Postponed

 Today the garage man wasn't happy with the calipers from his usual supplier....or the price....so they are going back and he will get others elsewhere.

So no travelling until at least the middle of next week... probably best to postpone for a full week, but I will see what the weather will be up to!!

Which gives me more time to get on with things.

I went on the bus to town to get some de-icer..and was pleased to get trigger spray bottles, not cans. 

The snow had turned to cold rain showers....but as I did some sewing tonight I heard what sounded like hail against the windows...I was NOT going to investigate!!

I am mending a long sleeve cycling top of Pirate's, which will either be nice for the retro cycle ride at the end of May...or if it is too big for me will fit our Friend in France...who was also Pirate's clubmate over fifty years ago....

An odd placement of a club badge....

Pirate fell off his bike!!  Many years ago.....good thing he kept it.

Moth! And a steady day

 Another pretty moth that got disturbed..it should look a bit darker gingery brown..it was sitting on black plastic....so you get the idea.

Today I listed more items on fleabay..and sold a vintage saddle almost straight away!

Luckily I checked before going into town so I could pack it and go! 

First stop was to take some plants to our friend who looked after our tender houseplants over winter. It was good to have a good old natter, and just her and me and no Pirate there for a change!

Then parcel posting and paying money into my savings account....all the change I get apart from £1 and £2 coins goes into a money box until there is enough to pay in...you can't just pay in any amount now. The set amounts can be weighed in seconds..so that makes sense for the bank.

Back to the garden centre on the way home. I looked at the water butts.....£60...no way!!

But a plus to balance that...they have a Waitrose deli in the garden centre...I found two boxes of eggs, three vege pizzas and a litre of milk....all nicely reduced. Then an impulse buy by the till...something that most of our friends had in NZ, a fly repellant...simply two soft plastic blades which spin and deter flies from landing. Not only does it do that well, it manages to move the air a little...just enough...to make sitting indoors a little more comfortable.

While I was out, Pirate mowed the grass where we do mow it...not all at once, he is getting sensible in his old age!!  I was glad that we could put most of the cut grass on the compost heap, the rest which has Mare's Tail in it went in our green waste bin which gets collected on Friday with the recycling collections.

I think with the discomfort of his symptoms, Pirate may just be inching towards choosing to have the Big Op....it is a hard choice, and only he can make it. However he is due to discuss matters again before too long..so we shall see.  He wants my birthday over...and his younger daughter's in October. I hope that leaving decisions that long won't be too long.

If they do scan him again to see how Charlie the Tumour is growing...that will give him an idea of what and when....

Making the most of the sun

 It was breathtakingly beautiful and warm this morning up in the hills

The plaque was fitted, ready for Monday

The Saltire has been signed by the riders in the Scottish Commonwealth Games teams since Delhi...

Then a picnic lunch and a walk in the woods where one of Pirate's dogs is buried.. underground where he always loved to disappear!!

Beautiful..but the gnomon is pointing the wrong way? This was at about 1.30pm

I didn't go further along that side...it's a loooong way down!!

Then back home and some more quick seed sowing, getting the greenhouse working.

Walking by the seaside

This morning we went to Scarborough beach at Sumner, to see a triathlon....well that was the idea...but Pirate's IBS had other ideas...starting brightly in the morning doesn't happen at the moment!!

So seeing our friend start, and at the transitions between swimming, cycling and running didn't happen unfortunately...but at least we saw her finish! (and she passed me before I could get her in a photo!!) It was good to meet up again, if briefly.

We watched quite a few finish..and she pointed out to us that you can just see Kaikoura, way up the coast!

Straight in the middle there...but by the time we were there it was hazy, so we could only just see it.

After the race we had a wander around the park....toilets first...and a brilliant idea, every public toilet had showers outside for sea swimmers .

Then a gentle stroll along the esplanade...I wonder what that means...I know the other word used is promenade...a place you walk....

I liked the municipal planting...very sensibly, native trees and bushes as far as I could see..but even they were naturally showing the effects of windblown salt and sand, plus very dry weather.

This is one of the native pines...it smells heavenly!!

Norfolk Pine...not exactly native, from Norfolk Island...but...

Spiral!!...and I think when this plant flowers, it dies

This one is quite dumpy...but even with the sea winds some were quite tall

The cafes didn't have GF options...and one was an hour's wait for food....so ice cream for me and smoothie for him near the promontory rocks...

You can walk through when the tide is out, I think.

 You can see how far we went..that is the rock in the distance!!

When we arrived, just the far half of the bay had rolling waves for surfing, and the swim part of the triathlon had had calmer sea..as we walked back, by one o'clock, surfing waves and surfers were right along the beach.

It was getting hot...

So retreat back to base to cool down and chill out while the afternoon heat persisted....I am gradually getting used to Christchurch driving and finding my way around...but I think I will stick to the easier quieter routes, thankyou!!