The weekend was a bank holiday weekend with it being labour day on the Monday, which apparently commemorates the 8 hour working day or something as they say you should have 8 hours work, 8 hours recreation, and 8 hours rest in a day. It was a bank holiday regardless so it meant a long weekend. On the Saturday we headed into Wellington in the morning to pick up these chairs for the kitchen, before dropping them back home and going out to the market in Lower Hutt. After the market we went back home for lunch before I went out with Liza to Mitre 10 to buy some things for the garden. In the evening we went into Lower Hutt to this festival of lights event, going for dinner at this Mexican restaurant beforehand. The event had loads of uv light and entertainment areas which looked really impressive. There was even a firework display when it got dark too and we had front row seats for it, one of the perks of being with someone disabled!
The following day we went out in the garden for much of the day, where we started clearing much of the weeds and undergrowth which were on the bank next to the house. There was a heck of a lot up there and we took a whole car load of it to the dump. Just clearing the undergrowth, as well as cutting back some of the big ferns and other trees which were dead brought a load more light into the garden. In the evening we had a bbq outside on the new fire burner bought for the garden, so I was put on fire duty and showed them how to make a fire. We even had dinner outside before heading back in when it was dark so it was quite a busy days gardening outside.
The Monday was labour day which meant another afternoon out in the garden, where we continued to clear the bank and even got the chainsaw out to remove some of the bigger stuff. When finished it looked really bare but we scattered the area with loads of meadow based seeds so if that establishes it should look nice. On the long term my job is work my way up the bank clearing all the dead stuff which when done should hopefully bring in even more light. We also cleaned both the balcony at the front of the house and deck in the back garden so that required lots of moving things and cleaning things like the pots and furniture. In the end it was another busy day, which was finished off by watching the fireworks in Wellington to celebrate diwali from the balcony.
By Tuesday it was back to school although all our gardening and moving things about over the weekend meant the house was a little messy so I spent the morning making everything a bit more tidier. In the afternoon Joss had conductive after school which meant going over to Naenae again. While he was there were just went and sat by the river for a bit and did a bit of shopping.
The following day was finally a nice enough day for sailing to be on, all be it a little windy. We picked Joss up from school and took him down to the place they do it near Point Howard and he seemed to have a good time as the wind meant they were going really fast! After sailing I pretty much had the afternoon to myself as it was the week Joss goes round his Dad's for dinner on a Wednesday after school before coming home in the evening. I was going to go out for a walk but a greater priority was to get some new walking boots which I managed to hopefully get a good deal for with Kathmandu having 50% of all their boots for members, and I managed to blag a free membership so actually did quite well. I then just headed into Lower Hutt as they've just opened their new h&m store, the first one in Wellington and just the third in NZ since the one in Auckland opened not long after I arrived, so I thought I'd see what the fuss was all about.
On Thursday I had a far more relaxing day which was nice after being on the go so much the previous days. The following day was housework day again and I had a few extra little things to do around the house which kept me busy until lunchtime. After school we only had Jossy until about half 5 before going round his Dad's for the weekend. I just had a relaxing evening when he went though instead of going out which was nice.
Monday, 30 October 2017
Monday, 23 October 2017
Eastbourne Week 6
Saturday was a great day in terms of weather so I decided I would take one of the bikes in the garage out for the day. An ambitious ride would have been a 2 day 1 night ride along the Rimutaka Cycle Trail, effectively a large loop starting and finishing in Petone. That would have needed some planning though as it is effectively wild country so in the end I decided to cycle the Hutt River Trail which is the first part of the Rimutaka Cycle Trail. It was a nice and flat ride, although I was against the wind which was pretty strong which made it hard work. The path just effectively followed the Hutt River and there were lots of people out.
I eventually made it to Tunnel Gully in the Pakuratahi Forest. From here I had to decide between cycling the Rimutaka Rail Trail over into the Wairarapa, or to do a walk up Mount Climie. I opted for the walk in the end as the bike was playing up a bit and I didn't want to risk a mishap. The rail trail is definitely on my to do list though as apparently it goes through old rail tunnels and bridges. I instead followed the Tanes Track which went through the forest including this waterfall en route before heading up to the summit of Mount Climie. The views were disappointing however as it was really hazy and very windy up the top. When heading back down I visited the Mangaroa Tunnel so I at least got to see one of the old tunnels before cycling back along the Hutt River Trail into Petone. It was a lot easier on the way back with the wind behind me.
