rivettingKateTaylor

The best of Central Hawke’s Bay was on show to a few hundred people at the annual Norsewood to Takapau Fun Challenge today.

A slight frost followed by a beautiful sunny day with a slight breeze welcomed cyclists, runners and walkers of all ages to the Lions Club-organised event, with thanks to Patrice from Sport Hawke’s Bay.

Our school PTA was doing the sausage sizzle (250 sold!) but my first aim was to make it from Norsewood to Takapau myself – a road driven many times but only attempted under my own steam once a year!

The first two years we lived in CHB we joined the walkers at our front gate for the last 4km into town.

Last year I rode with my son, then six, on his little sixteen-inch with no gears. What a lovely ride it was – bribing with chocolates at the most opportune moments (halfway up both the hills!)

This year it was Sarah’s turn. She is nine and has a gear bike. I discovered today that she doesn’t use them properly and is not very fit.  I also discovered (well, I already knew) that I am one of those pushy parents always making their kids go harder or faster.

She could have done so much better today – she could have creamed it home (like last year when she was riding with her father). But it was a fun challenge after all?

It’s weird that Thomas and I are very competitive in the sports we watch and the sports we play and our children are laid back and into participation over success, while a friend of mine is more into participation and her children are very competitive!

Have we made them into the opposite of what we portray?

Or is that far too deep for a Sunday night, when one is supposed to be finishing a 3000-word feature before the two-hour final of Grey’s Anatomy starts?

Perhaps it is because I haven’t had glass of wine for a job well done today.

The vege garden even got weeded when we got back. It was too nice a day not to get a job like that done.

Photos were almost posted of the six or seven baby carrots harvested from the garden, but considering they were supposed to be amongst 30 or 40 full-size carrots it might have been a tad embarrassing.