Tuesday 26 October 2010

Sandspit and Casablanca

We started by packing early on Thursday night and then after having a lovely dinner at another local Japanese place to my house called Shochiku which adds to the list of Renkon, Kens Yakitori and one I can't remember the name of on corner of Queen Street and City Road.

We set off at noon on Friday and were in Sandspit not long after to setup camp and basque in the sunshine. It was a nice spot with lovely views of the harbour and really neat retro styled decor to all the amenities. Night one went OK a bit cold but luckily I had packed the hot water bottle and the beautiful sounds of the moreporks more than made up for it.

Day two we just relaxed in the sun read our books, went shell hunting, for a bush walk and generally relaxed. Love the crazy rocks in the area and now can tell the difference between, Bubble, Cockle, Muscle, Scallop, Turret, Biscuit, Tulip, Ostrich Foot and Oyster shells.

Sunday more sun bathing and book reading before heading into Matakana's Ascention winery to listen to some music and watch Casablanca under the stars alot of fun - especially some of the remarks yelled from some very inebriated audience members.


Monday we went to Charlies gelato garden and had the sweetest strawberries I have had in years and seriously the best blueberry gelato in the world. Then we went for a drive to Snells beach, Algies Bay and Scotts Landing all stunning on a bright sunny day before heading home.

Macarons the new Cupcake?

Is it just me or does it seem like the craze for cupcakes is nearing the end and a new craze for macarons has started. I keep seeing them pop up in magazines, cafes and all the food blogs I read. Now I feel like one. Might have to hunt down a recipe for a Christmas one as only 9 weeks to go.

Oh Joy Eats

Photo courtesy of Oh Joy Eats - my fav food blog

Thursday 21 October 2010

Walk for Survival - 14th November 2010

If anyone would like to take part or donate to this worthy cause of helping the Melanoma Foundation please see the details on the attached poster. My dad is the organiser and would love any support he can get.

Birkenhead Rotary



Tuesday 19 October 2010

A sticky situation

Grrrrr!!! just noticed that my favourite dress has chewing gum stuck to the bottom from my visit to the movies on the weekend and no matter how much plucking, freezing or boiling I do it is not coming off so begins the very slow removal process.

If only people were more thoughtful, as it is always funny till the joke is on you - karma do your thing.

30 mins and alot of electrical tape

Monday 18 October 2010

A weekend of fun

Went out to a new bar in Britomart called 1885 for a few drinks and friends catchup. Was a nice venue with a great cover band.

It's funny though how quickly you forget how easy it is to get a hangover when you have not been drinking for ages and then suddenly start again. I thank Sals greasy pizza for atleast softening the blow.

What better way to burn/sweat off said hangover than with a walk up Rangitoto. I love this walk as it is just far enough to feel like a workout but not so bad you feel like collapsing and the reward of the stunning views is a must.

After the walk we decided it was such a nice day that a cold beer seemed in order so we headed off to Brew on Quay to sample some new ones. My favourite was Eidelweiss snowfresh, I am really enjoying wheat beers and pilsners this year.

Then I headed up to Ponsonby to check out the Art in the Dark installation in Western Park which really made it feel like Christmas for me with all the lights in the trees.

Sunday was a warm but rainy day so we decided to hide out in the cinemas. We started with Exit through the gift shop. This movie really got under my skin as it was such a blatant example of how easily someone can pervert/profit off a subculture and really miss the point of said culture in the first place. I felt really sorry for the guys who had opened their worlds to this guy and been totally used. Definitely worth a look to remind you of the dark side of art capitalism. It also made me respect Banksy even more than I already did.



Then we went to see The last airbender in 3D. I am addicted to 3D but boy do my eyes hurt by the end of the two hours. I have seen this movie twice now (first time on my flight to LA) and I really love it. The choreography is really fluid and beautiful, the music is soul soaring and the visuals are stunning. This all wrapped up in a story with some nice messages about living harmoniously, dealing with your emotions and not giving up makes for a nice feel good movie.