The following day was a pretty miserable start although the forecast was good so I took a gamble and headed towards Wellington, and when arriving the sun was out. The first thing I did was have a look round the shops as I'm going to need some new walking boots soon as my current ones are nearly dead. It's difficult to know what to buy as I know from experience that a cheap pair doesn't last long, and the ones I had this time which were a more expensive pair only lasted a few months, so I don't know if should buy a really expensive pair, or just concede to the fact I do a lot of hiking and it's inevitable they won't last long. I got a few ideas regardless.
After looking round the shops I caught the bus out to Island Bay to head out on a walk to the Red Rocks. It was a beautiful day and I headed round to Owhiro Bay to reach the car park at the start of the track. The path effectively followed the beach on a 4wd track and I eventually made it to the Red Rocks appropriately named because they look a little red. I continued a bit further from here to Sinclair Head to see the seal colony although there weren't that many out. There has been sightings of leopard seals recently but I didn't see any of them. To head back to Wellington I decided to head inland over the hills where I got some great views of the coastline and I eventually emerged at the Brooklyn Wind Turbine which I visited the week before, this time getting great city and harbour views unlike the previous visit.
Heading back into Wellington I was unsure where to pick a bus route from, so I just thought head down was the best option. This took me through the Aro Valley which was an area I hadn't yet explored which was pleasant before emerging in the city centre without even realising. I decided to stay in the city for dinner, sitting by the harbour as it was such a nice day before heading back to York Bay to tie in with sunset as you need to be that side of the harbour to get the best sunsets. It didn't disappoint and when finally getting back I just chilled out as if had been a pretty full on few days!
On Monday it was back to the normal routine with the school holidays over. Joss went straight to school from his Dad's though so we didn't see him until after school, and he was excited to see us when he got home! The following day I took Max to the dog wash place which he absolutely hated again but I made him nice and clean and when we got home gave him a good brush as he sheds a lot of hair otherwise! When Joss got home we took him straight out to his conductive class which he will now go to every Tuesday after school to do some exercise. He even finally managed to get a new walker which seems a lot more practical and easier to use than the one we have unsuccessfully been using. We even used the bbq for dinner as it was a really nice evening!
On Wednesday we only had Jossy before school before going round his Dad's for the night after school. He was meant to have sailing though in the morning but that was once again cancelled which seems like the case every week! It seems like anything other than clear blue skies and it's cancelled! Despite it being an overcast start to the day it became really nice in the afternoon so I decided to do some more tidying up in the garden as the grass needed cutting. I managed to clear all the weeds off the stone wall so with a bit of pressure hosing to get all the mud off that should look good again hopefully.
The following day was a more relaxing day with Joss round his Dad's, although he did come home for a couple of hours after school before his Dad picked him for dinner and to stay the night as his work means he can't pick him up from school. During the day I just went out and helped with the shopping, and when Joss came home from school we took him to the hairdressers before his Dad collected him not long after we got back. In the evening it was really nice so I went and watched the sunset which I always enjoy being the right side of the harbour to get good sunsets when it's nice. Friday was housework day again so that kept me busy until lunchtime, and we even had another bbq in the evening as it was so nice!
I eventually made it to Tunnel Gully in the Pakuratahi Forest. From here I had to decide between cycling the Rimutaka Rail Trail over into the Wairarapa, or to do a walk up Mount Climie. I opted for the walk in the end as the bike was playing up a bit and I didn't want to risk a mishap. The rail trail is definitely on my to do list though as apparently it goes through old rail tunnels and bridges. I instead followed the Tanes Track which went through the forest including this waterfall en route before heading up to the summit of Mount Climie. The views were disappointing however as it was really hazy and very windy up the top. When heading back down I visited the Mangaroa Tunnel so I at least got to see one of the old tunnels before cycling back along the Hutt River Trail into Petone. It was a lot easier on the way back with the wind behind me.
The following day was a pretty miserable start although the forecast was good so I took a gamble and headed towards Wellington, and when arriving the sun was out. The first thing I did was have a look round the shops as I'm going to need some new walking boots soon as my current ones are nearly dead. It's difficult to know what to buy as I know from experience that a cheap pair doesn't last long, and the ones I had this time which were a more expensive pair only lasted a few months, so I don't know if should buy a really expensive pair, or just concede to the fact I do a lot of hiking and it's inevitable they won't last long. I got a few ideas regardless.
