoying themselves,...>>>
Posted on Fri, 15/04/2011
I came home from the restaurant about 9pm last nite, with a glass of pinot ( Michelle Richardson's actually!) in hand, keen to continue with my clearing out of all the office memoribililia that I've accumulated thru the years. Boxes...>>>
Posted on Sun, 10/04/2011
Oh the excitement!! Rick and I have just got up and are contemplating a leisurely breakfast over the Sunday papers, before we head to the table to 'do' the hard copy newsletter, and get it all folded and in the envelopes...>>>
Posted on Sat, 09/04/2011
Something to make you smile, I hope! Today has been glorious - the sun has shone all day, and I've spent a pleasant number of hours doing the addresses on the envelopes for the hard copy version of the latest newsletter...>>>
Posted on Sun, 27/03/2011
I am just waiting for Rick who's flicked over to the supermarket to get the Sunday papers to return, and will spend the next couple of hours happily ensconsed reading the papers. We've done a cookschool today, and the people...>>>
Posted on Fri, 25/03/2011
I will get over my daughters I promise! Am conscious that this week has been a procession of blogs regarding their sporting prowess, and I promise that the chest thumbing will come to an end, but before I do that I thought...>>>
Posted on Mon, 21/03/2011
Hannah has just sent me thru this link to photos from the Arc race at the weekend in which her team got 2nd. Have I mentioned that I think she's bloody amazing!! PS That link won't work, so after many emails backwards and...>>>
Posted on Tue, 15/03/2011
I had to miss my photography class today. Courteney was flying out to the States and there was never really, any serious discussion about me not being there to farewell her at Auckland airport, even if that meant I missed...>>>
Posted on Mon, 28/02/2011
I probably should be starting another blog category, specifically to deal with my daughters sporting prowess, becos I think this one seems to revolve pretty much around their undertakings, which was not my original intention. It...>>>
Posted on Sat, 19/02/2011
Rick and I are just pausing before we head out to take the food round for Marees wedding. Maree is an old staff member - she worked with us back in the early 90's, and then headed overseas. Shes now back and happily ensconsced...>>>
Posted on Wed, 16/02/2011
OK! So I know this is soppy, and maybe its just the nice mellow mood, that the cookschool we've just done has put me in, but somehow it encapsulates sweetly my sentiments on the need to be able to be happy with...>>>
Posted on Wed, 16/02/2011
Something to make you smile.... ( I hope!) Incidently where this was filmed is not far from where we'll be doing our cookschools in 2012. Must go and check a map......>>>
Posted on Thu, 10/02/2011
A heads up on the fact that Courteney is riding a tandem with Brian Kelly in the Classic Hits radio station ( 95fm), tomorrow - Friday 11th - at 7am. The riding will be stationary, presumabley on a spinner, the way...>>>
Posted on Tue, 01/02/2011
Have just been reading the latest newsletter from Koops Cycle - the cycle shop that my husband and daughters have such high regard for - and Phil had done a link to Courteneys latest blog on Elite Nationals, becos Koops and...>>>
Posted on Fri, 21/01/2011
Up early this morning, to get the newsletter done and dusted. We've been away for a few days, and I was very conscious that we needed to get the hard copy version of the letter out in the mail, and as always, a sense of relief...>>>
Posted on Sun, 26/12/2010
I know I've mentioned previously that I'm not religious - but oh!, this is simply irresistible!! The link has just been sent to me by a very special friend who we haven't seen in ages, and who is now about to be on...>>>
Posted on Sat, 04/12/2010
I read alot, simply becos its something I enjoy to do. Reading extends my horizons, gives me stuff to chew over mentally, and that is a process I have always done, since as long as I can remember. I find I can gain so much...>>>
Posted on Fri, 01/10/2010
We have tried! Oh , how we have tried to figure a way that we can watch the Elite Womens Road race tom live, but it isn't going to happen. I'm told that if I had an iphone or an ipad it would be easier, so thats something...>>>
Posted on Wed, 15/09/2010
Am just about to head out for a quick walk around the neighbourhood to clear my head, before I get in the car and drive back over to Waikato Hospital where my husband has been domiciled since Saturdays accident. Getting to...>>>
