#Lunches Home Baking nz

[megan-loves-surveys]

Haven't used this in forever but I miss Bzoink so here I am instead xD

What are some of your favorite cities you’ve been to?  Hmm, I loved New Orleans, NYC and Boston a lot. Also Melbourne!!

Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? I'm not having kids, but if I did, I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't, cos I started dating at 14 lol.

Did you ever go through a phase where you thought guys in bands were ‘hot?’ Of course, still do!

What’s something about adult life you were never warned of or prepared for? How difficult it would be to find work, they acted like we'd all just waltz into jobs the moment we left school.

Did your parents teach you proper table manners when you were growing up? Yes, but they didn't go overboard.

What was the last thing you baked? I don't bake.

Do you live more than 5 hours away from the nearest international border? I live on an island, so there is no 'border' really to speak of. But if you count the edge of the land going to the water as the border, then no, it's much closer than 5 hours.

Does your town have a farmer’s market? Not that I know of.

What’s the westernmost point you’ve been to? Dunno tbh, I'm not even sure where NZ is when it comes to east/west, cos we're in a weird position xD

What was the last restaurant you made a reservation at? Myself personally? My bf Will got me to make a reservation the other week cos he was busy at work and couldn't do it.

When did you last feel lonely? Hmm, not sure.

Can you easily tell when others are masking their true emotions? It depends.

How often do you wash your car? I don't have a car.

When did you last lend money to a friend? I don't lend friends money as a rule, it's a slippery slope. If they need something, I'll buy it for them.

Which app on your phone do you tend to get the most notifications from?  Facebook probably, or Messenger when I'm chatting to someone. Also, Discord too.

Do you own a Dutch oven? If so, what was the last thing you cooked in it? I don't even know what that is.

What is currently on your kitchen table?  A few decorative things cos we didn't have dinner tonight, we had a huge lunch so we just had toast lol.

What is your favorite time period in history to learn about? History is boring to me.

How old were you when you met your current best friend? I was... 14 cos we met at the start of 2002 before my birthday.

Have you ever kissed a smoker? Most likely.

What is the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license in your state/country? Do you think this is an appropriate age? It's 16, it used to be 15 when I was a teenager. And yes it's appropriate.

If you won the lottery, do you think any of your family members would ask you to give them some of your money? I wouldn't tell them. Only trustworthy people I would give some money would know - like my Mum & Dad, my stepmum, Will and a few of my friends.

What is the craziest thing you’ve seen happen at your workplace? I work at a divorce lawyer's, so I see a lot of extremely angry people. I've had people go into screaming fits, both in person and on the phone, one woman had a meltdown and was throwing a tantrum, one guy punched a wall. It's insane, we have a security officer now.

Do you own any home automation gadgets like wifi thermostats or wifi bulbs? No.

What is something you gave up on after many failed attempts? Driving. I'm too scared to take my practical test lol.

How old were you when you started to seriously think about what career path you wanted to pursue? High school. I kept changing my mind before that.

Have you ever disliked a book so much that you didn’t finish it? Oh yeah, loads. Thankfully most of them were library books so it didn't cost me anything.

Would you rather read a book, or listen to the audiobook? Read. I don't have the attention span for audiobooks, I'd get distracted and my mind would wander.

Do you think tomorrow will be a better day than today? Today's been great, but tomorrow will be even better cos I'm seeing my favourite band live and meeting them!!! <3

Spell your name without any R’s, I’s, G’s, or E’s: My name would hilariously be... Man. I had to get rid of the G and E xD

Is there anyone on your mind? Yep.

Describe your bra: Haha it's a bright purple shade and it's a push up one xD

Do you ever want kids? No thank you. I've never wanted them, and my boyfriend has adult kids and doesn't want any more xD

What are you looking forward to this summer? Summer literally just ended for us haha.

How are you doing in school? -

What color do you like most today? Purple.

Rain or sunny? Sunny. Rain sucks, it rained most of today.

Live close to a beach? Loads, but I never really go to the beach.

What does your hair look like, normally? Depends - the day I wash it, it's quite straight. But by the next day, it's gone wavy and then starts to curl up.

What are your thoughts on marijuana? I don't smoke it, and probably never will. But I don't care if other people smoke it whatsoever, you do you. I also voted for it to become legal when they did the referendum for it in NZ.

When was the last time you spent the night with someone? Last night I stayed at my boyfriend's house.

What song are you listening to, if any? The roaming legendary Pokémon battle theme from the B&W soundtrack.

Pretend that you are five years older, what would you be doing right now? The thought of that scares me, lol.

What subjects are you good in? I was always good at Computers/IT, Legal Studies and English.

Ever kissed someone whose name started with an X? Not that I can think of.

Any complaints? I hope the rain stops before tomorrow cos waiting outside the venue to go in for the concert won't be fun in the rain cos there's no shelter lol.

What’s your favorite alcoholic beverage? Jim Beam, Malibu or Long Island iced teas.

Do you miss anyone? Sure.

What's the highlight of your morning routine that sets a positive tone for your day? Doing my hair.

Are there any new podcasts or audiobooks that have been accompanying your commutes? I don't have the patience for podcasts.

How do you wind down and relax after a long day? Any particular activities or rituals? I play video games, listen to music and watch YouTube videos.

Have you discovered any hidden gems in your local neighborhood recently? Maybe a new cafe or park? Not really.

What's your go-to way of staying organized and managing your tasks right now? Write them on my calendar or in my phone.

Is there a specific dish you've been cooking or enjoying frequently in your current meal rotation? My meals have been all over the place lately tbh haha. I didn't have dinner today or on Saturday, and I won't have dinner tomorrow either.

Have you made any changes to your exercise routine lately? New workouts or activities? I go to the gym 3 times a week, but this week I'm only going twice cos I was super busy today and I also don't have time tomorrow.

What's a recent small achievement or milestone that you're proud of? Going longer on the treadmill when I do go to the gym, lol.

Are there any movies or TV shows you're re-watching and finding new details in? I've been rewatching Big Bang Theory a lot lately, it's hilarious, I don't care what people say.

How do you stay inspired and creative during your work or free time these days? Dunno tbh.

Have you come across any interesting articles, websites, or online communities recently? I've been reading a lot of TVTropes.

What's the latest hobby or interest you've picked up, and what drew you to it? All my hobbies are the same as usual.

What's the most memorable interaction you've had with someone today? I had lunch with my Mum for her birthday and while we were eating, the waitress came to ask how our food was - my Mum couldn't answer cos she was eating her steak, I said it was good. After she'd moved on, my Mum said "I couldn't reply cos I had my mouth full of meat" xDDDDDDDDDD I just stared at her and then we both just broke down laughing xD It was so funny.

How do you inject moments of positivity into your daily routine, no matter how busy it gets? Oh, loads of things.

Are there any personal projects you're working on right now that bring you joy? Eh...

What's a current goal that's shaping the choices you make on a daily basis? Just losing weight.

Have you visited any local events or markets that have given your weekends a unique flavor? Does wrestling events count xD

How do you stay connected with friends and family despite your busy schedule? I talk to most of my friends and my boyfriend via Facebook messenger or text, and my online friends via Discord. I'm allowed to use Discord at work when it's quiet xD

What's the most interesting thing you've learned recently, whether intentionally or by chance? Dunno.

How do you maintain a balance between screen time and other activities in your day? Hahaha, funny. My weekly average of screen time on my phone is 4 and a half hours a day lol.

Have you experimented with any new methods of relaxation or mindfulness lately? No.

What's your strategy for making the most of your weekends and recharging for the week ahead? Um.

Have you been dedicating time to any DIY projects or crafts that reflect your creativity? No.

How do you incorporate learning and personal growth into your everyday life? I read Reddit a lot, and I love looking at random Wikipedia articles xD

What's a unique tradition or habit that you've cultivated recently, making each day special? Uh....

[tracybirds]

Don’t talk to me about timelines XD lockdown 3.0 was an unpleasant surprise but it did give me some fun fodder to play with. Missing from this were the stream of Valentines to Covid that spread around my section of NZ social media XD I was tempted to make Scott write some, but alas it didn’t fit. Obviously plenty has been fudged, it’s definitely not meant to be taken too seriously and more allows me to collect together some of the mixed emotions of getting a five hour countdown to lockdown D: That was not fun lol like far out, and we had to prepped for remote learning by 9am the next day. Scott is not allowed to complain further in his swanky apartment and no job XDD

In all seriousness, this is Scott’s story for FabFiveFeb2021, hosted by the ever lovely @gumnut-logic (Happy Birthday! still the right day in Aus, I didn’t miss it right :0 either way *hugs*** and I hope it was a nice day :DD)

Prompt used was “Are you kidding?” - it really resonated on Sunday evening ahaha (okay I will stop rambling in my defense it’s post midnight and I have feverishly pummelled this out in a couple of hours, it had been itching at me all day.... I missed that feeling :DDD)

----------------------

Scott was International Rescue through and through, but in the murky waters of the central business district, he thrived.

It was a closed meeting, stretching into the long shadowy hours of the evening. Legal advisors quibbled over clauses while Scott exchanged pleasantries with the company representatives, talking up his local ties to New Zealand’s City of Sails.

“My Dad taught me to sail, right out there in the harbour, you know.”

A casual remark but carefully designed to make himself seem approachable and down-to-earth, just another “one of the guys”. His associate had also sailed once, a national representative in his youth, although time and his new habit of lunch meetings had left those days long in the past.

