Sunday, 30 October 2011

Auckland Half Marathon 2011

Auckland turned on another beautiful day for marathon day this year - perfect sunshine, light breezes, temperatures that would have got up to the high teens by late morning.  I was only doing the half this year - I haven't got nearly enough work in to consider doing the full.
After some horror stories of people missing the start because the ferries across to Devonport were too full to transport everyone, I decided to be safe and get one of the earlier ferries - ended up on the 4:30am one.  Seems like a bit of a silly time to go for a cruise on the harbour really.  I then ended up sitting around for a couple of hours in Devonport ferry terminal until it was race time.
The race itself was more crowded than I would really like - 7000+ runners means it was always busy and you had to weave in and out a little bit the whole way.  The North Shore section of the race is really quite hilly - more than I remember from the full last year (that part of the course is the same).  The second half of the race showed that I hadn't really done enough miles - I had intended to be able to kick on a little, but didn't really have much energy left.  Oh well.  1hr48-ish will have to do for this year.  It's a PB by somewhere around 5min, so I can't really complain!

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Strange sleeping

Joanna sometimes has a sleep in the afternoon, sometimes she just plays during rest time.  Sometimes she plays for a bit first, and then ends up sleeping in some really weird positions: Sleeping Super-Hero:
Yes, she really was fast asleep, standing up like this:

New rail...

Just got around to putting up a new rail above the stove - for hanging a handful of implements and oil bottles.  I reckon it looks pretty good - let's see how functional it is.

Ice skating report...

Mel mentioned the other day that we were going to go ice skating... the kids were really excited at the idea, but had no idea what it was really like.  They discovered that it's actually kind of hard!  Mel went for a spin around the rink first to make sure she could stay upright before taking Ben round.  Ben really struggled to stay upright, spending most of the time hanging onto Mel with his feet sliding all over the place.  Joanna wasn't a whole lot better, although she didn't thrash around quite as much as Ben.  With a little bit of practise, Ben was getting slightly better, although he still hadn't quite worked out how to effectively propel himself forwards.
I managed to stay upright going round by myself, so took Joanna round as well - which worked fine until we were about 2m from the edge, when I sprawled on the ice with Joanna next to me.
They both enjoyed the experience - I think it was a little different from what they were expecting though - not quite as easy as gliding along effortlessly!

Friday, 21 October 2011

4 Seasons

One of the things we like about Hamilton compared to Brisbane is that each season lasts its traditional 3 month period. We get warm summer, autumn which get cooler and the leaves change colour and fall off the tress, winter which is cold and wet and spring where the sun gets warmer, the bare trees grow new leaves and the flowers bloom.

The one problem I have is with clothing in spring and autumn. As the weather is changing either cooler or warmer, some days are suitable for shorts and t-shirts, some days long shirts and pants are needed. Which means for at least a couple of months in each of the seasons the kids need both summer and winter clothes at hand. Which makes for messy drawers and regular weather checks in the morning so the kids make suitable clothing choices for the day.

Thursday, 20 October 2011

We're going ice skating...OUTSIDE!

There is currently and outdoor ice skating rink in the city. It is something that I've seen in movies and magazines and have always thought it would be a cool thing to do (the outdoor ice skating thing - I've done a lot of ice skating indoors). The kids have never been ice skating. So we thought it would be a great family activity - something we would never get to do in Brisbane and probably will never get to do again (this is a one-off thing that the council has set up for the duration of the world cup).

(It has been slammed by locals and others as the council wasting rate payers money, I probably agree, but will still take the opportunity for a possibly once in a lifetime experience)

Cookie cutter produce

While preserving our harvest of leeks this morning, I was pondering the nature of modern recipe books. When fruits and vegetables are listed in the ingredients of most recipes, in most recipe book, they simple just list a number - not a weight. But anyone who has grown their own fruit or veggies know that they can come in a variety of sizes...For example leeks (seeing as that is what I was dealing with at the time), the only way I've seen leeks listed in a recipe is by number eg. 2 leeks, finely chopped. However you can have tall leeks, short leeks, fat leeks, skinny leeks so that the amount of chopped leek you have could vary greatly. Which got me thinking...have modern recipe writers succumb to the supermarket 'cookie cutter' approach to fruit and veggies, where they demand they are produced to look all the same size, colour and shape. Or are they just lazy and can't be bothered working out more specifically how much of a fruit or veggies is required (by working out a weight).

