He did it, he did it, he did it!

I made it to Bluff at 12:17 pm today, having left Cape Reinga at 10 am on the 10th. If my numbers are right, that means I finished the TA in 19 days, 2 hours and 17 minutes. I'm very happy with that, as I'd been hoping to finish in under 20.

Here are a few interesting statistics from my recent Tour Aotearoa 2016 ride...

 I rode 865 km for my warm-up ride from Rotorua to Cape Reinga, 3,104 km on the TA itself (including the boat trips and extra diversions off-course to buy supplies and find accommodation), and 155 km for my cool-down ride in Southland to meet Katie and ride back with her (this also includes my ride from Bluff back to Invercargill). That makes it a total of 4,124 km riding in 27 days.
I averaged just over 150 km per day. On average, I was riding for 12 hours a day, and was moving for just over 10 of those hours (the other two hours were typically spent eating and charging my phone at a cafe).

 I climbed a total of 42,419 metres, for an average of 1,571 metres of climbing each day. The biggest climbing day was 2,668 metres of climbing on the day I rode from Ahipara to the Top 10 Holiday Park just north of Dargaville. The least climbing was the day I rode from Miranda to Matamata on the Hauraki Rail Trail (just 208 metres).
I also ate a huge amount of food during my ride. I was averaging around 5,500 calories a day (it might have been more -- I'm not sure I wrote down everything I ate), which is around three times my ordinary food intake. I ate a total of 15 sandwiches, 7 burgers, 9 muffins, 21 pies, 5 pizzas, 5 potato fritters, 4 spring rolls, 4 scones, 5 cakes, 20+ muesli bars, as well as numerous other meals and snacks from bakeries, cafes, dairies and petrol stations. I drank 6 regular coffees, 18 hot chocolates, 8 iced coffees, 19 containers of chocolate milk, and 19 milkshakes. That's one heck of a lot of not-very-healthy food!  Despite eating all that food, I lost almost 5 kg in body weight.

Hot chocolate at Kitcheners Cafe, Martinborough

I also took a total of 993 photos, camped 19 times, stayed with family once during my warm-up ride, and stayed in a cabin three times (mainly to dry out my gear after heavy rain). I stayed in a motel once during the actual TA ride (to catch up with my family) and spent the night at the Big River tramping hut after a VERY long and tiring day.

Christmas 2016

 Tighe made me Boysenberry Jam, and Quinn made me a wooden bowl.  I feel very loved.

 The urchins were excited about the balloons, and kept gently pushing them, so they would sway.

 Breakfast of pain au Chocolat, and croissants, strawberries and cream.

 The morning was busy with the urchins playing with their new electronic toys in between the balloons.

 And the pool, Tighe went for a swim in it!

Splashing himself with "water"

Getting under the "water"

 Merry Christmas everyone!

100 balloons continued - Christmas Eve 2016

Once the urchins had gone to bed, I strung up fishing line where I was going to hang the balloons.  It's light, transparent, and strong.

 I tried to stagger the balloons, so that they would fit together, like a wall.

When I walked past the balloons floated in the gentle breeze.

The balloons were secured to the fishing line with sellotape.  Hopefully they won't slide down the fishing line.  I don't want to wake up with a pile of balloons in the dining room, and all my time wasted.

 I really liked the floaty effect of the transparent balloons, and with the coloured bud lights, it was quite magical.

The urchins have been asking to put a pool on the property, so I thought I would go with that...I got a blow up paddling pool, and several hundred balls.

100 Balloons

 Tighe asked for a special Christmas.  This year Anneke and Oscar are in Europe with their mother, enjoying a white Christmas. Erik is riding the Tour Aotearoa, and wont be home until January.

This week I have been blowing up 100 transparent balloons.  I have been putting glitter in the balloons, and the static causes the glitter to stick to the inside of the balloon. I stored the balloons in the garage, in the paper rubbish bags.

My fingers hurt, due to tying the end of the balloon into a knot.  In the end, I found masking tape provided my fingers with the best protection.  They were very sore though.

New Star Constellation - Leroy the Dinosaur

This evening, the Advent activity was, put a blanket on the lawn and watch the stars and satellites.  Tighe renamed the constellations as he saw them, as part of his story, Leroy the Dinosaur.  I was pleased to be able to see Pleiades, or the seven sisters. Tighe called it, the Surviors's caravan (didn't get eaten by Leroy).