Posted on Mon, 30/08/2010
One of the unexpected side issues of my children and husband's propensity for sporting endeavour is that we get to end up spending time in parts of the country that we wouldn't necessarily get to see in the ordinary...>>>
Posted on Thu, 26/08/2010
Being not terribly experienced in the art of international travel, we were somewhat taken aback on our last big overseas trip when we flew from Paris to Cork on Air Lingus, and were expected to pay cash up front on board...>>>
Posted on Mon, 23/08/2010
Drove up to Auckland yesterday to watch Courteney race in the Auckland K1000, and the photo above is of the sprint finish between her and Melissa Holt - with the rest of the field some distance back. Courteney...>>>
Posted on Sat, 24/07/2010
Matt, one of our kitchen team has just come over to house with a container of strawberry plants that his mother promised me. Kim had split her plants and ended up with a number surplus, and offered them to me. Delighted...>>>
Posted on Tue, 18/05/2010
The local Kaimai Classic multisport race was on last weekend, and for the first time in a number of years, none of our family was in attendance. Hannah had been planning on doing the whole thing herself, and we were support...>>>
Posted on Tue, 20/04/2010
As I pontificated about at length last year, we had a litter of puppies a year ago to the day - one of the more stressful, but ultimately satisfying experiences that we've been thru. And definitely one that qualifies for...>>>
Posted on Sat, 13/03/2010
I am truly shattered. We were up before 3am this am in order to head down to Taumaranui to support Hannah and Andrew in the Kararau Krusher - a multi sport event. A long day was had by all - but once again my offspring...>>>
Posted on Sun, 10/01/2010
I mentioned in the electronic version of the newsletter which went out last nite ( the hard copy one takes a little longer to get out there - I'll be doing the envelopes for it, for the rest of today, and Simpson Print...>>>
Posted on Wed, 06/01/2010
It is a glorious day - sunny and still. We went up the Mount this morning, and came home to breakfast at the out side table, far from the maddening crowds at the Mount. There doesn't appear to be any visual sign of the holiday...>>>
Posted on Mon, 04/01/2010
I'm not especially a fan of New Years Resolutions, but Chris sent me thru this little annotation at the weekend, and I decided it wouldn't be too bad a philosophy to attempt to adhere too over the coming year... TWO...>>>
Posted on Sat, 26/12/2009
Christmas Day on the beach! God we live in a beautiful place!...>>>
Posted on Tue, 22/12/2009
I'm just about to head over to the restaurant for dinner service, but have been sitting at my desk answering some emails, and catching up on some reading, and that led me to this website, which is one I check in on...>>>
Posted on Sat, 14/11/2009
I'm having a baking kind of day, which is sitting very comfortably with me. Ricks searching for inspiration in some cookbooks for some menu changes, and we've had a discussion about various aspects of that, and I've left...>>>
Posted on Sun, 08/11/2009
I'm not enough of a techy to be able to show you the photos which came with this email from a dear friend - but thats OK, cos for me the humour in the piece was all about the words. As one who is constantly mesmerised...>>>
Posted on Mon, 26/10/2009
Back at my desk, after a very pleasant week away. Just been over at the restaurant sorting and restocking wine, and working out ordering lists. We're heading up to Auckland later this afternoon, to take Hannah and her boyfriend...>>>
Posted on Sat, 17/10/2009
My computor, which is the business computor, is on my desk, ( naturally enough!), which is in the hallway by our bedroom door. Our house only has 3 bedrooms, and even though both our daughters have left home this year,...>>>
Posted on Sun, 11/10/2009
The family did it again! The Motu Challenge yesterday, was run in bleak, cold, blustery conditions and the team performed magnificantly. They even went as far as improving on last years time, which given the conditions, was...>>>
Posted on Mon, 15/06/2009
Been a big kind of day. We drove down to Turangi with our last 2 puppies in order to rendevous with people who were driving up from Paraparumu and Palmerston North to take them home. I felt like we were engaged in some kind...>>>
Posted on Fri, 22/05/2009
