maintence time

As the dreaded xmas rush is about to begin our days have gone very quickly. organising stock and ordering enough product to get us thru the holiday season is a major headache but has to be done.
Having said that I've still managed to get in my daily ride as well as doing some work on the boat. Diane has painted inside all the cupboards  and we have repainted the motor to make it go faster!.

I have been working on sealing the storage cupboards on the flybridge. After a major paint strip i have applied a fibreglass layer to the entire suface,very dusty work but once painted it will be totally moisture proof.

catch up time

Holy mackeral! last time i wrote something here was in august! where to begin? Fiji was great! warm and sunny but a bit windy. Pete and Sara got married on the beach which was nice but should also mention the Diane and I renewed our vows again(as you do)

Pete and myself went for a dive over a coral wall,bit choppy on the surface but great once on the bottom.

We had been toying with the idea of buying a launch for a few years so started looking on the net and found this beauty.
Magic was built from wood in 1976 and has a ford diesel motor. Jim helped us inspect the boat before purchase and has been a great help teaching us the ins and outs of big boat handling etc.
So far we have done a little bit of tidying up,paint etc and fitted new carpets.

We have been able to get out for an overnighter and luckily we managed to get 2 days of perfect weather.

We rounded out a very busy 4 months when  we went to Vanuatu for a week.great country with warm,clear water.

I also managed to get back on the bike and have had 2 weeks solid riding although we are soon going to get very busy in the store so the bike will be hung up till at least the end of january.

crazy weather/Fiji bound

What is happening with this weather? lately it seems that every day is raining or brilliant sunshine.I know it's still supposed to be winter and we have passed the shortest day but you never know what each day will bring.
Managed to get out on the beemer a fair bit over the last 2 weeks which has been nice.
I have been sorting the bike out getting it ready for the grand challenge ride in october.

This saturday we fly out to fiji, a trip we have been looking forward to all year. Sara,pete and the girls are coming with us so should be a great time.

To make it even more special Pete and Sara are going to get married while we are there and as it is our 20th anniversary we are going to renew our vows at the same time.

Pete and i will get a few dives in while we are there and as pete has only just learnt to dive im looking forward to seeing his reaction to that clear blue water and awesome fish life.

The tour rolls on

really enjoying the tour this year.managing to stay awake thru the long nights watching it on tv.After being in france last year and experiencing the tour as a spectator it certainly puts a new spin on watching it.
The noise of the crowds is something i will never forget.

My friend Geoff who is there again this year has some great pictures on this site http://gallery.mac.com/geoff.dale

rugby players are sissies

they say that rugby players are hardmen! they need to have a good look at this poor bugger.
It's Robbie McEwen.he crashed hard,got back on his bike and finished the race.Respect!

grand challenge

Decided to enter the 1000mile (1600km) in 24 hour ride this year. It starts and finishes in Turangi and travels around the north island. the actual course is not released untill the day of the event .
Will have to try and get in a few rides to harden the body up.
I fitted the gps to the bike yesterday,what a mission. BMW motorbikes are put together well and are not designed to be pulled apart!.It took Ashley and I at least 4 hours to take the fairing off ,run the wires and re attach the fairing.
Next on the list is a service and wof then im good to go.

great result for kiwi

pleased to see our own flying kiwi Julian dean taking a close second place in the stage 4 finish in Reims. second may not sound much but sprinting against the worlds fastest bike riders is no mean feat.

I got to talk with Julian last year at the tour,nice guy.you can read the race report from nz's best cycling website herehttp://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TourdeFrance/dean-wins-1st-tour-de-france-podium.html

big weekend coming up

We will have a housefull this weekend! sara and pete are here with reef and three teenage girls!looking forward to having the family together again.

chopper ride

Steve Broadbent called and said he would take me for a ride in his chopper to have look at the damage caused by the rain.

floods

amazing how fast the hills dump water on the coromandel. took these shots at 5.15pm last night

2 Other Kiwis bow out

Looks like we will only have one kiwi riding in the tour de france this year.bad luck to hendy and rolly missing out on team selection. I got to talk to hayden at the tour last year,nice guy. they will get their chance next year i hope along with tim gudsell.

winter 2010

Sure feels like winter here,we have had lots of rain and wind which make it very hard to get out on the bike.
the odd day when it has been nice have been very enjoyable. other than that it has been a session on the trainer..
managed a few rides on the beemer lately but the trailbike has been idle. it's too clean at the moment!
The tour starts in 2 weeks and must say im envious of my friends from last year that are doing it again,it looks like a tough one!
Off to Fiji in 7 weeks, so looking forward to that....bring it on!

Quiet Time

Now that the summer has nearly shut down and the days are getting shorter the amount of tourists dwindles to a slow crawl, that means more relaxing times for us although the days drag on sometimes.
The bike and i have enjoyed some nice rides in the cooler weather and with only 9 weeks untill the tour kicks off
im started to get the buzz that the tour brings.

Pete spent the weekend with us as he is doing his dive course,now i will have a dive buddy in fiji.

back from holiday

just got back from a week in tahiti,or to be correct, Moorea.had a great time, had a scuba dive with sharks and a turtle,also snorkled with stingrays.
Very nice country but 6 hours in a plane is too long! unless your heading to France!