Saturday, August 21, 2010

Tiresome travels

Thrash and I have just returned from our business trip to Auckland. It was a very successful trip but very tiring! Here are some highlights and some lowlights from our trip.

We drove up to Auckland via Hamilton - a potential lowlight which actually became a highlight for two reasons: one was the lunch we had at a restaurant/bar/cafe called Gothenburg. We ordered a selection of tapas which we thoroughly enjoyed, I highly recommend this restaurant. Our second highlight was our meeting which was the reason we didn't bypass Hamilton as we usually do - needless to say it was very successful.

On to Auckland - we stayed at the Waipuna Hotel where we have stayed previously. We stayed in a suite as we required space to work while on this trip - we tend to travel with numerous computers and various IT paraphernalia as we never really escape our daily workload. The highlight of the Waipuna was the room - we had space to spread out and Thrash & I had our own areas to "plug-in" and work without disturbing each other any more than usual.

The service at the Waipuna is rather interesting - ranging from none to overly much! When we arrived with all our luggage and equipment we needed a trolley to take it to our room - we loaded the trolley and proceeded to try to push and steer it into the lift, out of the lift, down the corridor and into our room - nowhere was there a porter to assist us and we definitely did not have the skills required to do this without banging and crashing into walls, doors and cupboards along the way! - a lowlight. Once in our room we checked everything out and Thrash typically checked anything technological including the TV - would it allow us to plug anything in? How does it work? What channels? What movies are on offer? Lo and behold it tells us we do not exist and therefore cannot use it! - interestingly enough this is the second time in two weeks this has happened, the last time was the Museum hotel in Wellington, but that is another story. Thrash contacted reception and they sorted the problem out for us - good service! After settling in (about half an hour) we get a tentative knock at the door - I open it to find a women standing there holding out a card and a chocolate, welcoming us to the hotel.... interesting.

That evening we ordered food in our room, we were tired from a long day travelling and meeting people - we only wanted something light so we ordered a Ceasar salad and something else which neither of us can remember so it can't have been that great - however the Ceasar salad was a highlight - it was very delicious! We had breakfast the next morning in the restaurant, we wanted to order from the a la carte menu - something which I think the staff found rather odd - we were asked several times if we would prefer to have breakfast from the buffet which we did not. We both had eggs benedict which was just fine - coffee wasn't so great though. The restaurant at the Waipuna is an area that has "overly much" service. While eating our eggs benedict one waitress approached us and asked if we wanted toast with that???? Unusual to say the least. Also when we dined there for dinner that night there were at least as many waiters as there were diners so they were falling all over themselves to be helpful, even though most diners were eating from the buffet! Water was being poured left right and centre, plates were being cleared the moment the cutlery was placed on the empty plate, the waiters were lined up hawkeyed watching the diners, ready for any move that might indicate they were required. Amongst all this, we once again were an oddity as we ordered a la carte. The waitress who took our order was prompted by Thrash to ask how he wanted his steak done and proceeded to ask me if I would like my lamb medium rare also - Thrash's steak was a disaster however my lamb was OK.

I hate being in Auckland - the traffic is insane and it takes forever to get from A to B. the day we were leaving we had to travel into the city for a meeting at 9am - having guaged that this would require us to spend a long period of time crawling with the traffic on the motorway we changed the time of our meeting to 9.45. We still took half an hour to get there but it must have been a lot better than the earlier time - how do Aucklanders live like that?

We had two nights in Taupo which was less stressful than Auckland - less traffic - really good coffee at the Streetwise Coffee 2 go in Taupo! We stayed at a motor lodge beside the lake - not as good as the suite at the Waipuna, but we had privacy and some space to work.

The biggest highlight of our trip? Getting home!

Another trip next week, then the week after that - ho hummm. Looking forward to November - I think we may get to stay home for at least 3 weeks!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Now if I could just do that again

Don't you just hate it when you miss an opportunity to do the right thing? Or even the smart thing? I don't think I am that great at thinking on my feet, but now I know what I would do next time. Last Saturday a friend and I went out for breakfast, well when I say breakfast I mean we had not long been out of bed and were hungry - it was midday when we arrived at the cafe. We asked if they were still doing a breakfast menu and they agreed to do eggs benedict for us even though they were now doing lunches - very thoughtful. We ordered that and a coffee each - collected a glass of water each and went to sit at a table.

There were only about 4 other people in the cafe - it was quite a small cafe though. We decided against sitting at the table in the window as it would be too cold and we chose not to sit at another small table near the counter - there were two tables pushed together and we sat at one end (utilising only one of the tables) of that. Our coffees came and then our meals. We were part way through our meal when a group of 4 or 5 people arrived at the cafe. The waitress then came to us and said our table was booked and could we please move to the window table - we said we didn't want to sit there as it would be too cold. I have to say at this stage we were absolutely stunned and did not respond appropriately - what we did do was pick up our meals and move to the table by the counter then return to the old table to collect our coffees and water. What we should have done was say no - we are eating and possibly suggested that they move the table we weren't using to connect with the one by the counter (requiring moving it by about 3 feet) for the newcomers to use.