The puppies are growing up rapidly, and we are into a nice sort of routine that isn't quite as fraught as the first few weeks. I now understand why people looked at us sideways, when we mentioned casually that...>>>
Posted on Wed, 15/04/2009
My siblings and I, all had to do Speech and Drama when we were growing up. Something I never showed any real aptitude for, being the type of personality who is too rooted in my present to ever be able to indulge in the flights...>>>
Posted on Tue, 24/03/2009
I tried to send this link in the newsletter that I sent out electronically today, but something didn't transpute and it didn't work. I think its too cute not to pass on, so, for those who love dogs and need them in their...>>>
Posted on Sat, 14/03/2009
I have just had a wee afternoon siesta - the dogs and I, becos I seemed to be wilting a bit. Both my daughters came home yesterday, Courteney to stay for the weekend. Shes picking up her time trial bike at the moment,( having...>>>
Posted on Sat, 28/02/2009
Both our daughters left home this week - Hannah returning to Auckland for her second year of study, and Courteney going to Waikato where she will study and train. She is happily ensconced in Bryant Hall I'm happy to now report,...>>>
Posted on Fri, 20/02/2009
We had a cookschool today - we're now well into the current series, and we're enjoying the food and the people. And the wine, Mt Difficulty Target Gully Riesling. One of my life's missions is to try to convince people that...>>>
Posted on Tue, 03/02/2009
I have spent a reasonable amount of today flicking back thru old photographs - both on the computor and in a box under my desk. Digital photography constantly amazes me with both its immediacy in terms of the gratification...>>>
Posted on Wed, 17/12/2008
I am currently writing the electronic letter for December, which I'll send out shortly, something I seldom do in one hit. Normally I need a couple of drafts and a bit of time in between, just to ponder what I've written....>>>
Posted on Fri, 05/12/2008
The below was sent to me by a friend, and elicited a chuckle , becos in these overtly politically correct days when we try to please everyone and end up pleasing no-one, I often ponder the simplicity of a benign dictatorship... ...>>>
Posted on Mon, 27/10/2008
Labour weekend, and its been a busy one which is nice. Closed today as usual on a Monday, and Rick and I went over to the Mount as we normally do, only to find it occupied by most of the rest of NZ who were all keen to get...>>>
Posted on Sun, 12/10/2008
Let me take you for a pictorial explanation of yesterday, when my family and Ash Hough competed in the Motu Challenge - a gruelling multi sport event that encompasses a 70km mountain bike leg; a 17km off road run; a 52 road...>>>
Posted on Sat, 13/09/2008
Rick and Courteney are over in the Waikato doing a club race at Morrinsville - Rick racing with some elite male riders, and I know he won't be able to help himself but attempt to keep up, or kill himself in the process -...>>>
Posted on Tue, 15/07/2008
Tuesday is both the start of the restaurant week, and my bookwork day. We don't do lunches on Tuesday - its a day to get organised for the week to come, which involves for me, clearing and responding to the answerphone;...>>>
Posted on Tue, 29/01/2008
Actually our wedding anniversary isn't until the 8 Feb, but with various things happening prior to that, we decided to escape up to Auckland for a couple of days of relaxing and eating out and enjoying each others company. Our...>>>
Posted on Tue, 18/12/2007
As I sit at my desk emailing thru changes to the wine list, and ordering a tea delivery from Tea Total, and filling in the wage schedule to fax thru to the bank, and debating whether I should zap over to the supermarket now...>>>
Posted on Mon, 05/11/2007
Put on some high heels and went out for dinner with my husband tonite to Astrolabe. Had been planning on taking our daughters also, but they both declined becos of study committments, and since exams are looming, and I've...>>>
Posted on Sun, 20/05/2007
We have 2 daughters - one, who will be 18 in Oct and one who turned 16 in March. They are about as different as 2 females born reasonably close together, and both from the same gene pool can be. Hannah, the eldest, takes...>>>
Posted on Wed, 31/01/2007
By virtue of the fact that my life is pretty busy - I don't get to spend much time, cruising the internet reading other peoples blogs, but the ones that I have got connected too, have convinced me, that the internet is an...>>>
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