Personal connections made more money than the lawyers in the background ever could, and Scott prided himself on the homegrown touch.

“Mine too,” said the jovial, middle aged man. “Although I reckon it wasn’t near as pretty a yacht as yours. I’ve read up on you as well, you know.”

Scott laughed, clapping the man on the shoulder.

“Len, I knew we’d get on. What do you say to dinner? This has been going on for far too long.”

“I know a great place that keeps a table reserved for me. Even on Valentine’s.”

“I’m flattered.” He nodded to Van Zyl briefly before addressing the small crowd.

“Ladies, gentlemen. You’ve done some good work, and it’s been a long one. We’ll leave it here for the night and reconfer in the morning.”

He acknowledged the tired smiles and leaned back and listened as the chatter evolved from the dry intricacies of patent law into cheery conversation of dinner plans and family time ahead.

He turned and looked out at the city, lights starting to turn on in the early evening light. The sun wouldn’t set for another half hour or so and he wanted to make the most of what they had left in the day.

So did the rest of the Auckland population it seemed. Cars were flooding into the area, people starting to stream into office buildings.

“So, Federal Street?”

“Len, what’s going on down there?” he asked, jabbing a finger down at the street below.

“Sorry?”

He and Len watched, dumbfounded as the office buildings lit up one by one, lights turning on and off again mere minutes later.

“Mr Tracy! Mr Van Zyl!”

“Charlotte, what is it? What’s happening?”

“Oh, Scott, I mean, Mr Tracy, sorry sir.”

“Charlotte. Take a breath,” commanded Scott, letting the authority of Thunderbird One bleed into his voice. “Tell us what’s happened.”

Charlotte shook her head, her hand creeping up over her mouth. She handed him her tablet.

“It’s a civil defence lockdown, effective midnight.”

A cold dread crept up Scott’s spine.

“Tonight?!”

Len pulled out a comm beside him and started dialling. The person on the other end picked up at the first ring, and dimly Scott could hear her calm, measured voice transmitted through the device.

“Can I help?” he asked, still staring at the stark words on the page.

“I… uh... help? Sir?”

“With the civil defence response, with the company, I don’t know!” He looked up, desperation in his eyes. “What can I do to help?”

Charlotte shook her head, pressing her lips together tightly.

“Mr Tracy, we have an isolation response in place, at your father’s request. Leave the board to organise the company, you need to get home and…”

“No.”

Charlotte’s voice pitched up a near octave.

“Sir, I must insist…”

“There are lockdown protocols on the island as well,” snapped Scott. “I can’t just go home, risk my family, my Grandma.”

She shook her head again.

“You can’t help here. They’ve done it before. It’s Level Three, people will be able to collect gear tomorrow if needed, we’re set up for remote offices and the last thing people need is you dilly-dallying in the top office.”

A loud shrieking alarm pierced through her final words and Scott flinched at the sound.

Len yelped next to him, dropping his comm with a curse.

“Damn emergency alerts, don’t they know the whole country has heard by now? Why do they just SHUT UP!” he bellowed at the still beeping comm. “It’s so unnecessary, the first time we went under, I thought we were about to evacuate for a volcanic eruption. Staying home, it’s hardly an emergency.”

Charlotte did little to hide her scorn, but Scott smothered a smile as he read through the full message.

“Okay, fine,” he said at last. “I can bunker down at the apartment for a few days.”

“Weeks, I’d be prepping for,” interrupted Len. “Hard to say of course, but they keep extending them.”

“You know why we do it,” said Charlotte, coolly.

He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I have to pretend it’s a holiday like everyone else seems to do.”

“Well, there never was any rest for the wicked, they say,” quipped Scott.

Len barked a sudden laugh.

“You’re alright, Tracy. Shame about how this ended, I’d have liked a bite with you.”

“Well, there’s always next time. Maybe we’ll find time for a shared celebration after all this.”

“My treat, Tracy, my treat,” he said with a chuckle. “Take care now.”

Scott nodded a farewell and turned back to Charlotte.

“You’re going to be fine?”

“I’ll go stay with my Mum,” she said, easily. “She doesn’t like to be in her house alone, and I can’t say I blame her. Holotech’s just not the same as being there, you know?”

“I certainly do,” said Scott, thinking of his brothers, hundreds of kilometres away. “Thank you, Charlotte, I’ll be seeing you.”

“Good luck, Scott.”

***

The downtown apartment was a mere fifteen minute walk from Tracy Tower, but with Charlotte’s words echoing in the back of his mind, the thought of potentially weeks stuck in an incredibly well furnished, yet incredibly unstocked apartment plaguing him, he opted to swing past the local supermarket. Located at the heart of the city, it was never quiet at the best of times but this was unlike anything Scott had ever seen.

The tension in the packed shop was thick as the throng that filled it. Over half the customers were already wearing masks, glaring suspiciously at those who had gone without and Scott self-consciously tugged his rain jacket higher.

Essentials, he thought wildly, just eggs and milk and bread and….

There was no bread. No flour either and the confectionary aisle was already looking sparse. He grabbed a few chocolate bars and threw them in the basket.

“Excuse me,” he said, waving down a frantic and wild-eyed shop assistant. “Do you have any bread out back?”

“No way man, haven’t you heard? Lockdown hits in like three hours, people are going mental.”

“But I don’t have any food at home, I was meant to be flying back tomorrow morning.”

The shop assistant, Ariki as his name badge proclaimed him, grimaced in sympathy.

“That’s hard luck that is. You don’t live in Auckland?”

“No, I don’t. But I won’t be able to get home now either.”

He nodded, like he’d heard it before.

“You’re thinking this is like last year, aren’t you?”

“I, uh, yes.”

“Right,” said Ariki, still nodding along with him. “Right, well it’s not quite the same so don’t stress out. Look, you can still get takeaways this time, we’ll be restocked tomorrow and all the real crazies–” he nodded towards a pair who were arguing over what looked like the last can of baked beans, “–yeah, they’ll be tucked up at home, refusing to take a step outside, it’ll be sweet as.”

Scott stared at him, then looked over at the line snaking through the frozen food aisle, between the meat and dairy and coiling up in the sad looking and so-called fresh produce.

The two chocolate bars and eggs he’s managed to grab hardly seemed worth it at all.

“I can put those back if you want.”

“Yeah,” said Scott, dazedly. “Yeah, thanks that’s be great.”

Ariki smirked a little.

“We’re reopening at seven, yeah? I’ll see you then.”

“Thanks again,” called Scott as he hurried from the shop.

The rain that had been threatening its arrival all weekend was starting to appear, and Scott hurried home, ducking his head down and shoving his hands in his pockets. He knew there’d be enough food for at least his dinner tonight and Ariki was right, he could sort the rest in the morning.

A swipe of his keycard, and he shut out the world with a muffled slam of the door and a sigh.

He shucked off his rain jacket, not bothering to hang it up, and trudged into the kitchen. It wasn’t like there’d be anyone around to complain for a while and he was starving. Lunch, the little afternoon tea nibbles they’d provided, even his last coffee felt like it had been drunken in another life.

Dinner, then finally he’d call home.

He didn’t doubt they already knew what was happening, was probably wondering why he hadn’t called, but none of them had even been swept up in the chaos of lockdown preparations.

He stared blankly in front of the fridge, the cold, bluish light illuminating him in the dark room. The sun had fully set by now, and the last vestiges of twilight had given way to the true, deep night with the onset of rainfall.

His carefully defrosting steak wasn’t on the shelf, and he looked around him in confusion, wondering if he’d accidentally left the meat out on the bench. He was hungry enough that he didn’t think he’d care and his stomach was well practiced at digesting the indigestible, bug and all.

On the kitchen counter was a neat pile: a plate, used utensils and cooking equipment all stacked together, waiting to be washed.

Scott blinked.

“Oh, hey, Scott,” called Gordon’s cheerful voice from behind him.

Scott whirled around, gaping at his younger brother, suddenly in their New Zealand apartment and not where he ought to have been – namely a thousand odd kilometres north east of the kitchen they were standing in.

“Are you kidding me?”

“What?”

“You,” Scott shouted, jabbing a finger towards Gordon. “You ate my dinner!”

“Oh, crap.”

Gordon bolted a split second before Scott charged at him, yelling wildly with all his might.

“Scott, I’m sorry, it was – shit, I mean – come on, it was past nine, I thought you’d been out, and I, oh damn, I, Scott, damn it, I’m not dressed.”

“I don’t care, you ate my food, have you seen the grocery stores? It’s absolute chaos, you traitor, you can go out and get me something, put some pants on and move.”

Gordon yelped as he dove over the couch.

“Okay, I can see there’s been some errors in judgement here,” said Gordon, panting. “I’m sorry, Scott, I really am.”

Scott glared.

“Not good enough.” He paused, eyeing Gordon as he cowered behind the sofa. “What are you even doing here?”

“Uh, excuse me?”

“Here. What are you doing in Auckland?”

“Happy birthday to me too, love you bro, congrats on surviving another year.”

“You came to Auckland for your birthday?”

“Yeah.” Gordon sat up cautiously. “Couldn’t exactly see Penny, and it’s not like there’s many other places that will let us in.”

“I thought we counted as a US territory.”

“John cleared it with someone, I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Didn’t want to be stuck at home for my birthday. And look how that turned out.”