After looking round the shops I caught the bus out to Island Bay to head out on a walk to the Red Rocks. It was a beautiful day and I headed round to Owhiro Bay to reach the car park at the start of the track. The path effectively followed the beach on a 4wd track and I eventually made it to the Red Rocks appropriately named because they look a little red. I continued a bit further from here to Sinclair Head to see the seal colony although there weren't that many out. There has been sightings of leopard seals recently but I didn't see any of them. To head back to Wellington I decided to head inland over the hills where I got some great views of the coastline and I eventually emerged at the Brooklyn Wind Turbine which I visited the week before, this time getting great city and harbour views unlike the previous visit.
Heading back into Wellington I was unsure where to pick a bus route from, so I just thought head down was the best option. This took me through the Aro Valley which was an area I hadn't yet explored which was pleasant before emerging in the city centre without even realising. I decided to stay in the city for dinner, sitting by the harbour as it was such a nice day before heading back to York Bay to tie in with sunset as you need to be that side of the harbour to get the best sunsets. It didn't disappoint and when finally getting back I just chilled out as if had been a pretty full on few days!
On Monday it was back to the normal routine with the school holidays over. Joss went straight to school from his Dad's though so we didn't see him until after school, and he was excited to see us when he got home! The following day I took Max to the dog wash place which he absolutely hated again but I made him nice and clean and when we got home gave him a good brush as he sheds a lot of hair otherwise! When Joss got home we took him straight out to his conductive class which he will now go to every Tuesday after school to do some exercise. He even finally managed to get a new walker which seems a lot more practical and easier to use than the one we have unsuccessfully been using. We even used the bbq for dinner as it was a really nice evening!
On Wednesday we only had Jossy before school before going round his Dad's for the night after school. He was meant to have sailing though in the morning but that was once again cancelled which seems like the case every week! It seems like anything other than clear blue skies and it's cancelled! Despite it being an overcast start to the day it became really nice in the afternoon so I decided to do some more tidying up in the garden as the grass needed cutting. I managed to clear all the weeds off the stone wall so with a bit of pressure hosing to get all the mud off that should look good again hopefully.
The following day was a more relaxing day with Joss round his Dad's, although he did come home for a couple of hours after school before his Dad picked him for dinner and to stay the night as his work means he can't pick him up from school. During the day I just went out and helped with the shopping, and when Joss came home from school we took him to the hairdressers before his Dad collected him not long after we got back. In the evening it was really nice so I went and watched the sunset which I always enjoy being the right side of the harbour to get good sunsets when it's nice. Friday was housework day again so that kept me busy until lunchtime, and we even had another bbq in the evening as it was so nice!
Monday, 16 October 2017
Eastbourne Week 5
The weekend was a full on one with Jossy at home all weekend, although the weather on Saturday restricted us from going very far. Even Max didn't get a walk as it poured with rain the entire day! What we did do however was lots of cooking and we made a carrot cake with Jossy before Liza gave me a beginners lesson on how to make curry from scratch which is actually more double than you would expect. It just took a long time to prepare but when we finally got to eat it it was very nice. The following day it was still pretty grotty weather although it did clear up by the afternoon to an extent and we went out for a drive, heading up to the Brooklyn Wind Turbine which overlooks Wellington. The views up top were great. On the way back down to headed over to the southern coastline and Owhiro Bay where we went to this cafe and had cake before heading back home by dinnertime.
On Monday it was still pretty miserable weather but it once again cleared up by the afternoon. This allowed us to go out for a walk with Jossy along the promenade in Eastbourne so we at least did something. The following day the sun finally came out all day and we therefore did a bit more work out in the garden, cleaning the decking and removing a load of weeds from the side of the house. Fingers crossed it will be bbq weather soon as it's actually quite a nice little area to sit when it's nice.
On Wednesday Joss had a hospital appointment in Wellington in the morning. This meant an early start to get him ready, although I didn't have to go with them to the hospital as his Dad was meeting them there, instead staying and doing the hoovering and dog instead. That saved me doing it after and also sitting in a hospital for hours as they were out for quite a while. When they got home Jossy was only there for a couple of hours before his Dad picked him up. He's staying round there until Monday so it's going to be longer weekend than usual which will be nice. After he left I decided to head into Lower Hutt and look round the shops just to get out the house, despite it raining, although it did clear up by the evening.
With the day off on Thursday and a good days weather forecast I decided to head out for the day to the Kaitoke Regional Park, located north of Upper Hutt. To get there was a challenge with 3 different buses taking me to about 1km off the southern entrance, and it obviously didn't go to plan as I missed my last connection by about a minute meaning I had to kill an hour in Upper Hutt. I hadn't actually been there yet so it was nice to look round. When eventually arriving in Te Marua about 2 and a half hours after leaving, I followed the road to the car park where I headed up to a lookout over the Stuart Macaskill Lakes, a twin reservoir which supplies much of Wellingtons water. I then headed up along the ridge track, which was very muddy after all the recent rain but did give some great views of the Hutt Valley to the south and Tararua Ranges to the north.
