Whinge! Moan! Suppliers eh!

IP range, we've never got that one sorted, suppliers get baffled by it when you try and explain the current situation and then you bring up the notion of Athens which is followed by a whimper at the other end of the line! Not helped by the fact the product I'm dealing with is a freebie to GPs and perish the thought that there are any other types of user in primary care that would have an interest in Guidelines. Still I pass them into the tender loving care of Ingrid. They call back later and though they haven't spoken to Ingrid they have to Athens and are getting cost details.

Meanwhile Binley's call, Nigel's moved on, we missed the geezer who took his place and now have a new fella who seems pleasant and reminds me that the licence is due for renewal next month.

Net is unnacountably slow today from here, much swearing at the thing, not what you need on a Monday morning/afternoon. Day is filled with confusing and unclear FoI requests (I ask for clarification to make sense of it) and the odd other bit and piece. New version of Feedreader to play with.

Home calls, Margaret (Monst's Aunt) has been dragged to hospital. Not sounding too good, Monst is worried but her hands are tied by her impending trip to India and the need to be at work. All rather too reminiscent of her Dad. Poor Kitty is on the frontline of this one.

Home via Pizza Hut at Cal's request, fetch food for Monst from the No Mercy's 'Simply Food' (which also sells tights, flowers, cards and newspapers and I ain't about to eat them!) Eat, and drag Monst to work. Home, Blog, Cal baths.

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Das Boot and Das Go Cart

Voyage of Discovery

Spend the morning before we leave in Te Papa, it's not really enough time to do the place justice but it does fill our time nicely. Cal quite enjoys the earthquake experience. Monst is knackered and just chills in a movie section at one point. I'm reminded that natural and delicate graphics are good to look at. Top place.

I fetch the car, we fill the tank and head out to the Interislander Ferry Teminal, we're an hour early, check in, dump the big bag and car seat which comes as quite a relief and I sort the car. Grab the paperwork and head to a closed Hertz Office and drop off the keys.

Ferry journey is exciting for all of half an hour at least until we get close to Picton. Sort of fjord entry so very pretty. Dunno which is meant to be the Dover or Calais equivilent but which ever Picton is it's much more quaint. Sort the car at Hertz and we move to a Corolla from a Focus. Locate the hotel for the night, dump the stuff and find some food. Head to a place called the Barn. I enjoy my medallions of pork but then I like veg and it comes with plenty. Monst less impressed with her pan fried chicken. It was adequate. Good beer though.

Snow, Rain and Mud

Breakfast at the Dog and Frog in Picton is good, full fry for Monst, pancakes for the boy and me, mine with the now obligatory banana and bacon. Nice cafe as are most over here. In anticipation of drive Cal and I stretch our legs, me wandering about, him running around like a loon in a play park. Cool.

Drive to Greymouth looks long on the map, we've been told about 6 hours by locals, we do it in four including lunch stop! Monst along the way has spied On Yer Bike and considers it to be a Cal friendly activity. So we pitch up, passing the first game of rugby we've seen while here despite the evidence of a rugby mad nation. Turns out we need to wait an hour because the guide is out, indeed we see him go. Not a prob it's nice to relax. Sort the clothing, sort of wader things with boots attached, Cal is poured into his, I struggle into mine, feel like Humpty Dumpty as the thing involves braces. Then an oilskin over the top. Get into the cart and off we go round a practice course following Ian on his quad. Cal giggles and continues as we go round the thing proper, wallowing in deep long puddles, scooting through mud, we don't get up a couple of hills and requre a tow. We get wet muddy and Cal loves it. Certainly his fave thing so far.

Struggle to locate the Ashley Hotel, room is cold when we arrive, I grab a shower to wash off the much of the go carting, Monst susses the laundry because our clothes need to visit it. Dinner at the Bonsai Pizzeria in Greymouth which is good, and cheap. $60 (about twenty quid, with pizza, garlic loaf, chips, drinks and puds thrown in). Back to the hotel, Monst hits the laundry. Read more of 'How to Train Your Dragon' to the pair of them, last chapter to go now before the move to 'How to be a Pirate'.

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No Sleep 'Til Halewood

No Mercy and the trip round the furniture stores. Results in a new dining table and chairs being ordered from a geezer called Wayne who seems to me to be a bit like Swiss Toni. However this happens in Harvey's in the interim we've waled the perimiter, been into every furniture/clothes store. My rewards are trips to Smiths and Borders, lucky me! In both I conspicuously try not to buy anything and immerse myself in Charlie George's autobiography the cunningly titled 'My Story'. I can see me buying it eventually. It reads easily and I enjoy the few chapters I get through. Pizza for food at Cal's request, makes my life easier then home. Wrestle with some RSS stuff for this training session. Then want sleep. Blog first, catch up with Ken and laugh at the Rabbit based antics. Find myself wondering how Sally got on in the smoke. Technorati Tags: No Mercy Retail Park, Furnture, Dining Table, Charlie George, Pizza, Rabbit, Sleep