Competitive mountain biking

Today saw Jenn and Barney accompany Louise and Amy with young Daniel riding pillion in the trailer doing the ATS Longbeach Mountain Bike Coastal Challenge (www.ats.co.nz/Blackboard/ATS+Longbeach+Mountainbike+Coastal+Challenge.html).

It was an early start (on the road for 8.45am – early for us remember we are on holiday until the end of January) we didn’t get lost on the way there and arrived in plenty of time. Barney was looking forward to getting his bike out on some proper gnarly tracks, Jenn was just hoping that her big purple Kettler could just get her round without mishap. We all got off the blocks ok but within five minutes it was obvious that us chicks were just holding Barney back so he was off like a rocket and left us for dust. Louise did a sterling job dragging the trailer behind her. No major mishaps. River crossings were a bit on the hairy side. Jenn decided that the Kettler wasn’t going to make it on these (not 'cos shes a big fat scaredy chicken) and abandoned the idea of not getting wet feet very quickly opting to just suck it up and wade the distance.

Only one mishap. Jenn managed to fall off her bike backwards down a slope when her chain came off on a tricky uphill climb – into a prickle bush. She decided that the wisest thing to do was to just lie there like an upturned terrapin with legs and arms waving in the air gently calling fo assistance until someone came along and pulled her upright. In her defence any struggling out of a prickle bush just means more prickles going in.

Free pop, sausage in a bun and a fairy cake afterwards. Barney did the course in 54 minutes, and we came home in 1 hour and 36 minutes. We wont mention that we were overtaken at one point by three geriatric joggers...

At least we got to see some coastal countryside on a historic farm that we wouldn't otherwise get to see.

6:47

summertime and the living is easy

Whilst home is knee deep in early onset of winter and snow over here the temperatures are hitting the mid 20's the skys are mostly blue and the wind has dropped to moderate to breezy. Seans roasting himself like a sunday joint, Jenns taken to the shadows and the boys are just enjoying each day as it comes.

Much to Barneys dismay ("its so unfair!") Jack has finished his exams on Wednesday and has left school. So whatever happens now is beyond hope. He spends his days in utter indolence moving, sloth like, between the computer and the TV for roughly 18 hours a day. Which has already driven his mother to shrieking pitch. She doesn't know why it bothers her so as at least he isn't in a crack house somewhere listen to crunk junk or whatever it is that is down with the kids these days. She is reminded that when we get back to the UK he will be putting in some very serious effort to get his UK qualifications back on track...so he's like yeah like shut up mum already like yeah!

Jenn has done damage her foot using a running machine, just as Seans ankle is all better, so still not gone tramping yet! So as she is mostly sitting down she has decided that, as the days are disappearing so very quickly before we come home, she really needs to get her spinning thing done. So she surfed Trade Me (www.trademe.co.nz) and picked up a new toy...

...and has been swearing at it in frustration ever since. Everyone keeps out of the way and no one is allowed to say "I thought the object was to slow life down and to achieve a zen like relaxed state of just being?" and other helpful comments like "look, Aunty Jennifs making wool. From wool." As she mutter swear words and gives dark looks whilst the veins in her temple pulse.

Sean has been keeping himself busy doing stuff like fitting out toilets, laying floor, doing up horsefloats and fencing. And when he's not doing that he's getting out his long bow, trying to fly his kites (apparently the winds all the wrong sort which explains why he can't fly it) or just sitting roasting drinking cold beer and listening to his internet radio.

Still christmas soon, what fun.

6:48

Miners

We are sad to have heard about the mining accident in Greymouth. We guess that you all have heard the same. A tragedy. Our thoughts are with those that have lost folk that they care about.

7:50

irrepressible urges to grow stuff

We've been busy with the summer. Knowing Jenn she just couldn't stop herself and, with Louise, Sean, Jack and Barney, made a mini vegetable patch. Its now making salad, spring onions, carrots, coriander, basil, bok choi, spinach, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, french beans and tomatoes. oh and three blackcurrant bushes that jenn bought before they decided they were going home. Not bad.



Although, the broccoli and cauliflower came a cropper as Jimmy the old nag (Louises ancient, greying, cantankerous yet very smart horse) thought he would give them a go. Down went his head, up came the plant chew and spit out and on to the next one till he had worked his way through half the plants and was spotted. Still they looked like they've survived their ordeal.

Any way in case you are wondering why there is that funny netting stuff around one of the beds thats because of the wind. Which is always blowing. Hard. The weather will change in moments from 25oC sunny and blue sky to a southerly blowing up and there being snow on the mountains again. Really is a reason for the four seasons in one day! If you ever come pack for all weather related eventualities, you'll be need it.

Tonight we eat Bok Choi

7:52

Barneys birthday

Wow, Barney has turned 13! Happy Birthday Barney.




He celebrated by having a few mates over for the usual boys running around screaming hitting stuff and drinking as much fizzy pop as you could get down you without throwing up and running around screaming hitting stuff some more. Only this year was a bit different, it was outside in the sunshine rather than in a victorian terraced house in winter. Jenn and Sean didn't need a rest and a packet of Ibuprofen after this one. Cupcake icing competition, where we discovered exactly how much buttercream icing you can put on a cupcake before it falls over, war game, trampolining and the mummy game. Great fun.

Barney did well in the pressie department. He got a camera from Sean, Jenn and Jack, an Ipod from the Davidsons next door and Grandad flew by and gave him $50 before disappearing off to someone elses party. He also got a whole bunch of pencils and paper from his mates, including some much coveted charcoal pencils. He's been scribbling away ever since. And says its been the best birthday ever thanks.


