Kiwi Chick on a Mission

Final part of the South Island trip report

2012-01-12T20:11:00.005+13:00

After our climb of the Nun's Veil we successfully caught a boat back across the lake the following morning. We returned to Unwin Lodge and had a good brunch before sorting out our gear so we would be ready for the next day. We went up to Mt Cook village and checked a few things out with DOC and decided we would climb Ball Pass the following day (Friday), stay overnight somewhere and walk out the following day (Saturday). We had some time constraints to work within as we needed to be in Picton by 7am on Sunday morning. Also the weather forecast was not looking wonderful - talk of high winds and rain! We hooked up with two others who were keen to do the trip - Matt (the Australian) and Jenny (a teacher from Wellington).

After a good sleep we woke to the sound of rain. On looking out the window the cloud was low but didn't seem to be too thick. We had a good breakfast and then decided we would do Ball Pass anyway with the option of turning back if the weather was too rough. At this stage Matt pulled out of the trip but Jenny was keen so we headed off for the drive up the side of the Tasman glacier. The road is about as rough as it gets so it was a slow trip trying to avoid damaging the van.

We managed to get almost to the end of the road before parking up and starting to walk.

It took us about an hour to reach Ball Shelter - a very tame walk to get there.

After checking out the hut we started the climb up Ball Ridge.

The route was a little tricky to follow and we ended up in a few challenging situations at times but nothing that forced us to retrace our steps. There are wonderful views of the Caroline face of Mt Cook from the track. Lots of rumbling from there as ice cliffs were falling throughout the day.

We had a lunch break along the way and arrived at Caroline Hut mid-afternoon.

After a cup of tea it was time for the last part of the climb up to Ball Pass. We'd decided by now that we wouldn't go over the pass and down the other side. Instead we would go to the top of the pass then head back down and find somewhere to camp for the night. Jenny decided she would continue on over the top by herself. Here's a photo of Jenny and I at the top of the pass.

These photos are looking back up at the pass on our way back down to Caroline Hut.

We bumped into some keas on the way back down Ball Ridge. They allowed us to get very close to them before they would squawk and step away.

Here's where we spent the night - a little bivvy spot right beside the track. Sadly it rained and the new fly we had bought leaked - it was promptly returned when we got back to Wellington.

Next day the weather cleared so here is one last photo taken as we got to the car the following morning.

More trip details and photos - the Nun's Veil

2012-01-10T19:00:00.015+13:00

My last post described our walk up to Sefton Bivvy before Christmas. The rest of that particular trip to the South Island was pretty uneventful. The day after the walk up to Sefton Bivvy we headed north and spent a night at Hanmer Springs (of course, there was a stop on the way to pick up salmon!). We had the obligatory swim at the hot pools at Hanmer Springs the next morning. It was a super hot sunny day so the cooler pools were more sought after than normal. After a couple of hours in the pools we headed over Lewis Pass to Tophouse where we stayed at the historic Tophouse hotel. Actually we spent the night in one of the newer chalets they've developed. The hotel boasts it has the smallest bar in New Zealand. I can well believe that - it's tiny!

Christmas was low-key but very enjoyable. We had a really nice seafood lunch on the waterfront in Petone - prawns, squid and oysters. Delicious! We spent the evening at Alex and Kerie's house and had a yummy bbq dinner on the deck of their new house. That was a very relaxed and fun evening!

On New Year's Day Simon and I headed back down south to Aoraki Mt Cook. We caught the 8:45pm ferry to the South Island and then drove right through the night to Aoraki Mt Cook. We drove via Molesworth Station which made the trip a little more interesting as it's a dirt road and quite rough in places. We arrived at Unwin Lodge mid-morning pretty shattered so spent the afternoon getting settled in and planning what we would do for the rest of the week.

On the Tuesday morning we headed off to climb the Nun's Veil. To achieve this we would need to get across the Tasman River (apparently uncrossable on foot) so the preferred approach is to cadge a ride across the Tasman Glacier Lake with the operators of the glacier lake boat tours. We had hoped to get an early ride across but this was not to be. By the time we got across the lake we started walking at about 10:30. The first part of the walk was straight-forward - walking on relatively flat ground to the exit point of Gorilla Stream.

Here we are - super-heavy packs and ready to go.

From the bottom of the stream it is a long slog up the stream bed to the bottom of the Nun's Veil. The walk is pretty rugged. The first part is a scramble through the bush where I learnt how vicious matagouri is. Ouch! After that part it is just a long walk over boulders, etc to get to the bottom of the scree and snow. See if you can spot me in the following photos. :)

After a long hot walk we finally got to the bottom of the real climb. Here's a picture of some of that climb up to our camp site for the night.

The following is a picture of our bivvy site for the night. It was just at the top of a section of rock we had climbed and we dug a platform out of the snow. We got to this site at about 7pm - so only eight and a half hours of walking for the day.

I would have to say, needing to pee in the night is not fun in these sorts of circumstances. A few steps into the snow in bare feet cooled my feet down considerably! The next morning the real climbing started. We crawled out of our sleeping bags at 4am to get dressed and have breakfast. We experienced a wonderful sunrise the next morning.

This was to be my first real climb since completing two Alpine courses which taught me the theory needed. I found it a challenge - some of the challenge was due to feeling quite unwell with the overwhelming urge of vomiting close by. Unfortunately I didn't make it to the final summit - a short hop (20 feet or so) over rock with a sheer drop of hundreds of metres put me off that. I made the call to stay where I was while Simon went up to the summit. I only missed it by about 30 metres. For me, the point I got to was a huge achievement and I don't regret my decision for a minute. At my stage, climbing up rock with crampons on and no rope is not something I am comfortable with. In fact I couldn't watch Simon climb that part. Here are some photos of the climb and the view from the summit.

After we had descended back down to our bivvy site we packed up and started to head back to the Tasman Glacier Lake. We were due to get the last boat of the day back across the lake at 5:00pm which had previously sounded very achievable. Sadly heavy packs and a hot day meant we had no show of getting there on time. Once we had realised that we slackened off the pace and tried to enjoy the walk back out. We had a refreshing swim in the stream partway down - that certainly helped restore our spirits and chill down the chafing and bruising that was forming from our packs.

We had an awesome view of Mt Cook as we walked back up to the lake.

We eventually reached the lake at 10pm at night and setup camp on the sand by the lake. After our 4am start we were both shattered by now and just wanted to sleep. Even eating was put aside for a good sleep.

The final photo for this blog post shows the summit of the Nun's Veil - it's the snowy peak towards the right hand side of the photo.

I'm back!!!!!!!!!! Adventure time!

2012-01-09T21:32:00.015+13:00

Yes, it has certainly been a while hasn't it? I've been up to all sorts of things lately so figured this would be the best medium to update family and friends on the goings on. It would be far too difficult to go right back and fill in the gaps since May (when I last posted) so I'll just start from December. I'll split this into several posts and update my blog over the next few days.

The week before Christmas was spent in the South Island showing my partner's mother some of the sights down that way. We loaded up the trusty van with all sorts of gear and jumped on the interisland ferry on the 16th. School had just finished for the year so we had my partner's youngsters along for the trip as well. They are 6 and 8 year old boys. It was a late sailing so our first night was spent in Picton, not far from the ferry terminal. Day two was spent driving down to Christchurch where we stayed with friends overnight. It was a sunny day there so, before dinner, we headed into the city to go for a walk into the central area where the earthquake damage was plain to see. The council had opened up a walkway to allow people access into the Square. The following is a photo of the damaged cathedral. I understand that it has been further damaged by more aftershocks since we were there.

After a very pleasant night in Christchurch (with no quakes) it was time to head for Aoraki Mt Cook. Along the way we stopped for a picnic lunch in Geraldine and then a brief photo stop at Lake Tekapo.

Soon after leaving Tekapo we diverted onto the canal road and stopped in at the salmon farm. After picking up a good quantity of salmon we were on the last part of the drive to Aoraki Mt Cook. We stayed at the Aoraki Mt Cook Alpine Lodge which is about 5 minutes walk from the Hermitage at Mt Cook Village. Our room had a stunning view of Mt Cook.

At night we left the curtains open and would wake in the morning to see the sun shining on the side of the mountain.

Over the next two days we took the boys on two day walks. The first was up to Mueller Hut. The following is a map showing the track we took.

I didn't enjoy this walk much as I had put my neck out during the night and was in a lot of pain. It was good to get up to the hut though and the views were pretty awesome. Mueller Hut is known as the highest backpackers accommodation in New Zealand - it's an easy walk and there are lots of bunks so it gets pretty full in the summer months.

The next day we headed off for a more strenuous walk up to Sefton Bivvy. The bivvy is sited on the rounded knob of rock in the middle of the photo below - pretty much straight up above the white car in the foreground.

The map below shows the way to the bivvy. It's not a marked track as such so you need to know where you're going.

The walk itself was pretty straight forward. It was a super hot day walking up to the bivvy so we were pleased to get there and sit down for a while to have our lunch.

The most amusing part of the day was the discovery of the toilet up there. Talk about a loo with a view. Everyone used the facilities and had their picture taken - here's mine!

So there you go. The first part of my latest adventures. Keep an eye out for the second installment - I'll work on that over the next day or so.

I'm back!

2011-05-17T18:39:00.012+12:00

I have no good reason (excuse?) for not posting for so long. In fact I hadn't realised this many months had gone by until I logged onto tonight. I truly thought I had posted to my blog in February and March but I see that this is not the case. So this entry is a bit of a catch up on where I am at and a bit about what I've been up to.

The main thing is life is all good! My work life balance is spot on - I'm loving my job and also loving how I am spending my leisure time.

Firstly, my house is still on the market. Sigh. It's now listed with The Professionals and they are doing a great job but the buyer (for my house anyway) has not been identified yet. There have been quite a few people through but not the right match for the property unfortunately. I've had no quibbles about the price that's been advertised and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to the property to make it more appealing to potential buyers - unless I can increase the size of the bedrooms, add another bathroom and reduce the size of the section. So the waiting game continues for now. It's a little frustrating as I am ready to move on and I feel I'm being held back from doing that. My method of coping is to keep active and spend as little energy as possible fretting. That's working pretty darn well.

I'm still not eating meat and not missing it at all. I haven't managed to eliminate fish from my diet yet - I love eating fish! That is something I need to work on. I had thought that by cutting out meat I would naturally lose some weight but that hasn't happened. I am pretty sure that wine is the culprit there so for the past two weeks I haven't been drinking any alcohol - I will check my weight in another week or so and see whether that has made a difference or not. I'm not that bothered but I know I'm carrying a few extra kilos than is good for me.

Since I last posted there have been plenty of adventures in my life so I'll finish off this post with a couple of them. The post will be far too long if I try to cover them all off.

In February I spent a long weekend in Auckland. The main purpose for my trip was to spend some time with a very good friend. We spent the weekend at her family bach with her husband and sons. The bach is at a lovely seaside spot called Matapouri. We spent plenty of time at the beaches in the area. Here's a photo of my favourite beach - Whale Bay. It takes about fifteen minutes to walk to the bay and is well worth the walk.

We had a fantastic weekend at Matapouri and I was already plotting a return trip by the time Sunday rolled round. Here's a photo of the beach at Matapouri itself.

In March I had a weekend trip to Lake Taupo to stay in another bach. This bach is owned by the directors of the company I work for. It's situated at the southern end of Lake Taupo in Kuratau. The weather for the weekend was rubbish but it was quite warm so we spent quite a bit of time in the water mucking around in kayaks. I think I need to do some serious training in how to paddle a kayak. The kayak I had a play in has so rudder so I would manage to do about 6 to 8 strokes before I would end up in a turn I couldn't stop until I would be facing back the way I came. Very frustrating but sort of amusing at the same time.

Also in March I had my birthday. This year I decided I wanted to head into the bush so I talked my sons and their girlfriends into coming along. We booked Oaks Hut in the Orongorongos through the Department of Conservation. The walk in there is quite short and easy with a river crossing at the end. We walked in after work on the Friday, stayed two nights and headed for home on the Sunday. Friday night was when the earthquake happened in Japan but we were blissfully unaware of the extent of it. Here's a picture of the crew outside the hut ready to head for home.

And a picture of the damage you can do if you slip on the track. Ouch.

I think that's enough for one post. There are a few more adventures I want to post about so keep an eye out and I will get onto that soon.

Choices

2011-01-31T19:41:00.005+13:00

Right now I should be 100% focused on selling my house right? Open homes twice a week? Loads of pro-active marketing? The difficulty I have with that concept is that I've had two open homes with absolutely no takers. That's a little (a lot) disheartening. So what am I to do? Well, my answer was to go away for the weekend and ignore the whole thing. Is that wrong? Who knows. I do know that I have recharged my batteries and feel more able to do something about it now. Do you want to hear my plan? Yes? Too bad. Instead, I will tell you about my weekend away - that's much more fun.

I headed up the west coast with my friend and his sons for an overnight camping trip. I can't tell you exactly where we went as it's a Secret camping spot (deliberate capital letter there for emphasis). Anyway, it's a slightly convoluted place to get to but once you're there it's like being a million miles from anywhere. Think of a long sandy beach strewn with driftwood that stretches further than the eye can see. And huge sand dunes - fantastic for climbing to the top and then running madly down to the bottom. And crashing waves (no-one around so no need for soggy swimsuits). And birdlife chirping and cheeping. And marvellous sunsets. Gosh it was wonderful. Here's a few pictures for you (they really don't do justice to the landscape - maybe it is time for a photography course - or a better camera!).

Vegetarian / pescetarian

2011-01-22T16:30:00.003+13:00

I've been 99.9% meat free since Christmas Day and it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be. My intention was to be vegetarian but I have found, so far, that I am more comfortable being pescetarian. For me this means I have fresh fish perhaps once a week and have tuna in my lunch once or twice a week. I'm happy to continue like this for now but am sure I will phase out the fish in the future. It's also my intention to cut out dairy and cut back on other fats and oils (as per Dr Esselstyn's book.

So what does this change in eating mean for my meals generally? Well, breakfast is either home-made muesli (yum) with rice or soy milk and yoghurt or Vogel's toast with Vegemite. Most of the time I have freshly made juice - the favourite mix currently is carrot, apple, beetroot, pineapple and spinach - delicious! At some stage I will revert back to porridge - probably once the weather gets cooler again.

Lunch during the week is most often a salad or a wrap but is sometimes leftovers (my favourite would have to be leftovers!). Lunch on the weekend varies considerably depending on what I am doing. Today I had a mushroom, spring onion and spinach omelette (with fresh eggs from my chooks).

I guess dinners are the more interesting area these days (for me anyway). I have tried a recipe out of Esselstyn's book called Kitchari - it's a sort of soupy / casserole sort of thing with rice, yellow split peas, chilli, veges, fresh coriander and cumin seeds. I'm not convinced they are all the ingredients but I've lent the book to a friend and can't double-check. The other night I sort of felt like tacos but when it came down to it I cooked all the things I would have had with the tacos and just ate the fillings - so I had brown rice, lettuce, sweetcorn, mushrooms, zucchinis and spring onions - so tacoless tacos. Yum! Vege curries are fairly high on the agenda as are stir fries - all simple to prepare without meat.

I have to admit I feel a little better and more energetic at the moment but I can't be sure that is entirely due to my change in diet.

The other recent change is an increase in exercise. With my finger slowly healing I knew it was time to get back into more activity to regain my fitness and strength. I rejoined the gym so am back to spin classes twice a week and at least one Thai Fit class. On top of that I went for a run the other day - first one for about three months. And on weekends inevitably there is at least one walk up a hill if not more. Next weekend I am off for my first tramping trip since my accident in November and I can't wait! It is also my first trip with the tramping club that I joined late last year so will be interesting to meet some new people.

Life continues to be good - now, if my house would sell it would be even better!

New Year resolutions?

2011-01-08T17:57:00.004+13:00

I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions and this year is no different. But, I have to say I have been pondering recently on what I expect this year to bring me.

I think that I am more uncertain than I usually am due to needing to sell my house. Until that is completed a lot of other things are on hold. My bike accident has given me time to think (too much time!) but that has been quite beneficial.

