Robs Birthday Weekend

I think Robs favourite pressie was his packet of ridiculously over-priced Monster Munch from 'Cool Britannia', a speciality food store in Wellington which basically sells famililar stuff from the Uk and charges a fortune for it!!!!
































Monster Munch for breakfast......well it is my birthday!!!!













We had a 'Guitar Hero' party in the evening, not quite sure who bought the hat???? I made some wicked 'Moscow Mules' which went down rather well!!!!




















































































































Robs Chocolate Chilli Cake!!!! Well, thats what he wanted!

The Moscow Mules sure had a kick!!!!!

We went for Brekkie the next morning

and then to the cinema to watch 'Coraline 3D', which has to be the best animated film we have seen in ages. 3D glasses have come a long way!

Robs new Birthday Coat.

Our Weekend

All Dressed up and ready to go out for Laura, one of the girls from work, Birthday Bash at The Flying Burrito Brothers Restaurant. Rob had the boys around for 'Rock Band' practice. They were still playing when I got home at Midnight!!!!




























Rob has put some strips on the 'Stairs of Death', hopefully they wont be quite so slippery now!!!

















We discovered a walk at the end of our road which goes up over the hill to Island Bay.





































View of Houghton Bay from the lookout at the top.

On the way home we called in at the Haewai Honey Mead Distillery which is in the back garden of a house at the end of our road. We only called in for a tasting but ended up coming home with a bottle!!!!!http://www.haewai.co.nz/

Just cant get used to having my birthday in the middle of winter!!!!!

There are 2 times of the year that I get particularly homesick, Christmas, and my birthday. I have many happy memories of long hot sunny birthdays spent outside in the UK but unfortunately since emmigrating to New Zealand my birthday now falls in the middle of winter and it has rained every year so far!!!!! I woke up feeling thoroughly depressed at my advancing years and really wanted to stay under the duvet but Rob managed to coax me out of bed with the offer of a cup of tea and pressies!!!! I thought I had kept it a secret at work but Karen, my team leader surprised me with a yummy chocolate orange cake!!!!! I work in the Recovery Unit at Southern Cross Hospital, Wellington. http://www.southerncross.co.nz/index.cfm?EBE5D9A3-4769-47D5-954F-9DAA6B62B902

Cheryl checks if Joanie is still functioning!!!!

My Recovery team colleagues!!!!

A very quiet day in Recovery, gives us more time to take piccies and eat cake!!!!

Yummy Chocolate Orange Cake!!!!

Later that evening Rob took me to Logan Brown's, an award winning restaurant in Wellington http://www.loganbrown.co.nz/They are the Jamie Oliver of New Zealand!!!! They even have their own TV Show!!!!

After dinner we went to see the new 'Arry Potter'

More rainbows.....

2009 Wellington Shoe Clinic Marathon

It seems I have been possessed by a crazy running demon which caused me to drag myself out of bed far too early on a still dark, cold Wellington Sunday morning to take part in the Shoe Clinic Harbour Marathon!!!! One bowl of porridge???!!! and 2 cups of coffee later, I stand shivering on the start line!!!!http://www.harbourcapital.org.nz/
and funny photos here
http://www5.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event_entry.py?event=Sports%2FRSNZ%2F2009%2FHarbour+Capital+Marathon&match=608

The start line!!!!!














The coffee kicks in, feeling good so far, only another 10 km to go!!!!!













Somebody keeps moving the finish line!!!!!















Looks like I made it in just under an hour!!!!
http://res.championchip.co.nz/View.asp?id=1419&athID=608









I got out of bed for.........a banana and a plastic bag!!!!!