He did look extraordinarily sorry for himself.

Scott sighed, and reached out a hand.

“Go get some damn pants on,” he grumbled. “And go look for Virgil’s emergency snacks, I know he stores them everywhere.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“I mean it, don’t you dare come back unless you bring me food.”

Gordon snorted.

“Sure, wouldn’t want to provoke the wrath of a starving Scooter.”

Scott jerked his body towards Gordon, and smirked as he bolted up the stairs towards the bedrooms, before sinking down into the cushions and closing his eyes.

The comm beeped gently, a stark contrast from the blaring alert from earlier.

“Hey,” he said, opening an eye as Virgil was projected in front of him.

“Tell me you’re not–”

“Oh, I am.”

“Gordon too?”

“Yep.”

“Damn.”

“Tell me about it.”

They were both quiet for few seconds, thinking about how rapidly the world had seemed to shift around them.

“I suppose it’s only for a few days,” began Virgil, but Scott was already shaking his head.

“We gotta do the full two weeks. After that, we ought to be able to clear an exit with the harbourmaster and the coast guard, even if it’s not over, but we can’t come back earlier. The only reason we could move freely before without our helmets is because–”

“Preaching to the choir, Scott. I get it.”

“You gonna be alright without us?”

Virgil shrugged. “Rescues are down what with more people staying at home. Alan and I can handle the small change, and Kayo’s been itching for some POD practice recently. We’ll manage. Besides, you’re the one stuck with Gordon.”

“Hey!”

“Food,” growled Scott and Gordon threw a muesli bar and a tube of M&Ms at him.

“Is that mine?”

“Gordon ate my dinner and the shops were out of everything,” grumbled Scott. “Blame him.”

“It’s my birthday, I don’t deserve this.”

“Cry me a river.”

“Alright, don’t kill each other before the two weeks is up. John’s already organised a betting pool, don’t give him the satisfaction of winning again, he’ll be insufferable.”

“Oh, he’s on,” said Gordon, grinning. “Tell him I put fifty bucks on Scott tipping me out of bed or off the couch by the end of the week.”

“Got it.”

“You can’t bet against us,” said Scott, mumbling around the chocolate. “I thought you were on my side.”

“You tried to murder me over a steak.”

“The jury would have never convicted.”

“Okay, I can see you two are going to have a fun time,” said Virgil, loudly over their bickering. “See you in two weeks.”

He didn’t wait for a response. After all, two weeks was a smidge outside even his patience.

[janchriseurope]

All aboard for train to Swanage

What a wonderful night’s sleep. Woke at 4.45 and chatted on line with Beachy. Good to check in and find out that all is good in Newzeald.

We got up to a lovely breakfast with Gerry and Pete then did a huge pile of washing. They have the most beautiful smelling washing liquid. (Ariel Gel for cold wash) In fact there are lots of lovely smelling aerosols that we don’t get in NZ.

Gerry made sandwiches for lunch and a thermos of coffee for us to take for a picnic. Because we had nearly an hour until the steam train, we sat in the shade having our picnic. We headed off to the Swanage Railway. The chap at the ticket office knew NZ and had experienced the ‘playfulness of Kea). Cost him $50 for replacement wiper blades.

The boys are part of the Heritage Trust, so the tickets weren’t as expensive as they should have been, but we still added €2 so we could sit in the observation carriage. What a lovely adventure. We saw Cofe Castle (aka Bernadette’s Castle- her Mum’s family are from this area).

The train stopped at several stations along the way, ending at Swanage. From the station we wandered around the town. What a surprise... the sea. I’d lost sense of direction so didn’t realise where we were heading. There was craft tables along the water edge, so I bought myself a couple of bracelets.

We watched a huge seagull take over an outside table at a cafe. It was so big .. wouldn’t dream of arguing with it. Probably twice the size of out gulls.

Along the way we found a museum that showed WW11 through the eyes of local artists. The town suffered from major bombing. Chris, of course, was in his element.

Back to the train. Gosh it was hot in the train. A family got on and sat with us. Two littlies, about 4&5 argued about who was sitting where. We engaged them in conversation which settled them. By the end of the trip, all four of them had gone to sleep and needed waking so they didn’t end up back in Swanage.

We got in the car and heading for home but took a detour into The Worlds End. Lovely old pub and good beer. Saw an amazing car parked there. Red and low... drooling time until we realised we might be able to get in, but how the hell could we get out of the bloody thing!!!

Home for baked salmon and a wee wine or two. Washing in and relaxing.

Gerry has taken out a leg of lamb to cook for tea but it was so hot, we decided on the salmon and salad. The lamb was thrown into the oven at 6.30 so we could have cold meat for sandwiches at the car show.

[fatherslovejourney]

Another week has passed. Scrolling my phone gallery mindlessly while waiting for lunch to come, I saw the last video I took of dad. I remember that day I visited Cing's aged in-laws. Cing, whom my dad calls 非洲妹 had baked a cake and I packed some home for him. He had always enjoy her cakes (and Fred's) since he couldn't readily buy cakes with less sugar in the neighborhood bakery as a diabetic. He sounded like a robust old man then. It was 10 days before he left. 18 June 2022 Second last day of the retreat. Sr. Elizabeth passed me two sheets of paper in the morning. One was a poem written from the point of the one who has gone ahead in life. Suddenly, I was reminded of something I used to do in St. Andrew's Anglican Church, NZ. After receiving communion, I would head to the back of the church, light a candle and say a prayer for someone. It was a sacred moment. I felt this moment was as sacred. So I drew the curtains, lighted a candle, sat down and started reciting the poem. "Don't grieve for me, for now I am free I am following the path God laid for me. I took His hand when I heard Him call, I turned my back and left it all. I could not stay another day, To laugh, to work or play. Tasks left undone must stay that way. I found that peace at the end of the day...." Has dad heard Jesus and gone to Him? I then recall very clearly Esther was reciting from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 when the vitals went dead. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die...." I recall the word God gave Henry on Monday evening, " I am taking him home.". I recall the day Pat and Sam visited after his discharge. It was 1 Jan. I am indebted to this couple. It is this visit that gives me hope and assurance that what I recite is real. "耶稣是大家的"/"Jesus belongs to everyone" Hearing these words from my dad's lips in the video strangely comforts and amuses me. He said it like he knew it and it sounded like the verse that our Christian faith is found on: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." ~ John 3:16 https://www.instagram.com/p/CfOi_lVJvB8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[theblondegoesabroad]

Day 334

Thursday 31st December 2020

Today was the last day of 2020, and what a year it has been. An international pandemic has changed the world as we know it, who would have thought we would be wearing masking a stuck in lock downs for the most of the year. But as the snow fell today, it made me realise that it hasn’t been all that bad, there have been so many good things that have happened this year. Yes I might not have travelled as much as I would have liked, but I have learnt so much about myself, the family I live with, my relationships, it has been a year of learning. Learning about the importance of the little things, how even when everything was closed and we were locked at home, the pureness of a homecooked meal or the simple pleasure of knitting could be the best thing in my day. Learning to appreicate the little things, have a change of pace, not constantly be running from on thing to the next, doing what makes us happy. To me, the challenges that this year has bought me, it has also given so many blessings, and for that, I am grateful. Benoit and I have been able to travel, to a lot of place in Belgium and we had an incredibly camping trip with the family in the south of france, I learnt how to knit sweatshirts, crochette tops, sew bags with Nanie, draw, bake break, cook more complex dishes and gain confidence in the kitchen, improved my french, climbed my first 7a, climbed outside, made friends, stayed in contact with my NZ friends, continued this blog, ran in snow storms, did the King pigeon yoga pose, kept my house plants alive, became an owner of a smeg jug and so so much more. And although a lot of people in europe are wanting  a refund on 2020, I am grateful for it, and hope that toegther we learn from it, learn the impacts we have on the environment and work together to improve it. So cheers to 2020 and bring on 2021! As I went for my run this morning, in the snow storm, listening to Pauls favourite singer, I was grateful, for this expereince and how lucky I am for Benoit and his family, it has been a great year and mainly thanks to them! After I got back, everyone was up, we had lunch together which was nice. After the guests left, I had a little break and knitted before getting ready for tonight. For entrees, we had duck and fig samosas, chevre, apple and honey pastry bites, carrots and hummus, home made bread and olive oil, it was rather delicious. For dinner Benoit and I made a Jamie Oliver pasta dish with home made pasta and for dessert Paul (Benoits friend) made an apple tart which we had with ice cream. We invited Paul, Aloys and Julien over for the evening with us. Joelle and Paul celebrated at Stavelot. We had a great time, chatting, playing board games, staying by the fire and before we even knew it it was 2021! No big fire works at the lake (fireworks are banned due to covid this year in Belgium anyway) but just as many laughs - what a good way to start the new year! Love Kate xxxxx

[tongansailor]

My #anzacday2020 in #Florida - My #daschund #petdog #pet #dog woke me up at 0530 AM. Perfect timing to get ready for the #standatdawn with 1 min silence at 0600 AM. After my Solo #dawnservice I baked a #bananacake🍌 fuse for the 1st time with #papaya Thanks Shirley Cook-Vitai for your recipe. I put a twist to it. Somehow, I got distracted that I overtimed the baking by 20 mins. But, the cake still taste so good. So happy with #mycooking #yummy too. This banana lesi cake was meant for breakfast. But had to go give assessment for a job. The ANZAC breakfast then became lunch. I also tried for the 1st time to be as close to tradition as I can. #coffeewithrum Oh yes!. The #coconutcoffee So good. Even better, I stopped at Windixie Shop on the way home and finally found the #portwine BINGO! been looking for it for years. Reminds me of the old Navy Days in NZ. Well, so far so good. Time to walk the dog, plant some flower pulps before it rains again. Then think of what to cook for dinner. Today, is a special day. LEST WE FORGET. WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM. 🇹🇴🇭🇲🇳🇿🇺🇸 (at Palm Bay, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_au_9oFS8x/?igshid=idrzflgbdf8j

[gyrlversion]

Munchies’ Farideh Sadeghin Is a Regular at Her Local Slice Joint

Farideh Sadighen at L’Industrie in Williamsburg.