One thing I know for sure is that I want to be fitter and stronger and take any opportunities that come my way to get out and about. I joined a tramping club before my accident with the intention of tagging along on some of their trips. As soon as my finger has healed sufficiently I will be putting that into action. I've been trying to get out walking as much as possible to retain some level of fitness. Today's walk was up Mt Climie - a 12km walk with a 615 metre climb. Here are a couple of photos taken from the top.

I intend to do a lot more tramping plus I have a season ski pass for the upcoming winter so want to get a lot more skiing in. Fingers crossed for a good snow season.

I've also recently read a book entitled Prevent and Revers Heart Disease by Dr Caldwell Esselstyn (no, I don't have any heart problems - I heard an article on the radio about it and was curious). The premise of the book is that by following a plant-based diet with virtually no added oils and fats heart disease (and other illnesses) can be prevented. That's made me think seriously about my diet so I intend to head towards vegetarianism if not veganism this year. Yesterday was the first time since Christmas Day that I slipped from being entirely vegetarian - I had fish for lunch. I'm not missing meat at all and am enjoying trying out new vegetarian recipes. So I will see how this goes. I figure it certainly can't hurt - I'm eating loads of beans, etc to provide the nutrients I need.

I have a simmering feeling that I'd like to travel this year - I have no specific destination in my mind at this stage so will need to mull over it a little more.

So that's it on my subject of resolutions. There's an underlying one of sorting my finances out but that depends on the house sale so I'm letting that one slide for now - apart from being as frugal as possible in the meantime.

Big goal achieved!

2010-12-29T09:20:00.002+13:00

Yes, my house is finally on the market. It has taken longer than expected to get everything finished and the house in a state I was happy with. I spent a few hours yesterday morning coming up with the words for the ad. Luckily the weather was shockingly bad so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything by being tucked up inside with my laptop.

If you'd like to see the ad here is a link : http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-me-property/Residential-property/Houses-for-sale/auction-343491677.htm

Of course now the hard work begins - actually getting someone interested, working through negotiations on price, etc.

Again, I'd like to thank all who have helped me get this far. Being temporarily one-handed has not made the preparation for this easy at all. Without the kindness and hard work of friends and family I wouldn't have managed to get to this stage.

Strange dinner

2010-12-20T20:33:00.002+13:00

Coping with one hand sometimes means it is difficult to cook for myself. Luckily I had a huge binge on soup making over the winter. Yesterday I grabbed a container of "something" out of the freezer. As it turned out it was pumpkin soup. I had the brilliant idea of cooking up some brown rice and mixing that with the soup. Some fresh chopped coriander was added and that was dinner. Did you want photos? Too bad - I ate it all before thinking of taking photos. :)

Update on 101 things to do in 1001 days

2010-12-19T14:32:00.002+13:00

As promised, here is an update on my 101 things to do list. While working through the list it's made me realise how I have lost my focus over the past few months - time to get back into this!

1. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
2. Go vegetarian for one month
3. Walk the Milford Track - this may well happen in 2011 - in fact the plan is to walk it twice out of season (walk it in one direction then turn round and walk back)
4. Spend a holiday exploring the top of the North Island (everywhere north of Auckland)
5. Visit the Coromandel
6. Visit Tauranga
7. Make a quilt
8. Go to 3 music concerts
9. Invest in a decent sound system - complete - bought a second hand amp and surround sound system
10. Downsize my house and my mortgage - I'm heading towards this goal with my house going on the market within the next couple of weeks
11. Blog at least once a week - I've not done so well with my blogging but hope to get this back on track from now on.
12. Have a massage once a month - not doing very well on this but it's become less important to me these days
13. Declutter my house - this has been going well but of course there is always more
14. Clean out garage - this is almost complete - one more load of rubbish should finish this off.
15. Stick to my budget - not doing very well here but working on it
16. Track all expenses
17. Try 50 new recipes - I need to do my sums as I am certain I am progressing well on this one
18. Listen to one new musician / band every month
19. Buy a piece of art
20. Find a great cupcake recipe
21. Replace my lounge suite
22. Make new cushions for the lounge
23. Increase mortgage payments
24. Go skiing - done! Went up skiing twice during the winter and it was fantastic!
25. Compile my favourite recipes
26. Give blood regularly - I've been struggling with giving blood. I couldn't give a couple of months back as I was suffering from cold sores. Now I can't give for three months due to the surgery I had on my finger.
27. Become a volunteer for the Samaritans - this is one to look into in the new year - have to find out when the next intake happens
28. Go sky-diving
29. Only buy clothes / shoes for replacing existing items
30. Take 3 cooking classes - I did my thai cooking class but the other two classes I had enrolled on were cancelled so I need to find some more.
31. Complete Christmas shopping by October - totally failed this year - I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet
32. Attend a yoga retreat
33. Eat less red meat - this is going very well
34. Eat more fish - with the reduction in red meat I have been eating a lot more fish.
35. Donate $10 to charity for each task I don't complete
36. Go camping - done! Many times!
37. Go on an unplanned road trip for a weekend
38. Put together an emergency kit
39. Take a dance class
40. Do yoga three times a week for a month
41. Go to a live comedy show
42. Buy fresh flowers once a month
43. Make 25 different cocktails
44. Try out a new restaurant once every two months
45. Make a winter dress
46. Spend a rainy day with someone in bed
47. Sleep under the stars
48. Read a science fiction book
49. Prepare and have a romantic candlelit dinner at home
50. Read at least one non-fiction book a month
51. Complete a sudoku every day
52. Go to a wine and food festival
53. Go to 10 plays
54. Go white-water rafting
55. Menu plan every week
56. Reduce grocery spend to $70 / week
57. Review goals once a week
58. Make soap
59. Take a bubble bath every month - hmmmm, I removed my bath when the bathroom was renovated so this isn't happening. I am in the spa at least once a week and usually more.
60. Build something out of wood
61. Buy a "round town" bike for running errands
62. Set up spare room as a real guest bedroom - I had completed this one but I had only borrowed a bed which has now gone so have to start this one again
63. Go on holiday to Japan
64. Donate 100,000 grains of rice on freerice.com
65. Create a cleaning schedule
66. Take a class and learn something new
67. Donate food to the local food bank once a month
68. Do a random act of kindness once a month
69. Knit something
70. Make a loan through Kiva
71. Go see a 3D movie
72. Keep in regular contact with my brother
73. Sew Christmas stockings
74. Go to an art gallery every month
75. Get involved with local Transition Towns group
76. Take a pole-dancing class - done!
77. Assemble a first aid kit for the car
78. Have a productive vegetable garden year-round
79. Complete a scuba diving course
80. Learn to garden organically
81. Reduce food wastage
82. Visit my parents twice a year
83. Write an “if anything ever happens to me” letter - complete although I am planning to do this at least once a year to ensure things are up to date
84. Clean out and organise my filing system
85. Check my car's oil and water every month - doing well on this one (surprisingly)
86. Change the oil and oil filter at least annually
87. Once a month meet a different friend for lunch - doing well on this one
88. Clean out the dreaded box of cables
89. Swim in a lake, a river, the sea and a pool - river, sea and pool all done. Hoping to get the lake one out of the way later in the year
90. Wear matching underwear at least once a week
91. Put $1o in a jar for each completed task
92. Try geocaching
93. Donate to one new charity each year (ongoing)
94. Take more photos
95. Take an art class - complete - totally enjoyed my basic drawing skills class
96. Visit a waterfall I haven't been to before
97. Write a positive thought down every day for a month
98. Kiss in the rain
99. Mid-winter swim
100. Write my name in the sand and take a photo of it - complete
101. Bake bread once a month - new recipe each month

One-handed posting

2010-12-05T19:20:00.003+13:00

I've been feeling guilty in recent times that I have not been posting as regularly as I've wanted to. Apologies for that.

Sadly I now have a decent reason / excuse for being slack. Actually there is a chance I will post more regularly but the posts themselves may be a little shorter than usual. And the reason for this? Well, I came off my bike 10 days ago and have damaged my right index finger putting my right hand completely out of action for a couple of months. I'll not make you ill by posting a photo of the damage I did but basically I cut through the tendons on the underneath of my index finger as well as losing 90% of the nail and some flesh from the fingertip. An ambulance to the hospital was followed by loads of waiting, xrays (no broken bones!) and finally plastic surgery the day after the accident. Now I am in a splint for 6 weeks and have a lot of therapy ahead of me but will hopefully end up with full use of the finger in the future.

Anyone who knows me well will understand how frustrated and bored I am currently feeling now that I am down to one hand. I will be off my bike for a couple of months and, post-surgery, my energy levels are lacking. My house is nearly ready to go on the market - as soon as the photos are ready the ad will go on the internet. Luckily my sons and their girlfriends have been helping me out big time to get everything ready to go.

So, that's my news. For once I have plenty of time but this injury means I can't really take advantage of that free time. My usual sunny attitude is being sorely tested but is still (surprisingly) there most of the time.

House work (no, not housework)

2010-11-09T16:06:00.003+13:00

My focus currently is getting my house ready to sell. A while back I was starting to feel quite panicky (which is unusual for me) about how much work was needed to get the house in a decent state for sale. Someone suggested I have a working bee which I hadn't really considered. I am definitely not good at asking for help - am far too independent for my own good sometimes. But, I took the advice and set a date and asked friends and family if they would be able to come and help me.

Well, Saturday dawned wet, cold and miserable but I got myself sorted, did some baking and crossed my fingers. In the end I had 13 people come and lend a hand.

Three very hardy souls had a preference to working outside in the garden. I thought they were very brave as the conditions were pretty awful out there. They did a marvellous job pruning trees, clearing out garden beds and water-blasting the house and deck.

Everyone else helped inside. By the end of the day the lounge ceiling was painted, the walls were prepared and the first coat of paint on, the bathroom ceiling and walls were prepared and undercoated, the hallway topcoat was complete and my kitchen cupboards were cleaned out and organised.

The kitchen crew did a fantastic job getting lunch cooked and served. I couldn't quite believe the generosity of people giving up their time to help me out - it certainly gave me the warm fuzzies as well as a huge sense of relief that the bulk of the work was done.

On Sunday my sons, their girlfriends and one of their friends came back and continued to help. So, by the end of the day the lounge walls were finished, two coats of paint were on the skirting boards in the lounge, the bathroom ceiling and walls were complete and a whole pile of rubbish had disappeared to the tip. A soak in the spa at the end of the day and Chinese takeaways for dinner finished the day off quite nicely.

I still have a long list of things that need to be done but none of the tasks are huge. By the end of next weekend I reckon I'll have 90% of it finished so hopefully we'll be taking photos next week and advertising the house for sale.

As soon as the photos are done I'll put up another post of before and after photos.

Recipe time - Curried chicken on couscous

2010-10-21T09:11:00.004+13:00

It's been a while since I posted a recipe so here is one I tried last night. The recipe is from the latest Healthy Food Guide magazine and I followed it pretty diligently - except I needed it to be gluten free so no couscous. So it became curried chicken on brown rice. The recipe isn't on their website yet but I guess it will appear there at some point. It's a great resource for healthy recipes.

Ingredients :

3 teaspoons grated ginger
1/4 cup lime juice (I used fresh limes)
3 teaspoons curry powder
400g chicken thighs with fat removed (I used free-range chicken)

Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl and then add chicken. Give it a good stir around and set aside while you're cooking the rice (of course you may well want to stick to couscous).

Rice / couscous ingredients :
1 cup of brown rice / couscous
400g can lentils, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup chopped fresh coriander

Cook the rice / couscous, add lentils and coriander. Pan fry the chicken in a lightly oiled pan - takes about 10 minutes. Place the chicken on top of the rice / couscous. Serve with freshly steamed vegetables - I did broccolini and asparagus (yay for spring / summer vegetables).

The dish is really simple but tastes great. I'll be making this one again soon.

Ski trip report

2010-10-11T19:38:00.006+13:00

I'm still in catch-up mode with my blog so here I am letting you guys know what I have been doing over recent months.

In August I was lucky enough to get an invite along for a family ski week. Our destination was Whakapapa ski-field on Mt Ruapehu (see www.mtruapehu.com for more info).

We left Wellington late morning on a Sunday and headed off. The car was packed to the brim - all the essentials - ski gear, food, wine. Luckily we were in a 4-wheel-drive so no worries about having to carry chains to get us up the mountain.

After a fairly slow trip with lots of stops (amazing how often kids need to pee!) we got up to the carpark at Top of the Bruce just as daylight was fading. I'd read up on how long the walk was to the lodge we were staying in and figured it was a half hour walk at the most - how hard could that be? Well! The snow conditions on the mountain were not great so most of the walk was over rocks and dirt. When we did get to snow in the valleys the result tended to be sinking straight through the snow. I soon realised that a heavy pack plus another bag in each hand was not such a good idea. At least it was a clear, calm night. At the point where we had one last climb to get to the hut I started to seriously flag. The others said they would go on up to the hut and then come back and help me with my bags. I figured I didn't want to seem like the weak female (only female) in the group so thought I would carry on and see how far I could get. Within a few paces I had suck up to my hips in snow and fallen onto my back. Yeah yeah. I know. I bet that conjures up some amusing images. To be honest, I lay there looking up at the stars giggling and wondering what to do next. With the weight of my pack I couldn't stand up so had to release my pack to be able to do anything. At this stage all heroics exited and I carried my various bags to a handy rock and sat and enjoyed the night sky until assistance arrived. Of course it was short climb to the hut (when I wasn't carrying so much weight).

It was divine to walk into the warmth and know that all physical activity had finished for the day. A bit of unpacking took place and then it was time for a glass of wine. Yes, yes - some of the weight in my bag was from the wine. Stupid woman that I am. :)

And so the ski week started. The weather wasn't terrific but it did snow and snow and snow. Each day we would walk down to the car to pick up supplies (mostly wine) and there were not a lot of rocks to clamber over and around. The car was pretty snowed in when it came time to leave.

We had a couple of fantastic skiing days - of course the best day was the day we had to leave and head for home. Isn't that always the way!

I hadn't been skiing for over 20 years but it didn't take long for my un-sophisticated style of years gone by to reappear. I had a ball!

The evenings in the lodge were fun - great food (roast meals, etc), good company and the obligatory wine(s) (oh, and whiskey!). The kids had a wonderful time. In the lodge there were over 20 people staying each night with a pretty even split between kids and adults. We had fun building a snow cave, chucking snowballs around and tobogganing. Sigh. Wish I was there now. Here are some pics for you to enjoy.

This is the lodge we stayed in. It belongs to the Hutt Valley Tramping Club (www.hvtc.org.nz).

This was taken a little uphill from the lodge and looking up the skifield. Still not great snow coverage but enough to have some fun.

This photo was taken when it started snowing the second night we were there. The kids were pretty excited and apparently running around in the snow with no long sleeves wasn't a problem.

Where things are at overall

2010-10-06T08:08:00.003+13:00

As some of you are aware I've been working through a legal issue in recent times. While this caused anxiety and upset when it first came up I quickly came to terms with what I needed to do - namely focus on dealing with the legal aspect and ignore the questionable morals (or distinct lack of morals) involved.

The upshot of the saga is that a very good friend lent me some money to pay out my ex-husband. I'm extremely grateful for the financial assistance I have received from my friend as it meant I now have some breathing space and time to prepare my house for sale. I need to repay the loan by February so I am working hard to get the house tidied up ready for sale. Funnily enough I am ok with having to sell the house. I had planned to do this in the future anyway, although I would have preferred to be able to wait for the market to recover somewhat.

Today I have builders in renovating the bathroom. Months ago I had purchased everything needed for the renovation so it made sense to me to get that job done before putting the house on the market. I've also started painting the hallway so that job is more than half done. The other significant piece of work needed is to get the lounge ceiling and walls painted. My neck problems won't allow me to do that job by myself so I will be putting a call out to see if I can get some help from my friends. The only job I need to do is tidy the section up. It's pretty rough around the edges, a bit jungle-like so will need a bit of effort put in.

