Enjoying the benefits of living here...

There are 2 things I want to comment on:
1. Enjoying the unique qualities of each season - In Hamilton we are able to experience the 4 distinct seasons of the year (as opposed to Brisbane's seasons of hot or not quite so hot). Both Peter and I have come to realize that we need to do things/eat stuff which each season has to offer, even if by the end you are getting a bit tired of the same sort of activities/food (it just means you actually look forward to the next season). So we have decided that summer is the season for spending lots of time outdoors enjoying the sun and warm weather (even if it might seem a bit hot at times). So picnics, barbecues, swimming/beach etc. is what we are planning to fill our time with over the next few months. And we will be eating lots of berries, stonefruit, peas, zucchini, lettuce, baby spinach etc.

2. Enjoying the availability of local produce - As we have commented before, you don't have to drive very far to be out of Hamilton and driving past farmland (try 5min max. from our house). This means we are able to buy some of our fresh produce straight from the farm gate if we want to. Like today, I decided to go and get some more locally roasted coffee beans, a 20min drive from home (they import the beans - as obviously NZ is not a coffee-growing country - but then roast them on site). On the way I stopped at Strawberry Fields (as the name suggests it is primarily a strawberry farm) and picked up some punnets of freshly picked (just over the fence) strawberries, raspberries, asparagus and apricots! And at relatively cheap prices. I've already taste-tested one of the apricots and it was absolutely divine (way better than the ones I got in Brisbane last summer). And we can't forget our own veggie gardens - I just planted out the dwarf beans that the kids planted and we are able to pick enough spinach to make a side salad about twice a week now.