Two spas in one day - oh what decadence

Well I did go to the gym, and managed to push heavier weights than last time, which was more than a fortnight ago. I passed on the swimming tho'. It is only a 2-lane lap pool and there were serious looking swimmers already in there (perhaps training for Beijing?). I don't like competing for space or getting in the way of the real swimmers.

Besides, I had a mission to accomplish today. I decided to pull out of the depths of a dark cupboard a box of old tapes from my video camera and try to transfer them to digital (Hard disk then DVD). I went through a phase of videoing which lasted approx. 1991-1995 and took virtually no photos in that time. I am saddened at not having pictures of my 1992 travels in Russia with Mari amongst other things. The first stumbling block is the camera refuses to play back the Hi8 tapes, but I think that is the camera playing up and not an indication that the tapes are bung (camera has been in a hall cupboard unused for over 10 years). I may get a cheap camera on TradeMe to play them back. My 2nd line of attack was the VHS tapes I'd made from the master Hi8 copies. These play back ok and I spent a good couple of hours watching some of them this afternoon. Next step is to try and record them digitally. Watch this space.

Val - I love the bit I filmed of you at Coro St where you throw your hands up in front and scream "Oh no, I don't have my eyebrows on" !

Apart from this, I had some serious pampering today. Again using the birthday spa voucher I succumbed to a 1 hour facial which included a shoulder, neck and arm massage as well as many types of delicious unguents massaged into my skin. I never thought having my eye sockets massaged could be so good.

After another hour or two in front of the nostalgia tapes I felt really cold (its been clear and sunny but hovering between 5-10C today) and in need of an instant warm-up. So I spent the next hour wallowing in our 38C bubbling spa pool underneath tall palm and ponga fern trees with a cup of tea and watched a grey-blue winter sky slowly turn grey-pink then charcoal. As the steam rose into the trees and various birds fluttered overhead my thoughts were with the city-bods starting their journey home over the harbour bridge - from the spa pool you can hear the traffic hum of the bridge when the wind blows from the south. Life is not so hard here. I could live being me, I think.