I've decided to market the house myself without using a real estate agent. This decision has been made from a pure financial perspective. There is so little equity left in the house I simply cannot afford to lose 3-4% of the sale price to an agent.

In a nutshell, that's where I am at. Anyone who is handy with a paintbrush / roller please let me know. :)

Back in the land of blogging

2010-10-05T18:39:00.002+13:00

Humble apologies to all for the lack of blogging in recent times. It has mostly been a deliberate move as I needed to get a few things sorted in my personal life before I continued with my blog. That is all done now so I am free to get back into it.

So, while you get a new entry today it's going to be short and sweet. Obviously I've been doing all sorts of things over the past couple of months so my next few entries will be reports of various trips, progress on things around the house, some moaning about broody chooks (again!) as well as a well-overdue update on my 101 things to do in 1001 days list.

Life remains very busy for me but I am having fun, getting out and about and moving on. Be patient with me and I will fill you in on ski trips, alpine training, tramping, camping, my trip to Australia and all sorts of other adventures.

Baby-food diet?

2010-07-23T18:30:00.003+12:00

I have vaguely (very vaguely) heard that there is a mini-craze out there called the baby-food diet. I haven 't pursued those vague thoughts but imagine it is something to do with eating small amounts of pureed food - correct? Ah well, it doesn't matter if I am wrong.

I find myself on an imposed "baby-food" diet currently. I had some dental work done yesterday - I am sure you don't want all of the ghastly details but basically it involved cutting of gums, scraping (lots of scraping) and then stitching. Sounds horrible huh? Well it was! I spent the entire appointment with my eyes shut to avoid seeing what instruments were entering my mouth.

Now the procedure itself is over and done with but I have stitches in my gums on both sides of the mouth - and strict instructions to not use my molars for eating. Hence my baby-food diet. Today I had porridge for breakfast (the sultanas were a little tricky to squish), soup and dunked toast for lunch and scrambled eggs for dinner. I can see I could get sick of this pretty quickly. In fact I am already craving a nice steak but I am sure that is due to the fact I know I can't have it (unless I puree it and I am sure that would not be the culinary experience I am after).

I am planning a green curry with fish for dinner tomorrow night as that should be nice and mushy to eat.

I guess there may be an unexpected positive out of this experience - there is a chance I could lose that extra kilo or so that has been hanging around for a while.

Attitude!

2010-07-19T20:21:00.006+12:00

Life has had its ups and downs in recent times. For a while there was some mid-level stress in my life with one of my sons looking for work and my other son's girlfriend looking to change jobs. I've been doing what I can to help both of them with the result about ten days ago that my son started his new job and my other son's girlfriend being offered a suitable job. That was a relief and I could feel myself relaxing. That no-stress feeling lasted for two days. I should have known it was too good to be true.

I'm not going to go into the latest cause for my stress - those who are close to me know the story and are horrified. This blog post is more about attitude and how I am coping with it.

For a few days I went through the whole gamut of emotions - disbelief, anger, betrayal and sadness. I could feel the stress of the situation dragging me down, my energy levels dropped, I started drinking more than was good for me, my mind was completely consumed with trying to figure out what to do. In short I felt like my life had been ruined. My friends and family all tried their best to provide advice and support through these days and I am really grateful for that. After talking with a lawyer and understanding the process and likely outcome from a legal perspective I made the decision to turn the stress off.

I have steps that I need to take involving accountants, valuers and lawyers and I am working my way through them. But I absolutely refuse to let the actions of one person to affect me as a person. What is happening to me may be correct from a legal perspective but it's immoral. Promises were made to me on numerous occasions and I trusted that those promises would be kept. For those promises to be broken is an abuse of that trust. I know that when this mess is over with I will still be a person of integrity. I certainly can't say the same for him.

The big question for me ongoing will be how will I know if I can trust others. Should I stop trusting people altogether. I think not. That's not the way for me to live my life. Certainly I will protect my assets (when I have some again) to ensure I don't end up in this particular situation again.

So how am I now? Fantastic actually. Soon to be broke and potentially homeless but, you know, that's ok. I am fit, healthy, happy and, most importantly of all, I am a good person.

Another tramping adventure

2010-07-10T15:01:00.005+12:00

Sorry for the gap between postings. Life has been busier than ever for me but lots of fun.

Last weekend I went off on another tramping adventure. The tramping part of the weekend was easy. In fact the track we walked was one I have been on previously - about 30 years ago. Back in those days it was called the Five Mile Track (no reflection on how long it actually was) and was pretty rough and ready. The track is in the Rimutaka Forest Park and goes in to the Orongorongo River. As teenagers we would carry in as much beer as we could and stay overnight in a hut by the river, drinking and sitting around the fire.
These days it's more civilised - the track is very well-formed with many bridges over the various creeks along the way. And the beer has been replaced with red wine. The area is close to Wellington and therefore very popular with day-walkers, families as well as more serious trampers who carry on to do more serious walks.

So, last weekend we walked in on Sunday which was a gorgeous sunny day - still cold though. We found the hut fairly easily - just a small matter of crossing the river three times to get to it. With wet boots and the temperature dropping our priority was to gather firewood (there was none left in the hut from previous occupants - not helpful), get a fire going and get some dinner underway. The hut has an open fire which is not particularly efficient so we had a pretty cold first night in the hut. Warm when standing right in front of the fire and freezing when you took a step or two back.

Here's a picture of the hut - pretty basic huh? And, you know, I swear that it's the same hut we used to stay in 30 years ago. The hut used to be privately owned but it's now one of the huts owned by the Department of Conservation and can be booked online ($25 / night - what a bargain!)

Monday was another fine day and, seeking cellphone coverage, we decided to go for a wander up the hill behind the hut. Of course there was no track to follow so it was matter of finding the best path through the trees, scrub, rocks, etc. It was a great walk and I think we climbed about 400 metres before we could get service on our cellphones. I checked the weather forecast which showed that bad weather was on its way. The view from up on the hill was fantastic - we could see right across Wellington harbour and the south coast. The view was well worth the walk.

On returning to the hut another firewood expedition was required. With a good stock of firewood loaded into the hut we settled down to a warm evening sipping red wine in front of the fire. Overnight the rain started and it had settled into steady rain and bitterly cold south-easterly winds by morning. With the risk of the river rising it was time to pack up, clean the hut and head for home. Our walk out started with several river crossings so the rest of the walk was completed with sodden boots and socks.

Once we made it back to the carpark it was time for me to head to the city and get to work. One of the great things about living in Wellington is that walks like these are so close to home and are very achievable for all ages, etc of people. As long as the river isn't up we'll be back in to the same hut next weekend for another night - and hopefully the firewood we stashed will still be there!

Back on two wheels

2010-06-21T20:43:00.002+12:00

The most exciting thing to happen in the past week is that I am back on my bike!

I've had a year off my bike while waiting for a tendon in my elbow to heal. It's been a very frustrating year and I have been itching to get back on the saddle and I'm now there.

For those who don't know, I have a road bike and, in the past, have cycled to work two or three times a week. That may sound a bit lame and maybe even lazy but, in my defence, it is 32 kilometres from home to work - a decent distance! The funny thing is, it takes me about an hour to cycle to work (I have been trying to crack the one-hour but haven't yet managed it - today it took me 1 hour 1 minute and 30 seconds!) while it takes at least 45 minutes on the train. By the time I have driven or walked to the train station, waited for a train and then walked from the station to walk there is very little difference in time.

Anyway, my next goal is to get out on the new mountain bike I bought. I've never ridden off-road but how hard could it be, right?

Tramping trip report

2010-06-07T18:17:00.003+12:00

For the past 3 days I have been off in the wilds of New Zealand tramping in the Tararua Forest Park. This was my first time out tramping for 6 years so our route was carefully selected to not be too onerous.

Saturday dawned sunny and fine as we drove up towards Masterton. Our route was a loop but not back to same carpark so we dropped a car off at our destination and we were dropped off at The Pines - the turnoff to The Pines is just short of Masterton. The walk into Mitre Flats Hut was through native forest and followed the Waingawa River. The path itself on this walk is clear enough to follow and a little rugged in places. Lots of little ups and downs and small creeks to cross. It took us about 3 hours to walk to the hut so we were there by about 3 in the afternoon. The hut is designed to sleep 14 and most of the beds were taken when we arrived. We quickly nabbed two spots and then settled down and chatted with others at the hut. The hut is serviced so there were gas cookers which made dinner preparation easy. We had managed to carry in some wine and a good measure of Cointreau so the evening was fun. By the time everyone headed to bed others had turned up to the hut and it was starting to rain. We counted over 20 people so it was pretty snug although a few people slept outside. In retrospect those sleeping outside probably got the best night's sleep as there was an extremely loud snorer in the hut.

Sunday dawned to constant rain and the sight of a helicopter heading into the hills - potentially off to look for lost trampers. After a good breakfast of porridge and cups of tea we got ourselves sorted and headed off to Atiwhakatu Hut in the rain. The track had a couple of decent climbs and was pretty rugged in places. After the last big climb and descent we stopped for some hot soup. While it was wet it certainly wasn't cold as long as we kept moving. After our soup stop I felt a bit chilled so put my fleece hat back - which was really lucky as about 15 minutes down the track I somehow managed to trip or slip (still not sure which) and did a magnificent face plant. I landed fair and square on my nose and forehead. It was one of those moments when you just need to lay there for a minute and assess the damage done. My tramping companion was with me pretty quickly and checked me out. Lucky for me the path at that point was dirt and wood rather than rocks. Within a few minutes we were back walking - me with a decent headache and a nice bump forming. Anyway, the walk between huts took us about three hours and we pretty wet by the time we got there. The hut looked flasher than Mitre Flats but had no cooking facilities which was a shame. For a while we thought we would have the hut to ourselves but a group of school girls and their teachers turned up. They were pretty wet and cold as they had been right up on the tops in the wind as well as the rain. So again we had a full hut but it was fun - very amusing listening to a group of 15 year old girls chatting. The best thing about that night was that we didn't need to contend with a snorer - yay!

This morning (Monday) it dawned...... well..... wet. Never mind. Again we had a good filling breakfast and cup of tea before heading off down the path to the carpark. The walk was an easy one - pretty flat for the majority of it. It rained the whole way back to the car but a nice dry change of clothes awaited us. It only took us about an hour and a half to walk out - we were walking pretty briskly. I think the idea of getting home to a soak in the spa spurred us on.

I loved the whole weekend - except for maybe the face plant bit. It's highlighted the need for a few changes in equipment which I will get onto as I am sure this won't be the last time I head for the hills. The purpose of this trip was to help get me back into tramping so now we can start to plan for some more serious walks.

Winter activities

2010-05-30T22:33:00.003+12:00

Wellington has been getting an early start on winter weather in the last week or so. Loads of rain, plenty of wind and some very chilly days! Today has been particularly cold with rain sweeping through at regular intervals. It's very easy on days like today to turn the heater on and settle down in front of the television for the day. Instead, this morning I headed into town to meet a friend at the weekly market. While the weather didn't exactly make things pleasant I found it energising to be out in the fresh (very fresh) air. I certainly didn't need to have bothered brushing my hair this morning and a hat would have been a fine idea. Sampling various yummies at the market was fun and the cheese and spinach crepe I had was a welcome warm-up!

After a hot cup of tea we headed off to one of my favourite cafes in Wellington - round at Scorching Bay. After a light lunch it was back outside for a walk along the beach. I'm really glad I didn't just shelter at home for the day - it was wonderful and invigorating to be out there in the wind and the cold. As we head into winter I am sure there will be plenty more days like today.

Next week we have a three-day weekend and I'm off tramping. That will be a frugal and energetic way to spend a weekend and I am looking forward to getting out into the bush. I'll take my camera along and try and get a few photos - but that may depend on the weather,

Yet another soup recipe

2010-05-26T18:54:00.003+12:00

Last year at a friend's birthday dinner I tried broccoli and blue cheese soup for the first time. It was delicious and so I tucked the idea of making some of my own into the back of my mind.
One vegetable that is particularly cheap right now just so happens to be broccoli so tonight I made my soup. The recipe is as follows :

2 cups chicken stock
250g broccoli
150g courgettes50g blue cheese
Salt and pepper

Heat the chicken stock then add vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until just tender (and still nice and green). Remove from heat and blend until smooth (or at least not lumpy). Add the blue cheese and blend again. And that's it. Soup all ready to go. I just finished a bowl of it and it is delicious. Of course you would need to like blue cheese to appreciate it. :) Here's a photo of the finished product.

Leek and potato soup

2010-05-20T20:24:00.006+12:00

I've been a bit slack posting - mostly due to standard busyness and nothing particularly interesting to post about.

Tonight after dinner I decided to try out making leek and potato soup. I haven't made this type of soup before so wasn't sure how it would go. Luckily my mum emailed me a recipe. I pretty much followed it....... but excluded the bacon, used random fresh herbs (it was dark outside!) and haven't added the milk. For once I remembered to take photos - but, to be honest, it's pretty bland looking really.

I didn't bother sticking to the recipe too closely - especially on the quantity side of things. What I did was : slowly cooked one chopped onion and one sliced leek in a little oil until soft. Added 3 chopped potatoes (volume wise there was probably equal leek and potato), salt, pepper, fresh herbs (I think I ended up with a mix of fresh marjoram and oregano) and enough chicken stock to cover the veges. I cooked it up until the vegetables were tender, cooled it and then blended it until smooth. I tasted it and it was delicious.

The bonus of this recipe is that it works out really cheap - the leek cost me $1.30, potatoes from the garden, herbs from the garden. Yup, pretty darn frugal. :)

Of course I had already had dinner when I made the soup so it's destined to the fridge and freezer. Yum! Here are the photos.

Garden tidy-up with a bonus

2010-05-09T16:58:00.008+12:00

For a while I have been meaning to spend some time tidying up my vegetable garden - for one reason or another it hasn't happened - until today! I managed to sort out all four of my raised beds. I was considering taking before and after shots but, to be honest, I was far too ashamed of how overgrown they had got so you will have to be content with the after shots - oh, and some photos of the bonus harvest of the day. :)

So here are the photos of the beds after I was finished. I was very surprised at how dry some of them were - usually at this time of the year we would have had a fair bit of rain but it has been drier and warmer than usual.

I know they look a little bare right now. I am never sure what to try grow through our winter as we get quite hard frosts so most things don't survive. Maybe I will just leave them empty until spring. The next couple of photos are the bounty from my weeding session. Would anybody like some potatoes?

Mmmm, pumpkin soup. :)

Mmmmmm, Thai cooking

2010-05-03T19:58:00.002+12:00

Before I get stuck into this blog post I have to apologise for the lack of photos - I was so busy with the class it didn't even occur to me to take any photos.

Anyway, yesterday I went off to my Thai cooking lesson. The class was from 9:30am until 3:30pm and was run by a lovely young Thai woman who has been in New Zealand for five years. She had two other Thai woman to assist her which worked out really well as some things took longer than planned. They were great at helping us catch up when we fell behind. In the class there were eight of us there to learn new skills.

Well, we sliced and pounded and stirred and cooked our little hearts out pretty much non-stop all day. We did have a small pause for lunch which consisted of yummy curry puffs that we had made. They were delicious.

Throughout the day we made the curry puffs (minced pork, potato, carrot, spices and seasoning wrapped in puff pastry), chicken stirfry, pork curry, jasmine rice and a dessert of water chestnuts. The part I enjoyed the most was making our own curry paste from scratch. It's the most that my mortar and pestle has ever been used! We got to use ingredients most of us had never heard of through the day as well as things that smelt like death but tasted fabulous.

My favourite dish of the day was the chicken stirfry which had really simple ingredients of chicken, mushrooms, sherry, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, tamarind paste, water and sugar. Hmmm, I guess that doesn't sound so simple but it was super simple compared to the curry paste we made which had ingredients of lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, roasted peanuts, shrimp paste, salt, coriander, chillies and cumin - all of those were pounded together into a paste. While it took quite a long time to prepare the finished result was divine and totally worth the effort.

So that is one of my cooking lessons off my list of 101 things to do. The next one I have booked is the chocolate one. I am very much looking forward to that one!

