Weekend of fun!

So my 2 weeks of permanent late shift are over! Yey, this called for a weekend of serious fun. After a much needed lie in and a considerable period of indecision (this wont be a surprise for some!) me and James jumped into Blackie for an afternoon drive to Akaroa. Akaroa is a small town on the coast, about an hours drive from Christchurch its made up of a few shops, bars and cafes, and a beautiful bay surrounded by hills. There is also a cheese factory on the way in, so a stop off was essential to buy the smelliest, most mouldy cheese to take back to Rebecca! Yum! James was lucky enough to be able to drive Blackie (not just any old person gets to be so privileged!), mainly so I could take in the beautiful views on the drive in, as they were a bit of a distraction whilst driving!
Akaroa is a beautiful and peaceful place to spend the day. We had a wander along the edge of the bay to the lighthouse watching the boats out on the water, and had a glass of wine in a bar on the waterfront. Relaxing!
After a scenic drive back to Christchurch we had a few (and a few more) drinks with my new house mates, Nick and Amelia, they are lovely people and it was nice to actually have some time to spend with them. We had a great night, probably too good, as we had a castle hill trip the next day! And I had a brand new bouldering mat to try out, another good trade-me find.
Sunday morning was sunny and bright, so it was time to rehydrate, take some paracetamol and try and feel keen for a bouldering trip to castle hill! We went with Hamish, Paddy and Oscar again, and were joined by some others who I hadn't met before. Everyone was lovely, we had a good play around on the boulders. I didn't do anything too spectacular, but James managed a particularly tricky crack problem that he couldn't do last time, so he was pleased. The crash mat worked and there were no new injuries, it served particularly well as a mat to sunbathe on, as we spend a good part of the day chilling out in the sun, having a doze and enjoying the view. Still ache a bit today though, so obviously I did do something worthwhile out there!
Now I'm all set for a week of nights, and I have been persuaded into a charity speed climbing event! How exciting, its on Friday so will keep you posted on how that goes!

More Bouldering!

Today me and James went to Castle Hill for a day of bouldering (and sunbathing!) After a leisurely start to the day we jumped into Blackie and headed to Castle Hill. Blackie did well on the open road and got us there safely. The sun was shinning, and it was really warm. We worked on quite a few problems, a couple that I had tried last time came fairly easily to me and we did some good tricky new ones. Much to my dismay James seemed to be overtaking me in bouldering ability, pulling off some good moves and doing some challenging problems. I had a great time though, and after a shaky start to the day (another Angela freaking out near the top moment - sorry James!) I did some fun problems, with not too much crying involved, lots of power screams and some great dynos! (that's a running jump to grab the first hold to those who are wondering!). There was a healthy amount of lying in the sun, basking in the glorious weather and taking in the beautiful snow-capped mountains around us. We drove home to a home cooked roast, courtesy of Rebecca (with a little help from Gary!) then a glass of red before bed.

A fantastic day, thanks James!