Photo: Christian Rodriguez

As the culinary director at Vice’s Munchies, Farideh Sadeghin’s days are split into two distinct modes of eating: “I make nice, really great things at work,” she says, “and when I leave I have random junky things like pizza and fried clams and hot dogs.” (As of this year, she’s also the host of “The Cooking Show With Farideh,” a goofy and candid stand-and-stir.) This week, Sadeghin realized she can’t go a day without chocolate, got in not one but three styles of pizza, had clam chowder and lobster rolls on Long Island, and celebrated her birthday with dinner at Keen’s and karaoke. Read all about it in this week’s Grub Street Diet.

Thursday, May 2 I wake up around 6 a.m. most days and either run outside or at the gym. I’m not a morning person, exactly, but I can get out of bed. I don’t drink coffee (well, once in a blue moon, but it makes me fucking hyper and nauseous). I also don’t really eat breakfast, so when I get home from the gym or whatever, I shower and walk to work. I live in Bushwick and the office is in Williamsburg, so it only takes around 40 minutes most days.

Once at the office, I started on the first test of a recipe for gluten-free almond-and-blueberry scones I was working on for “The Cooking Show.” I used only half a cup of blueberries and ate the rest. The scones came out good, maybe a little salty. They looked more like cookies than scones, which maybe I wasn’t mad about? Had to think on that. I wanted to riff a bit on strawberry shortcake, but with blueberries and maybe nectarines.

I showed Amanda, our kitchen manager, how to fillet a salmon, and we decided to pickle some, gravlax some, and cook some for lunch. My intern tested a recipe for the katsu sando from Matt Abergel’s book, Chicken and Charcoal. Had a bite of that, too.

I set up a station for Abra Berens, author of Ruffage. She made a recipe from her book, a stewed eggplant and tomato dish. I made it the day before so we had a swap and threw that in the oven to heat. She came and I took her to the rooftop garden to grab some random herbs and flowers to garnish the dish. I scarfed down some eggplant stew and a chunk of bread.

After she left, I started on another possible recipe for the show, this time for stuffies (a classic Rhode Island recipe; basically breadcrumbs, chorizo, and clams stuffed into some quahog shells and baked). They’re great, but have too much hot sauce, so I planned to remake them the next week. Amanda made a shredded cabbage and arugula salad with some lemon juice and olive oil and I ate a large bowl of that. Needed some greens. I also grabbed a handful of M&M’s, because also needed some chocolate. We always have M&Ms in the office as snacks, plain and peanut. (I keep a stash in the freezer at work, also at home. Chocolate is always better cold, IMHO.) We used to have peanut butter M&Ms which are the best, but we don’t have those anymore. I don’t know, fucking cutbacks, man.

I went to boxing that night (I have never been a “workout class” person, but a friend got me into this and I like it for my hand-eye memory stuff). I grabbed a glass of wine from the Four Horsemen afterwards and then wandered over to L’Industrie for a slice (the Farmer, with goat cheese, guanciale, crème fraîche, honey, and basil). I walk by it daily to and from work, and the pizza is awesome. I go almost every week. Always crispy and light, naturally leavened. I like to go in there and talk shit with Massimo, the owner, and Nick, one of the pizzaiolos.

I walked home and decided that I needed chocolate. There was none left in my freezer, but I managed to scrounge up the last Cookie Time Afghan biscuit I brought back from a trip to New Zealand in February. They’re chocolatey and crunchy. I thought there were potato chips in them … but, nope, Googled to confirm, and it’s actually cornflakes.

Friday, May 3 6 a.m. wake up. You now know my morning routine, except this time, I ate the other half of my cookie before walking out the door to work. There were chocolate crumbs, and you don’t want to waste those. They’re from New Zealand!

On Fridays, Vice gives us bagels and Peter Pan doughnuts. I tore a fourth of a bagel and slathered it with veggie cream cheese (honestly never, ever liked veggie cream cheese before, but I am a convert as of, like, a month ago). An hour later, I saw a box of doughnuts still there and broke into one of them, too. To any of my colleagues reading this, yes, I am the dick who breaks off pieces of the bagels and donuts on Friday, leaving remnants of dough, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I tested a new recipe I’m developing for a peanut butter–chocolate tart with a gluten-free crust. Kind of like a Reese’s peanut butter cup? The crust was not good. At all. But the chocolate and peanut butter layers were fucking great. Also, cooked up some escargot that was leftover from a shoot and snacked on snails.

Our West Coast senior editor Hilary was in town so we baked an impossible flan together. It’s a classic Mexican dessert that I’m putting in our third cookbook. Basically, you pour some caramel in a cake pan, then chocolate cake batter, then a flan mix, cover it with foil and bake it in a water bath. The layers separate and once it is baked and cooled, you flip it out and the caramel is on top, then the flan, then the cake. It’s really good, but the version I’d been working on has been giving me some trouble, so I’m tweaking it.

Made some cookie dough to freeze for the Altro Paradiso bake sale Natasha Pickowicz organized to benefit Planned Parenthood. I love cookie dough and will eat it raw forever, always. Totally forgot that I had weed-infused cookie dough portioned out in my freezer that I should eat!

Also made some onion dip for a going-away party we hosted in the kitchen later that night for one of the founders of Munchies and executive producer, Chris Grosso. Detroit-style pepperoni pizzas, some steaks from DeBragga, roasted chickens, salad, cheese boards, ricotta cheesecake. Lots of wine. Maybe a little too much wine, TBH. Some cheesecake may have ended up on the ceiling? We ended up at a friend’s later that night with Archie’s pizza and freshly baked peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. I was passed out, sitting on the couch, I’d keep waking up, they’d be like pizza is coming soon, I’d be talking and pass out again. You know how it goes.

I was sent home with a goodie bag of cookies. I ate a couple more on my ride home.

Saturday, May 4 Woke up early, despite being able to sleep-in. Ate a cookie. Drank a can of tangerine LaCroix (drinking an ice-cold can of soda from the can is my personal hangover cure). Popped in a slice of Vogel’s bread to the toaster (another souvenir from my trip to New Zealand). Vogel’s bread is the best bread, ever. Four-inch squares, pretty dense. It takes two go’s in the toaster to toast it. I slathered on some butter and Marmite (the NZ kind, not the English kind). It’s similar to Vegemite, maybe a touch sweeter. I LOVE the stuff. I know Marmite and Vegemite can be quite polarizing in general, but I lived in NZ for around seven years (I was working as a chef while over there) and became addicted to the stuff. My recent trip was the first time I’d been back in almost seven years, so I stocked up on all my favorite foods.

Vogel’s in hand, I grabbed my camping stuff (thankful I had set out most of it throughout the week so I had less to pack with my foggy brain). My friends Kim, Lili, Eleanore, and I drove out to Long Island to camp for the night. We stopped at Bigelow’s Clam Shack on the way and got a bowl each of Manhattan and New England clam chowder and mixed them. Not sure if that is something everyone does, but it is definitely a Maryland thing with crab soup, and doing it with chowder works just as well. Also got Ipswich clams (with tartar sauce for me) and coleslaw. Had a Budweiser. Oh, also shrimp cocktail. I’m 100 percent a seafood shack person.

Kept driving and stopped at Lobster Roll on our way to our campsite. Split a few lobster rolls, ate some fries, drank some wine. (Don’t worry, Kim was the designated driver.) Also had a chocolate egg cream. Grabbed some extra pickles to have with dinner.

Got to our campsite to set up camp. Drank wine on the beach. Built a campfire and ate cheese. A huge seagull grabbed our huge knob of blue cheese and flew off with it. We ate Manchego and gouda instead, plus oysters that Eleanore had grabbed from Greenpoint Fish and Lobster before we left the city.

Grilled up some hot dogs I had from Olympia Provisions. Ate those with spicy brown mustard and Dijon. Mustard is my favorite condiment, so I double down on my dog. Also topped it with crispy shallots and crispy garlic. Oh, and one of those pickles from before.

Had stowed away a Cadbury almond chocolate bar and ate a lot of that with more wine. A bit of whisky, but mainly wine, then crawled into my tent.

Sunday, May 5 Woke up to a lot of rain hitting the tent. It definitely sounded worse in the tent than actually being outside, but still, rain sucks when you have to pack up a campsite. Kim made a Spanish tortilla and stuck a candle in it. My birthday was on Monday, so they sang to me (I really hate when people sing HBD to me), then we sliced into the tortilla, topped it with lots of hot sauce. I should mention that this all happened in one of the tents since it was raining.