Autumn harvest

2010-05-01T21:50:00.004+12:00

Today's bounty was unplanned really. I had a self-sown tomato plant appear in one of my raised beds. The plant, with no care from me at all, has managed to produce a decent amount of fruit.
My friends and family will tell you that this is not something I would be especially pleased about it - I can't stand tomatoes. I often wish this wasn't the case as it does place limitations on foods I can eat. I have wondered whether I am just being fussy but the last time I ate tomato I was very ill. It's the only time in my life I am aware of that I was so ill that I burst blood vessels in my eyes from the vomiting. Oops, was that too much information?

Anyway, it's not like me to let things go to waste so I decided to collect up the tomatoes, cook them up with some onion, garlic and fresh oregano and freeze the resultant sauce. Of course the sauce isn't a lot of use to me but will come in handy for my family to use. :) Here are a couple of pictures of the dreaded produce and the sauce I made.

A natural at pole-dancing?

2010-04-27T17:45:00.003+12:00

Well, last night was my pole-dancing class. I was a little apprehensive about this class - to be honest I think I was more apprehensive about wearing short shorts than of the class itself.

The class was quite small which helped with the nerves although the full-length mirrors were a bit of a challenge. We started off with some warming up and then moved onto a "routine". That wasn't too bad. We also did some "climbing". That took me back to my school days and climbing ropes in the gym. With a bit of help I managed to climb quite high. We also did some spinning - and it seemed I was a bit of a natural at that (are you proud of me, Mum?).

All up the class was a lot of fun and not at all sleazy. I have a few sore muscles today but I have been told that tomorrow they will be much more painful - oh yay! I think it would be a great class to continue with - brilliant for building core strength and you never when some pole-dancing skills could come in handy. :)

Thanks to Sarah for taking me along.

Pole-dancing here I come!

2010-04-25T20:32:00.003+12:00

Did that get your attention? hahahaha

On my 101 things to do list I included the following item :

76. Take a pole-dancing class

Tomorrow night I have got this booked. My friend Sarah is taking me along. I did wonder what I would have to wear and was sort of happy to hear that a t-shirt and shorts were the right type of clothing (short shorts apparently - ugh!). And apparently no moisturising or oiling of legs or arms allowed - I guess that is so you don't slide right off the pole.

Anyway, this is just a short post - I will update in the day or so after the class to tell you how it went - and, no, there will be no photos - not when I am wearing short shorts!

Asian pork patties

2010-04-18T09:45:00.002+12:00

It's been a while since I posted a recipe. Yesterday I hosted a Tupperware party and decided it was a great opportunity to try something new. I did a cooking class a year or so ago where we made some chicken patties. The flavours were divine so I made up the following recipe with those tastes in mind:

Asian pork patties

500g minced pork
1 teaspoon finely chopped coriander
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped kaffir lime leaf (or some lime zest and bit a of lime juice)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 finely chopped red chilli

Mix together and roll into small balls and flatten. Fry in a little oil until cooked through and nicely browned. Serve with the following dipping sauce.

1 clove garlic
1 whole red chilli
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice

Grind garlic and chilli together, add to other ingredients.

That's it really. Very simple food but rather delicious.

Update on 101 things list

2010-04-11T08:51:00.002+12:00

It's been a while since I reviewed my list so thought I would get that done today.

1. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
2. Go vegetarian for one month
3. Walk the Milford Track
4. Spend a holiday exploring the top of the North Island (everywhere north of Auckland)
5. Visit the Coromandel
6. Visit Tauranga
7. Make a quilt
8. Go to 3 music concerts
9. Invest in a decent sound system - complete - bought a second hand amp and surround sound system
10. Downsize my house and my mortgage
11. Blog at least once a week - am just managing to keep up with this.
12. Have a massage once a month - so far so good - need to get booked in for this month
13. Declutter my house - spare room complete, rest of the house still to do
14. Clean out garage
15. Stick to my budget - not doing very well here but working on it
16. Track all expenses
17. Try 50 new recipes
18. Listen to one new musician / band every month
19. Buy a piece of art
20. Find a great cupcake recipe
21. Replace my lounge suite
22. Make new cushions for the lounge
23. Increase mortgage payments
24. Go skiing
25. Compile my favourite recipes
26. Give blood regularly
27. Become a volunteer for the Samaritans
28. Go sky-diving
29. Only buy clothes / shoes for replacing existing items
30. Take 3 cooking classes
31. Complete Christmas shopping by October
32. Attend a yoga retreat
33. Eat less red meat
34. Eat more fish
35. Donate $10 to charity for each task I don't complete
36. Go camping
37. Go on an unplanned road trip for a weekend
38. Put together an emergency kit
39. Take a dance class
40. Do yoga three times a week for a month
41. Go to a live comedy show
42. Buy fresh flowers once a month
43. Make 25 different cocktails
44. Try out a new restaurant once every two months
45. Make a winter dress
46. Spend a rainy day with someone in bed
47. Sleep under the stars
48. Read a science fiction book
49. Prepare and have a romantic candlelit dinner at home
50. Read at least one non-fiction book a month
51. Complete a sudoku every day
52. Go to a wine and food festival
53. Go to 10 plays
54. Go white-water rafting
55. Menu plan every week
56. Reduce grocery spend to $70 / week
57. Review goals once a week
58. Make soap
59. Take a bubble bath every month
60. Build something out of wood
61. Buy a "round town" bike for running errands
62. Set up spare room as a real guest bedroom - I had completed this one but I had only borrowed a bed which has now gone so have to start this one again
63. Go on holiday to Japan
64. Donate 100,000 grains of rice on freerice.com
65. Create a cleaning schedule
66. Take a class and learn something new
67. Donate food to the local food bank once a month
68. Do a random act of kindness once a month
69. Knit something
70. Make a loan through Kiva
71. Go see a 3D movie
72. Keep in regular contact with my brother
73. Sew Christmas stockings
74. Go to an art gallery every month
75. Get involved with local Transition Towns group
76. Take a pole-dancing class
77. Assemble a first aid kit for the car
78. Have a productive vegetable garden year-round
79. Complete a scuba diving course
80. Learn to garden organically
81. Reduce food wastage
82. Visit my parents twice a year
83. Write an “if anything ever happens to me” letter - complete although I am planning to do this at least once a year to ensure things are up to date
84. Clean out and organise my filing system
85. Check my car's oil and water every month - doing well on this one (surprisingly)
86. Change the oil and oil filter at least annually
87. Once a month meet a different friend for lunch - doing well on this one
88. Clean out the dreaded box of cables
89. Swim in a lake, a river, the sea and a pool - river, sea and pool all done. Hoping to get the lake one out of the way later in the year
90. Wear matching underwear at least once a week
91. Put $1o in a jar for each completed task
92. Try geocaching
93. Donate to one new charity each year (ongoing)
94. Take more photos
95. Take an art class - complete - totally enjoyed my basic drawing skills class
96. Visit a waterfall I haven't been to before
97. Write a positive thought down every day for a month
98. Kiss in the rain
99. Mid-winter swim
100. Write my name in the sand and take a photo of it - complete
101. Bake bread once a month - new recipe each month

After working through this list again I realise I still have a lot to do. I need to get my planning hat on!

The tale of the dreaded Rascal continues!

2010-04-05T16:34:00.002+12:00

I long for the day that I can report that Rascal is well and back to being an outdoors cat! All up we have had four trips to the vet - they know all of us very well.

Rascal managed to escape his prison yesterday but he must have got used to regular meals as he came home later in the afternoon.

Today he has thoroughly disgraced himself! Twice!

This morning he wandered into the lounge, onto the floor cushions, squatted and peed! All while looking me in the eye. Cheeky darn thing. So I washed the cushion covers and then the cushions themselves. The cushions started to full apart a bit so I ended up with white fluff all over the place. I shrugged it off and figured it wasn't a problem.

That is until I got home this afternoon to find he had peed on my bed! Argh!

So I stripped my entire bed - luckily his pee had not got through to the mattress! Phew! My relief at that was short-lived - as I type this my duvet cover and sheet are in the washing machine which is full of water and doesn't want to drain. I strongly suspect that the drain is full of white fluff. Woe is me!

Nutritious, wonderful soup!

2010-03-27T11:05:00.002+13:00

With autumn fast approaching here in New Zealand I have a craving for soup. One of my fondest childhood memories is of drinking cups of Mum's vegetable soup while curled up reading a good book. I can never seem to replicate the taste of her soup but it's good fun to keep trying.

Today I bought a bacon hock and a few extra vegetables and now my house is filled with the wonderful smell of soup which is bubbling away. For those trying to lose weight, eat healthier or save money soup is a wonderful meal. I will be freezing meal-sized portions which will make good lunch fodder for the next week or so. Also, living by myself I love coming home from work and having soup and crusty toast for my dinner.

Today's soup has onion, grated carrot and parsnip, sliced celery, silverbeet, barley and, of course, the bacon hock for flavour. Now I find myself sitting here impatiently waiting for it to ready to eat. Yum! Lunch will be a real treat today.

Dastardly Rascal!

2010-03-26T19:50:00.003+13:00

Well that rascally Rascal cat turned up on my doorstep tonight looking decidedly worse for wear. I am guessing his wound was itchy so he had managed to rip out most of the stitches!

He is spending a night at the vets tonight and tomorrow will undergo another round of cleaning and stitching and will have a drain put in. The vet has told me he will need to be kept inside for a while and given antibiotics twice a day - that is going to be no fun for Rascal or for me. He hates being cooped inside for more than a few minutes so he will go stir crazy - and I can imagine I won't be getting a lot of sleep. Poor Rascal. I will pick him up from the vet tomorrow afternoon. Fun and games!

Silly cat!

2010-03-22T18:50:00.003+13:00

I am a cat-lover (not the mad cat lady my kids make me out to be) and as such have three lovely cats at present. Sam is a large black and white fluffy boy - he is about 6 years old now. He has a lovely nature and is super friendly. Rascal is a tough-looking ginger tom and is probably about 4 years old. I don't see a lot of Rascal. He visits once or twice a week. He hasn't lost any weight so he has either moved in with someone else or he spends his time sneaking through cat doors getting a feed. Rambo is a little tabby who has a tough name but is the wimpiest cat I know. He is about 3 years old and is scared of his own shadow. So those are my boys! Nice of them to choose me I think.

Rascal is the problem child of the moment. He turned up last week with a gaping wound in the side of his neck so I threw him into a cage and headed to the vet. Apparently he had had an abscess which had not been treated and subsequently burst. $350 later and he was all cleaned and stitched up. The biggest challenge will be that he needs to go back and have the stitches removed in two weeks time. What are the chances he will deign to visit? Not good I suspect. Maybe his other family will take him instead!

Art class completed!

2010-03-21T16:51:00.003+13:00

Today I went to a Basic Drawing Skills class. Anyway one who knows me would tell you I am a practical, logical person rather than someone who is creative or artistic. I had always written myself off as being totally useless when it came to things like drawing. But I also have a bit of a stubborn streak so decided I should go along and do a class and see whether I could be taught!

The class itself covered off some basic techniques with lots of practising along the way. Some of the first attempts were hilarious! Actually the first exercise was to draw each other without looking at our sketch pads. The results were very Picasso like!

We carried on and learnt about negative space, angles, measuring, shading and all sorts of wonderful things. The picture below was from the last exercise we did which pulled together all of the things we learnt. I reckon it's not bad considering it's my first ever art lesson. :)

Garden surprises

2010-03-13T14:22:00.004+13:00

I would love to be one of those people who has hours to spend in the garden and therefore be on top of everything that is going on. Sadly, with working full-time and having other priorities, that is not the case for me.

The upside of this is that, now and then, I come across little (or sometimes big) surprises. I had noticed a few things seem to have popped up around my compost bin and had realised there were several tomato plants - not much of a bonus for me as I detest tomatoes!

But today I finally had a bit more of a look and I have a pumpkin plant. Not only do I have a pumpkin plant but I also have pumpkins - at least three from the quick look I had this morning. I can see lots of pumpkin soup and other savoury, autumn dishes. Yum!

From the photos below you can also see I am way behind on weeding. Oops!

The downside of holidays

2010-03-11T18:42:00.003+13:00

I guess this is preditable but the only negative I can think of from my holiday in Nelson is the 2 kilos I managed to pile on - pretty good effort for one week I think! I think I can put it down to being totally inactive for a week and drinking gallons of beer every day. :) Generally I get to the gym 6 days a week with a mix of spin classes, thai fit classes and weights. So a week of lazing on the beach and not thinking at all about what I ate and drank has resulted in a bit of unwanted weight going on.

Now I am not upset about it. In fact I loved my holiday and if that's the only "bad" thing to come out of it then so be it. But now that I am back home and busy working I am back into my routine and committed to eating healthily (and not drinking beer!). The upside is a focus on finding (or creating) new recipes. Tonight's dinner is an experiment. I had some cooked chicken (which is nice and spicy) and could have had a chicken salad but that is what I had for lunch. So I decided to get a bit creative.

I felt like having something like a frittata and have thrown together a meal that may produce something like a frittata....... maybe! Basically I have stir-fried some vegetables (onion, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms) and then have put the vegetables into two ramekins (guess what lunch is for tomorrow?). Then I mixed up some eggs, milk, salt, pepper and chunks of blue cheese and poured that over the vegetables. Now it is cooking in the oven. I am not sure whether the result is a frittata (it certainly doesn't match the frittata recipe I would normally follow).

Here is a photo of them cooking - just about ready I think. Apologies for the poor quality photos but I was in a hurry - I'm hungry. :) Yum!

Moulting chooks

2010-03-02T08:28:00.004+13:00

The saga with my chooks continues. They are not broody anymore so that is cause for celebration. Instead they (or at least three of them) are moulting - and not laying. Goodness, I never realised it would be so difficult to have a good egg supply. It seemed simple enough - get coop, get chooks, feed and water them, get eggs. But apparently not. They appear pretty happy with life and burble away quite happily when I see them. According to a wonderful forum I found (and the wonderful world of Google) I need to be sure to give them protein so they will grow lots of nice new feathers. Twice a day I am now giving them mash mixed with milk as well as their usual dose of fresh green vegetables. I am hoping this moult thing doesn't take too long as the three or four eggs a week I am getting is pretty pitiful.

My garden continues to provide me with the bulk of my vegetables - lots of zucchinis and sweetcorn. I am usually competing with the chooks to get any silverbeet but put some aside for me every now and then. My chilli and capsicum plants are all growing furiously and have loads of flowers so I am hoping for a good crop off them at some stage. They are in the greenhouse so any change in weather won't affect them too badly. There are plenty of potatoes in the garden - I just dig them up as I need them but pretty soon will probably harvest them all and find a nice dark place to store them.

Holiday Update #3 - final update

2010-02-28T10:30:00.010+13:00

Well I am now back home after having a fantastic week in the Nelson area. On Friday I drove to Kaiteriteri Beach and enjoyed a cup of peppermint tea in the sun enjoying the view. The sand at this beach is golden and coarse instead of the white sand that is more usual here in New Zealand. The following is a picture of part of the beach.

I also managed to tick something off my 101 things list as shown in the following picture.

Every day I spent time on the beach outside my cabin at Mapua. The following picture is taken from my sunbathing spot towards the Mapua wharf. The picture was taken at low tide. There are several restaurants based at the wharf including the Smokehouse where I had a delicious meal on Thursday night.

A lot of the area is very tidal with great expanses of estuary revealed at low tide. One morning when I was heading out on one of my driving trips I stopped and took the following picture. It was quite early and the light and colours were amazing - it's a shame I am not an accomplished photographer but here is a photo anyway.

Finally, on my last day I went to the Nelson market. It was yet another gorgeous sunny day and there were plenty of people at the market. There was a good mix of fresh produce, crafts, food stalls and all sorts of items of interest. The cutest thing I saw was a soap stall where some of the soaps were shaped like cupcakes.

My whole holiday was simply awesome and I have already booked my little cabin for next year. I plan to go for a little longer next year - 10 nights instead of 6. I imagine that I will do less driving around and more lazing next year - fantastic!