I eventually headed back down and into the touristy part of the Kaitoke Regional Park which is popular with Lord of the Rings fans as being where the set for Rivendell was filmed. With a bit of imagination and help from these information boards you were able to recreate parts of the film, and there was even an arch created to replicate part of the Elvish Kingdom. I then followed this path with gave views of the Hutt River Gorge before entering the rainforest which had some pretty impressive trees inside, some even loosely replicating Hobbit holes. It eventually emerged at a swingbridge where there were more great views of the Hutt River Gorge, as well as this weir further upstream. The final part of the walk took me along the Pakuratahi River which had several swimming holes, which would have been tempting if the water hadn't been turned brown from all the run off from the recent rain!
When exiting the park I had about a 6km walk along the road to get a bus back to Upper Hutt. En route I stopped at another viewpoint of the Stuart Macaskill Lakes. It was frustrating when arriving at Te Marua however to find out there wasn't any more buses from Te Marua to Upper Hutt so I had to walk a bit further, all be it along the Hutt River Trail which was pleasant, to get another bus. The bus I caught however was meant to go to Petone but was cancelled to there and only went as far as Upper Hutt which was again frustrating as it meant an hour wait for the next one. I therefore had dinner in Upper Hutt instead of Petone where I was intending to kill the hour. When I finally got a bus it just topped it all off that I had to wait 40 minutes for a connecting bus towards Eastbourne, meaning it took nearly 4 hours to get back, not my idea of fun.
The following day is was back to normal in terms of weather with it being a miserable day. Luckily it was housework day so that kept me busy in the morning, although I didn't really fancy going very far in the afternoon. In the end I just had a chilled out afternoon, spending time looking at things to do over the weekend which looked like it would be nice, as well as starting to consider my options for when my visa for New Zealand runs out on March 5th which may sound a long way away but I'm sure it will come round quick. Come evening I went out for a few beers, although I went into Petone instead of Eastbourne just to try out somewhere different.
On Monday it was still pretty miserable weather but it once again cleared up by the afternoon. This allowed us to go out for a walk with Jossy along the promenade in Eastbourne so we at least did something. The following day the sun finally came out all day and we therefore did a bit more work out in the garden, cleaning the decking and removing a load of weeds from the side of the house. Fingers crossed it will be bbq weather soon as it's actually quite a nice little area to sit when it's nice.
On Wednesday Joss had a hospital appointment in Wellington in the morning. This meant an early start to get him ready, although I didn't have to go with them to the hospital as his Dad was meeting them there, instead staying and doing the hoovering and dog instead. That saved me doing it after and also sitting in a hospital for hours as they were out for quite a while. When they got home Jossy was only there for a couple of hours before his Dad picked him up. He's staying round there until Monday so it's going to be longer weekend than usual which will be nice. After he left I decided to head into Lower Hutt and look round the shops just to get out the house, despite it raining, although it did clear up by the evening.
With the day off on Thursday and a good days weather forecast I decided to head out for the day to the Kaitoke Regional Park, located north of Upper Hutt. To get there was a challenge with 3 different buses taking me to about 1km off the southern entrance, and it obviously didn't go to plan as I missed my last connection by about a minute meaning I had to kill an hour in Upper Hutt. I hadn't actually been there yet so it was nice to look round. When eventually arriving in Te Marua about 2 and a half hours after leaving, I followed the road to the car park where I headed up to a lookout over the Stuart Macaskill Lakes, a twin reservoir which supplies much of Wellingtons water. I then headed up along the ridge track, which was very muddy after all the recent rain but did give some great views of the Hutt Valley to the south and Tararua Ranges to the north.
I eventually headed back down and into the touristy part of the Kaitoke Regional Park which is popular with Lord of the Rings fans as being where the set for Rivendell was filmed. With a bit of imagination and help from these information boards you were able to recreate parts of the film, and there was even an arch created to replicate part of the Elvish Kingdom. I then followed this path with gave views of the Hutt River Gorge before entering the rainforest which had some pretty impressive trees inside, some even loosely replicating Hobbit holes. It eventually emerged at a swingbridge where there were more great views of the Hutt River Gorge, as well as this weir further upstream. The final part of the walk took me along the Pakuratahi River which had several swimming holes, which would have been tempting if the water hadn't been turned brown from all the run off from the recent rain!