Drove out to the lighthouse. Didn’t get out of the car because: rain. Went into town to get coffee and some food at Anthony’s Pancake House. Kim got banana pancakes, Eleanore got the club sandwich, and I got mozzarella sticks. We wanted soft serve from John’s Drive-In, but the rain just didn’t really get us in the mood, so we grabbed some Cool Ranch Doritos and Cheetos for the road.

Got home and put away all my wet camping crap. Showered and got into comfy clothes for the couch. I cook a ton at work, so I usually opt for easy things when I’m home that don’t require a ton of effort. My fridge is often full of only condiments. Also eggs and flour tortillas and fermented bamboo shoots.

I made a box of ash-e reshteh from Sadaf Foods. Ash-e reshteh is an Iranian soup with noodles and beans and herbs. My dad is Iranian and made something similar growing up (minus the noodles), and it is kind of the perfect thing to eat on the couch when it’s raining (warm, filling, comfort food). He’d do it in the crockpot, and you would eat it for a week straight. The smell of it reminds me of my dad in a good way.

Monday, May 6 It was my birthday. Went to the grocery store and got stuff to make BLTs (one of my all-time favorite sandwiches). The grocery store had Peter Luger’s bacon, so I grabbed a couple of those and some sourdough, tomatoes, and lettuce. Also a Carvel ice cream cake because Tuesday was my colleague Peter’s birthday and we were going to celebrate our b-days with ice cream cake (mainly because I love ice cream cake). I bought some Klondike bars, too, because if I have learned anything about myself while documenting what I have been eating for the last five days, it is that I cannot go a day without chocolate. The guy at the register sang “Happy Birthday” to me which was weird but fine. Ate a Klondike bar on my walk back to the office. P.S. Klondike bars are a lot less thick than they used to be. What’s up with that?

Laid the bacon out on trays and baked it all, toasted the bread, sliced and seasoned the tomatoes. Duke’s mayonnaise, but only because we didn’t have Hellman’s. Ate my BLT standing in the kitchen (I often find that I eat while standing at work). Got mayo on my neck somehow. Also had sour cream and onion chips. Fuck, those are the best, especially with a sandwich. I usually put chips on my sandwiches, but in the case of the BLT, sour cream and onion chips are enjoyed on the side. If you’re not putting chips on your sandwich, you’re doing it wrong.

Was delivered a package of Bagel Bites and Totino’s Pizza Rolls. I had no idea from who, until my friend Laura texted me about a package. She’s visiting next weekend from Richmond, so I decide to not immediately open and bake them all, but pop them back in the freezer and will make them for her visit. Only the best for my guests.

Left work a little early and met my friend Kate at the bar at Keen’s Steakhouse. She got there before me and ordered some crudités. I have to say, celery is fucking great. I love a celery stick. Had a dirty gin martini, four olives. We ordered and split the prime-rib hash, a wedge salad, and creamed spinach. Switched to a Manhattan and drank two of those. Came out from the bathroom to a piece of Key lime pie with a candle stuck in it. Nobody sang. The crust was very good. The pie was, too.

Forced Kate to go to karaoke and sing some songs. I may or may not have a note in my phone of just karaoke songs. Pat Benatar and 4 Non Blondes were definitely sung. We were the only ones there, which, you’d think would be cool, but I kind of like seeing other people sing awkwardly. Finished the night with a Maker’s on the rocks. Maybe two?

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[jacobmellor]

Chapter 4

What was once seen as a bit of a challenge, an opportunity to show that there may be a different way of thinking or doing had recently been getting me down. I spoke to mum about it and her response was perfect, “most stuff is pointless really”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lib7w9AdDMY

9 months ago I left my bicycle in Da Nang, central Vietnam. That was me leaving my normal. I was stagnant, progressing through places but not really progressing personally.

Stepping out into the unknown was a really amazing step. Me, Jethro and Felipe rode our shitbox motorbikes costing a maximum of $200 across the country together. Each one a Chinese fake, bald tyres, oil leaks, broken lights, broken fuel gauges, dodgy speedos. They were constantly falling over, breaking down, making strange noises, running out of petrol. Locals gesturing they were going to explode any minute, laughing at us as they pulled out of the service station on their real Honda Waves. Well these shitboxes carried us all the way through that amazing country. Through the scorching heat, the torrential rain, over mountains, along bone shaking roads and survived an actual fucking tornado. Every second was priceless.

And upon arriving in Hanoi I quickly stumbled across a group of crazy awesome likeminded people and rented a big mad house together. A family of travellers. We hosted other travellers, ran a free community English class from the living room and taught English in kindergartens for a bit of money. Together we enjoyed everything that wonderful city has to offer.

With the cost of living so cheap and the wage for teaching English so good, we had time to do or not do. Anything, everything and nothing was possible. Sampling tasty food, playing music, painting, busking, yoga, going to festivals, trips to the islands, finding skyscrapers to climb, joining a football team, taking photos, going to circus, we did it all and more. But the centre of our world which we always enjoyed returning home to was our roof terrace. THE ROOF. Coming in from those manic streets you were instantly transported to a tranquil ish bubble surrounded by air cleaning plants and the smell of drying clothes and marijuana. The walls, tables, doors, and hanging clothes were all covered in our art and any space in between was filled with Jerome’s chilled music. Freedom. The little cherry on top of it all was Hien, our incredible Vietnamese housemate full of traditional culture and fire. At first it was a struggle to cope with our western ways but soon she blossomed into this inquisitive lover of life, opening a business teaching Vietnamese to expats, telling her parents she didn’t want to get married, yet, and trying simple things we take for granted like drawing or watching and dancing to live music for the first time. She lived in the room beneath, always keeping us in check. Check Check!

Around Christmas time everybody had made plans for something else, it’s not something to do forever, that Hanoi life, the city as I said is manic. And polluted. I was seeing family in Australia, Stef was hitching and busking back to Italy, Askar was going to Thailand to carry on his amazing journey of travelling without money. Vika and Yura back to Russia to make music, Xsenia and Pavel would carry on busking and travelling around Asia. Nick to Ukraine to meet a girl he’d met in Hanoi, Daniel to Perth to see family, leaving just Jerome and Hien in the house. But before leaving we all spent Christmas Day in Hiens home town, met her family and enjoyed a big dinner together. It was a perfect way to finish.

On the plane to Australia I cried knowing that I would see my family for the first time in 3 years, but also because I was leaving my newly found family and Masha, the woman I’d fallen in love with behind.

My mum and dad, are older, greyer but still the same people at heart, it was surreal to see them after so long. A few weeks spent relaxing, eating and just hanging out with the folks like normal. I’m very lucky. I’m also so thankful that they are happy knowing I’m happy, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It wasn’t so sad leaving them again, just sad to leave those avocado, poached egg, smoked salmon on toast breakies in the cafe.

I hitched from Sydney to Melbourne and back again and then up to Newcastle for a tree planting job. All the time planning on returning to Vietnam and Masha. I asked Daniel to come and help with the job seeing how he was in Oz, he needed money and it would be nice for him to learn how to plant. Just like that, we were planting 15,000+ native grasses by hand, the perfect job for one of the most inspiring families I’ve ever met. I’d been introduced to Paul, Tanya and sons over a year earlier when with Russ. We stayed at their house a couple of nights but never had the chance to fully get to know each other. Paul is working in construction, but has always challenged himself with amazing/insane adventures, living on the edge, sometimes even falling over the edge, but it doesn’t matter, he smashes through everything with his can do attitude and refusal to fail. After his wife died of cancer, he rode his bike to the very northerly point of Australia and kayaked, fucking kayaked to Papa New Guinea. Aaaaaand raised a shit ton of money for charity in the process. Wow, and then there is Tanya. Like us she is definitely a traveller at heart, hitching Europe and Turkey in the, I think 80’s, maybe 90’s. She’s not old old! One of the most open minded easy to talk to people in the world, she fuelled a love for horses by working in stables in different countries. After realising professional riding wasn’t for her and just going with the flow she now sculpts for a living and has life size bronze works on display across Australia. Being creative and doing what she is passionate about! If these guys aren’t an example of following what you love and achieving everything you put your mind to, I don’t know what is.

I’d booked my flight back to Hanoi from New Zealand, because first I wanted to hitch on a boat and do a bit of cycling in real nature before returning to Masha and Hanoi. And I guess this is where that feeling of pointlessness has come from. I couldn’t find a boat and things haven’t worked out with Masha. I’m not really used to things going against me, I’m used to things being hard, I can deal with that, but all of a sudden my dream of sustainable travel seemed up in a big fossil fuel guzzling cloud of aeroplane smoke as I bailed and flew to NZ. The fact the relationship ended multiplied this feeling ten fold, I felt lost. Instead of doing what I’d done previously, enjoying the journey for what it was, riding the waves, embracing the challenge, learning from the mistakes, going with the flow, smiling at the punctures or the breakdowns, or the bad weather, shitty road, lack of food. I got down.

