Biking in Blenheim

 And here we are in Blenheim. We are staying in a CAP (Charges Apply Property) It's a private property with power and water available. Just on the outskirts of the town, so it's quiet and peaceful. The birds wake us up in the morning, and apart from yesterday morning when it was overcast, the weather has been fine and warm-ish, especially out of the breeze.

We arrived here on Sunday and I think I headed a migraine off at the pass just before we left Waikawa Bay - I took a couple of neurofen when I felt the aura about to start. But one of the things for me with migraines is that I tend to feel very sleepy and low in spirits for a good 24 hours. Given the idiots we have here in NZ who are protesting about lockdowns, about being vaccinated, etc, my tendency to feeling low was given a good shove along its way! So late on Sunday and early yesterday morning I was very miserable. However, a guy I follow on fb, Gerard Otto, (look for him - he is a breath of fresh air) posted about Jacinda's Monday morning media sweep where she pointed out that more than twice as many people got vaccinated on Sunday as were out protesting. That did cheer me up! And taking a number of magnesium capsules and B vitamins also assisted.

Once David had finished talking with a help desk person who was trying to resolve the issue we are having with our email at the moment (something to do with our domain and mail not being directed as it should be) while I did the following: made a salad to be ready for dinner, packed the bike bags, did the laundry (hand-washed) and made the bed, we then got ready to head away on the bikes. 

Just about ready to leave on yesterday's ride - bike bags are on the carriers, the washing is hanging on the bike rack.

The bike/pedestrian paths along the river in Blenheim are great. We did go the wrong way on each side of the river ... Doh! Not reading the map correctly ... Once we were aiming in the right direction, courtesy of assistance from another cyclist, we were cool. I'm not sure how far we cycled - not quite as far as Taylor Dam - but it was lovely and did lots to boost my confidence. 

Parts of the river bed are quite dry in places because of the dam further up the valley. However the flood banks either side show that it can rise significantly. The dry beds were covered in swathes and swathes of california poppies - I'm not a fan of orange flowers, but these look just amazing!

That's David in the pink hi-vis beside the river.

The Riverside Park is very attractive - such a great asset for the town.

These California poppies were everywhere!

This was the first huge mass of them in the dry riverbed. Aren't they beaut?

Lots of people were out walking with their kids and their dogs. We stopped to talk with a woman whose dog, Ted, was just beaut. He is a sydney silkie jack russell cross. He was very keen on the bits of carrot sticks that we gave him. I have a feeling he may just be the kind of dog we end up getting - small, intelligent, active, doesn't shed... And he'd fit easily in the motorhome without always being in the way!

And we didn't realise until we had nearly finished the ride that it was Marlborough Anniversary Day, a public holiday. I'm glad we didn't know that because I would have been anxious that there would be too many people out! But it wasn't too busy at all.

Looking out at the path from the cafe.

We stopped at Raupo Cafe beside the path for capuccino/hot chocolate and a shared plate of bruschetta - yummy. Then back we came - finding our way off the paths, up away from the riverbank and on to the road/paths was a bit of a mission (I sense a theme here ...), but once we were in the right place, it was a smooth ride back to the POP.

Grating beetroot in the motorhome proved to be messy without the food processor, so David repaired outside to grate the carrots. The toolbox made a handy and solid bench, albeit at just above ground level!

The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting out beside the motorhome in the sun reading and WhatsApping with Ann (me), making beetroot and carrot salad (David), talking with the help desk person again (David), starting to fill the water tank (David), turning the tap off and rewinding the hose (me). David's last task/activity took ages and ages, so I got dinner ready while it was happening - zingy vegetarian nachos (Nadia Lim's recipe with the addition of a grated carrot and several chopped mushrooms and half a yellow capsicum) The mixture had been cooked the day before along with guacamole made and put in the fridge then too, so it was a heat and set everything out exercise really - totally healthy with lettuce salad and beetroot and carrot salad!

 

This morning, we had to swap toilet cassettes - the spare is kept in the garage under the bed (perhaps it's a gerzunder...). Before 7am David was going to crawl in from the outside door but as there was a fair amount of stuff in the way, I volunteered to get out of bed so the mattress could be lifted and the cassette extracted. David doesn't know I took these photos but it really was too good an opportunity to miss ...

Get in there, David! I was doing other useful stuff at the time - making an early morning cup of tea for us both, for one thing.

It was back to bed for both of us after the cassette was extracted and the full one replaced. The first cups of tea of the day MUST be consumed in bed, I think.

After a suitable lie in we headed off for another bike ride with the aim of heading for breakfast at the Riverside Cafe in the Riverside Industrial Estate. 

Well, we got back at about 12.30 and I was pooped! About 7kms each way which is not too bad really, but my legs remembered yesterday's pedalling and were not happy to be put to work again. It's not that they hurt - it's just that they feel weak when I get off or when I start up again. And that feeling is quite disconcerting when I need them at strength to support me...

The ride was really good on a well formed and maintained track. The hardest part was just after the beginning - trying to find where the track actually started was a bit difficult as we had to negotiate a roundabout where SH1 (NZ's version of the M1), Blenheim's Main St and another road intersected - all of which had quite a bit of traffic. It didn't help that we got mixed up about which road we had to take from the roundabout. (Please note we DEFINITELY DID NOT ride around it! That requires far more courage and audacity than we have ever had!)

We did discover that there was an easier way - of course ... So we already knew which way we had to go when we came back.

The bike trail was alongside SH1 but far enough away that the traffic noise was not a disturbance - definitely not like the A38 beside the canal, that is for sure!

We found the cafe in the Industrial Park after a couple of mistakes. After we came off the path, we ended up going around 3 sides of a large block of factories/transport companies, engineering firms etc, instead of just heading straight down the street to the cafe. Doh!! We had a lovely breakfast though, so it was worth the effort: potato rosti, wilted greens, tomatoes and mushrooms with poached eggs.

Since we got back (a much faster trip than on the way out) I have blobbed for most of the afternoon, reading and listening to James O'Brien's interview with Jimmy Carr - who is a far more serious and in depth person than I ever imagined he'd be; and David has done yet another mammoth session with the helpdesk guy. I get the feeling they have both enjoyed doing the problem solving. He is now on yet another call with a different supplier (the company that we have the travelling internet service/modem with). I think they are just doing a check that things are now working properly. Here's hoping! Nope, not yet apparently ...