When exiting the park I had about a 6km walk along the road to get a bus back to Upper Hutt. En route I stopped at another viewpoint of the Stuart Macaskill Lakes. It was frustrating when arriving at Te Marua however to find out there wasn't any more buses from Te Marua to Upper Hutt so I had to walk a bit further, all be it along the Hutt River Trail which was pleasant, to get another bus. The bus I caught however was meant to go to Petone but was cancelled to there and only went as far as Upper Hutt which was again frustrating as it meant an hour wait for the next one. I therefore had dinner in Upper Hutt instead of Petone where I was intending to kill the hour. When I finally got a bus it just topped it all off that I had to wait 40 minutes for a connecting bus towards Eastbourne, meaning it took nearly 4 hours to get back, not my idea of fun.
The following day is was back to normal in terms of weather with it being a miserable day. Luckily it was housework day so that kept me busy in the morning, although I didn't really fancy going very far in the afternoon. In the end I just had a chilled out afternoon, spending time looking at things to do over the weekend which looked like it would be nice, as well as starting to consider my options for when my visa for New Zealand runs out on March 5th which may sound a long way away but I'm sure it will come round quick. Come evening I went out for a few beers, although I went into Petone instead of Eastbourne just to try out somewhere different.
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
Eastbourne Week 4
Jossy was round his Dad's all weekend which gave me the weekend off to do whatever I fancied. I therefore decided it would nice to go and visit Melva, tieing it in with a walk en route. Many people have recommended the Paekakariki Escarpment Track to me which is a relatively new track on the hillside linking Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki railway stations, so I thought I would do that. When leaving however it was pouring with rain although I just went for it to make the most of the day and by the time I arrived in Pukerua Bay the sun was out. The walk started from the station and basically ran parallel to the road and railway line, all be it on the edge of the hill. Some people call the track the stairway to heaven and you could see why as there was some 1500 steps throughout the track as well as 2 swing bridges which I always enjoy.
When arriving in Paekakariki I stopped for a drink as it was so hot, before continuing along the coastline into the Queen Elizabeth Park. From here I followed an inland track through the sand dunes parallel to the coastline which like the Escarpment Track presented great coastal views. I eventually emerged in Raumati which from there I followed the expressway into Paraparaumu to see Melva. It was nice to catch up although I stayed a lot longer than expected! After leaving I headed straight back down into Wellington where I had a couple of beers before deciding to just head back to York Bay as I didn't want to stay out too late.
The following day I had several options of things to do with many walks now on my to do list. I eventually decided I would go and watch the rugby and go for a walk in the afternoon. As New Zealand were playing Argentina away it was a late morning kick off and the pub were doing bacon sandwiches so I had to go, as well as the draw in the Australia South Africa game meaning New Zealand knew they were champions before kick off. They even beat Argentina so it was a great atmosphere. Afterwards I headed out into the Percy Scenic Reserve where I headed to this waterfall, the tallest one in the Wellington region. I then continued heading up through the woods to these rocks called the sugarloaf which gave a view over Lower Hutt and Wellington Harbour. When heading back down I went via Galbraiths Gully which followed a stream right back into Petone.
Jossy returned home on Monday morning as it was school holidays and his Dad had to go to work. This meant I had to keep him amused all day, although I did spend much of the morning doing the hoovering and cleaning out the car which was covered in foliage from where they had done dump trips of the trees I cut down over the weekend. After lunch as it was such a nice day we took Joss out on his bike, driving into Eastbourne where we walked a couple of hours along the promenade and back. Using the bike uses his leg muscles when the pedals turn and I pushed him most of the way, but in the long term he could potentially uses his arms to pedal, although he struggles with that right now.
The next day was another full on day, and was another scorcher. We therefore took Jossy outside on the deck in the back garden where I did a bit of gardening while he sat outside with me. After I finished what I was doing we read one of his books the school gave him over the holidays, and even had lunch outside inbetween. He even tried to teach me the words to the haka they do at school. When we went back inside we played a few board games which I obviously lost. Liza was very impressed with me when she came home that I managed to keep him entertained for so long without his Ipad which is essentially his only form of entertainment he can use without too much help.
On Wednesday we only had Joss until about 3 before he went to stay round his Dad's for a couple of nights. It was a pretty chilled out day although we did have to write a letter to the tooth fairy because he's decided he wants to buy his old tooth back and no longer wants to get new ones so that was fun. After his Dad picked him up I decided to go out for a walk in the afternoon, heading out into the East Harbour Regional Park to Butterfly Creek. The path to here was accessed from Eastbourne and headed up presenting great views of the harbour before dropping down the other side into the Butterfly Creek Valley. It was a pretty forest walk following the stream to this picnic area next to the stream, before I headed back a different way up and over the hill back into Eastbourne. I even managed to witness a pretty special sunset which I watched on the beach before heading back to York Bay.