I was riding but not riding, my head was stuck up in that cloud. But New Zealand is so bllllllloody beautiful that it’s actually difficult not to live in the moment when your surrounded by so much breathtaking scenery. And then I met cyclists Ryan and Dee, an awesome friendly couple from England, with the positive vibe returning I’m starting to find apples everywhere, and people are giving away the best tastiest pinkest peaches you can imagine. I stayed a few nights with a girl who loved to bake. Scones, banana bread, apple + blackberry pie, a loaf of bread and then leaving and discovering a home made quiche she’d woken up early to bake and put with my lunch. Last night I stayed with a family of 6, the dad Chris had cycled from the top of the north island to the bottom of the South Island. 3000km along rough trails in 22 days. Their 3 teenage daughters outwitting me in every conversation and then waking up this morning to watch their 11 year old average sized son devour 8 weetabix, his response, “I do a lot”. Needless to say, I feel good, I feel high on life. I already thought I should write a post whilst I was riding into town this morning. And then waiting for me was a message from a profile I’d made on a boating website months ago, I have just received an email asking if I want to crew a marine biology sailing yacht to Fiji and back.

I’m not saying that being positive or living in the moment had anything to do with the boat, it didn’t. The thing on the boat may never even materialise. I’m just saying that everything is always alright in the end, so no point getting down and worrying about it. You are doing what feels right, that’s all that matters.

So yes most stuff is pointless, my pointless thing is to challenge misconceptions and push boundaries, what’s yours?

[awesomeroute72-blog]

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[kangacav69]

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[multipleforks]

I’ve been to NZ three times and it still feel as if I have only scratched the surface of this amazing place! Every trip is a new journey, a new exploration, and a new chance to explore beautiful vineyards, fabulous new restaurants, and picture perfect scenic places. The vineyards in NZ are some of my favorite in the world, and I highly recommend anyone check them out if they have the chance. Here are my favorite vineyards in the North and South Island and reasons why you should visit them!

North Island:

Auckland:

It’s highly likely you’ll fly into Auckland when arriving into NZ, so why not spend a day or two there?

Waiheke Island: If you’re in Auckland and you don’t make it to Waiheke Island, shame on you! Seriously, it’s well worth the 40-minute ferry ride from Auckland! The experience at the following vineyards are well worth a stop. (Please note, most Waiheke wine tours will take you to Mudbrick and Cable Bay as they are close to the ferry).

Mudbrick:

Mudbrick is spectacular; the views are unlike anything this traveler has ever experienced before. The cellar door restaurant and colorful outdoor garden are located on the top of a hill and overlook the glistening water and multiple islands far out in the distance. I reckon there are very few vineyards in France that top the views at this vineyard. The vibe is romantic and cozy with candles on every table, and during the winter months they build a real wood burning fireplace. The wines at this vineyard are amazing, as is the little gift shop inside the tasting room. While you’re here, I highly recommend giving the Syrah a try. If you have the time, get a glass of wine and sit outside with a cheese plate enjoying the view. I’m so jealous of anyone who gets married here! I should just surprise my mother and tell her I’m getting married here, so what it’s a 24-hour trip over from New York, no big deal Aunt Betty!

Cable Bay:

You simply cannot go to Waiheke without stopping at Cable Bay, it’s like going to NYC without visiting Brooklyn. Just do it and secretly thank me later. At Cable Bay vineyards there’s a high-end dining room, a terrace (less formal, but still a bit pretentious), and a large outdoor lawn in the back of the property where you can relax on bean bag chairs, drink wine, and stare out at the rolling hills and beautiful houses. We had lunch in the terrace and enjoyed pizza, salad, appetizers and a cheese plate and then sat outside for an hour to enjoy the view. Although the restaurant has a bit of a ‘exclusive, snobby’ vibe, sitting outside on the lawn was very peaceful and relaxing. The Sauvignon Blanc and Rose are on my recommended list

Tantalus:

There are a million reasons to love this vineyard/restaurant. To start, the architecture and craftmanship inside the restaurant are second to none. In the middle of the venue is a real stone fireplace and surrounding the fireplace are floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the vineyard outside. In fact, the entire restaurant is floor to ceiling windows showcasing the magnificent vineyard. Go past the fireplace to the right of the restaurant and you’ll find yourself in a conservatory like room, which opens up to a covered patio. Hopefully the weather will be kind to you and you’ll have the chance to walk out back and relax on the comfortable bean bags, while gawking at the helicopter pad. (In case you were wondering, my personal helicopter was out of commission the day I went, aw shucks, so we went with an accompanying bus tour instead). To top it all off, they also produce beer here, and there’s a fabulous brewer’s lounge – reminiscent of a speakeasy from the Prohibition era on the ground floor.

There’s my helicopter right there!

Hawke’s Bay: (Napier/Hastings):

A 5+ hour drive from Auckland through via miles (kilometers) of windy roads and magnificent views of sheep and cows grazing on the greenest hills you have ever seen, you’ll come across a beautiful region on the North Island called Hawke’s Bay. On my last trip over, I stayed in a little town called Napier in Hawke’s Bay and had a look around their ‘art deco’ inspired downtown before heading to the following wineries about 15 minutes away.

Napier:

Mission Estates:

Mission Estates is New Zealand’s oldest winery, and part of the reason I made the trek down to Napier. The vineyard was established in 1851 and still maintains its colonial character. Make sure to check out the tasting bar while you’ve there, you get 5 different tastings and a free wine glass for $5. It’s a steak! The Sauvignon Blanc was a definite favorite. After that, I turned around and headed down the long hallway into their award-winning restaurant to have lunch. I was seated outside on their patio which looked a bit like the daughter of the Treasury Secretary’s wedding in ‘Wedding Crashers’. It was beautiful beyond words, classy and luxurious. Wicker tables and chairs with large umbrellas were setup on the perfectly manicured lawn. It was a bright sunny day in December when I arrived and I ordered the ‘Twice Baked Cheese Souffle’ and a glass of wine and stared out into the courtyard area. After lunch, I checked out the fountain in the middle of the courtyard and stood on the balcony overlooking the vineyard below. The food, wine, and views were all incredible.

Church Road:

This vineyard was down the road from Mission Estates, so you really have had no excuse not to pop in and check it out. Parking is available in the back where they are beautiful views of the mountain and large tent setup with tables and chairs where you can enjoy your wine without getting a nasty sunburn. The cellar door is meant to feel like you are in the confines of a real cellar door, where wine is still stored. It was cool, dim and musky. At the tasting bar, one of the workers who gave me 5 tastings for free. I asked about the rows upon rows of wine barrels in the back of the room (and the tables and chairs setup for a special event). The manager said they were having a local school event that evening, but that they also hosted small, intimate weddings.

Hastings:

Craggy Range

I am still talking about my obsession with this vineyard, three weeks after my trip! Craggy Range was well worth the 25-minute drive from Napier. I was told to stop by this vineyard by some of my mates in NZ, and the second I arrived, I knew why. Words cannot begin to describe how stunningly beautiful this vineyard and restaurant are. Upon arrival you enter a massive, state of the art building is a classy, meets sophisticated, masculine looking tasting room with leather booths and bookshelves of wine aligning the walls. Past the cellar door and out through the back doors was a hedged in patio, that had large square plots for growing local vegetables and comfortable wooden tables and chairs overlooking the breath-taking setting behind the cellar door. After my tasting, I asked about the availability of a cheese platter and was told to check out Terroir Restaurant in the front of the vineyard. I was then seated on the outdoor patio overlooking the pond and the lovely mountain range in the background. If the vineyard didn’t close at 6, I would have stayed here all evening.

Other notable vineyards in the area include: Trinity Hill, Elephant Hill, Te Mata estate.

I did not get to Martinborough, NZ but was told the following vineyards are worth a stop: Palliser Estate, Ata Rangi, Te Kairanga.

South Island:

Marlborough (tell the locals it’s Blenheim and they will know you know you s***), it’s the Sauv Blanc capital of NZ – as I am sure you already know. Going to Marlborough was like going to the Hobbiton for a Lord of the Rings fanatic. The minute I arrived in Marlborough, I nearly had a heart attack I was so excited. People in this small, quaint little town must have thought I had a little something extra with my flat white coffee as I was running around like an absolute lunatic, taking more pictures than Kim Kardashian takes of herself. Stop. Wait. Is that even possible? Eh, probably not. In any case, these were my favorite wineries. Have you ever had these wines? If so, what are your thoughts?

Cloudy Bay:

Cloudy Bay was my favorite vineyard to visit in Marlborough. The Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir were delicious and the tasting room had a cozy vibe that made me feel right at home. The spacious and inviting cellar door had beautiful wooden floors, high ceilings and bookshelves aligning the walls encased with wine. I arrived in January on a bright sunny day, the kind of day I imagine it always is (Marlborough is located in a sunny valley sheltered from NZ’s maritime weather). The cellar doors that lead onto the outdoor patio were kept open bringing in lots of natural light and giving the cellar a cheery, upbeat vibe. The outside patio area had lots wooden benches, high top tables, and semi-circle bar in the corner. Past the patio was a beautiful vineyard overlooking the mountain. Apparently now have a raw bar in summer. As if this vineyard couldn’t get any better!

Spy Valley:

The motto of Spy Valley wines is, ‘some secrets are worth sharing’. I love it and I highly agree! Their Gewürztraminer was excellent; the lychee flavor was very dominant on the pallet with this wine. I also recommend the Pinot Gris, very pear, and citrus forward with a touch of honey. The outside of the building fits the ‘Spy’ theme and looks like something out of a James Bond movie. The vineyard 100% personifies the Spy theme by also having James Bond posters everywhere inside the tasting room. This visit was in late January where the tasting was done outside.  It’s easy to see why Trip Advisor gave it the 2017 Certificate of Excellence

Saint Clair:

The tasting bar here is really funky with warehouse looking light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and steel pipping used as a standing foot rest. Not only are the wines great, but they also offer some amazing food! You can either sit outside and eat on picnic tables in the vineyard or enjoy your wine, coffee and snacks inside by the cozy fire. In addition to wines, they also have an extensive range of craft beers from kiwi breweries. Fabulous!

