Messing around with paint.

With a bit of time on my hands, I thought that I would get all creative with some of the photos that we have taken. Here is the first result; it only took me an hour.......

The photo is of the Wellington cable car, taken from the Botanical gardens. I used Photoshop Elements 8 to get it the way it is looking now, and I think that it is quite a striking image. But there again, as it took me an hour to work out how to do it, i am bound to be impressed! No doubt there is a quicker way to do it, and hopefully i shall find this out as time goes on.

Seeing as I am on leave for the next 2 days, expect to see many more images appear from our travels around New Zealand, and from my experimentations with Photoshop.

If there does happen to be a guru out there with the programme (and knowing how many millions of people read this blog, there must be...?), then please feel free to share any of the tips with me.

Jocelyn's feeding time!

This moment of pure magic was captured a few days ago. There was no prompting from behind the camera either...

Jocelyn is coming on really quickly with her 'talking', she is most definitely making herself known.  Unfortunately there is a slight Kiwi twang to her words; "pen comes out as "pin" to name just one, and there is all sorts of other gibberish.  Some say she sounds like her mother!?

We have the Queens Birthday weekend to look forwards to this weekend, and we'll be spending the long weekend up in Tauranga with some friends of ours.  The weather is looking like it will be good, so hopefully i'll manage to get a spot of sea fishing in, while the Snapper are still biting.

Piggy Wiggy needs drawing now, so I'd best turn to my artistic talents (?) and see what I can do.

Fresh back from a weekend away

Well, it is a Sunday evening, and the hangover has just about abated.  Lunch followed by an evening out in Wellington  was the reason behind the exceptionally sore head this morning.

I have come to the conclusion that I a getting too old to mix drinks the way we did last night.  It is neither big, nor clever.  The main reason for this was a cocktail bar called Motel (their website being as random and funky as the bar itself).  I am convinced that this place is somewhere that you could only find drunk, and that in the hours of daylight the place doesn't even exist.  A secret knock on a metal door behind a skip bin allowed you access to this place, up a very steep flight of barren stairs and then your in this opulent & well stocked bar.  One of my fellow drinker was complaining of heartburn and indigestion (possibly caused by the 5 pints of cider and 3 of beer that had preceded our arrival), so the ever handy barman knocked up a concoction of what we can only believe to be distilled deer.  It worked.  But it was the foulest drink known to mankind.  Unfortunately we then had the second most filthy cocktail in the world....Champagne and Absinthe.....never try it, trust me.

So with all that drink, a good friendly chat with a Marxist, some dodgy whipping action, a happy slap following Burger King and waking up surrounded by thousands of tiny war planes and tanks; it was a top night out.

As promised....

If people want copies of this, then let me.  I am able to reproduce to full size for the fans that want to adorn their walls with it.

Me in my full lycra splendiffery!

A little on the sore side!

Well, the Moonride is over - what an awesome event! The atmosphere was amazing, and the course was superb.

Off for another lap!

There was a big range in experience of riders on the course, and I think that I fell into the middle third (at best!). This was my first competitive race, and I have already provisionally signed up for another one in Lake Taupo in September.

I had only one minor spill, which was on the first lap, but luckily this was nothing compared to some of the other crashes I saw.  So all in all I am glad that I managed to practice the quick dismount earlier on in the week!

So, I suppose on to the important stuff, and how much cash I raised for Help for Heroes....so far, the total stands at £238.72 so thank you all for the donations.  Hopefully there are a few more in the pipeline, so the total will go up some more.

Just Loved Team Erotica's shirts!!

I believe that I may have said in an earlier entry on this blog that I might go for the 24 hour race next year.....that is most certainly a subject that is up for debate!  At one point I did get stuck behind one of the 24 hour teams - a man and wife on a tandem!  I have broached the subject with Liz, but she did not seem too keen on the idea!  Well, I suppose that I have a year to work on it; and find a tandem!

On the subject of bikes, should anyone know an owner of a bike shop that wishes to donate a soft tail bike to my cause, then please put him in touch with me, as my arse is damn sore!

There were a raft of professional photographers around the course, so with a bi of luck i will be able to track some of them down and post them here.  I am sure that you are all really keen to see me looking a sweaty mess....?

The one great thing about the ride being in Roto-vegas was that there was no shortge of thermal spa baths to help with the aching muscles after!

So, we are no back to normal jogging, and I am back on exercise in Waiouru next week - oh the joy!

We're off!

Far more exciting than an election night, we have the Moonride! 1 hour till the off, Bon Jovi playing on the speakers!
More posts soon!

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Not a crash, just some pre race prep!



- Posted from my iPhone

Waiouru - nice view but damn cold...

Waiouru in the autumn is a great place to be...... Honest! It is the kiwi version of Sennybridge or Cape Wrath. I'm glad to know that it isn't just the British Army that finds the worst bit of real estate, and then builds a training area on it.

Also sad to report that thus far there has been no hunting, fishing or golf played. Still, there is always time!



- Posted from my iPhone