How to Train Your Viking

Sunday

Ever the sucker for things that jangle and lyricists that make me smile it comes as little surprise that The Lucksmiths happen to me. I'm sure Dave punted a track by them my way. Either way it is a smiling me typing today.

Trad start to a bank holiday weekend day as I attempt a little DIY. Cal's DVD collection has outgrown the shelving and having bought a new Benno unit from IKEA ages ago I finally put the thing together. Traditionally I manage to hit my thumb several times and utter immortal Tom Sharpe lines at the room and the cat who occupies it. Throw into the mix I am kinda watching an episode of Rome at the time and it all seems natural that Dame Irony is in the house.

Saturday

A day in which I run around in preparation for the bank holiday traditional downturn in the weather mowing lawns and such like. The grass as usual is being awkward and growing in between mowing sessions. The pygmy tribe that hang out in the long grass at the end of the garden have again retreated to the uplands of the rockery.

Actually the garden is looking better than it should because Monst invested a sum of twice the amount she told me (stoopid girl told a friend that over the phone as I arrived back on Friday - I don't go ape as predicted, what's the point it's done and dusted now) in a couple of women to hack away at the garden for the morning. They were on a better wack than I receive for it and no grief about not tidying the house as I potter about outside. Anyway the rockery out front now looks a whole heap better and the grass can piss me off by growing again over the week.

Of course this is a precursor to Monst and the boy going to see 'A Bridge to Terabithia', I drop them at Edge Lane and return home. Get bugger all achieved from that. Then off to pick them up and drag them to Warrington. We visit a garden centre for a mooch but have a more productive time at Borders where we come away with a few things including 'How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse' the latest of the Toothless books. Then to the LA Bowl for Jack's party where I watch the boys bowl and Monst reads. Theres a turn up for the books. Home via the Silver Valley. Where I discover Sammy Lee's childhood fancy, the views on child abduction from our fellow diners, whether I wish to or not.

Friday

Early dart to Reggie, quick catch up with stuff I missed yesterday. Coffee from the meeting Place, park on Jamaica Street and wander down to the performance management training with Elaine G. Arrive early. Goes well. Impressed as usual.

Home and as this is meant to be a pleasant evening I prepare to cremate meat as the folks visit Marie and co so Cal can play with Meggie. Cool.

Books, Bicycle's and Pools

My capacity to read and enjoy crap never ceases to astound me. I hit Borders 3 for 2 not for a piece of good literature (indeed as soon as someone mentions the word prize with the exception of the Carnegie Medal - it's kids lit so has to be readable - I avoid it like the plague. Likewise I have a current aversion to anything mentioning the Knight's Templar). So not a great book prompting this but a Jack Higgins which I don't think I've read (you can never tell with Higgins and I often think it's all one story but at least it's one I enjoy!) 'The Valhalla Exchange', 'The Last King of Scotland' (because I vaguely recall the horror of Idi Amin - and therefore want to read the thing... go figure!) comes in at number two and 'Schools Out' that goes in as the third book because the blurb has the magic words 'Black Comedy' on it.

Morning begins with the Sunday ritual dip at Garston Pool, where once again I challenge Callum to swim two more lengths that last weekend so 14 is the target and he copes with it admirably. I actually suspect he's swum about 17 given the amount of jinking about that is required because the pool is busier than usual. This is good for the pair of us because I end up swimming the distance too. Why so busy? Seems to be linked to the bike sale that is happening at Garston today - too late for us then!

Home and we munch our way through the pizza purchased earlier, put up the latest picture in the shrine of Callum (actually I shouldn't mock because this is a sort of tissue paper collage affair on canvas that Hazel at Monst's work has done after a photo of the boy New Zealand and it really is quite good) and then back to the bicycle lessons. Apart from a complete lack of understanding that the brakes and not lamp posts were put on the planet to stop cyclists as required, the boy is really getting the hang of the thing. He even manges to start from a standing start without assistance, which is progress on yesterday. OK on the downside, he runs a couple with a pushchair off the path, investigates the underside of a couple of bushes and rides flat out at the odd lamp post, falls off sufficiently close to some dog shit to be concerned, but these are all necessary lessons. Thank nonexistent deities the little bugger ain't at an age where he can get behind the wheel of the car! And lest you want to know, the return of the bloody Queen song has happened.

Roast a chicken at Cal's request, complete a load of washing and the day's a good'un!

Of Kiwis and Caves

Post yesterday's post nip to Borders and fetch a copy of 'How to Speak Dragonese' and up to Real Groovy Records where a copy of 'Kaleidoscope World' and the 'Stand By' Ep by the Chills are procured on CD. Real Groovy is by the way! Leave Auckland at around 8.30'ish, chuffed to get a start that early in the day. Grab a McDead Thing brekkie as we travel down State Highway 1. Headed for the Black Water Rafting Co. down at the Waitomo Caves on a mission to see the Ruarki Cave and glow worms. Along the way we come across the Kiwi House at Otorhanga, it's too good an opportunity to miss, we have to see at least one Kiwi while we're here! So we grab a quick hour here before heading on to the Caves. At the caves we grab a quick beans on toast as lunch and then Angus our guide for the trip introduces himself. He is incredibly good with Callum and lets Cal turn on lights and stuff. Top man. We all enjoy the trip and grab photos. Drive off down the 30 to Rotorua, arrive there and some more top navigation from Monst gets us to the place the hotel is meant to be. Trouble is we can't see it. I nip into the gaff we do find to ask for directions. Turns out its changed its name. So we're curently at the Sudima Hotel if you want to know. If you don't well you know now anyway! Don't like their web charges mind, yesterday an hour for a couple of dollars today 15 minutes, corporate greed strikes. Mind you the walls are less orange here.