What I want for Christmas

 I saw this today on the internet.  I don't know who wrote it, but it sums up how I feel.

My children each year ask me the same question. After thinking about it, I decided I'd give them my real answer:

What do I want for Christmas? 

I want you. 

I want you to keep coming around, I want you to bring your kids around (when you have them) I want you to ask me questions, ask my advice, tell me your problems, ask for my opinion, ask for my help. 

I want you to come over and rant about your problems, rant about life, whatever. Tell me about your job, your worries, your spouse (significant other), your fur babies. I want you to continue sharing your life with me. 

Come over and laugh with me, or laugh at me, I don't care. Hearing you laugh is music to me.

I spent the better part of my life raising you the best way i knew how, and I'm not bragging, but i did a pretty darn good job. Now, give me time to sit back and admire my work, I'm pretty proud of it.

Raid my refrigerator, help yourself, I really don't mind. In fact, I wouldn't want it any other way.

I want you to spend your money making a better life for you and your family, I have the things I need. I want to see you happy and healthy. 

When you ask me what I want for Christmas, I say "nothing" because you've already been giving me my gift all year. I want you.

Christmas Lights

 One of the Advent activities, was to look at the Christmas lights.

 These ones were just down the road in McDowell Street.

 The theme was Christmas Tree Rescue.  Lots of Christmas trees and lights.

Is it too late...?

 

Finally the Orange marrows popped their heads out of the ground.  Will they ripen in time, they are 6 weeks late.

 The weather has been much cooler in the evenings, perhaps that is why they are slow to start this year.

Mr Bean is also late.  I wonder if we will get any picked before the drought comes in February.

Feel like ice cream - take the Limo

 Sometimes, all a boy wants is an ice cream.  Tighe and his mates, Tyler and Chenhau took the limo to the lake front for an ice cream.

 The car picked them up from school, and the boys enjoyed a ride in the limo.

Tighe enjoying fizzy raspberry lemonade icecream

My favourite icecream flavour is Lemongrass and Ginger.

Advent Calender 2016

 

Tighe's turn to decide on the acivities we will do as a family during Advent.

His favourite, 'wear PJ's all day", is featuring on the first day of the school holidays.

 

 Tighe had lots of fun mixing up the days of the calender, so the first urchin up in the morning, has to hunt for the new number, and read the new activity.

These are the activities we are doing this year:

Use Christmas mugs for all of your drinks for Advent

Put up and decorate the Christmas tree

Clean Out your toy boxes and donate to Red Cross or Habitat for Humanity

Family Movie Night

Make home made caramel corn

Go see the glow worms in the forest

Make Origami ornaments for the Christmas tree

Smile at every person you pass today.

Make a wreath together

Go out for ice cream, and have “fancy dress” for dinner

Let everyone choose a country and then use the internet to see how they celebrate Christmas.

Go to Carols by Candlelight.

Visit the Christmas lIghts around the Village

Have a picnic at the Tree Trust

Be nice to family members today.

Make biscuit dough and just eat it.

Make some Christmas food

After dark, spread out some blankets out the back, and do some star gazing.

Have breakfast for dinner.

Wear PJs all day. 

Eat Junk Food all day.

Watch a movie at Midnight

Celebrate the Longest Day – Summer Solstice

Go for a moon walk in your PJs.

Have a fondue night with Summer Fruit and chocolate

Celebration Cakes

Recently I have been asked about the Celebration Cakes that I make.  Here they are, all gathered together.  Tighe's Pyramid cake, and Quinn's Lego cake are amongst my favourites.

Anneke's 10th Safari cake

Mama's 80th

Oscar's Monster 8th

Quinn's Xbox 11th

Thanksgiving 2016

Oscar's Minecraft 9th

Quinn's Lego 9th

Tighe's Dinosaur 8th

 

Oscar's 7th Treasure

Ginas Edible 18th

Tighe's Egyptian 6th

Thanksgiving 2014

Gina's 21th (100 and 1000s)

Mama's 82th

Danielles 21th (gold to the max)

Updated:  Only cake made in 2017, Emilee's Welcome to the family Cake

 Purple is her favourite colour.

I found some more images of Quinn's and Gina's cakes:

Quinn's 7 year Treasure chest

Gina's Rainbow cake