Many hours later...
Sep. 30th, 2005 07:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
haldoorOr so it feels. (If you've ANY interest in pointless circles, read under the cut!) The first bit's bad enough...
I was tired to start with after last night, I have to say. Thought I was getting to bed early but didn't (12.30am), then woohoo, LF actually DIDN'T get into bed with Hubby and I (my side always) for a change this time, but...
4am: my cat's latest friend is HOWLING outside our bedroom window. Scare that one away, go back to sleep.
5am: Wilma (our cat) is threatening furball regurgitation on our bedroom floor. Hubby puts her out, we go back to sleep.
6am: LF arrives. Put him in front of TV (good parenting skills at work here *nods*), return to bed (the one morning I didn't have to get up at 5.45 for work this has to happen?), go back to sleep.
7am: LF returns. N1D and N2D can be heard in their room. Is there any point in trying to sleep longer? Not much. I doze a bit as LF destroys the bed.
Best bit:
8am: Hubby gets up and makes tea, brings it back to bed. Ah... then we get up to begin our exciting day on the motorways and roads of Auckland. Read on, MacDuff! (if you dare)
Had the day off work today as it's school holidays, so I took the kids to visit friends about 50 mins drive away. Only... halfway there we hit roadworks on the motorway, meaning it took us 30 mins where it would have taken 10 usually (not so bad I suppose, but...), then we head along the road I usually take (semi-rural area) to find, OH NO, part of the road is closed and there's a diversion. Great. Follow the diversion signs, thinks I, then we'll know when to turn back to our usual way... HA HA HA! More fool me. No diversion signs after the initial ones, oh goodie.
I end up circling South Auckland, saying out loud alternate positive and negative things like "I have no idea where I am" and "Oh well, we've never been here before, it's an adventure!" to my children!
South Auck is friggin' confusion land to a Westie like me who can just about cope with Downtown, the North Shore, and my own part of the city - for those not in the know, Auckland may only have a pop. of 1 mill, but it is the fourth largest (or thereabouts) city in the world in terms of AREA - but South Auck could just as well be San Francisco to me (never been to SF, rarely go to SA) apart from the few routes to particular places I do know...
Anyway, I end up at Manukau City Centre, which luckily I do know. This confirms it: I have done a HUGE friggin' circle. Amazingly, I have my trusty cellphone on board, and guess what, folks? It actually doesn't have a flat battery - MIRACLE! (which is usually what happens when I need it, since I use it so seldom. The other option is usually that I've left it at home). So, the day is saved because I was able to ring my friend and get directions from the mall. YAY! 2 hours after leaving home, we finally arrive at friend's house! Fantabulous!
Actually had a good day when we finally got there. Spring seemed well underway today (apparently the high was forecast as 20 deg C {c. low 70's F}), the wind was not too harsh, and we were able to eat fish'n chips by the beach, then wander around some and let the kids play in the sand before it was time to head back to their house and prepare to depart. (Some brave souls were actually swimming, but this is not something I'll personally brave, nor allow my children to do, as early as September! Brrr...).
So, after coffee and all that we ended up chatting about, OF COURSE we end up leaving well after my supposed cut-off for leaving in order to avoid rush-hour traffic... *sigh* Most of you know my problem with being distracted, anyway... So, the upshot is that of course we get into rush-hour traffic and it takes 1 & 1/2 hours to get home. This means I have spent 3 & 1/2 hours on the road in order to visit friends for 4 hours. I s'pose I should be grateful it was actually longer than we spent in the car. Just. As I was tired, I guess we were all lucky I managed to refrain from falling asleep on the the road.
Home at last 5.30pm. I was EXHAUSTED and still am feeling rather weary. But this is just normal for me, due to too many late nights on the comp, and many overnight interruptions...
And next Friday? Yes, you got it, I have planned another road trip to visit a different friend at the other end of the city. Let us hope there are no road works or diversions up that way. *shakes head in resignation*
See any regular patterns here? You know it - circles, my favourite shape!
I was tired to start with after last night, I have to say. Thought I was getting to bed early but didn't (12.30am), then woohoo, LF actually DIDN'T get into bed with Hubby and I (my side always) for a change this time, but...