The next day was a free day to myself, although it was a pretty miserable morning. I wanted to go out and do something though so I decided to head out to Pencarrow Lighthouse and the Parangarahu Lakes which were south of Eastbourne. To get to the lighthouse I simply just had to follow this gravel track along the coastline, and by afternoon the weather was much nicer which made it a pleasant walk. There were even lots of lambs and goats along the way. When reaching the lighthouse which lies at the gateway to Wellington Harbour on the Cook Strait, I headed out to Bluff Point where I got some great coastal views. I couldn't see south island though. I then headed inland to the Parangarahu Lakes, traversing round Lake Kohangapiripiri before heading up this viewpoint over Lake Kohangatera which gave great views of both lakes. I eventually completed a big loop back to the lighthouses and followed the coast back into Eastbourne.
On Friday Liza made sure she didn't have much work to do so she could spend the day with Jossy, heading into Wellington for lunchtime. When arriving to walked along the harbour to these food trucks which Jossy likes for lunch, ordering from 3 different food trucks to keep him happy! After looking round a few of the shops we went back to the car where we drove round Wellington for a bit looking at houses as they want to move somewhere more practical in the near future. It was nice to see some suburbs I haven't really seen yet including Seatoun and Island Bay. Come dinner time we headed to the Wellington Night Market which had lots of different cuisines and live music on offer, before heading back home. Max wasn't impressed we were out so long but it was a good day.
When arriving in Paekakariki I stopped for a drink as it was so hot, before continuing along the coastline into the Queen Elizabeth Park. From here I followed an inland track through the sand dunes parallel to the coastline which like the Escarpment Track presented great coastal views. I eventually emerged in Raumati which from there I followed the expressway into Paraparaumu to see Melva. It was nice to catch up although I stayed a lot longer than expected! After leaving I headed straight back down into Wellington where I had a couple of beers before deciding to just head back to York Bay as I didn't want to stay out too late.
The following day I had several options of things to do with many walks now on my to do list. I eventually decided I would go and watch the rugby and go for a walk in the afternoon. As New Zealand were playing Argentina away it was a late morning kick off and the pub were doing bacon sandwiches so I had to go, as well as the draw in the Australia South Africa game meaning New Zealand knew they were champions before kick off. They even beat Argentina so it was a great atmosphere. Afterwards I headed out into the Percy Scenic Reserve where I headed to this waterfall, the tallest one in the Wellington region. I then continued heading up through the woods to these rocks called the sugarloaf which gave a view over Lower Hutt and Wellington Harbour. When heading back down I went via Galbraiths Gully which followed a stream right back into Petone.
Jossy returned home on Monday morning as it was school holidays and his Dad had to go to work. This meant I had to keep him amused all day, although I did spend much of the morning doing the hoovering and cleaning out the car which was covered in foliage from where they had done dump trips of the trees I cut down over the weekend. After lunch as it was such a nice day we took Joss out on his bike, driving into Eastbourne where we walked a couple of hours along the promenade and back. Using the bike uses his leg muscles when the pedals turn and I pushed him most of the way, but in the long term he could potentially uses his arms to pedal, although he struggles with that right now.
The next day was another full on day, and was another scorcher. We therefore took Jossy outside on the deck in the back garden where I did a bit of gardening while he sat outside with me. After I finished what I was doing we read one of his books the school gave him over the holidays, and even had lunch outside inbetween. He even tried to teach me the words to the haka they do at school. When we went back inside we played a few board games which I obviously lost. Liza was very impressed with me when she came home that I managed to keep him entertained for so long without his Ipad which is essentially his only form of entertainment he can use without too much help.
On Wednesday we only had Joss until about 3 before he went to stay round his Dad's for a couple of nights. It was a pretty chilled out day although we did have to write a letter to the tooth fairy because he's decided he wants to buy his old tooth back and no longer wants to get new ones so that was fun. After his Dad picked him up I decided to go out for a walk in the afternoon, heading out into the East Harbour Regional Park to Butterfly Creek. The path to here was accessed from Eastbourne and headed up presenting great views of the harbour before dropping down the other side into the Butterfly Creek Valley. It was a pretty forest walk following the stream to this picnic area next to the stream, before I headed back a different way up and over the hill back into Eastbourne. I even managed to witness a pretty special sunset which I watched on the beach before heading back to York Bay.
