Hello Readers. I am back on board from a lovely holiday. Hubby and I were invited to join D3 and her hubby (S2) on a 2 week trip to New Zealand. This was a first for all of us and was a real experience.
We flew into Auckland and stayed there a couple of nights and became familiar with most of the towns listed here.
The first place to visit on our itinerary (which was cleverly put together by D3) was the Auckland Zoo.
In the aviary, hubby was able to get up close and personal with this pretty bird.
This is too personal for our liking. Most were shocked and in awe as we viewed from the window.
There were elephants, giraffes and hippos and we took the good part of a day to get around the zoo.
A day was spent at Hobbiton Movie Set. This was certainly an eye opener. During the next few days we were viewing the movies again to see where parts of this set fitted in.
We stayed a couple of nights in Taupo (toe-paw). The drive from Auckland to Taupo was magnificent. Mountains everywhere. I will post some pics next time.
We visited the dam wall just outside of Taupo. It is let go 3 times during the day and we walked to the nearest lookout and waiting for the event. It was spectacular!!!
A few days into our trip, hubby and I went with the others to enjoy a Thai meal. We loved it so much that over the remainder of the trip we found 4 other places to dine or take away. Must say, we have a liking for Thai food; and the service was always gracious.
That is all for today. I will share some more of our trip next week ... Dot
Before I go, it is a special day today for S2.
Happy Birthday!!!
Hello, oh it is Monday!!!. Yes, this week I needed to put my post up today as the rest of the week is taken up with other things.
With the changes to warmer weather and the sun coming up earlier, hubby and I decided do our morning walk. We adjusted the alarm and started the day off well.
Over the weekend we moved back into our corner of the home. Today I pretty much moved everything back in so we can use all the rooms. There is still a bit of sorting to do but it can wait for now.
I have started to do some colouring in. I have always loved it and it has been great to sit in the afternoon sun at the dining table and do some colouring before I start on the dinner.
This is a chicken bean bag I crocheted and there is a baby chicken on the way. I stuffed it with some dried beans that are out of date.
The post brought me a lovely package my way. I am going to make some fingerless mittens from each colour while I am on holiday next week. I have wound off the required amount into smaller balls to take with me.
Another page I have coloured in. The are a delight to do. You can find a variety of these books at Kmart, your newsagency or post office. Mindless colouring in, great idea!
Anyhoo, I am off to do some more packing. I hear thunder, so I reckon we are in for some rain. We haven't had any for at least a week.
I will be back in October ... Dot
Hello Everyone.
The weather is warming up and its funny how the heater is not on so often and we are not putting on those scarf and mittens quite so much. They are not packed away yet. It's still cold but it is amazing how the sun makes you feel. We even had a salad for lunch over the weekend.
The other day I cooked some fruit wraps which we have not had for ages. All it took was putting some diced strawberries and bananas along with maple syrup in a wrap and frying them both sides in a lighty oiled pan to crisp and warm up. Delicious.
Our foyer has had new floor coverings. It looks so much better and we put the same covering in our ensuite. It will be warmer under the feet instead of cold tiles.
Just what hubby wanted on Father's Day.
And this topped it off with all the family joining us from all over Australia. Blessed!!!
I found a headband pattern on Ravelry and made it up. It was so big it covered the entire head like a hat. So I revamped the pattern and cut it down considerably and now it is perfect. This is for D3, D2 wants one and I may even make one for myself. This wool is from Spotlight. It is a purple mix and is so pretty.
Have a great week ... Dot
Good ah!!! And it is. The sun is shining, the birds are laughing (kookaburras) and chirping and I have a spring in my step.
D2 had her rostered-day off yesterday and so we went for a wander around town. We called in to check our friend's lemon tree and it was loaded. So now I have a bowl full in my pantry to enjoy. Crepes anyone?
This plum tree gave us an abundance of fruit last year and we are currently using them from the freezer in our smoothies. It looks like it will do well again early next year. It certainly is a pretty site to spot as I hang the clothes.
Gourmet omelette. We had eggs, tomato, mushrooms and olives to use up, so we added some fresh kale and grated cheese on top. Once browned under the grill it made a yummy easy lunch.
I completed Hubby's scarf and he wore it on Sunday. I also made some more mittens and had a go at making this daisy coaster. It has a bright yellow centre even though it does not show up well in the pic. Pretty.
Have a great week everyone! ... Dot
Good morning. I am feeling a lot better and able to move about slowly. While relaxing over the weekend I was handed a yummy piece of homemade quiche for lunch. I had set myself up on our bed along with reading material, nexus, phone, knitting, drinks, etc.
I have been knitting hubby a new scarf. I have been picking it up every day and doing some rows and trying to get to the end of a 200g ball. Nearly there!!!
These are all the way from Western Australia and I was given some to try. They not only smelt good, they tasted good too.
Yesterday morning I needed to top up the snacks for morning tea. I put on a CD (Tenors) and spent some time in the kitchen. These are a basic muffin recipe in which I used coconut sugar and spelt flour but I also slipped a piece of spiced pear in the middle.
I can hear one calling me now. Might make a coffee to go with it.
.... Dot
ps. the weather has improved out of sight. We are having a week of morning frosts followed by sunny days. The clothes are drying outside.
Hi. If you checked out last weeks blog and compare the 'grunter' now, it is very different. A little man came along and cleaned it all up. So nice to head downtown with tidy surroundings.
I'm afraid I won't be venturing down there anytime soon though. Yesterday I was going out and had a fall at the front of our home. I injured my knee and sprained the other foot and so I am sorry and sore.
We have been having frosts most mornings, hail and showers but the sun comes out and warms everything up for a few hours. The days are getting longer and it is a good feeling.
I am still making some mittens. I made another scrap pair for myself using up some hand-dyed yarns. These blue variegated ones have been posted off to someone special. I had hubby try some on for me yesterday to check sizing for his mother and he kept it on for a while. Might have to make him some too.
Until next week, be good ... Dot
Hello.
A lot of colour has appeared in the garden outside with early spring bulbs in flower and bushes of pretty camellias. I love to bring some inside to enjoy and they have made a lovely display on the servery.
This morning I put some time in the kitchen. I first had to tackle a huge washing up before setting in to make some ...
... mayonnaise. This is preparation to make some savoury eggs for a morning tea in a couple of days. I make the mayo in my Thermomix and as there was some left in the bowl I made some coleslaw. It will be nice to have some raw veggies.
Some mayo also went into making some Veggie dip for lunch. The dip mix comes from Your Inspiration At Home which my daughter sells. So easy to make and delicious. Yum.
Dinner tonight: Crunchy Salmon, coleslaw and steamed kale with any leftover dip.
Mornings are still too cold and dark for a walk so I leave it until late morning. I had a nice walk around town today (no I did not tackle the exercise equipment) and try to go most days throughout the week.
Exercise done for the day!!!
Have a great week ... Dot