4am: my cat's latest friend is HOWLING outside our bedroom window. Scare that one away, go back to sleep.
5am: Wilma (our cat) is threatening furball regurgitation on our bedroom floor. Hubby puts her out, we go back to sleep.
6am: LF arrives. Put him in front of TV (good parenting skills at work here *nods*), return to bed (the one morning I didn't have to get up at 5.45 for work this has to happen?), go back to sleep.
7am: LF returns. N1D and N2D can be heard in their room. Is there any point in trying to sleep longer? Not much. I doze a bit as LF destroys the bed.
Best bit:
8am: Hubby gets up and makes tea, brings it back to bed. Ah... then we get up to begin our exciting day on the motorways and roads of Auckland. Read on, MacDuff! (if you dare)
Had the day off work today as it's school holidays, so I took the kids to visit friends about 50 mins drive away. Only... halfway there we hit roadworks on the motorway, meaning it took us 30 mins where it would have taken 10 usually (not so bad I suppose, but...), then we head along the road I usually take (semi-rural area) to find, OH NO, part of the road is closed and there's a diversion. Great. Follow the diversion signs, thinks I, then we'll know when to turn back to our usual way... HA HA HA! More fool me. No diversion signs after the initial ones, oh goodie.
I end up circling South Auckland, saying out loud alternate positive and negative things like "I have no idea where I am" and "Oh well, we've never been here before, it's an adventure!" to my children!
South Auck is friggin' confusion land to a Westie like me who can just about cope with Downtown, the North Shore, and my own part of the city - for those not in the know, Auckland may only have a pop. of 1 mill, but it is the fourth largest (or thereabouts) city in the world in terms of AREA - but South Auck could just as well be San Francisco to me (never been to SF, rarely go to SA) apart from the few routes to particular places I do know...
Anyway, I end up at Manukau City Centre, which luckily I do know. This confirms it: I have done a HUGE friggin' circle. Amazingly, I have my trusty cellphone on board, and guess what, folks? It actually doesn't have a flat battery - MIRACLE! (which is usually what happens when I need it, since I use it so seldom. The other option is usually that I've left it at home). So, the day is saved because I was able to ring my friend and get directions from the mall. YAY! 2 hours after leaving home, we finally arrive at friend's house! Fantabulous!
Actually had a good day when we finally got there. Spring seemed well underway today (apparently the high was forecast as 20 deg C {c. low 70's F}), the wind was not too harsh, and we were able to eat fish'n chips by the beach, then wander around some and let the kids play in the sand before it was time to head back to their house and prepare to depart. (Some brave souls were actually swimming, but this is not something I'll personally brave, nor allow my children to do, as early as September! Brrr...).
So, after coffee and all that we ended up chatting about, OF COURSE we end up leaving well after my supposed cut-off for leaving in order to avoid rush-hour traffic... *sigh* Most of you know my problem with being distracted, anyway... So, the upshot is that of course we get into rush-hour traffic and it takes 1 & 1/2 hours to get home. This means I have spent 3 & 1/2 hours on the road in order to visit friends for 4 hours. I s'pose I should be grateful it was actually longer than we spent in the car. Just. As I was tired, I guess we were all lucky I managed to refrain from falling asleep on the the road.
Home at last 5.30pm. I was EXHAUSTED and still am feeling rather weary. But this is just normal for me, due to too many late nights on the comp, and many overnight interruptions...
And next Friday? Yes, you got it, I have planned another road trip to visit a different friend at the other end of the city. Let us hope there are no road works or diversions up that way. *shakes head in resignation*
See any regular patterns here? You know it - circles, my favourite shape!
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no subject
Date: 2005-09-30 10:45 am (UTC)Great tale there. plus side is that there was more time with friend than in the car. Always gauge the trips like that.
*smooch* now go nap.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-30 11:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-30 11:41 am (UTC)Shouldn't laugh. Shouldn't. But...you're doing another one? Mental. Totally mental.
@-'-,--------
no subject
Date: 2005-09-30 11:43 pm (UTC)