A Wanaka Day.

It's quite nice, getting to hang out with Spook at his work. That's what most of these pictures are - Spook checking out bits and pieces of the upcoming events.

It's the Ben Race tomorrow. The training has never really come together for iether of us, but at least Spook is pretty fit, if not hill fit. It is a bit of a worry for me making cut off times - 1hr to the half way, 2 hours to the top and 3hrs 15mins to finish. Fingers crossed. But the weather is set to be fair, the hill will be covered in well-wishers and offers of jelly babies and drams. The jelly babies get stuck in my cheek, but the dram goes down a treat (thanks in anticipation, Willie.) There is always the chance of a couple of kisses on the way up, too. One from my husband on his way down, if he can find me, and another from an undisclosed source, about half way up the 2nd half. So between that and the marshalls that tend to cover the same spots each year, there is always a cheer to look forward at different places and a hug from Mr Porter at the top. One might begin to question my determination to take part in this race.

As local athletes taper off their training, there seemed little point in me tapering anything, so I went on a 27 mile cycle with Spook today as he put out notices in the forest, to warn users of the Tour De Ben Nevis. There probably wasn't a better place to live on a day like this, even though it was what Spook fondly calls a 'Wanaka Day'. One where the sun shines and you feel like it will be like that every day for a long time to come.