I am embarrassed that we went along meekly with this outright rudeness and were not assertive enough to say no! And I am stunned that any establishment in the hospitality (check out a definition for that word) trade would treat any customers this way!

The name of the cafe? Misty River Cafe in Waipawa.

And on it goes..........

The purple cardigan has found a home!! Yeehah! My oldest and dear friend has acquired it and it looks stunning on her - but then again she is one of those people that can really "wear" clothes - what is that? Why can't I always look stunning?... never mind, got over that years ago - I am just really happy that my efforts have been for a good cause and, even better, I can SEE how it looks on :)

Have started my new one - a really nice jacket with lots of cabling, bobble things and moss stitch - I really love the look of moss stitch.

Thinking ahead now - when I finish this one the knitting phase will likely be over - thought I might try my hand at home renovation!! Never done that before, so should be really interesting. I don't think Thrash will be terribly thrilled by this, but I'm sure we'll survive....... I'll let you know then......

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Lets start that again

Well I've finished it!! But.........

It is at least 2 sizes too big for me! I am a loose knitter but I didn't realise I was that loose. Very nice, very large purple cardigan looking for a new home - near new, only worn once (and that was to try it on)

I'm off to get some more wool, smaller needles and a smaller size to knit another one - not the same pattern though.

How long can this last??

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Obsession Continues

Well I am proud to say that I am nearing the end of the complex cardigan I am knitting - and I haven't stopped! In fact, I am now eying (that word so doesn't look right) up another pattern in the same book and seriously thinking of doing that one next!
What is wrong with me? Maybe this is what happens when you get older - the obsessions last longer and are harder to satisfy! I am over 50 now, maybe I am going to end up being a knitting granny! I am seriously getting worried - not the image I have of myself at all.
Do I give in to it and stock up on wool and various sized knitting needles? Or do I fight it and try something more exciting - like skydiving! - ummm, no not skydiving - something a little safer but just as adventurous?
Oh dear - where to from here?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Something that really irritates me

Next door to my office there is a hall. This hall is used most afternoons by a dance teacher - she teaches dance to young children. In the town where I live it seems to be a status symbol to have your child enrolled in these classes. Each day I watch from my window as mothers arrive with their pretty little girls all dolled up in their tutus, frills and ribbons ready to show off their obvious talent. This does not bother me at all - each to their own - what bothers me is the ignorant and selfish mothers who think it is OK to park their cars half overhanging and blocking our driveway - which is there for our clients use. This doesn't happen occasionally, nor is it just one offender - it seems that the status gained by having your child in this dance class extends to having the right to ignore road rules and other people's rights. It isn't even as if there is nowhere else to park! There are many parks along the street and across the road - unfortunately these poor little dears and their mothers may have to walk 20 metres or so to get to their class though.

We have left notes on windows and tried to speak to them on occasion, but they just look confused and don't seem to get it. It makes absolutely no difference to them - how I wish that the police would patrol this street between 2pm and 4pm each week day and ticket some of these ignorant people - maybe that will get it through to them!

Obsessions

I have a bit of an obsessive compulsive personality. I generally have at least one obsession going at any one time - but they are always fairly short-lived. I suddenly start on something and pursue it with extreme vigor then just as quickly I stop - usually because I have become bored with it, but sometimes because another, more exciting obsession has cropped up.

My current obsession is knitting. In the space of 3 weeks I have knitted myself a rather nice cardigan and a long blanket-like jacket. These were churned out with great speed and did not quench my thirst for this particular obsession at this time, so I have chosen a much more difficult patterned cardigan with cabling (which I haven't done before) and made up of a large number of components. I chose this pattern for two reasons. One was I liked it, the other was because the pattern stated "experience, requires patience". This will be a challenge!! Can I complete the cardigan before my obsession dies? Will it be thrown in the bottom of my wardrobe, unfinished but with a promise to myself that I will pick it up again at a later date? (who am I trying to kid anyway!). We shall see.............

Monday, June 21, 2010

In the beginning...........

Today is the first day of my blogging life. I'm not at all sure what the future will bring or whether this life will be interesting, exciting or just plain boring. Whatever happens though it will be mine.

There is nothiing particularly interesting about my day today, this is not why I have started a blog. In fact the reason I have done this is because I am bored - so that doesn't bode well for anyone choosing to read this - sorry. I apologise now for any future boring stuff that may appear also - but I guess if you have got this far and realised what you are in for you probably wont read any future stuff anyway - so in that case I take back my apology because you don't deserve it.

Anyway - that's it - the birth of Camille's blog........... look out for future exciting postings!!