This was the flavour of the weekend. Really quite wet. Was supposed to be heading to the Otahake Hot pools in Arthurs Pass. It’s a four hour walk in, unfortunately (kinda) it’s been wet all week, and rain was forecast for the weekend, so at the last moment the plans were changed.

I was going to head along with Michelle and Thor and others on the alternative work to Lake Caroline I think it was.. However, Michelle slept through her alarm, so instead we headed off to Maruia Springs, had a short stop there, and then headed off on a two/three hour tramp to another lake who’s name I’ve forgotten!, with a 32 bed hut there, so pretty sure there would be space.

Very wet though, rained continuously pretty much. I was trying to break in my new shoes… ouch.. Harumph

Here’s the view from the hut this morning. Overcast. A little. But! must share an excellent culinary experience! After our starters of cheese and biscuits, followed with an yum stir fry, washed down with a bottle of red and 1/2 a bottle of port.. we tried an experiment!

Ingredients : Can of peach’s, some cadbury wild forest chocolate, a fire.

Step 1: Open peaches, put in broken up chocolate

Step 2: Close tin, place in fire for a while

Step 3: Eat, experience, and enjoy.

Yum. Really worked out well! Then this morning walked out. I walked far too long with a massive blister (and limp) and have kinda strained my right leg.. still, will be grand I hope soon.

Here’s a pic of Michelle with a beard.

So yup, lots happening this week, have to go back and get the down jacket I’ve ordered, and then going up to Nelson on Friday evening to meet up with my primary school friends from Shankill who are visiting. Can’t wait.

Nasty cold this week, so not up to much at the weekend. Another trip to Supershed with Florian, getting stuff for the new house. It’s just such a great place. For the princely sum of $25 we got – a Wok, 3 frying pans, 3 saucepans, an electric kettle, glasses, wineglasses, mugs, plates, bowls, cutlery holder, etc. etc. amazing value really. Oh, and we bought a fridge for $40. Looks like a jukebox. It does work.. whether it still will when we finally get it into the new flat.. I have no idea.

Had lots of *fun getting the first project I’ve been working on migrated from an Access Database to SQLServer. Ok, fun is the wrong word.. so many tiny little differences gave me a complete headache (even worse than the one from the cold!) However, think it’s all pretty much ironed out now. If you want to have a look (note, none of the ‘self help’ links work at the moment, as the final content is being ironed out. You can have a look here

Had a great couple of climbing sessions in the gym, finally feeling like I’m getting back into it again. Great time last night, will take pics if we get back to the same place again.. it was a wall in a scout den, we got to go as Warick did a course there and so he’s allowed to supervise people on the wall. But it was a fully featured wall, cracks and crimps and everything.. and we were the only ones there, so just a really fun climbing session. Hopefully get there again.

Off to Arthurs pass tomorrow, not sure whether it’ll happen though as the plan is to get to some natural hot pools, but the weather hasn’t been great so they’ll be filled in for a start (but we can dig em out) but the real issue will be weather the river is too high.. lots of river crossings need to be done. Still, hopefully get out of the city anyway.

Glynn off to Europe for 3 weeks from Wednesday, would be great to get back for 3 weeks! have a wee, or coupla pionta Guinness.. Still, I’ve friends from Ireland over so am taking the week after next off. Can’t wait. First real holiday since Christmas.

I love it when a plan comes together. A while ago, in passing, just by-the-way – I mentioned that one of the great things about my last job in Ireland, was that we had pool tables.

Well guess which government department got a pool table today? ;) woohoo. (free to use too)

Also, went to see a film (actually released in ’99) called Gloomy Sunday. It’s absolutely great, really worth getting out on DVD / Video. Set in Budapest in the 1930’s. Won’t say any more, but really worth seeing.

Well, great weekend. Was supposed to leave on Friday evening, but the trip was put off until Saturday afternoon, which meant that we headed out for a nice Indian on Friday evening instead :) Great, haven’t had a nice Chicken Korma with garlic Nan in far too long.

So, some interesting news, the people I headed off with for the weekend, are some friends I made here through Florian really. They live in this quite superb old house.

It’s gigantic, and old, and will be very cold, especially when I move in at the beginning of July.. Can’t hardly wait. Told Jim this weekend, he was cool about it, four weeks notice is quite a long time. It’s just going to be great though, living with an incredibly friendly bunch of Kiwis. Sometimes in the evenings they go canoeing on the river that runs across the back of the garden.. The Avon… Wow. So will get to head off and do some white water hopefully when spring comes.

So it was with them that that I headed off to Mount Cook for the weekend. And what a great weekend it was. Cold though. Got down there on Saturday evening, and we decided to just bivvy overnight in the DOC day shelter (you’re not supposed to sleep there.. But with 2 feet of snow on the ground, no one was checking). I slept in Michelles van, as I guessed it would be warmer. Probably incorrect.. This pic

is of Warwick cleaning the snow and ice off the car in the morning. Ice had formed on the inside of the car. It was bitter, and all the more reason for getting a down jacket, something I am getting made up this week I hope from a guy who makes them on the cheap ;) Excellent, and needed.

Did feel pretty sorry for the ducks though.

So off climbing for the day, will have to wait for climbing pics as I didn’t bring my camera up the face, but you can see the crag here.

There is a wee person on it, we were climbing on the right hand side of the pic. Easy bolted routes, but just great fun… I even led a couple of pitches, but like I said, really easy.

Then when the sun went down it was off to cook dinner, and then to the really excellent ‘old mountaineers pub’ they have here. Twee name, but a great place, run by a guy who’s guided in the area for the last 20 years.

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Yvonne is the one out of focus, with Steve on the left. Warick is the one sporting the excellent polypro top, and Michelle is the one looking wholly unimpressed that I’m taking the picture in the first place :) A really excellent bunch of people, I just can’t wait to move in.

Then today – Sunday – I went off for a walk up to a vantage point overlooking cook. I was also breaking in my new boots, but I think they broke me instead. Harumph.

Someone built this snowman sitting down at the vantage point.

There was this Maori legend about the ice too, which I thought was kinda cool. You can’t help but get caught up in the whole impact they have on everything in the country. Kia Ora means Hello (I think, doubtless someone will correct me!), the words get everywhere.. ‘That’s good Kai’ (good food) etc..

Finally of course, this wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory picture of Mt. Cook, which was cloudless yesterday, but I was too far away to get a decent picture..

So yes, all in all an absolutely excellent weekend, thanks to Michelle, Warick, Steve & Yvonne for a really great time. Wonder where the next trip will go?

Well a great week, last squash match of the first round, think our team came in second overall, which is a pretty good showing really. Wednesday was great though, out for my friend Florians birthday.. It was just a nice group of people and, it was funny, kinda hit me that I am settling in here a bit as I knew quite a lot of the people who were there. Yup, nice feeling. Also! Sylvain – an excellent French climber (7a/7b ish solidly) has a van kitted out for touring (i.e. mattress and stove in the back!) got it for $800. I offered to buy it off him (if it’s still running) when he leaves in Sept.. so that’s kinda cool too. Though have not decided how long I will be staying yet.

And today – Friday – am off to the Mount Cook area where hopefully it won’t rain, and we’ll get to do some nice easy sport climbing. Will be great to get away for the long weekend. So yes, all in all a good week, and pretty productive in work too.