Thursday 14 October 2010

New Music

I seem to be going through a soppy inspirational phase and my music is reflecting this with one of my favourite songs at the moment being from Miley Cyrus - When I look at you and Metisse's boom boom ba. I blame it on the weather getting warmer and the shops starting to put the Christmas stuff in.

I also just got two new albums both very different.

RecoveryEminem's new album recovery. Which still has his rhyming and magical melodies that I love and his interview on 60 minutes was very interesting as I think all of us have a crisis of motivation, self or worse in our thirties so nice to hear another coming through and better than ever. Favourite songs so far are going through changes and 25 to life as well as the single not afraid.

FlagsBrookes Faser's latest album Flags which doesn't feel as tidy as her previous two albums jumping from reggae to folk to country and back to pop but she has a beautiful voice and as always poetic lyrics so you get over this. Best enjoyed with a jasmine tea a good book and a bit of sunshine. Favourite songs Sailboats and Here's to you.

Tuesday 12 October 2010

September Books

All that glitters - Denise L'Estrange Corbet
I loved this book for so many reasons. The first that she is a woman who chanced on something she loved and through hard work and lots of passion succeeded in doing it. Two because she never backed down to a bully. Three because she was so open about talking about the downs just as much as the ups, which was helpful in demystifying depression something so many New Zealander's suffer from.

Dear Fatty - Dawn French
I just wanted to pop round to her house for a cup of tea and cake after reading this book. She writes with so much heart and humour you can't help but love her by the last page (assuming you didn't already). It also gives a glimpse into Jennifer Saunders life another woman to truely admire and I really liked how she is happy with herself warts and all. It made me laugh, cry and feel inspired a great read.







The enemy - Lee Child
This was my first crime novel in ages and I had forgotten how much I love them as I think everyone has a genre that they call their light books the ones you read in between the bigs ones and the ones that you know the formula and love it. Most girls I think go for Romance/Chick Lit but for me it is definitely Crime. I grew up engrossed in Elizabeth George, Patricia Cornwell and John Grisham. This author is pretty popular and I can see why a good mix of good characters, great plot and enough twists to keep the pages turning. As it was my first of his I now have a mega 14 left to read, ironically starting dead in the middle at book 8 - hmm to go backwards or forwards.




The Truth about Diamond - Nicole Richie
I note that the cover and the intro emphasize again and again that this is a novel not an autobiography but you could have had me fooled as she uses real stars names and it rings very similar to her actual life so I am taking it as one. I found it an interesting one to read just after a trip in the USA as it gave me some insight into the behind the scenes happenings in LA and Malibu as when there and driving by the glitz and appeal is often hard to imagine. Not a booker prize novel but good for an hour or two.

Te Aroha - mist and mayhem

This weekend I headed out of town to the very pretty little town of Te Aroha in the heartland of the North Island. Every garden was full of flowers and the day was blue skies and sunny so we were all ready for the hike. Little did I know this hike would mean 2 and 1/2 hours directly up a steep hill into icy mist and wind but felt that amazing sense of achievement you do when you push yourself beyond what you thought were your limits. Then it was another 3 hours back down, we think around 12kms in total. I did manage to slip on my butt twice - someone had to and one poor gal twisted her ankle but in general everyone was only a little achy in joints and muscles. We also stayed at the most awesomely condiment packed motel and ate at the most yummy restaurant.

The next day brought with it a well needed soak in the local therapeutic mineral hot pools and a lovely scenic coastal drive back to Auckland.
We hiked from the bottom to where the tower is
The mist made the forest look kinda mystical and spooky
Beautiful Kowhai tree in bloom
I am loving the amazing colour of the grass in spring

Wednesday 6 October 2010

If life hands you lemons make a gin and tonic

I did my usual fortnightly online shopping order today only it was not to be like any other as a glich in the system happened so I was delivered 4x whatever quantity I ordered so I now have 4 kilos of lemons, 8 toothpaste tubes, 8 loaves of bread, 8 tubes of tomato paste - just to name a few they apparently couldn't reverse the issue so I had the fun task of paying a fortune and trying very hard to squeeze it all in a very small space.

If anyone has any ideas for how to use up alot of lemons I am all ears.