Holiday Update #2

2010-02-25T17:02:00.007+13:00

My lazy summer holiday continues. :) Yesterday I had the most amazing spa experience at a lovely spot called Enriching in Nelson. I had 45 minutes in their outdoor (very private) spa followed by a half hour massage and then finished off with a facial - not sure how long the facial took as I think I was asleep for most of it. hahaha

Last night I ate out at the cafe just along from my cabin and finished my meal with a Cointreau (that's a stab in the dark when it comes to spelling). Here it is :

Today I went on a bit of a road trip. The idea was to have breakfast at Kaiteriteri then maybe look at some art galleries. I ended up having breakfast in Takaka (a bit further than Kaiteriteri) and then went to Wharariki Beach. The beach is pretty much on the West Coast of the South Island. My friend, Victoria, had suggested I go there so took her advice. The funny thing was that when I got there I realised I had been there before - about 35 years ago I reckon. (I could be wrong with my memory of this but Mum will put me right). The following photos are the track to the beach (it's about 20 minutes walking) and the beach itself.

After the beach I backtracked then drove along to Collingwood. We used to holiday here as kids and the following photo is, I think, the place we used to stay in - again I'm sure Mum will correct me if I am wrong.

Holiday update #1

2010-02-23T10:53:00.006+13:00

I am having a fabulous time relaxing here in Nelson. I flew down on Sunday afternoon after having some time with family in the spa. Here's a picture of that.

I arrived in Nelson to even better weather than at home - less wind and more heat. Just what I was after. I picked up a car from the airport (thanks to my friend for Victoria for that!) and headed straight to Mapua where I am staying. I found my little cabin, dumped my bags, stripped off and was on the beach - all within about 2 minutes! For those that don't know, the park where I am staying is clothing optional in February and March every year (my kids are now thinking....... ewwwwwww!) so it's wonderful to not bother about what you're going to wear and fantastic swimming! Here's a photo of the inside of my little cabin - it's very basic but right on the beach and perfect for me.

And here is the view out of the door - pretty darn close to the beach! :)

Summertime....... and the livin' is easy.....

2010-02-19T12:03:00.003+13:00

Oh yes! I am about to embark on a wee summer's holiday. Yay for me!

My experience of living here in Wellington is that summer can be a mythical beast. It has improved a bit recently but I hedged my bets and booked myself a week away in Nelson. To be totally honest this week was going to be my delayed honeymoon but as I am now without husband I decided it would be very cool to head off by myself and have some real "Me" time.

Nelson is a lovely little city in the South Island which boasts of being the sunshine capital of New Zealand. I am booked to stay in a little beachside cabin (looks quite rustic) at the Mapua Leisure Park. My plan is to spend some time lazing on the beach / by the pool but also to spend some time exploring the wider Nelson / Golden Bay area. Some of the places I intend to visit are listed below.

The Smokehouse at Mapua

Jesterhouse

Enriching Wellness Day Spa

Farewell Spit and Wharariki Beach

Nelson market

There are also plenty of wineries and arts and craft galleries, etc in the area so I am going to get along to as many of those as I can - all the while trying to get my relaxing time on the beach. I'm not sure if I will be posting while I am away - my trusty laptop will be with me but I will need to find some wireless internet to hook into. If that doesn't work out I will post a holiday update when I get back (hopefully with photos).

Pecking order, vege garden and 101 things list

2010-02-17T12:28:00.008+13:00

I am concerned about my chooks. Their coop has heaps of feathers in it currently and I am worried that one of my lovely ladies has decided she is queen of the coop and is pecking the others.

After feeding them the other day I hung around and watched for a while. Miss Broody (the supposed Queen of the coop) had been turfed out of her nesting box by me (as happens twice a day!). She stalked over to where the other three were munching away and started attacking them. I have three different breeds (not sure what breeds though) so maybe that is something to do with it? Hmmmmm! I have no idea what do you do about hen-pecking? Off to Google that one now but any suggestions are welcome.

My garden is reaching its peak currently which is sort of great but always a bit sad to know that my fresh produce supply will start to wind down over the next month or so. I would love to be able to keep my garden going year round but we suffer from hard frosts over winter which kill most things off. I will manage to keep silverbeet going (much to the delight of the chooks) and am going to research what else might survive in our winter.

I am loving having my 101 things list to motivate me. I review it every few days and it's a great reminder to me to get off my butt and achieve something. I love doing my sudoku although I don't always do one daily. I am almost on target with blogging once a week and I would really like to increase this to at least twice a week. I've had a massage, a bubble bath and am eating a lot more fish than I have in the past (salmon on Sunday night was divine!) I have a few things booked which will allow me to tick a few things off over the next couple of months. Next month I will blog about progress against each of the 101 things and needing to do that will certainly motivate me to get a few things completed before then.

Harvest time!

2010-02-08T19:14:00.003+13:00

I had a craving tonight for fresh vegetables so went out hunting in the garden to see what I could find. This is what I found.

Two eggs from my chooks today so I have at least two laying at the moment. It's quite strange - when I go check on them there is only one who is obviously broody so maybe there are three laying for they are taking turns?

Dinner tonight was grilled chicken with steamed zucchini and silverbeet and with fresh sweetcorn. I have to tell you, the corn was simply amazing - so sweet and tender. The monster zucchini at the rear of the photo is sitting in the fridge while I figure out what to do with it. It may well end up in a pie or cake.

I went and had my massage on Friday. I tried a new place out and opted for a fairly deep massage to sort out my aches and pains. The massage itself was wonderful - a lovely Thai woman used her magic hands and ironed out a lot of the kinks I had in my back. Sadly I won't be returning to this place - the front-desk service was pretty shoddy (to the point of being rude) and the cleanliness etc of the towels was very questionable - plus the towels themselves looked almost threadbare and ancient.

Procrastination!

2010-02-04T20:52:00.003+13:00

I am not generally a procrastinator but there is one thing that I have been procrastinating about for the past two weeks. And it has been driving me a little crazy!

Item 12 on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days is to have a massage once a month. This seems pretty easy to achieve on the surface. I mean, who wouldn't want to have a massage. But I have been the world's biggest procrastinator on this one. Those who know me well know that I am pretty full-on when it comes to exercise and also being super busy day to day. So my issue has been that my body tends to have aches and pains from my gym work. Therefore it makes sense to have a sports massage or deep tissue massage. Some would say it was a no-brainer. Something that would be physically therapeutic. But (there had to be a but) my mind is telling me that I should have a nice relaxing massage (with tinkly music and nice smells). Obviously this would be a good thing for my mental state although it would probably not do a lot for the nasty knotty bits in my back. Do you see my dilemma?

I made a decision yesterday that I should simply make an appointment and get a massage. That I could choose to have a deeper massage to sort my back problem out now and perhaps have the nice relaxing massage next month. So I have booked myself in tomorrow to get that sorted. I can bet, pretty confidently, that tomorrow at about 12:30 I will be wondering what was wrong with a nice relaxing massage with tinkly music as I grimace with pain. hahahaha

First week home alone in my empty nest

2010-01-31T15:31:00.002+13:00

Well, that's the end of the first week on my own at home. My son and his girlfriend have settled in to their new home - everything is unpacked and in its place. The bonus is probably that they are only five minutes up the road maybe things would be different if they were further away? It's real nice that both my boys (and their girlfriends) are within a very easy drive (and it's even walkable).

So how did my first week go? Really well. I am loving the freedom to cook all the foods I love without needing to consider others (does that make me selfish?). I thought I might have felt lonely without them here but it's actually been ok. It's quite nice that I don't have to "check in" with anybody and I am finding I can be more spontaneous. The downside is there is no-one to boss around and no-one to share the chores. hahaha What a bind having to always be the one to empty the dishwasher! Mind you it took about 4 days to have enough dishes to be bothered putting the dishwasher through.

I am on track with my List - I bought a pattern and fabric today - not for the dress I want to sew but a top. I am waiting for winter fabrics to come into the store before sewing the dress but thought I would get creative and start with a top for now. That will be a task for me to do one evening this week. I have found my next new recipe to try - Chicken and Pesto fettuccine which is on the menu plan for this week. And talking of the menu plan - this is the plan for the week :
Monday - kedgeree
Tuesday - steak
Wednesday - chicken and pesto fettuccine
Thursday - fish curry
Friday - grilled chicken
Saturday - crumbed fish
Sunday - birthday dinner for my son so will let him choose

All meals will use vegetables from the garden wherever possible. I have zuchinni starting to flourish, sweetcorn, potatoes and beans to supplement vegetables bought yesterday.

I continue to struggle with broodiness of my chooks - three out of four are currently broody so I am down to 1 egg a day again. How annoying! I am on the lookout for a cage I can segregate the broody ones into. I get the feeling this will continue to happen - maybe I chose dud chooks? hahaha I figure they are following their natural instincts - but it's a bit annoying when I am looking for them to supply me with eggs not produce more offspring.

Focus!

2010-01-25T07:58:00.003+13:00

Developing my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days has provided me with focus. In reviewing the list a number of times I have been spurred into taking action on several items.

Item 11 - blog at least once a week - here is this week's blog. :)

Item 17 - Try 50 new recipes - first new recipe was the kedgeree I made for dinner last night. I bought some smoked blue cod and made my first ever kedgeree last night - it was delicious. Here's the recipe I used. I'm not sure if it is a traditional kedgeree but it's the only recipe I could find in my books.

Kedgeree

250g smoked fish
2 tbsp butter
2 finely chopped onions
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cup long-grain rice
2 1/4 cups stock (I used stock I had frozen from our Christmas ham)
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
Fresh parsley
3 chopped spring onions

Melt butter in a pot and add onion. Cook until soft but not browned. Add curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring constantly over the heat, for 1 minute. Add the uncooked rice and stock. Cover pot and cook gently over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until rice is tender and the liquid absorbed. Gently fold into rice the flaked / sliced smoked fish, chopped hard-boiled eggs, lemon juice and parsley. Remove from heat, sprinkle with spring onions and garnish with wedges of lemon before serving.

Item 26 - Give blood regularly - I am booked in to give blood tomorrow.

Item 30 - Take 3 cooking classes - I have enrolled in 3 classes at the Wellington Community Education Centre. The classes I chose are Thai cooking, Chocolate treats (yum) and Finger Food. The first two classes are scheduled to take place in March and I will post on them then.

Item 55 - Menu plan every week - This week's plan is as follows :
Monday - lasagne and fettuccine - my sons and their girlfriends are coming for dinner
Tuesday - leftover kedgeree from last night
Wednesday - burgers (homemade beef patties)
Thursday - chicken stirfry
Friday - mushroom and spinach omelette
Saturday - spicy fish cakes
Sunday - thai beef salad

101 things in 1001 days

2010-01-19T10:40:00.003+13:00

I have been catching up on my blog reading recently and several blog authors have mentioned the 101 things in 1001 days challenge. That has piqued my interest and I have decided to partake in this. I will report on progress from time to time so you can see how I am getting on with this.

So here goes :
1. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
2. Go vegetarian for one month
3. Walk the Milford Track
4. Spend a holiday exploring the top of the North Island (everywhere north of Auckland)
5. Visit the Coromandel
6. Visit Tauranga
7. Make a quilt
8. Go to 3 music concerts
9. Invest in a decent sound system
10. Downsize my house and my mortgage
11. Blog at least once a week
12. Have a massage once a month
13. Declutter my house
14. Clean out garage
15. Stick to my budget
16. Track all expenses
17. Try 50 new recipes
18. Listen to one new musician / band every month
19. Buy a piece of art
20. Find a great cupcake recipe
21. Replace my lounge suite
22. Make new cushions for the lounge
23. Increase mortgage payments
24. Go skiing
25. Compile my favourite recipes
26. Give blood regularly
27. Become a volunteer for the Samaritans
28. Go sky-diving
29. Only buys clothes / shoes for replacing existing items
30. Take 3 cooking classes
31. Complete Christmas shopping by October
32. Attend a yoga retreat
33. Eat less red meat
34. Eat more fish
35. Donate $10 to charity for each task I don't complete
36. Go camping
37. Go on an unplanned road trip for a weekend
38. Put together an emergency kit
39. Take a dance class
40. Do yoga three times a week for a month
41. Go to a live comedy show
42. Buy fresh flowers once a month
43. Make 25 different cocktails
44. Try out a new restaurant once every two months
45. Make a winter dress
46. Spend a rainy day with someone in bed
47. Sleep under the stars
48. Read a science fiction book
49. Prepare and have a romantic candlelit dinner at home
50. Read at least one non-fiction book a month
51. Complete a sudoku every day
52. Go to a wine and food festival
53. Go to 10 plays
54. Go white-water rafting
55. Menu plan every week
56. Reduce grocery spend to $70 / week
57. Review goals once a week
58. Make soap
59. Take a bubble bath every month
60. Build something out of wood
61. Buy a "round town" bike for running errands
62. Set up spare room as a real guest bedroom
63. Go on holiday to Japan
64. Donate 100,000 grains of rice on freerice.com
65. Create a cleaning schedule
66. Take a class and learn something new
67. Donate food to the local food bank once a month
68. Do a random act of kindness once a month
69. Knit something
70. Make a loan through Kiva
71. Go see a 3D movie
72. Keep in regular contact with my brother
73. Sew Christmas stockings
74. Go to an art gallery every month
75. Get involved with local Transition Towns group
76. Take a pole-dancing class
77. Assemble a first aid kit for the car
78. Have a productive vegetable garden year-round
79. Complete a scuba diving course
80. Learn to garden organically
81. Reduce food wastage
82. Visit my parents twice a year
83. Write an “if anything ever happens to me” letter
84. Clean out and organise my filing system
85. Check my car's oil and water every month
86. Change the oil and oil filter at least annually
87. Once a month meet a different friend for lunch
88. Clean out the dreaded box of cables
89. Swim in a lake, a river, the sea and a pool
90. Wear matching underwear at least once a week
91. Put $1o in a jar for each completed task
92. Try geocaching
93. Donate to one new charity each year (ongoing)
94. Take more photos
95. Take an art class
96. Visit a waterfall I haven't been to before
97. Write a positive thought down every day for a month
98. Kiss in the rain
99. Mid-winter swim
100. Write my name in the sand and take a photo of it
101. Bake bread once a month - new recipe each month

Phew, that was much more of a mission than I thought it was going to be. And now I have to start working on achieving tasks from the list. Gosh! I will print this off and make sure I review it often and start checking things off.

Gulp! What a bad blogger I am!

2010-01-12T14:10:00.003+13:00

It has been a long time since I last posted on this blog - and I have no good reason for that, apart from my normal routines being disrupted by Christmas. But I am now back - better than ever after having spent a relaxing time at home over Christmas and New Year.

With such a long break from writing I am a bit lost as to what to blog about first. I know I still haven't blogged with the result of my No spend month (and that was in November). I don't have all the figures with me right now so that will need to wait for another time.

A few people have asked after my chooks - my de-brooding exercise was relatively successful. After two days of being blocked out of their nesting boxes three out of four chooks started laying again - yay! Sadly last week one chook decided that being broody was a good thing so now I have two chooks laying and two chooks being broody. I will let it slide for now as I am still getting two eggs a day but as soon as that changes I will be back to de-brooding mode again. The positive thing is that the eggs we are getting are bigger than they used to be.

The countdown is seriously on for my son and his girlfriend moving out of my home and into their house. We are all very excited about that. Once they have moved out I will be continuing with my decluttering exercise. I thought I would be able to do this over the Christmas break but decided it would be easier once I have the house to myself and less furniture, etc to work around.

I did spend some time over Christmas getting some chores done that I wouldn't normally have time for. I have a large garden window in my kitchen (with a very deep sill) which needed to be sanded back and repainted. I have put that off for ages as I couldn't be bothered dealing with the mess that would create. But I bit the bullet and got stuck into that on a rainy Wellington day (ah, Wellington in the summer!). I think it stills needs one more coat of paint to be honest so plan to do that this weekend. Even as it is, it looks much better than before. The old paint had started to degrade and was flaking off in places - plus it was more yellow than white!