Central Otago (aka Queenstown): For a more comprehensive review, check out my other article, Eating and Drinking My Way Around The Adventure Capital of the World – 5 Things I loved about New Zealand. I wish I had the chance to check out more vineyards, but here are three I visited that I highly recommend!

Amisfield:

If you get a chance to stop here, you must do the tasting menu, you’ll thank me later! The restaurant is relaxing and beautiful, and has a trendy, sexy, and classy theme all at the same time. I highly recommend you sit outside on the courtyard if the weather is nice and enjoy the sun and the gentle breeze on the tables and chairs surrounding the outdoor fountain.

Peregrine:

Peregrine is a small tasting room, but the Pinot Noirs are spectacular and well worth the visit! The 2011 Bottle is spectacular!

Kinross:

Kinross does not actually produce their own wines, but sources them from the vineyards around the area, so you get to try a variety of wines, which is awesome. When I stopped here, I checked off a variety of wines on their tasting menu and sat outside in their wine garden. Paradise. They also have accommodations, so you can drink all the wine you want and not have to worry!

Other wineries worth checking out in the region: Mt Difficulty, Carrick, Mt Rosa and Brennan.

Nelson: I had never even heard of Nelson until I visited NZ, but now I love it for so many reasons. It’s a two-hour drive from Marlborough, and they have lots of vineyards, great food, and fun biking paths surrounding the area. It’s always sunny, clean, very friendly, and probably the safest place in the world. Check out the following vineyards when you’re there:

Mahana:

Mahana wines are certified organic and made from minimum input. The vineyard hosts a cellar door, restaurant and luxury Villa. This is a perfect place to hold a wedding.

Fossil Ridge Wines:

Fossil Ridge is an adorable tasting room located in Richmond, NZ. This vineyard offers indoor and outdoor seating alongside the beautiful pond covered in lilies. Sitting there makes you feel like you are part of a Monet painting.

I also recommend Te Mania and Brightwater vineyards.

A list of vineyards can be located here: www.winesofnz.com/new-zealand-wine-regions/nelson-wine-region/

I would love to hear about your wine travels in NZ if you have ever been. Please let me know what your favorite wines are and what vineyards you visited. Cheers!

  A Wine Tour of NZ, from A to Q (Auckland to Queenstown) I’ve been to NZ three times and it still feel as if I have only scratched the surface of this amazing place!

[lamcongliemme]

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[dalmorosblog]

Days 3 and 4: Eating out on a vegan diet

In general, I’ve found it’s not the cooking at home that’s the issue when you’re following a ‘special’ diet. The cooking, in fact, has been a fun creative challenge for me as a food writer. I managed easily at home for Saturday breakfast with some bakery sourdough (four ingredients: flour, water, sourdough starter, salt) with peanut butter and tomato. The trickier part is when you’re out and about and picking up food on the fly.

Later that day I’m at The Very Vintage Day Out event at Shed 10. It’s a big, buzzy event with lots of people, and lots of food. But the food trucks outside are full of meaty (and delicious-smelling) food and for a while I think I’m going to have to have fries for lunch. But inside, happily, there are vegan-friendly delights. I approach a cute taco caravan tentatively. I feel a little silly asking for vegan dishes – like I’m being extra demanding and picky. But they’re totally relaxed and smiley about it, and I eat a rather delicious bowl of vegan nachos full of veges and guacamole. The only issue I have is completely unrelated to being vegan: how to eat this elegantly in my ’60s-era suit and large bouffant hairdo. Did Jackie O ever have this problem?

I’m not a big snacker but as it happens there are sweet treats that are too good to pass up. A selection of vegan cupcakes at Rockabilly Bakes, and vegan gelato from Lalele – both delicious and lovely in flavour and texture.

Later, I’m running late for the Show Me Shorts film festival opening night with friends. I throw together some fried rice with veges, tofu and chilli. If I wasn’t vegan I’d probably default to an egg dish here, such as an omelette or scramble, which I can get on the plate in five minutes. This took a bit more time, but was probably more satisfying.

At the event I have a glass of Deutz. When I get home I check to see if it’s vegan. It’s not on the list of vegan-friendly wines on the Vegetarians NZ website. The Deutz website isn’t helpful either. So I still don’t know if I’ve consumed egg whites or fish bladders!

On Sunday I have a lazy toast brekkie in bed (Marmite is vegan, yay) and a bit of a grazing day. I’m working on a sewing project at home and don’t want to stop to cook. Through the day I eat nuts, cashew cheese (so more nuts),  avocado on toast and fruit.

I’m a bit hungry by early evening, so I make one of my favourite savoury snacks: popcorn. I always make it in a pot myself so it’s vegan-friendly (the microwave stuff has dairy-containing additives), dressed with a little salt and some chilli oil.

Recipe inspiration strikes at dinner time after browsing through a few of the plant-based books on my shelves. I stuff an eggplant with a mix of veges, mushrooms, rice and tofu spiced with paprika, cumin and chilli. Topped with spicy chipotle-infused cashew cheese, baked in the oven and served with roasted tomatoes, it’s a really delicious dish. (I’ll feature the recipe in Healthy Food Guide in one of the summer issues).

Dessert is a glass of chocolate macadamia milk. It’s a lot nicer than it sounds.

*Follow Niki’s journey on her Instagram account @nikibezzant

Further reading:

Why I’m going vegan for a week

Going vegan: Day 1

Going vegan day 2: Hidden animal products

from Healthy Food Guide http://ift.tt/2gQ7fJN via IFTTT

[themargaret66-blog]

I have another cold - the 3rd this year!

It seems I have another cold and it is raining again.  It has just about rained every day for the last seven months. The sun was supposed to be out today - there is no sun - but it is raining again as usual!  Apparently, this has been the wettest winter that we have had in many years and as a consequence, the vegetables are rotting in the ground - especially the potatoes. This, of course, drives the price up. For the last two days, I have had a stabbing pain in the right side of my head and the right nostril of my nose is running like a river. Last night I kept stuffing pieces of tissue into the nose to stop the constant running. I went on the net to see what the problem could be - it may be a migraine.  However, I am sick of being constantly sick for this past winter! Every night I have the electric blanket on the middle setting and I leave it on all night long - which you should never do! However, I am constantly cold and I can’t sleep if I am cold.  Have decided to buy a new electric blanket every couple of years - to play it safe - so that I don’t end up burning down the house. 

Jim, Adrienne and Matheus finally turned up at about 4.30pm and stayed until 7.30pm.  We had a long talk about the election, the guy who booted my letterbox one week ago at 12.30am on Sunday.  This guy totally wrecked my letterbox. Housing NZ has promised to look at the problem in the 10 days from the time this vandalism happened - however, I am not holding my breath.  We also talked about the bus driver who will not lower the bus for me and for the past few months I have been sending emails to his boss about this problem.  One of the last times when I saw this bus driver - he told me to my face that he is not going to lower the bus - as it takes too much time! I then walked and sat down in the bus in a state of a shock! Then about three weeks after this incident - I got an email from the Ritchies & Murphy management saying that they have closed my file on the matter as the problem has now been resolved. I was furious and responded by saying no this problem has not been resolved as this particular  bus driver refuses to lower the bus! Since sending the last email - I have not seen this particular bus driver.  I have now encountered several new female bus drivers.  I haven’t caught the bus as much in the last two weeks because I have been spending a lot of time completing Photoshop work on my photos.  When I had Desiree’s car for one week - I took many photos such as the open Pit Mine in Waihi, Henry’s grave at the Manukau Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Waikumete Cemetery and so forth.  Then one week ago I took photos on the Ponsonby Church Heritage Walk and the Grafton Heritage Walk. On both occasions I was carrying alot of gear - some people were carrying nothing!  I had a back pack which had my camera, book to read on the train, rain coat, umbrella, also in a plastic bag I have a spare pair of knickers, pad for incontinence (in case of an accident), scarf and socks. In another bag (over the shoulder) I had a packed lunch (which I make the night before) and a drink of Vita Fresh. I always take a packed lunch and a drink when travelling anywhere in Auckland - so I am not wasting money on buying food.  However, I always set aside enough money for one cup of coffee. Sometimes when I go shopping at the Manukau Mall - I will buy sushi for lunch - however that is the only exception to my rule for not buying lunch when I go to some event in Auckland. 

