25th Dec 2021
Love thy neighbour, even when he has parties every weekend til 2am and you're working the early shift. Love the little children......but only you're own, cause let's be honest... Who's got time for anyone else's annoying little shits.
Woke in the middle of the night with an aching left thigh and a sore neck. Didn't think anything about it, just slept wrong, but it didn't feel like that. Then I thought about coming off my bike the other day......that's what it is.
Over to kitchen at 7am for cuppa. Wished a couple of people Merry Xmas and sat talking to a young guy Jonno who is 29. Had an interesting discussion about work and getting life in balance. He, like most of us, watched his parents work hard all their lives, but perhaps in jobs they didn't want to do. He didn't want to wind up at sixty five, thinking.... What was that all about. So he's going to change it. I told him what we did and how we'd lived and although we'd never be rich, we had spent time doing the things that make us happy. That resonated with him and he plans to set things rolling in a new direction. Nice way to start Xmas day.
We weren't sure if we would stay put today or not, but the weather was so perfect for cycling, we decided after our Xmas breakfast of weetbix and longlife milk with the added thrill of bananas and blueberries, to pack up.
It took us a while as we face timed Dave, San and Dad. Although Brody was there, we'd already spoken to him earlier. As we rode out of Twizel, a siren sounded.
Didn't think anything of it because the same thing had happened in Tekapo, so we just figured it was some strange mountain ritual. Suddenly a cop car goes flying past us. However, just down the road, which was straight, was a crashed car, upside down, with windows smashed and a cop car parked next to it. Middle of a straight road, with sleeping bags and other holiday paraphernalia spilling out of its broken windows, but no one in it. It had to have been recent, it was on someone's berm, but no sign of anyone, including the cop.
The riding today was awesome. A mix of road, gravel and single track. Alongside canals and around lake Ohau, with stunning scenery under beautiful skies with light winds which varied from cool to warm.
The only other Alps to Ocean cyclists we saw all day were a Russian couple and we passed each other numerous times throughout the afternoon.
Lunch spot at Lake Ohau. Ten mins chilling in the lake and Pete's Xmas beer was good to go!
The camera was kept busy with the stunning vistas. Ate lunch overlooking Lake Ohau and a while later took our first skinny dip of the day. Water was a couple of degrees warmer than Tekapo.
At 3.30pm, we arrived at Ohau village, the one that was decimated in the fire a couple of years ago. Doc have camping available by the lake, so we sorted a spot right on the front. Waited for a few hours to pitch, giving the evils to anyone who came too close and it was only later on that a young couple in a ute, with two dogs, set up about 50 metres away. Thought another skinny dip right in front would put them off, but no.
View from our tent site tonight 😃
As I write, Julia has nearly finished dinner. The tent is wafting gently in the wind, which is now more than a breeze and some walkers with a dog have just strolled down to the beach. I feel another skinny dip coming on.
As it was, no one else came down and after a dinner of honey soy chicken, it was 8pm.....well past our bedtime. The wind was now blowing a gale, so we settled in for a rough night, but we were fine even though the wind blew well into the early hours.
Merry Xmas guys... what a great way to spend Xmas day 💕💕
ReplyDeleteYep and you know what, we didn't have to wear our masks all day! 😀
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