Friday Nights are Alright

Recipe: Mexican, Graham Norton, Fire, Dog, Husband.

Class Act

Need  I say more.....

Hide the Sausage...

Winter eating has begun!  A perfect Toad in the Hole graced our table last week - with leeks and plum sauce.

Not the best looking dish in the world, but perhaps the most hilarious? 

Worth a go - the English have been eating this for a couple of centuries for good reason.

Changing Taylor's Mistake

Last weekend we headed to 'Taylors' - at the end of the road just out of Sumner, 30 minutes from Christchurch, and at the start of Banks Peninsula.  Traffic out that way has been severely depleted since the earthquakes...this was our first walk out here since 22 February (don't know why, just hadn't thought of going). It is one of my favourite places in the world, and even more special now that it has changed - physically and through a different make up of visitors.

The most fascinating thing was that the track that weaves itself over some magnificent cliffs was 'closed' and deemed unsafe to walk.  This surprised us, however once we had lifted Digby over the gate, and stepped over ourselves, we found ourselves as part of some sort of 'club': those who don't read signs, are happy to take some risk with their lives, and like to break a few rules.  Along the trail we met heaps of mellow yellow runners, walkers and bikers. It's like the trail had developed a new set of rules and a new community. 

Evidence of why the track is closed!

On the way back we saw more reasons why the authorities had closed the track.

 

But who wants to miss out on this!

Local residents told us that the beach has turned 'golden' since the earthquakes. See the line, up by the surf club where the sand looks almost black? That was the colour of the Taylor's Mistake beach pre 22 February, but the regular 'plunging of cliff' over the past 18 months has distributed a clay like sand (see those boulder shots above) to change the make-up of the beach.   

Winter Bling

Now that it is well dark by the time I turn the corner for home each night, I am greeted by this illuminated 'thing' (way more bling and pulsing in real life!).  The joys of dark nights, being able to see more bling than ever...

Hello Aoraki

A return trip from Wanaka at Easter had Aoraki (Mt Cook) clearly in my sights.  The plane window always adds a further haze - but it really was quite authoratative on the sky line, and easily seen for quite a while heading up the South Island to Christchurch after an intensely sunny weekend.

Its on the right of the image in the distance. I was as fascinated capturing the old school propellor.

The center peak in this image...

Its always good to get a good view of Mt Cook - a nice anchoring constant!

Les Cevelles D'Agneau

This week, for the first time ever, I was treated by a friend to Lambs Brains: lightly poached, and topped with a salsa verte (chocca with anchovies) on toast.   A Fergus Henderson recipe, and a great way to start a potential following of offal!