I also spent some time working in my garden. My pea crop this year has been a bit of a disaster. I'm not entirely sure why but some of it can be put down to the cats digging up the peas!!! Sometimes I think I need to devote one of my raised beds to be the cat toilet but knowing my little monsters they would ignore it and continue to dig up my seeds and seedlings! Other things have been more successful. My corn is coming along really well and my zucchinis and scallopinis are flowering madly so they will be producing pretty soon. I have chillis and capsicums growing in my greenhouse - they are growing well but something is munching on their leaves. I'm not too sure what is doing that right now but have sprayed them with a garlic / soapy mixture so hopefully that will get rid of whatever is eating them. I also have lettuce in the greenhouse so that is coming in handy for dinners. My "orchard" is still in its infancy - I got one cherry off my cherry tree and one raspberry off the raspberry bush. To be fair the cherry tree was planted a year ago so is still very young and the raspberry bush is probably about six months old.

I'll be posting some ideas for frugal, yummy meals for one soon so keep an eye out for that. Hope you are all having a great start to 2010 - I know I am.

Broody chooks

2009-12-18T20:49:00.005+13:00

We have four lovely chooks who, until recently, provided us with all the eggs we needed plus some surplus. But one by one they all went broody. My knowledge of chooks is not great - I rely heavily on the internet for information. I also asked around my friends and family for advice. My understanding of this whole broody thing is that the chooks go through a hormonal thing and decide it's time to have some chicks. In our situation that is really not going to happen especially given that we have no rooster. But our four lovely chooks obviously didn't know that and spent nearly all of their time snuggled down in the nesting boxes - and not producing any eggs. After asking around we finally found a solution that has worked. We blocked off the nesting boxes from the rest of the coop for two days.

The picture below shows my four girls looking distinctly grumpy sitting on their perch.

They seemed to feel this was cruel and unusual punishment but once we unblocked the nesting boxes their whole mood was different - they were back to scratching around in the grass, eating well and happily clucking. And the best result is that today we had an egg! Yay! At least we now know what to do.

More changes afoot!

2009-12-14T19:54:00.003+13:00

Apologies for the lack of posting recently - there has been a lot going on around here.

The most fantastic news is that in about a month's time my youngest son and his girlfriend will be moving into their very own house. That means I will officially be an empty-nester! They are moving out on 22nd January. We are all very excited (mega-excited!) about the move. The house they have bought is perfect for first-home-buyers - it's a lovely 3-bedroomed house on a small section.

I have decided that I will spend my spare time (hahahaha, not a lot of that) de-cluttering my house. I made a start on the weekend when I cleaned out one of my two bookcases. I now have two big boxes of books to donate to a charity store and three bags of magazines are ready for recycling. Plus the bonus for my son is that there is now an empty bookcase looking for a home. I love the feeling I get when doing a big clean-out so I am looking forward to sorting through the rest of my house.

I know I still haven't posted with the summary of my no-spend month from November but will get that sorted very soon.

I won a draw (and am slightly red-faced!)

2009-12-03T08:47:00.002+13:00

To me, part of being a blogger is spending time reading other people's blogs. I follow a number of blogs - usually a mix of personal finance, simple living, home-making, gardening and fitness. And every now and then I encounter blogs which grab my interest. One of these is a blog titled Ramblings of the Bearded One. This blog is authored by Kim Ayres of Scotland who has an interest in photography and is also a very entertaining writer.

Recently Kim advertised a prize draw he was going to run. Basically Kim invited readers of his blog to submit a photograph to him and one randomly selected person / photo would have their photo enhanced by Kim. This was too good a chance to pass up so I duly sent off a photo of my mother and I and asked Kim to see what he could do with it. Well, I won the draw! To see the results of the enhancement work on my photo go to : http://kimayres.blogspot.com/2009/12/and-winner-is.html - watch the video (with sound) and see what you think!

All I need to do now is figure out how to copy and paste my wrinkeless photo onto my face! It is certainly interesting to see the changes that can be made - Kim is a very clever man! Thanks to Kim for showing me what can be done!

Yummy Portuguese Chicken Recipe

2009-11-26T20:14:00.004+13:00

This recipe has been appearing regularly on our menu since we found it a month or so ago. The recipe is from the back of a Pams frozen chicken (Pams is a budget brand here in New Zealand).

Ingredients
Whole chicken
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped finely (or a good sprinkle of chilli flakes)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup (125 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1. Pre heat oven to moderate temperature
2. Wash chicken under cold water. Cut along both sides of backbone - discard backbone (or keep for chicken stock). Place chicken skin side up on chopping board, press down on breastbone to flatten the chicken.
3. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.
4. Cook for 2 hours.

Now the bonus of this recipe is that we use the leftover carcass (including all the seasoning and leftover meat) to make chicken stock for rice risotto the following day. It makes a delicious risotto - quite spicy and very tasty.

Update on no-spend month - one week to go

2009-11-24T14:51:00.004+13:00

With one week to go I thought it was timely to report on how the no-spend thing is going for me. As previous posts show there were some minor slips earlier in November but overall it's gone pretty well.

Until Sunday anyway.

We did go out for dinner as discussed in a previous blog entry, for my eldest son's birthday. Five of us had a wonderful meal at the Southern Cross in Wellington - this place was chosen because they do stone-grill which is a favourite of the birthday boy. To be honest I like stone-grill too - it's one way of ensuring your steak is cooked exactly how you would like. The evening was quite mild so we sat out in the garden bar. We enjoyed watching people who had turned up for the Sunday night free dancing lessons. None of us were game to join in but it was interested to watch.

The evening cost about $250 (eek!) but was worth every cent. That was for five adults including our drinks so not bad overall. After dinner we went home for birthday cake as shown below. Just so everyone is aware, my son just turned 23 but it's a bit of a family joke to have kiddie birthday cakes - last year was a race-track and this year the theme was Batman. My youngest son's girlfriend did a wonderful job with shaping and decorating the cake.

I will draw up a report at the end of the month showing exactly what was spent and maybe some tips on how to "not spend".

Sticky Gingerbread Recipe

2009-11-19T20:16:00.002+13:00

This is a new recipe I came across. My collegues at work love it so thought I would share it - it's really moist and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup golden syrup (yes, a cup!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
100g butter
1 cup brown sugar (just in case there wasn't enough sweetness in the golden syrup)
1 egg
2 1/2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius

Combine boiling water with golden syrup and baking soda. Leave to cool slightly.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Mix in the golden syrup mix and then add the sifted dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Pour into lined loaf tin (don't try treat and just grease the tin - I did and it was not a good idea). Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until cooked. If anything it takes a little longer to be cooked through.

The first time I made this loaf I sliced it all up and froze half of it. It was just as good after being thawed from frozen as it was fresh.

Enjoy!

One small slip and a big one looming

2009-11-18T20:45:00.003+13:00

Today I confess that I bought my breakfast from a cafe - $7.50! It was delicious but it felt so wrong to be eating it. To explain how this came about...... I went to the gym at 5:30am (this is normal for me so don't panic on that!), drove to town and arrived at work too early to get in (7:30am). I then realised that I had an 8am meeting, a 9am meeting and a 10am meeting - no time for breakfast at work which is what I usually do. So I ducked next door to work and had some yummy scrambled eggs on toast with peppermint tea. Maybe this is a justified spend? Or maybe I should have planned things better.

The upcoming big issue is that it's my son's birthday on Monday. I planned ahead on this one and bought his gift last month and thought I was very clever. What I hadn't planned on was his birthday dinner. The way I work birthdays is to let my sons decide what they would like to do for their birthday dinner. I thought I could set things up for a dinner at home - food of his choice. But, when I broached the subject he was dead set on eating out at a stonegrill place. I very subtly tried to sway him but he was firm about what he wanted. So I have agreed - what an indulgent mother I am (some would say over-indulgent). But, you know, it is a long time since we were all out together for a meal (probably February!) so that is what we will do.

Day 11 - fail on no-spending

2009-11-11T20:46:00.002+13:00

Well today is day 11 of my no-spend month and I failed! Luckily it wasn't a big fail at all. A total spend of $2 so I am not kicking myself too hard. :) Basically I caught an earlier train to work this morning and then a later one home - I chose to travel on the "comfortable" train (the Wairarapa one) instead of the usual electric unit. Travelling on that train costs me an extra dollar each way on top of my train pass.

I am pretty happy with my progress on this no-spend thing. It has really made me think about the choices I make.

We are moving towards summer here in New Zealand and I was thinking about my summer wardrobe - or lack of it - there are some really yummy fashions in the stores at present and I spotted a few things today that made me drool. Then I thought about the clothes I already have and realised that I am not wearing most of my summer skirts because they are too big for me (a bonus in some ways as it means I haven't put on the weight I lost at the beginning of the year). So I decided today that I will drag my sewing machine out this weekend and alter my skirts. I figured that I used to sew the majority of my clothes in the past so I am more than capable of taking my skirts in to extend my wardrobe. Yay for me!

8 days down - one slip

2009-11-08T19:54:00.003+13:00

As I reach the end of day 8 of my No Spend month I am pretty happy with how it is going. As mentioned in my previous post I met my brother for lunch the other day. We had an awesome lunch sitting in the sun on a glorious Wellington day. It was great to catch up with him and totally worth the $23 it cost for lunch.

All in all the challenge is going well. It has certainly changed how I think about what I am doing every day. The only issue I have is that I have a list of things that is growing day by day of items I need to spend money on - next month. I need some putty to repair my garage window. I need some chicken wire to repair my strawberry bed cover. I am also plotting an extension to my chicken coop so that will require a bit of timber as well as chicken wire.

We've had a great weekend weather-wise - if this is indicative of what summer is going to be like I will be more than happy. The fine weekend has meant I have almost managed to finish painting the garage, mowed all the lawns and been busy in the garden weeding, planting seeds and watering. I made a point of taking my "before" photos of the garden on Friday so will post those sometime soon.

4 days down

2009-11-05T10:47:00.003+13:00

My No spend challenge has been all good so far.

I have needed to make sure I bring a couple of extra small snacks to work and have tended to stay away from shops to avoid temptation. I was worried yesterday as I flew to Auckland for the day for a training course and felt sure I would end up hungry or thirsty on the trip home. Luckily the lunch provided on the course was substantial and the airline provided some very nice cheese and crackers (and a free beer) so I didn't end up spending a cent! In fact I couldn't face eating any dinner when I did get home.

Sadly tomorrow I think I will fail. I am meeting my brother for lunch in the city and am certain we will end up going to a cafe for lunch. We only meet a few times a year so I figure this slip is ok (with me anyway). What I plan to do is have a late morning snack so I won't need to buy a lot and probably skip having a drink. That will keep the cost down. If I can do lunch for under $10 I won't be too worried as I sold a chess board on Trade Me for $10 so that can pay for lunch.

No-spend month is underway

2009-11-02T11:03:00.002+13:00

I mentioned last month that November was going to be a no-spend month for me. Well, today is the 2nd November and so far so good. :) Only another 28 days to get through.

Just to re-cap, no-spending to me means no spending on anything other than essentials. So I will still be paying the mortgage and other bills and will still be buying groceries. But no spending is allowed on entertainment, eating out, hair appointments, clothing purchases etc.

Yesterday was a struggle but I managed to get through with no spending. On Saturday night (still October) I went out to celebrate an impending wedding with friends. This was a big night out for me and I had booked into a budget hotel for the night so I didn't have to find my way home. I woke in the morning feeling slightly under the weather and quite tired. Normally I would have found a nearby cafe and had a nice hot breakfast to kickstart my day. But it was the first day of my no-spend month so I headed home and made myself breakfast. It was a lovely sunny morning so was nice to be at home having breakfast in the sun. After breakfast I spot-primed two walls of the garage in preparation - I get all the fun!

In the afternoon I met a friend to go to the movies. I made sure I ate lunch beforehand and took along a bottle of water from home. That was a successful strategy except that the movie (Julie and Julia) made me feel hungry! I had a voucher for the movies (part of my birthday gift from one of my sons) so no money spent there. After the movie I went straight home and cooked dinner. So no money spent on Day 1! Yay!

Today I have made sure I have brought along plenty of food from home to work so no need to go buy any snacks through the day or on my way home. I made a muesli slice on Saturday to use up some old cereal so that is my "treat" for the day.

I will be posting a bit more frequently this month to give you progress reports.

A healthy spring meal

2009-11-01T17:24:00.003+13:00

At the weekly market today I picked up some lovely asparagus which reminded me about this dish. The combination of the ingredients may sound unusual but the result is delicious.

Asparagus Pasta Combo

Ingredients :
350g small-medium waxy potatoes
100g spiral or penne pasta
1 large lemon
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
400g fresh asparagus
400g zucchini
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered (optional but a good way of getting some protein)
1 cup black olives (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil

Method:
Cook the potatoes until just tended. Drain then cut into small bite-sized portions and immediately toss in 1 tbsp lemon juice (half a large lemon), 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp mint leaves and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside and allow to cool.

Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and immediately refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process and prevent sticking.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Snap ends off asparagus and lay in a single layer on a baking tray. Toss in 1-2 tbsp oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Trim the zucchini and slice each thinly down its length. Place zucchini on a baking tray and toss in oil, salt and pepper. Place trays (or tray if you have only used one) in oven and roast, tossing once, for 7-12 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, place the pasta and potatoes on a large serving platter and pile the vegetables on top with the hard-boiled egg quarters (if using).

Just before serving, toss everything with the remaining juice of the lemon, olive oil, remainder of mint leaves, salt and pepper to taste and olives (if using).

This should be served warm and with warm crusty bread. Enjoy!

Caramel Dumpling Recipe

2009-10-27T19:16:00.002+13:00

This is a recipe which we discovered a little while back and has now become one of our firm favourites. Be extra careful making these as it's easy to burn yourself when adding the water.

Caramel Dumplings

Dumpling Batter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter

Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter

Mix all dumpling ingredients - set aside.

Put the sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat.

Stir constantly until sugar has melted and turns a light brown. Carefully stir in boiling water - take extra-special care at this stage as steam will be created and it will hiss and spit. You may find that the sugar and water go clumpy - carry on stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add butter and vanilla, bring to the boil and boil for two minutes.

Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into the sauce (I make 4 large dumplings with the quantities listed above).

Lower heat, cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes.

These are best served warm with cream or ice cream. If you would like to make less dumplings you can half the dumpling quantities but it's best to make the same amount of sauce - lots of sauce is yum!

For those in the northern hemisphere this is a great winter warmer dessert recipe. Enjoy!

The warmth of spring is here!

2009-10-19T21:27:00.005+13:00

As anyone who lives here in Wellington will tell you, the title of this post is untrue. We did have a brief period of spring-like weather quickly followed by an extended wintry blast (included snow in the central North Island).

Lucky old me escaped from Wellington's weather to experience some lovely spring weather when I travelled to Australia a week or so ago.

It was wonderful to have some respite and be able to laze in the sun on the beach. My parents were on holiday and staying in a 2-bedroom apartment on the Gold Coast in Queensland - at a little place called Kirra. Our days started early (5am!) with a cup of tea and a walk of an hour or so on the beach. This was followed with breakfast and any chores before heading to the beach for a spot of sunbathing. We visited several surf clubs, sports clubs and RSLs (Returned and Services League) for drinks, meals and a little play on the pokie machines. The following picture is of the high-rise apartments of Surfers Paradise at about 5:45am as the sun was coming up on one of our beach walks.

We did have one day of wet weather but had planned to do a trip inland to see a natural formation called the Natural Arch (a very original name!). The picture below shows where the stream enters the arch having eroded a hole in the rock over the years.

While I was only away for 6 days it was a nice break and great to see and feel the sun. Spending time with my parents was fun and it was sad when I had to head for home (and back to the rain and wind!).

Maybe spring in Wellington will arrive soon! Sure hope so.

Downsizing

2009-10-05T19:48:00.003+13:00

Another step in my master plan of reducing my outgoings is to downsize my house (and subsequently my mortgage).

