We were gripped by freezing temperatures this morning. Enough to freeze the water in the chicken house and we were surrounded by freezing fog across the valleys.  It were perfect photography material but today of all days I didn’t have time to capture the moment.

I had to hot foot to town to work.

Today I was leading a workshop at the Westpac stadium.  I always like working at the stadium.  Parking is easy, catering is good, the views out of the window are spectacular.  The only downside is that access to the stadium is like walking down a wind tunnel.  Just what you don’t need when it’s an icy wind blowing even if there is a bright winter sun.

The stadium is an impressive place when it’s full and it’s no less impressive when it’s empty. What makes it all the more impressive is the frost on the ground where the sun has not yet swung around.

Such frost in Wellington is an unusual sight.  That tells you how cold it’s been.

By lunch time there was a whole different story.  The sun was up, the temperatures were rising and it was warm enough to enjoy the lunch break sitting out in the stadium.  It felt slightly ridiculous for around 20 people to be sitting in a stadium that seats many thousands.  As least we had plenty of seats to choose from.

What I found incredible is that the sprinklers were on the pitch.  I can’t believe that there hasn’t been enough rain in recent weeks to keep this pitch in tip top condition.

You might think this was a sunny day in high summer.  Let me tell you, take away the sun and it was very chilly still. Seems that the pitch needed a good watering though.

Look here you can see the silhouette of the floodlights in the sprinkler.

This sprinkler was crying out for someone to run under it.

It seemed the participants in the workshop were as enthusiastic as I was to get under the sprinkler.  We preferred looking at it from inside our nice warm function room!

It beats going to some city centre hotel to work.  The stadium is becoming one of my most recommended places to clients to book rooms for their events.

My brain is always mush at the end of a day running a workshop – all that thinking, concentrating for hours on end.  At least when I’m working from home I can take breaks, get distracted and get the bassets to entertain me when I get bored.  But paid requires utmost concentration.

I can’t imagine how people manage to work all day every day.  I’m not sure I’m capable of it any more.  Those 12 hours days are such a distant memory now.  It seems like a lifetime ago.  It’s times like this that I count my blessings.  The flexibility I have with my work – it’s days like today I celebrate being a Domestic Executive.