8:60

Canterbury AandP show

Its the Canterbury A&P show (think a souped up version of the Norfolk Show). Everybody gets a day off on Friday. So we had to go and immerse ourselves in some proper NZ culture. So we packed ourselves of early with a packed lunch and took Amy next door with us. It was scorching hot, clear blue skys and temperatures hitting high 20's.

The sunshine here is so powerful you can feel it hitting and burning your skin - really feel that ozone hole. So, hats all round and plenty of sunscreen is compulsory. We miss pollution, it keeps the UV off.

The animals were splendid. Barney and Jack were well impressed with the sheep. Sean made a beeline for the chickens (sean has developed a chicken thing and is becoming something of an expert on the subject). And Amy loved them all.

We saw competitive sheep shearing competition, ye gods it was hot sweaty and stinking of sheep in the shearing shed. We saw extreme pole climbing, wow that champion pole climber was up that pole like a ferret after rabbit. Never seen a human being move so fast vertically and then back down again. We saw tractor pulling, yep tractors racing each other pulling a huge lump of concrete. The sheep dog trials were also fun. And the log chopping competition was also fun.

The boys and Amy were most taken with the helicopter rides, sitting right by the fence as it took of and came into land. The wind blowing peoples hats off and the grass flat, it was like the evacuation of Saigon in 75.

And Jenn finally got a spinning lesson. Now she needs to buy a wheel.

Icecreams all round and the drive home sucking Werthers toffees (they call it butter candy here).

9:63

Do they have bonfire night in NZ?

Yes, well kind off, they do now. We hope you all had a good bonfire night. With a great big conflagration and lots of 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' and loud bangs. We love bonfire night! Always tell about that time we went to Marcus's annual bonfire night bash. You remember the one, where the rocket went up, the rocket got half way then went out, then started to pivot mid air 45o degrees as it began its fall back to earth, then re-ignited itself and proceeded to rocket back to earth, crashing with an enormous bang through a neighbours cat flap. Oh such happy days.

Anyway, yes they do do bonfire night over here, not as big though on the social calender. Fireworks are only for sale for 3 days before hand. You can imagine the monahan household, Sean to Jenn ' don't forget to buy some fireworks. You know you can only get them for three days' Jenn heard this so many times before she gave up and went shopping in the nick of time. It wasn't until she was buying them that next door pointed out that they weren't in the city now and were surrounded by livestock of all different varieties and the neighbours wouldn't be too happy if we went for a reenactment of the battle of the somme day one. So Jenn put back most of the contents of the shopping trolley and picked up a box of sparklers and what was described as roman candles. Lots of fizz but no bang, or so we thought.

Anyway, we gave up waiting for the sun to go down at 8.30pm (not forgetting we are hurtling towards summer solstice) and then got going with our cheap chinese fireworks. Lots of sparkley sparklers for the wee ones and sean lining up the 'Roman candles' (quotation marks intentional because they weren't, not as we know them anyway). Sean did his thing and up went the first one, poof BANG. horror struck silence as we waited, nothing else to do as we had already lit it, to continue, poof BANG and so on. No sounds of screaming, or thundering hooves as livestock stampeded so Sean, by now oblivious to anything but setting light to stuff and making it go bang, just carried on. Great. But a bit weird not having a bonfire or hot chocolate or it being really dark and cold. Oh well. Next year. Hope yours all went well and we are sad we missed it!

9:68

Birthday cake

Jenns niece had a birthday. She's a 10 year old dinosaur nut. So it had to be a dinosaur cake wot we made. Grrr:


So happy birthday to Amy.

PS the cake was delicious as well

10:72

Halloween and Hamner Springs

Jenn and Louise were sent away for a surprise girls weekend in Hamner Springs. Louise it seems hasn't had a night away from family for nearly four years! We think she must have been getting desperate. So off they were packed of in the Mondeo for a weekend of pampering. The journey there was marred by a strange incident with a lorry. The lorry joined us somewhere along the road as the girls were following a coach and then proceeded to tail gate the girls, you could see the flies on its grill and nothing else said Jenn nervously laughing. That alone wasn't a problem because new zealanders tail gate as their natural driving style. After it flashed its lights and got even closer and then honked its horn. Jenn suddenly felt like they were in a reenactment of the film Duel. They decided to turn of the road and let the lorry go. Got its number and will give him a peice of their mind!

Hamner is a lovely spot about 1.5 hours north of Christchurch and it has natural hot springs. So it was a steam bath, massage and soak in the hot pools for them. The village itself is very touristy but in a nice way, very relaxed, as you would expect. The motel room was awsome, more like a studio apartment. Jenn thinks they got an upgrade as the receptionist was a bit confused and thought that it was a couple of ladies who had booked rather than two ladies if you catch the drift and promptly changed the room to one with two beds. Anyway, they found a copy of Forest Gump DVD and the fridge was well stocked:

the lemon was to ward of scurvey...

In the meantime back at home Sean was left with the boys and no car and a Halloween party to get Jack dressed up for! Jenn had been asking Jack what he was going to do all week but never got an answer so, as usual Jack started to panic on the morning that Jenn was going. Its too late now he was told. Sean came to the rescue and Jack spent the day having an art attack and went to the party as the Mad Hatter:

On Sunday Jenn and Lou took a walk up the conical hill to see the view and doesn't she look relaxed:

One last dip in the hot pools and then it was off home again to survey the damage.

10:73