Now you are 3 (or 21)

Digby Blair's birthday. Personalised mail 'par avion' arrived in time...

 King spot on the couch - (that's the end of a yawn). 

 Voila the birthday present: one RUMP steak (we are having steak to join him). 

And then...."its on"!

I love a birthday...

Genius

White Tie Catering (Christchurch's esteemed out-caterers - and all round good sorts whatever the day, whatever the occasion) have launched the Catering Dept.  Its about low fuss, good food, lower cost, and good times.  Its genius. Simple, and filling a HUGE need.

 They've done away with the glassware - bottle openers at the back of the name badge for everyone serving...

  I managed to try the ENTIRE menu...

 These sleeping beauties - a favourite - with real buttered white bread, and crispy Peter Timms AWARD WINNING (LIKE BEST OF THE BEST) Bac-ON. (OK...cellular memory just came back and I now have saliva in my mouth).

 Corned beef and pickle sandwiches - with Sara Lee style corned beef  - thin layer upon layer, and the PERFECT PROPORTION Of PICKLE.  (Note alliteration).

 Green salad, with colourful egg and condensed milk dressing...

 Scicillian Peter Timms snarlers (they came with buns, mustard, onion and tom sauce) but I just loved seeing the snarler pit as shown.

And dish of the night (tied 1st place =) for me - was the Mac n Cheese - with the crispiest topping.  

These people know what they are doing.

Tied 1st place = on the sweet front was the Hokey Pokey meringue with chocolate - somehow each meringue was stuffed with what seemed warm gooey hokey pokey and chocolate. Had they been warmed up?  Has gone on coveted recipe list.  (unfortunately no photo).

Gus' Mother in Law's Eggs

Alistair has a new work mate who's Mum has an oversupply of quite simply the most beautiful, pastel, small but really oval eggs.

We've had a steady supply for over a couple of months now.  Can you see the very pale blue one?And they are yellow as the sun inside!

Dining Christchurch Style...

With a serious lack of dining options in ChCh, the innovative Jonny Schwass has spent the last 6 months offering to cook 'at your place' whilst he tries to sort out a replacement restaurant following the demolition of his. (Complete with kitchen, tables, chairs). Some demolition company will take pleasure in selling that all back to him or someone else one day.  So wrong.

 

 Anyway - we put Jonny through his paces on Friday night- with dinner for a gaggle of 19 in Ilam.  He made it an easy journey for us - with 5 amazing courses of light, well thought out, beautifully presented and simple food plates.  It was so good not to have to leave the Flat Land to partake in an impeccable dining experience.

 This is the duo of lamb dish - with baby carrots from Jonny's own garden.  Not only was the Carrot mega cutesie, but it was also sweet and delicious.

This one was the runt of the bunch.

What have we got 'here' in the box?

My father arrived yesterday morning with an intruiging heavy, but small cardboard box.  When opened, I found some perfect baby radishes from his garden in Akaroa, and 2 legs and a few fillets beautifully butchered from one of 2 hares he shot on Friday.  The hare kill was a first (and successful) attempt for him in Akaroa, and he is now nervous that the hares, whom he has called his friends and has lived with for 10 years, may turn on him.  'Here's' to no hare uprising...and perhaps a nice hare rillet in honour of Dad's athletic pals!  

Where in the world...

...do you buy an 1860s cottage, in a country that is known for earthquakes, live in it for a couple of years, dream of renos, but do nothing to it.....

It then gets rocked around for a year with 'the unwelcome but increasingly familiar visitor' turning up at very irregular intervals.   Then some REALLY nice people come to your house and tell you they are going to lift it, make it straight, put in a log burner, sand down all the floor boards and paint it inside and out once the cracks are repaired.

Only in New Zealand I reckon.  We are on the glass half full side of ChCh here.  Apparently 'our number is up', we are on a list, and we are flabbergasted that when life pays you a rough turn, someone is actually there to help.  This good fortune almost feels like our secret shame.  Its not all over yet, but so far so good, and we are very grateful.