Obviously I realise that recipes should be used a guide and there is room in any recipe to make adjustments and variations based on personal preferences. But for those who are culinarily challenged and like to be able to follow a step by step recipe and have the finished product look the same as the picture, a more specific measure would be helpful/reduce stress.

Good news!

After fearing I had not earnt enough (marking QCS papers) to pay for our flights to Brisbane...I got paid this week and it was enough to pay for the flights with about $200AUD left over. (That's after tax, so I'll still also get another $200 after I fill out my tax return next year)

Zoned out

My brain feels like it has used up all it 'data' and is on slowed down speed this morning. Not much getting done.

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Monday, 17 October 2011

Home-made muesli

We've been making our own muesli for a couple of years now... and always wondered how it compares cost-wise with normal cereal... so the last time I made some, I measured out exactly how much I use (rather than just "a bit"!).  So, here's the recipe (along with how much each item costs us):
  • 700g oats (~$2)
  • 130g pumpkin seeds ($1.67)
  • 150g sunflower seeds ($0.89)
  • 130g cashew nuts ($2.52)
  • 65g coconut flakes ($0.58)
  • 200g maple syrup ($1.33) (you can also use honey)
That gets mixed together, then baked on a baking tray for ~40min @ 150C, until it's all nice and golden.  You need to stir it every 10min or so.  Once it's dried out in the oven, it made ~1.15kg of muesli, and cost ~$9.  Served with home-made yoghurt, it's yum!  That's roughly the same price as the very cheapest muesli you can get in the supermarket, and it's certainly a lot nicer than that!  We do mix up the ingredients a little to vary things sometimes.

Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Simple, but effective...

Borrowed a paper plane making book from the library yesterday. It is amazing how putting a few folds in a piece of paper can create such excitement and enthusiasm (and not just for the kids). We made a couple last night after dinner with Ben. Then this morning we have had the book out again with some school friends...the boys of all ages were really into it (the only older girl wasn't interested).

Scary...

Cleaned the bathroom mirror this morning...Just got a fright when I went in there to wash my hands - I could see myself clearly!

(the kids seem to delight in spreading toothpaste gunk - from toothbrushes - all over the mirror)

Monday, 10 October 2011

School holidays may be interesting

I checked the weather forecast this morning and it is forecast to rain for the whole two weeks basically.

It was raining this morning, so we stayed home and I sewed the bunting for Naomi's party - it was great to be able to get it out of the way. And with the weather forecast in mind, we went to the park this afternoon to run off some energy while it wasn't raining - although it was pretty windy, cloudy and a little cool.

My other defence against total madness due to wet holidays is that I have organised some of the kids friends to either come here to play or go to their houses to play, so even if they are stuck inside the whole time, there is a chance for a change of scenery/play mates.

Sunday, 9 October 2011

Feeling productive and on top of things....kind of!

Yesterday, Peter and I had a list of things we wanted to get done around the house/garden:
  • weed the strawberry patch (if you didn't know it was a strawberry patch, you would have just assumed it was a large patch of weeds - couldn't see any strawberry plants for all the weeds)
  • mulch the strawberries, raspberries and garlic
  • plant the potatoes (that I had bought before going to Brisbane and had sprout about 10cm long on them!)
  • oil the deck f
    urniture (table and chairs hadn't been oiled for at least 12 months)
  • replace the toilet tap (it was old and stuck, we couldn't turn it off)
  • make a batch of coconut ice cream
The amazing thing is, that unlike our usual Saturday to-do lists where we only get 1/2 the stuff done...we got all of it done! Plus we had extra time to do a couple of extra things - I planted some seeds in the garden (carrots, beetroot, rocket, parsley and chives) and Peter
started constructing the Ikea wall mounted clothes airer that I'd brought back from Brisbane.

I still have things to do like making the bunting for Naomi's birthday party, writing kids church Christmas program, organising advent calendar, working out what I'm going to do to celebrate my 30th Birthday...