In the next little while I will have an empty nest and this house is too big for one person and three cats. It's not like it is a mansion by any stretch of the imagination but it is a typical suburban family home . I still have a hefty mortgage outstanding and it makes sense to me to buy a smaller, cheaper property.

Of course I will still need a reasonably-sized section so I can still have my chooks and vegetable garden but there are definitely properties around which would fit my requirements. I can envisage a 2-bedroomed cottage with a decent size backyard.

Before I can sell my current house there are a few projects that need to be finished off - my bathroom renovation for one. Plus my lounge and hallway needs some re-plastering and painting. Finally the carpet right through the house really needs to be replaced. So my focus is to channel all spare cash into completing these projects so that the house is ready to sell some time next year. That No-spend month is coming up soon so that should help.

Yummy Chicken Pie recipe

2009-09-29T19:44:00.004+13:00

I posted a week or so back about making food to take to work for lunch. One of the things I make is a Chicken Pie. Here's the recipe.

Base :
1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice
1 onion finely diced
1 whole egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon each of cumin, turmeric, dried coriander
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (or to taste)

Topping :
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Other veges - corn, broccoli, mushrooms - pretty much whatever you have on hand.

Cook rice, drain well. Preheat oven to 200 degrees (Celsius).

Base :
Saute onion for 2 minutes in a non-stick pan with a small amount of oil. Add spices and cook for a further minute. Place in a medium size mixing bowl, add cooked rice and breadcrumbs mixing well. Beat egg and milk and pour into rice mixture, combine well. Grease a pie dish (23cm) then press the rice mixture evenly around the base and up the sides of the dish.

Topping :
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add the remaining ingredients except for 1/4 cup of grated cheese (which gets sprinkled on top of the pie). Mix all the ingredients together, add salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the rice base, sprinkle remaining cheese over top and bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until set in the centre and browned on top.

Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Can be served hot or cold.

I hope you enjoy this recipe - it's one of my favourites. It would be easy enough to turn this into a vegetarian dish by leaving out the chicken.

What are your priorities?

2009-09-28T19:15:00.005+13:00

I have plans to have a No Spend month in November. To me this means I will not spend money on anything that is not necessary. In reality this means no dining out, no outings (that cost money), no clothing purchases, no treats.

When I was considering doing this I realised that for this to be successful I needed to figure out what my priorities are. Of course I could spend money on a meal out but that would mean less money put aside in my savings account. Please don’t think I am one of those people who save, save, save and never spend their money. That is definitely not me. I have some goals to achieve and to be able to succeed with those goals I need to save money. So, for me, it is a no-brainer. If I want to be able to have my lounge re-plastered and painted I need to put money aside. If I want to upgrade my ugly, aging bathroom I need to put money aside. If I want to landscape my front garden I need to put money aside. Getting that work done is more important to me than going out for a meal.

Having a No Spend month should boost the coffers quite nicely and will provide me with an incentive to look at what frivolous spending I can curb without too much pain.

All those small expenses add up to significant amounts of money that could otherwise be saved for those higher priorities. If you are a coffee drinker and spend $3.50 each working day for a takeaway coffee, that mounts up to $840 annually (calculated at one coffee five days a week for 48 weeks of the year). I’m not a coffee drinker so my estimate of $3.50 for a takeaway coffee may well be incorrect but you get my drift right?

Consider what your goals are that require money. Would you like to buy an investment property? Would you like to upgrade your home or car? Would you like to take time out from work? Would you like to rid yourself of debt?

Write your goals down. Work out how much you need to save to achieve those goals. Figure out which goals are most important to you and review your goals regularly. Consider what you are spending on items you could live without. Next time you are about to spend money think about your goals and consider whether the expense is necessary or not. If it’s necessary is there a cheaper option?

For anyone who thinks my bathroom upgrade is frivolous here is a photo of the current bathroom. I’ve lived with it for 8 years and fervently hope that I can upgrade it within the next year.

Ideas for work lunches

2009-09-21T11:39:00.003+12:00

Buying lunch each day works out to be an expensive and sometimes unhealthy proposition. It's easy to pay $6 - $8 just for a sandwich. That all adds up to too much in my book so I bring my lunch from home each day. The trick is to plan ahead so you don't end up bringing the same boring food day after day. It helps that there is both a refrigerator and a microwave available for me to use at work. Plus there is a sandwich press and toaster too.

Leftovers are great to take for lunch as this reduces waste at home as well as providing something tasty. Today's lunch is leftover salad, couscous and two venison sausages. Yum!

Often on a Sunday I will cook something specifically for lunches - this could be a vegetable curry, risotto or soup. I have been delving through my cookbooks recently looking for new ideas. One recipe I found was for a chicken and corn pie - the "crust" is made with breadcrumbs and brown rice and also includes some spices. The filling of the pie is chicken, sweetcorn, eggs, milk, cheese and whatever other vegetables I have in the fridge that need to be used up. I used brocolli and cauliflower in this which made the pie delicious and healthy. I'll post the recipe for this when I get a chance.

I have a few ideas to fall back on when there are no leftovers and I haven't had time to cook anything specifically for lunch. One idea is to cook up some brown rice and a grab a can of tuna - I heat these up and add a good dose of black pepper. Another idea is to make up a sandwich that can be toasted for lunch - my favourite is mushroom, spinach and cheese on grainy bread. Delicious!

Things I've done

2009-09-16T11:06:00.002+12:00

Although the following list probably originated in the States I thought it was interesting to do anyway. The things I've done are in bold.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day.

This was an interesting exercise...... makes me realise how much more is out there!

Attitude wins!

2009-09-12T20:19:00.003+12:00

The forecast for the weekend was for rain. It would have been easy to plan for a sleepy, laidback day today. Instead I decided to go full-blast and ended up having one of my most productive days for ages.

Groceries were first on the list and were all over and done with before 8am. First thing Saturday morning is my favourite time for getting my weekly grocery shop out of the way. The bill was nice and low which made my day!

I put a load of laundy on and then had scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast (yummy fresh eggs from my lovely chooks!) while reading the newspaper and was at the gym by 9am. After a good cardio workout and some weights I was done with exercise for the day and headed to the library. I selected myself a good mix of books and a couple of movies to watch and then it was off to pick up chook supplies. I put my order in for wheat, laying mash and oyster shell then wandered off to get some cash to pay for it all (the store was having difficulties with their POS system). I managed to get a wee bit waylaid on my way back in the local craft store. I picked up a pattern and some wool to knit a baby jersey for a friend who is expecting. After picking up the chook food I headed for home.

It was raining on and off but it wasn't cold and it wasn't windy so I decided to get out in the garden which is what my original plan for the weekend had been. I finally planted my seed potatoes - I had been feeling guilty for not getting them in earlier but noted that some potato plants that had self-seeded in last year's potato patch had been badly frost burnt during the week so it was probably a good thing I had been a bit slack. I then planted my blackcurrent bushes that a friend had given me - I can't wait until they start producing but apparently it will take a while for that to happen. Once that task was done I got to work in the greenhouse and planted the following seeds : silverbeet, lettuce, sweetcorn, sweet peppers, zuchinnis, squash and chillis. My eldest son had ordered some super-duper hot chilli seeds off the internet so I planted those along with some other chilli seeds (not so hot) that I had bought. I spent a bit of time weeding the herb bed and planted some basil.

That was all the gardening done. I am in the process of having my house painted currently - the painters came the other day and waterblasted the house leaving lots of paint flakes around the place. I hosed the deck off and finally tidied all the miscellaneous junk off the deck that had been there for ages.

By this stage it was mid-afternoon so time to have a lunch break and get some inside jobs done. I spent some time sorting my bedroom out - general tidying up etc then it was time to have a bit of a relax so I watched one of the movies I got out from the library. Once that was finished with it was time to get dinner sorted - tonight we had homemade burgers followed by caramel dumplings - yum! And the evening has been spent getting my knitting underway - it's years since I knitted anything so I had a couple of false starts (of course I had chosen a tricky pattern!) but it's now going nicely.

So, reflecting on how my day has gone I realise today was all about choosing my attitude this morning, getting my body moving and working through my to-do list. Now I am happily tired and very content. Hope you all had a good day!

Happy Father's Day Dad!

2009-09-06T17:30:00.004+12:00

Today I've been thinking about my Dad - Father's Day tends to do that to me.

I reckon overall Dad's have a pretty thankless task. I certainly didn't grow up as a Daddy's girl. Our family was very much traditional in that, while we children were young, Dad was the breadwinner and he certainly ruled the roost. Woe betide making a noise when the News was on the tv each night. I still get into trouble every Sunday when I ring Mum and Dad as I always manage to ring when the footy is on. :)

When we were growing up, one look from Dad and you knew when you were in trouble. And I remember the phrase "You just wait till your father gets home!" being said to me on numerous occasions.

But, you know, Dad was always fair and I know he loved us all equally and I respect him for that.

Here's a photo of my Dad with me last March. Love you Dad! Have a great Father's Day.

Wooohooooo!

2009-08-30T13:25:00.007+12:00

We have exciting news! Today our chooks have produced our first egg! Here it is!

As you can see from the picture it's a little on the small size but that's ok. It's also a lovely shade of blue - real cute.

Felix gave us a hand finding the egg. He's real helpful like that.

Right now this little egg is the most expensive egg I have ever had so we are looking forward to plenty more.

Hot yoga!

2009-08-13T11:40:00.003+12:00

I've done a tiny bit of yoga before but never really got into it in a big way. The other exercise I am doing at the moment (spin classes, running and weights) is great for my fitness and strength but doesn't do a lot for flexibility. There is a hot yoga place just around the corner from where I am working currently. I picked up a brochure a while back but finally went along to a class last night with a work colleague. All I knew about it was that it was yoga in a hot room and that the class would last an hour and a half.

According to the website (www.hotyoganz.com) the room is heated to prevent injury, warm the muscles and allow for a deeper release within the body. The room was certainly very warm with the temperature in the high thirties. The heat reminded me of holidays in Australia and lying on the beach at Port Douglas - yum!

Anyway, the class itself was interesting - parts of it were physically very hard and hurt (to be expected considering I am new to yoga) while others were supremely relaxing. One thing is for certain - you sweat! A lot! But that's ok - everyone in the class sweats buckets too.

They suggest you hydrate yourself before and after the class as well as take in some water during the class. You don't need any specific gear - they hire out mats and towels. I would certainly advise not wearing heavy clothing - singlet top and tights / shorts of some sort is all that's needed.

The leader of the class was really helpful and options were provided throughout the class to make the movements harder or easier depending on your skill level.

After the class finished and I had showered I headed for home - was hugely hungry! I could have eaten a horse!

I have decided to stick with it and attend a weekly class. Have a look at the website mentioned above for more information. There are actually two hot yoga places here in Wellington - both on Tory Street.

Other members of our household

2009-08-01T12:14:00.005+12:00

Today I'd like to introduce to the other non-human members of our household. The first photo shows Sam (black and white fluffy male), Rambo (petite tabby male) and Felix (grey and white fluffy male kitten). These three get on reasonably well although the older cats do get a bit fed up with being chased and attacked by Felix.

And here is Rascal - he and Felix don't get on. Rascal needs to be reminded to "not eat the kitten" from time to time.

And, just because he is real cute, here is another one of Felix.

New Arrivals

2009-07-26T15:55:00.008+12:00

We've taken delivery of our four new "girls" - four young chickens (hopefully all girls but apparently you can't tell until they are older). At least three of them are too young to lay eggs yet but I am hoping the biggest, older one will start producing once she settles into her new home.

So here is the coop I bought off Trade Me

And here a couple of photos of the girls - we have three different breeds (don't ask me what they are though).

Exciting news!

2009-07-17T20:08:00.003+12:00

Well I think this is exciting news - my youngest son doesn't seem to share my enthusiasm though.

We are getting some hens! I've ordered a purpose-built coop from our local (New Zealand) internet auction site so I am hoping it will get delivered real soon. A friend of mine has a lifestyle block and has different breeds of hens as well as ducks. She has said I can buy some hens from her so I will be getting that organised as soon as we have the coop all setup. The coop is large enough for up to 5 hens.

Once we are up and running I'll post a photo and let you know their names. :)

Awesome chocolate mousse recipe

2009-07-15T18:54:00.006+12:00

This mousse is a firm favourite in our house. It's pretty easy to make and delicious!

200g cooking chocolate
5 egg whites
200g castor sugar
1 tsp instant coffee powder
300ml cream
2 nips rum or brandy (optional)

Beat egg whites with 100g castor sugar until very stiff. Put aside. In a separate bowl, beat cream with 100g castor sugar and then set aside. Break chocolate into large bowl and melt over boiling water. Stir coffee and rum / brandy into melted chocolate and remove from heat. Add egg white into chocolate mixture and whisk until well combined. Carefully fold under whipped cream. Pour into serving bowl (or individual bowls) and refrigerate for a few hours - cover with cling film to ensure mousse does not absorb other flavours.

Serve wtih fresh fruit and cream - or simply eat it as is.

Enjoy!

Changes are afoot

2009-07-03T20:22:00.003+12:00

Apologies for the lack of posts recently. There have been some changes happening in our household. The Optimist is moving on so this is, obviously, resulting in a number of changes. Our separation is very amicable - which is proving hard to get our heads around. We kept feeling like we should be shouting and arguing but we're not. All of which is a good thing.

In some ways I am quite excited about what the future holds at the same time as feeling sad that our marriage didn't work for us. Those who know me well know I am a strong person and very independent. I've accepted the situation and am now in "planning mode". Our home will be quieter and slightly emptier. I've re-hashed my budget and re-set my goals. We've worked well together to separate various accounts, etc and now we will embark on our separate lives.

I'll be back blogging properly very soon so watch this space.

Chocolate chip cookies

2009-06-28T16:32:00.003+12:00

The following recipe is a favourite of all who have tried the resultant cookies. The original recipe stated 1-2 cups of chocolate chips. I found that amusing. Of course the cookies should only ever be made with 2 cups of chocolate chips! When my son and his girlfriend make these cookies they like to use an assortment of chocolate chips - milk, dark, white, mini-m&ms, etc. I do the budget version - the cheapest chocolate chips I can find at the supermarket.

The recipe makes loads of biscuits - 5-6 dozen depending on how big you make them.

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp hot water
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 1/4 cups white flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Beat butter, brown sugar and white sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, hot water and vanilla. Beat until fluffy then scrape into a large bowl.
Sift together and stir in the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonfuls on greased oven trays and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Recipe time

2009-06-21T13:17:00.003+12:00

The following is the recipe I use to make Anzac biscuits - these have been stunningly popular with the people I work with and are simple to make. The original source of the recipe was the Australian Womens Weekly.

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain white flour
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup coconut
125g (4oz) butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon boiling water.

Combine oats, sugar, flour and coconut in a bowl. Gently melt butter and golden syrup, stir while melting. Mix soda with boiling water then add to melted butter mixture. Stir into dry ingredients. Place tablespoonfuls of mixture onto lightly greased oven trays, allow room for spreading. Cook in slow oven for 20 minutes (around 150 degrees). Loosen while warm, then cool on trays.

The trick to making them into a chewy biscuit seems to be to cook them slow and maybe add a bit of extra golden syrup. The recipe should produce quite a flat biscuit.

The other recipe that I've made a couple of times recently is for a gooey chocolate cake. This is divine - a nice moist rich cake which is just as good heated the day or two after.

Topping

100g dark cooking chocolate
150g raspberry jam
125ml cream

Cake
30g cocoa powder
60ml milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
90g raspberry jam
115g softened butter
65g caster sugar
2 eggs
125g plain white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of sea salt
80g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Generously grease a 22cm round cake tin.

For the topping, put the chocolate, jam and cream into a small pan over a medium heat. Stir until smooth, then pour into the prepared tin.

In a bowl, mix the cocoa powder with 125ml boiling water, stirring until smooth, then add the milk, vanilla and jam, whisking to combine.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl. Using a large spoon, fold the dry ingredients and the cocoa mix into the creamed mixture, alternating the two, then fold the raspberries through.