The next day was a free day to myself, although it was a pretty miserable morning. I wanted to go out and do something though so I decided to head out to Pencarrow Lighthouse and the Parangarahu Lakes which were south of Eastbourne. To get to the lighthouse I simply just had to follow this gravel track along the coastline, and by afternoon the weather was much nicer which made it a pleasant walk. There were even lots of lambs and goats along the way. When reaching the lighthouse which lies at the gateway to Wellington Harbour on the Cook Strait, I headed out to Bluff Point where I got some great coastal views. I couldn't see south island though. I then headed inland to the Parangarahu Lakes, traversing round Lake Kohangapiripiri before heading up this viewpoint over Lake Kohangatera which gave great views of both lakes. I eventually completed a big loop back to the lighthouses and followed the coast back into Eastbourne.
On Friday Liza made sure she didn't have much work to do so she could spend the day with Jossy, heading into Wellington for lunchtime. When arriving to walked along the harbour to these food trucks which Jossy likes for lunch, ordering from 3 different food trucks to keep him happy! After looking round a few of the shops we went back to the car where we drove round Wellington for a bit looking at houses as they want to move somewhere more practical in the near future. It was nice to see some suburbs I haven't really seen yet including Seatoun and Island Bay. Come dinner time we headed to the Wellington Night Market which had lots of different cuisines and live music on offer, before heading back home. Max wasn't impressed we were out so long but it was a good day.
Monday, 2 October 2017
Eastbourne Week 3
With Jossy at home most of the weekend we had a busy weekend to keep him happy, heading out to the market at Lower Hutt after breakfast to pick up a few groceries and even have a go at some of the games on offer which was fun. We also headed over to the garden centre to buy a few plants and stuff for the garden which has now become my little project. When getting home after cutting the ridiculously overgrown grass and clearing a large amount of weeds it looked a lot better, although it will take a lot of tlc to get it looking really nice. One of the main issues is Max who likes to dig holes outside!
After spending much of the afternoon in the garden it was nice to chill out in the evening, and as it was election results day if was fascinating watching the results come in! New Zealand have a pretty weird voting system though as when you vote you vote for an individual of a party who you want to represent your area, and also vote for the party you like in general. This means that half of parliament is made up of constituency representatives, and the other half the percentage of votes the party got is the percentage of seats they get. The two main parties National and Labour didn't get a majority, and Green are supporting Labour, so in effect right now the third party New Zealand First is dictating the future of the country by deciding whether or not to go in coalition with National or Labour/Green so it's all very interesting right now.
The following day the clocks went forward an hour which means lighter evenings which is good. We also only had Jossy until lunchtime, so after doing some baking with him we took him outside to watch me chop down some trees. The way the house is positioned means the garden only gets sunlight in the afternoon. I therefore chopped a couple of trees down which blocks the sunlight to allow a bit more light in. There are still a few more to go though but we need a bigger chainsaw! After lunch Jossy went with his Dad to go skiing, not returning until Monday, which gave me some free time so I went for a walk into the East Harbour Regional Park, taking Max with me. We went up towards Lowry Trig although you couldn't see much as it was a little overcast. From there we just headed over to Wainuiomata Hill where you could see down the other of the hill to Wainuiomata itself, before heading to Point Howard and back along the bays. He was a little muddy and tired when returning though!
Jossy didn't return home until after school on the Monday, although it was a horrendous day in terms of weather which meant I couldn't really do much. I didn't really want to sit round all day doing nothing so I therefore headed into Lower Hutt to have a little look round the shops. There's a big shopping centre there which is effectively Wellingtons main shopping area other than the high street in the CBD, so all the big shops are there. After spending a couple of hours there I headed back, the weather still grotty, and spent the afternoon chilling out. You could tell it was bad because the water in the harbour turned brown from all the run off! Joss didn't return until dinner time from skiing, as he had gone to Mount Ruapehu which is near Taupo so quite a way away. He was obviously tired when retuning but he had some great photos which was nice.
It was still horrible on the Tuesday which once again meant I couldn't go very far, although it did clear up by the afternoon. When Joss returned from school we took him over to Naenae to enrol him in this after school thing which encourages him to do exercise. He is going to do that every Tuesday after the school holidays which start next week. Where it takes place was where he used to go to nursery and it is equipped for disabled people with lots of toys and games. We did make him go in his walker though which he hated, but he needs to start using it more as he effectively sits in his wheelchair most of the time which means he's getting heavier by the day.