Thursday, 6 October 2011

Athletics athlete

Last night I went and checked out one of the local Athletics clubs. They have a club meet every Wednesday night which is a combination of competition and training. I am going to join for the season as I feel I need a goal/motivation/direction to my gym sessions, plus I will enjoy getting back into some competitive sport. Most the people there are either a lot younger or older than me, but I had been warned by a friend that this was the case.

School production

On Tuesday, Ben performed in his first school production. The production was titled 'Stories of Aotearoa' and was a collection of Maori legends (the equivalent of Aboriginal Dreamtime stories). The way it was put together reminded me of the Opening Ceremony to the 2000 Sydney Olympics...an overarching story line which linked the individual stories/performances together.

Ben did very well and enjoyed the experience heaps. His class did a dance to a song entitled 'Cheeky little fantail'. He has a reasonable sense of rhythm so was able to perform the right dance moves at the right time and in the right order. I thought it was very cute when the turned around and wiggled their bottoms/fantails every time the phrase 'Cheeky little fantail' was sung in the song.

You can go here to see more photos.

Brown bread ice cream made

The ice cream tastes almost like cheese cake mixture and the crispy bread bits are just like having biscuit crumbs in the ice cream...We are really looking forward to trying this one!

Here's the recipe, if you are interested.

Pumpkin Ice cream made!

There is 2L of pumpkin ice cream now sitting in the freezer. We all had a taste at breakfast (licking the churn bowl and blade) and everybody liked it. It doesn't have a particularly strong pumpkin flavour - it might be because the type of pumpkin I used isn't particularly strong or it might suppose to be like that.

Using leftovers/surplus

On the topic of ice cream, the two flavours I'm in the process of making are both because I have ingredients that need using...pumpkin and bread.

The pumpkins that we stored from autumn are coming to the end of their shelf life, so need using really soon and if you're having trouble imagining pumpkin ice cream, think american pumpkin pie type flavour.

And we always have bread crusts floating around, about 1/2 end up being chook food and about 1/2 get made into bread crumbs. And there is only so many dinners you can put breadcrumbs in, around or on top. So when I came across a recipe for brown bread ice cream, I just had to give it a go.

How many flavours?

Yesterday, I borrowed my friend's ice cream maker again. We have 4 x 2L ice cream tubs plus a 1L ice cream tub to fill...and an endless possibility of flavours. So far I am in the process of making pumpkin ice cream and brown bread ice cream. We are thinking of making the coconut ice cream I made last summer again and I will not get away with not making a batch of peanut butter ice cream!

Monday, 3 October 2011

Chinese fish and chips?

One of the things we noticed when we first moved over here, and haven't yet commented on (I don't think) was how you don't get fish and chips quite like you do in Australia.  In Oz, your local fish and chippie generally sells fish and chips, burgers, potato fritters etc and not much more.  Here in NZ, it seems that every fish and chip shop is also a Chinese takeaway (they do seem to be mostly Chinese owned for some reason).  So, our local fish and chippie has a special on currently: you can get $3 of chips for free with your sweet and sour pork.  Dunno about you, but I still find that kind of weird.

Saturday, 1 October 2011

My favourite part of a MasterChef series

Is the trips away.

When I travel, one of the things I really like to do is to eat. To try the local produce, the local cuisine, to visit the original source of some of my favourite products. And I love to be able to bring some of the produce and ideas home and try and recreate some of the food I have experienced. A lot of my best travel memories are associated with food/drinks and I have made some great discoveries.

So I get really excited when I watch the episodes where the MasterChef contestants are doing just that. I feel like jumping on a plane and going somewhere myself. Unfortunately both money and season of life prevent me from doing that. But at the start of next year, we have planned a trip to the north part of the South Island of NZ, so I'm going to concentrate my excitement of the MasterChef contestants experience into researching opportunities to have some great food and wine experiences on our holiday. We have already specifically planned to spend a couple of nights in the Marlborough region, as well as a day in Wellington and I have also suggested we drive home on a slightly different route so that we can visit the Wairarapa region too. We are planning to camp the whole time (to both save money, as well as to be able to stay in some pretty amazing natural places), so hopefully I can find some great food to glam up the camping experience a bit, as well as some produce that we can bring home to enjoy over the following months.