Getting back to Adrienne and Jim’s visit - I noticed that Jim was not interested in my Polyfest photos, the images of Desiree’s girls, Pasifika photos and so forth.  Apart from the election (which Jim did not have much to say about), the booting of my mailbox, the extremely rude bus - Jim was not interested in anything else. I stand corrected - he said I had a great garden. Jim’s principal interest is going to the casino in Hamiton.  I have no idea what Mary is interested in - I don’t think she has any interests. She has never had a garden, never cooks or bakes or does anything else. She spent most of her life (until she retired last year) washing dishes in a old people’s home for many years.  Every Saturday - Jim and Mary would go shopping and pay their bills by cash - because neither could operate a cheque book! Meanwhile every Saturday - I would take Desiree and Adrienne to the courts at Minogue Park in Hamilton to play netball. Val my aunt from Thames told me at my  last visit to her - she and Dennis her husband would go shopping in Thames every Friday (when they lived on their various farms) and then go and see Anne - Dennis’s sister! When I thought about this statement later that Val had made - I thought, during all of those years you would visit my mother on one occasion and vice-versa, once a year, but visit Anne (your husband’s) sister each week for many years! So then when my mother died - Val was at the funeral service - crying and sobbing! This is from someone who never came to visit my mother and family!  But then I thought why did my mother not get her license - then she could have driven to Val’s house in order to visit. Val only lived about 30 minutes away. Val also said to me - you must have gone shopping on a regular basis and I said no we never went shopping.  However, we often went to the movies on a regular basis with my father at the Embassy Theatre in Thames.  There was also the Regent theatre in Thames - but we hardly ever went to that theatre. I remember on one occasion, I went and bought two handkerchiefs from a local shop in Kerepehi and booked up this cost to my mother. I was 13 years old at the time. I was then made to walk with my mother to the shops and then my mother explained to the shop assistant that I was paying for the handkerchiefs with my money! She told the shop assistant (Audrey Billington) that she was furious and that this sort of thing was never going to happen again! Who would do that to their own child?!  When my own children were teenagers - we often went shopping and I paid for everything! I usually bought them clothes, knickers and bras and so forth. If there was something I did not agree with - this would have been dealt with IN MY HOUSE! I would never involve people outside the house - which my mother did! AS USUAL SHE ONLY THOUGHT ABOUT HERSELF OR JEANNETTE MY SISTER - but that is another story!  Except to say that I remember that Jeanette had many fancy expensive bras - which my mother had bought for her! I had to buy my own bras (the cheapest that I could find) with money that my father gave me for birthdays and Christmas. I use to make my own clothes and knit all of my cardigans and jumpers. Jeanette never ever did any sewing or knitting. I don’t remember Jeanette ever making a thing for herself - EVER in her whole life!  My mother use to make her clothes!

For many years Jack Lord would visit our house EVERY SATURDAY - so that my mother could give him money to bet on the horses at the TAB in Ngatea!  She always had money for the horses - BUT NOT ANY MONEY FOR TWO HANDERCHIEFTS! Throughout my school years I had to use toilet paper for this purpose!  Many years later when I came back from Australia at the age of 22 years old and going on 23 years - I had taken up smoking while living in Australia.  When in Kerepehi - I use to smoke in the bedroom (where I was sleeping) at Kerepehi.  Mavis (my father’s second wife) found my ash-tray filled with cigarette butts and ash in one of the dressing table draws - I was then sent to live with Barbara and Tom. Mavis was appalled to discover that I was smoking in HER HOUSE!  SHE TOLD ME THAT THE HOUSE AT KEREPEHI WAS HER HOUSE on several occasions! I use to think to myself - your welcome to this house as I have no wish to live in Kerepehi! It is too far out in the boon-docks for me to even consider living in Kerepehi again! Then as soon as my father had died and his money had been distributed - she got 50% of his estate and me and my two sisters got the other 50% of the estate - she tried to sell her house from Kerepehi to me through our lawyers!  I refused - I did not even have to think about it! I was completely shocked that Mavis would have the gall to do this.  My sisters and I had grown up in this house - from birth and for myself to the age of 16 years! For me I would never buy anything from Mavis - out of principle! I stayed at Barbara and Tom’s house for about two weeks - then went to live and work at the Maternity Hospital in Te Awamutu. 

I had to laugh - even though it was a great visit from Adriennne, Jim and Matheus - she kept getting Desiree to phone me - (so I wouldn’t find out her new phone number)! GET OVER YOURSELF ADRIENNE! Adrienne seemed to think that it was okay (in fact it was something that she thought should be encouraged) for Silua and her mother to talk on the phone every night for many years - I just thought that this was way too excessive!  However, Adrienne has decided that she doesn’t want me to have her phone number - as she doesn’t want to receive twice weekly text messages from me! Absolutely pathetic! Adrienne hates me so much - it is very sad! I noticed that Matheus was very standoffish - which is understandable as he hasn’t seen me for 10 months. Also he had not seen me in the 12 months leading up to last Christmas! So in effect he has seen me once in the last approximate two years!

I am going to a AAAP training on Thursday in Onehunga - meaning Auckland Action Against Poverty.  If I can get there on time and if it is something I could get interested in - then I will do it.  I want to do volunteer work in order to get some referrees - so that I can go back to doing paid work.  At the present time - I don’t have any referrees to call upon! 

Anyway must leave this blog and go and do some Photoshop work!

[theblondegoesabroad]

Day 78

Friday 17th April 2020

Honestly where is April going, I feel like time is going by so quickly, I can’t even keep up! Today Benoit and I have decided we are going to start getting up early, for two reasons, 1; to be more productive and 2; so it is easier to get up when the real world starts back up again. I got up shaped my bread, I don’t know what is happening to it lately, but I am baking very flat loaves, it just seems to spread rather than rise when I shape it, so I will have to do some trouble shooting to see what it is. It could be the flour as we recently changed flours, or it could be my starter although he seems pretty healthy so I don’t think that it is that, or it could be the proofing time and temperatures, I will have to have a good google and see what they say. This morning I also had a skype with the girls, this time Josie was the one the forgot, it was a good catch up with Laura and Nicole though. They are all going well and actually quite enjoying the lockdown and working from home and their hours are so much better now that there is no travel time and no spending money on coffees of lunches! It was a fun catch up and I am really enjoying the tradition. After my skype I finally finished off the first sleeve of my sweater, I am slowly getting there, just have the last sleeve and the neckline to go. Can’t wait to see what it is like when I am done. After knitting, I thought I would put some effort into drawing, but wow, today was not my day, everything I drew just seemed to take twice as long and turned out half as good! But hey, we all have days like that, such is life! So after spending a rather frustrating afternoon doing art. Benoit and I escaped to the wonderful world of screens and watched a very interesting documentary on obesity in the world and the dangers of sugar in EVERYTHING. One person dies every six seconds around the world from obesity. Here we are worrying like mad about the covid-19 and yet we don’t even bat an eye with deaths caused obesity due to the insane amounts of sugar in our diets as the large multinationals like cocacola and kellogs have spent billions on lawsuits to cover it up. It was a really interesting doco. Made us really think about our consumption habits, although for me, I have grown up in a home where we never had bought biscuits or sugary cereals and everything possible was home made so I probably have an advantage over most. For example in NZ we have a 30% obesity rate, compared to the USA which has a 36%. Some food for thought. Love Kate xxxxx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_BaYW7lLfU (The documentary if you are interested, you can put subtitles on it that can be translated to English if you are interested)

[angsarapblog]

This was my hood before as it was very near to the third place where I lived in Hong Kong, Wing Fung St. Admiralty specifically Pacific Place is just around 15 minutes walk from my apartment and I am a main stay here and in Hong Kong park on weekends where I don’t have anything to do. On our last trip in Hong Kong these are the one of the places I visited while the infrastructure has not changed a lot, the shops did.

We stopped by Admiralty Centre after failing to find the food court in Pacific Place where I usually have lunch on weekends, it seems like it is not existing anymore, I was saddened as there was one place before that I usually order beef curry but now it only exists in my memory. So here we are in Admiralty Centre, accidentally discovered this place called Can-teen.

If you like Cafe de Coral and Fairwood this place offers something similar, different dishes of mostly Asian in origin. Located in the middle part of Admiralty Centre this is easy to find as the occupy the central part of the mall where it is visible from all the mall escalators.

Like most Hong Kong restaurants the seating capacity is large but since this was in a Central location plus it was a weekend we still have to queue and wait for free seats. The queue was quite long but the turnaround was quite quick so I guess in 10 – 15 minutes we are seated plus we already have our orders because before being seated you already had ordered and paid.

First on our order was the Spare Ribs & Bitter Squash with Rice (HK$36.00), it was one of the cheapest food on offer but if this is in New Zealand it would be the other way around as Bitter Melon or Bitter Squash here costs a fortune, in season it is $14.00 per kg and if its out of season the cost is your firstborn. It’s a nice dish, well-balanced flavour and not too bitter.

We then had this Baked Rice with Seafood in Sweet Corn Sauce (HK$58.00), it is a must when you are in Hong Kong, baked rice is one of their must try dishes and this is my choice for today. I always love baked rice, regardless of its flavour it is such a comfort meal. This dish though wont compare to New Zealand seafood was still great, flavourful and creamy.

Finally we had this Japanese Char-Siu with Ramen in Soup (HK$58.00), will our Japan travel still lingering on our thoughts we had to have this dish. It is not as great as what you get in Japan but it was good, more meat definitely.

And the choice for our drink was this Hong Kong Style Iced Milk Tea (NZ$16.00), a choice of my daughter but I warned her even before ordering for us. It is not like the milk tea from Taiwan, it’s not sweet and milk tea here is made with the real thing, black tea and milk so it will be bitter and creamy.

I like this place, its simple, its straightforward, no fuss. Like Cafe de Coral and Fairwood its a good place to have a fast food speed service but still enjoy home style meals at an affordable price.

Can.teen Address: 18 Harcourt Rd, Central, Hong Kong Phone: +852 2865 6955

Can-teen (Admiralty, Hong Kong) This was my hood before as it was very near to the third place where I lived in Hong Kong, Wing Fung St.