On Wednesday the weather somewhat improved but Joss's sailing was cancelled last minute because of the weather forecast was strong winds and rain. It couldn't have been more wrong though and it was a calm and sunny day which I took to my advantage to go down the beach in Eastbourne for a couple of hours. Normally on Wednesday sailing dependant I would get much of the day to myself as he goes rounds his Dad's, but his Dad was in Christchurch for work so he came home after school. The following day was another good day although I was reluctant to head into the hills because after all the recent rainfall I knew it would be an absolute swamp. I instead headed round to the marina where I went to the secluded viewpoint of the harbour and chilled out there for a bit.
Friday was a more busy day as Joss had a hospital appointment in the morning with the dietitian. He is now on a strict diet, although I think the main issue is the lack of exercise. After dropping him off at school it was housework day again which meant a top to bottom clean of the house before having a chilled out afternoon. As Joss was round his Dad's for the weekend he only came home for a couple of hours after school before his Dad picked him up. In the evening I popped into Eastbourne down the pub to have a few pints with the locals which has a solid group of people.
After spending much of the afternoon in the garden it was nice to chill out in the evening, and as it was election results day if was fascinating watching the results come in! New Zealand have a pretty weird voting system though as when you vote you vote for an individual of a party who you want to represent your area, and also vote for the party you like in general. This means that half of parliament is made up of constituency representatives, and the other half the percentage of votes the party got is the percentage of seats they get. The two main parties National and Labour didn't get a majority, and Green are supporting Labour, so in effect right now the third party New Zealand First is dictating the future of the country by deciding whether or not to go in coalition with National or Labour/Green so it's all very interesting right now.
The following day the clocks went forward an hour which means lighter evenings which is good. We also only had Jossy until lunchtime, so after doing some baking with him we took him outside to watch me chop down some trees. The way the house is positioned means the garden only gets sunlight in the afternoon. I therefore chopped a couple of trees down which blocks the sunlight to allow a bit more light in. There are still a few more to go though but we need a bigger chainsaw! After lunch Jossy went with his Dad to go skiing, not returning until Monday, which gave me some free time so I went for a walk into the East Harbour Regional Park, taking Max with me. We went up towards Lowry Trig although you couldn't see much as it was a little overcast. From there we just headed over to Wainuiomata Hill where you could see down the other of the hill to Wainuiomata itself, before heading to Point Howard and back along the bays. He was a little muddy and tired when returning though!
Jossy didn't return home until after school on the Monday, although it was a horrendous day in terms of weather which meant I couldn't really do much. I didn't really want to sit round all day doing nothing so I therefore headed into Lower Hutt to have a little look round the shops. There's a big shopping centre there which is effectively Wellingtons main shopping area other than the high street in the CBD, so all the big shops are there. After spending a couple of hours there I headed back, the weather still grotty, and spent the afternoon chilling out. You could tell it was bad because the water in the harbour turned brown from all the run off! Joss didn't return until dinner time from skiing, as he had gone to Mount Ruapehu which is near Taupo so quite a way away. He was obviously tired when retuning but he had some great photos which was nice.
It was still horrible on the Tuesday which once again meant I couldn't go very far, although it did clear up by the afternoon. When Joss returned from school we took him over to Naenae to enrol him in this after school thing which encourages him to do exercise. He is going to do that every Tuesday after the school holidays which start next week. Where it takes place was where he used to go to nursery and it is equipped for disabled people with lots of toys and games. We did make him go in his walker though which he hated, but he needs to start using it more as he effectively sits in his wheelchair most of the time which means he's getting heavier by the day.
On Wednesday the weather somewhat improved but Joss's sailing was cancelled last minute because of the weather forecast was strong winds and rain. It couldn't have been more wrong though and it was a calm and sunny day which I took to my advantage to go down the beach in Eastbourne for a couple of hours. Normally on Wednesday sailing dependant I would get much of the day to myself as he goes rounds his Dad's, but his Dad was in Christchurch for work so he came home after school. The following day was another good day although I was reluctant to head into the hills because after all the recent rainfall I knew it would be an absolute swamp. I instead headed round to the marina where I went to the secluded viewpoint of the harbour and chilled out there for a bit.
Friday was a more busy day as Joss had a hospital appointment in the morning with the dietitian. He is now on a strict diet, although I think the main issue is the lack of exercise. After dropping him off at school it was housework day again which meant a top to bottom clean of the house before having a chilled out afternoon. As Joss was round his Dad's for the weekend he only came home for a couple of hours after school before his Dad picked him up. In the evening I popped into Eastbourne down the pub to have a few pints with the locals which has a solid group of people.
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