Pour the mixture into the cake time, ensuring you spread it right to the edge and cover the topping completely. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is firm. Leave the cake to cool in the tim for 15 minutes. If you're not serving straight away you can refrigerate the cake in the tin, but you will need to warm it in the oven before turning it out.

Turn the cake out onto a plate (be warned - use a big plate as the topping tends to run everywhere!). You may need to scrape some sauce out of the tin and spread it over the top of the cake. I think the cake is best served warm. Also, the last time I made this cake I made it the day before, let it cool, refrigerated it and re-heated it the following night. It was just as good as if we had eaten it the night it was cooked.

The downside of this recipe is the vast number of bowls needed - lots of washing up to do - but the cake is delicious!

A busy weekend in the kitchen

2009-06-14T20:34:00.007+12:00

This weekend has been a grey, dull one weather-wise so I've spent most of it in the kitchen happily trying out some new recipes.

Yesterday (Saturday) I found a new recipe on the internet for a creamy lemon chicken pasta dish. This was a great success and the family all seemed to like this one. I made garlic bread and spinach salad to go with it. Yum! For dessert I made a chocolate mousse which always goes down well.

Today (Sunday) I needed to find a recipe to use up the egg yolks left over from the chocolate mousse. I was going to a friend's house for lunch today and wanted to take a couple of things for that. I found a recipe for Cinnamon Swirl bread on a forum and spent the morning making that. For a savoury dish I made some Kumara and Cashew fritters out of one of my recipe books. They were very simple to make and tasted great.

After lunch I came home and made a banana cake to take to work and then started to prepare our dinner. I had a new curry recipe to try (Chicken Rendang) and a recipe for roti bread which I hadn't tried before. Both turned out really well - the roti bread was especially yummy! For dessert I made fluffy banana rice puddings. These tasted great but didn't rise as expected. I don't know if I would try that recipe again. In searching online there were quite a few other rice pudding recipes that I'd like to try.

Now my weekend creativity is at an end - it's time for bed and the start of another working week tomorrow.

Fitness and health

2009-06-09T10:43:00.003+12:00

One of the parts of my current "mission" is to improve and maintain my fitness as well as staying healthy. In addition I want to pass on to my family any tips I can so that they may benefit as well.

On the fitness side, I have always been quite an active person and up for a challenge. As I age my body is not so keen on some things which I find a real source of frustration. Over the past few years I have been a regular gym goer and have got into cycling (road). I used to hate cycling but stuck with it until I reached my current state of loving it. Unfortunately I have a severe elbow injury and have been warned it may be 12 months before I can ride my bike again. I have also been a runner in the past but that has always ended in tears (and injury).

Anyway, my belief is that I should be doing something active 6 days of the week and I give myself one day for my body to relax (and recover). At the moment it's all at the gym until I can get back on my bike. I kick-started my year by signing up to a programme at the gym to "drop a dress size". The exercise was hard out and the programme also covered off nutritional guidelines. I dropped 5 kilos over 6 weeks which I was very happy with. Since the programme finished I have lost another kilo and am happy with the weight I am now at. My current exercise regime is 3 or 4 spin classes a week, 1 or 2 weights classes and 1 or 2 cardio / weights programme. I try to mix it up a bit each week so I don't get bored and so my body doesn't get too used to a particular regime. I'm investigating yoga currently as I would like to stretch more, gain strength and relax.

For me, in the past, when I have been less fit I wasn't happy. I would find I was lacking in energy and was unhappy about how I looked. To me that is my motivator. Feeling energised and comfortable in my own skin is incredibly important. My exercise regime may seem over the top to some but, for me, it is just right. I think any activity we do on a regular basis is good for the body and soul - from walking to swimming to running to dancing. Anything that gets the body moving. On the financial side of things it would be good to not be paying for a gym membership but while I am coping with this injury the gym gives me the ability to keep my level of fitness up.

On the health side of things, I believe that eating well-balanced meals and getting adequate rest are must-haves and key to being healthy and well.

The majority of our meals are cooked from scratch and I am focused on reducing our intake of processed foods as much as possible. I have been caffeine free for a few years now and this year have drastically cut my alcohol intake. I now go for weeks without any alcohol and feel so much better for it. I've cut down the amount of meat I consume but I don't think I will be going vegetarian any time soon - I like meat too much to do that. :)

I enjoy cooking which is lucky for my family and am always looking for interesting new recipes to give us some variety. I work hard to ensure we get a good amount of fruit and vegetables as much as possible and love it when our garden is producing a variety of vegetables. I'm looking forward to spring and getting back into the garden. With hard frosts it is difficult keeping the garden going through the winter. Sleep is important to me. I am an early riser (up at 5:10 during the week) so I am definitely an early to bed person each night. Funny thing is, the odd late night now doesn't impact me like they used to in the past - maybe being stronger and fitter has reduced my dependence on sleep a bit?

It's all in the attitude!

2009-06-02T11:02:00.006+12:00

I've been mulling over what to write next and decided that an article on attitude would be useful for me as it will help me to refocus.

There are times when stress kicks in, the bills pile up and the weather is horrible (welcome to winter in Wellington, NZ!) when it is hard to stay positive. These are the times, for me, when it starts to get hard to stick to the budget. The thought of dining out, running away for a few days or booking a holiday in a warmer climate becomes incredibly tempting.

We've made a commitment to hold off on spending outside of the budget until our nastiest debt has been cleared. So these are a few tricks I try to make sure I stay on track.

1. I bake and I cook. To me there is nothing better, on a nasty day when I am grumpy, than turning the oven on and cooking up a storm. There is something about the aroma of cookies in the oven and soup bubbling on the stove that lifts my mood immediately.

2. I look at how far we have come since our budget has been in place. I find it inspiring to see that we are managing to chip away at our debt, bit by bit. I like to imagine what life will be like once those payments can be routed into savings instead - that will be a wonderful feeling!

3. I read. I "do the rounds" of all the blogs I follow on the subject of finance and frugality. Often I will come across a post that provides me with the boost I need. If I come up empty-handed I will spend some time searching for new blogs or websites until I find one that gives me the inspiration I need.

4. I plan something. This may be an outing to the movies (using the vouchers I received for my birthday) or we might invite someone round for a meal or we might look at the budget for the next month and squeeze in something special - like a cheap night away somewhere.

5. I take some personal time out. On the weekend just gone, this was curling up in bed with a good book and having a snooze. Those who know me well will know this is completely out of character for me but it really did me a lot of good. My other way of escaping the world is to run a hot bath, make a cup of tea, apply a facial mask and soak for as long as I want.

These may all seem pretty simple fixes but they are do the trick for me. Deep down I know that we are on track to improving things vastly for our future so it's important we don't give up now!

Frugal holiday ideas

2009-05-27T15:21:00.003+12:00

In the past we've gone on holiday when we have felt like it with no thought to the overall cost incurred. In this new world of ours we've had to re-think our holiday strategy. Instead of simply booking some flights, checking into whatever accommodation we feel like and eating wherever suited us we've had to find cheaper options.

Rent a house : Here in New Zealand there are a few websites with reasonably priced houses and holiday homes for rent (e.g. www.bookabach.co.nz, www.holidayhomes.co.nz and www.holidayhouses.co.nz are some examples). This option is great for family holidays (lots of room for kids to run around), romantic getaways (nice and private) and for group holidays (grab another couple or two and have a grownup break away). Properties through these sites range from basic, cheap dwellings through to luxurious, more expensive places. Sharing with another family or friends can bring the cost down to a more reasonable level.

Camping : I have to admit I am not a fan of camping. I am used to my creature comforts (bed, shower, toilet, chairs) but for a cheap trip away this would be a good option. Of course we don't have all the camping gear for this type of holiday but I know we could borrow what we need from friends and family. Here in New Zealand there are plenty of options for camping sites from proper camping grounds / holiday parks with full facilities through to camping out on someone's farm or booking into a DoC (Department of Conservation) camping site (they have over 250 vehicle-accessible sites with a range of facilities from none to full-on). See www.doc.govt.nz for details. DoC also have cabins and lodges available at reasonable prices.

Home swap : This idea appeals to me. You may decide to swap houses with friends or family living in a different area - this could be at no cost apart from transport. There are also some sites to help with this option - www.homeswap.co.nz and www.nzstays.co.nz are a couple of examples. I haven't tried a home swap before but would be keen to try it at some stage.

Food : To save money self-catering is the way to go. I know this may seem like it's not much of a holiday for the cook of the family but this is an opportunity for everyone to pitch in and do their bit. If you stick to simple meals, salads, picnics and barbeques this doesn't need to be so onerous. You could also cook some meals ahead and take them with you - a big pot of soup or a casserole would be fantastic for dinner on a winter holiday.

Activities : I am a fan of relaxing holidays, spending time with the family and generally chilling out. My perfect holidays are those where walking, swimming and lazing in the sun feature predominantly. Personally I am not into rushing around, going to all the tourist attractions, etc. We spent time on our family holiday last year playing cards and board games - there was no television which was fantastic.

In this crazy, busy world we live in, holidaying simply becomes more important. Holidays that give your mind and body time to relax help bring sanity back into your life. Mmmmmm, must start planning our next break away.

A new approach to gifts

2009-05-22T12:04:00.005+12:00

Just before Christmas last year, when I was worrying about the state of our finances but hadn't put a plan in place, I was considering what we would do about Christmas. We don't have a lot of extended family around so Christmas is a fairly low-key affair - except for the expectations about presents. This is the first time that I looked consumerism square in the eye and realised I didn't want to go down the track of buying loads of expensive gifts (not that we could afford to anyway). I am totally over buying "stuff" that doesn't last well or is played with for a short time before being discarded to gather dust in a corner. I also had a long think about those less fortunate than us. It doesn't seem right that we can splurge money on frivolous gifts without making an effort to help less fortunate people.

I had a talk to the Optimist, my sons and their girlfriends and asked them to nominate a charity they would like to support. I made a $50 donation for each person to the charity of their choice and bought each person a gift for around $50 each. I enjoyed being able to focus on something for each person that I thought they would really appreciate and they seemed more than happy with their gifts. The Optimist still went and did the usual level of shopping for his children.

I would like to think we can do even better this year. Id like each gift for birthdays and Christmas to be carefully considered so that the gift is something that would be really appreciated and be something that lasts well or provides a lasting experience. Plus, of course, these special occasions will be in the budget so there will be no nasty experience of opening credit card bills after the event. That's a bonus!

Grow your own and save

2009-05-17T10:08:00.004+12:00

We are lucky where we live as we have a good sized section giving us plenty of room for vegetable gardens. I've been in this house for about 8 years and my original attempts at growing vegetables were not that successful. Over the past couple of years we've built four raised gardens and that has seen a lot more success in the quality and quantity of vegetables grown. Also, last winter we put in a greenhouse for raising seeds and for growing tomatoes. chillies and cucumbers. The greenhouse has been wonderful as we have been able to grow a lot more from seed making considerable savings.

Our garden over summer kept us well-supplied in many of our basic vegetables. We produced tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, sweetcorn, garlic, cabbages, broccoli, peas, zucchinis, celery and potatoes. In addition, our herb garden produces mint, oregano, rosemary and parsley. We're now entering the winter months so the garden isn't looking as luxuriant and is certainly not as productive. But we do have some cabbages and silver beet nearing harvest and have onions, carrots and parsnips doing well.

We struggle with keeping the garden organic (and have failed miserably so far) and I am researching this subject all the time. We've been inundated with caterpillars and slugs. I think, in the future, we will cover the gardens with netting to reduce the damage these pests cause.

In addition to the vegetables we grow we have started to work towards producing more fruit. Currently we have lemon and lime trees in pots, a cherry tree, a grape vine, strawberries, a passionfruit vine, rhubarb and a blackberry. Apart from the grape and strawberries, all the other plants are quite new and not yet producing. Next spring I plan to expand further and would like to plant blackcurrent bushes and raspberries.

I have never calculated how much our garden costs us but, since we have started raising the majority of our vegetables from seed, I know we're saving money every week. We are lucky to have plenty of space for our gardens but, even if we were constrained by space, I would find a way of growing as much as we can. I've heard a lot of good things about square-foot gardening and also container gardening. Both these methods could be used if you have limited space.

More ideas for reducing outgoings

2009-05-13T08:39:00.003+12:00

In our day to day lives there are several areas we can look at to reduce our costs. Here are some changes we have made.

Use the library - I read voraciously. When I was at school someone came in one day and taught the class how to speed read. I caught on to that and now can't read any other way. The negative side of this is that I race through books very quickly. One example is a 10 day holiday we had a year ago where I took 6 books to read. Within the first few days I zoomed through those and went and bought another 6 books. That was only just enough! In the past I bought lots of books (I really don't want to add up how many books or how much they cost me!) to feed my habit. I did try to pick up books on special when I could and bought second hand sometimes too. But, still, it was an expensive habit. With our new budget in place I knew that couldn't continue so now I utilise our local library. I go every week or two and check out a stack of books. I never get the bestsellers as they cost a couple of dollars - eventually they turn up in the main library collection. Using the library saves us hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars every year.

Take your lunch to work - I used to buy my lunch every day at work. I would easily drop up to $10 a day on lunch, often more. Now I take my lunch 99.9% of the time and it saves me lots. Sunday is my baking and cooking day so you will find me in my kitchen making soup, risotto, curry and other dishes for tasty lunches. I freeze meal size portions and then the Optimist and I can take whichever meal we feel like having that day for lunch. At other times I have made up sandwiches and either eaten them as is or toasted them at work. All of this saves us money but also results in us eating healthier meals than a lot of the food that we would have purchased in the past.

Home baking - As mentioned above, Sunday is my baking day. I calculated the cost of making a batch of biscuits one day and figured out that a batch of Anzac biscuits (usually around 40 biscuits) cost me under $3 to make. This didn't include the cost of using the oven. I would struggle to find yummy biscuits that could compete with that amount of money. There are lots of recipes out there that are really easy to follow. If anyone would like my Anzac biscuit recipe let me know and I will post the recipe.

Transportation - This was a biggie for me. I live 32 kilometres from work and used to drive every day. Parking in Wellington was costing me $12 a day and petrol worked out, as a minimum, at $10 a day. I never know how to work out the cost of wear and tear and subsequently maintenance on a car but I know there is a cost associated with that. So, in a nutshell it was costing me over $100 a week to drive to and from work. When I sat down and worked it out I realised it was a no-brainer to ditch using the car and get onto the train. It's a 15 minute brisk walk to get to the station which is a fantastic way to start the day and also a nice amount of time to unwind at the end of the day. A 10-trip ticket costs $64, a monthly pass $192 and a quarterly pass $547. What a huge saving! Additionally in the summer months I started cycling into work 2 or 3 times a week. This takes about an hour - it's flat the whole way. I would take in food and clothes on the train so on cycling days I wouldn't have to carry too much on my back. The added benefit of cycling in was the sense of well-being from having done some exercise and the subsequent increase in fitness and decrease in weight.

I guess one thing I have done is to be very focussed on reducing what we spend so I don't make excuses and just get on with implementing the change. If it is something that is hard I stick with it for 30 days then reassess how I feel about it. I can't think of any instances where I have reverted to the old (more expensive) way of doing things.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T08:45:00.000+12:00

Today, in New Zealand, we are celebrating Mother's Day. This got me to thinking about my Mum and how I should show her my appreciation and love. In the past I've sent gifts, flowers and cards and I'm sure Mum appreciated those. This year I've decided to do something different by posting this entry to my blog.

Here's a photo of Mum and I taken last year at my wedding. Isn't she beautiful?

My Mum was born in England but moved to New Zealand when she was in her teens. She married my Dad and had three children - I'm the dreaded middle child! I caused my parents quite a bit of grief through the teenage years but, at no time, did my mother give up on me. She has been there in my darkest hours but also in those times of celebration.

In many ways I am similar to my Mum - very practical, a straight talker, caring and honest. My parents are frugal by nature and I am surprised I didn't "get frugality" earlier than I have. Their basic belief is that you don't buy something unless it is both needed and you have the money for it. If only I have stuck to that over the years. Never mind, now I get it.

Anyway, back to my Mum. She has always supported me in my decisions and been there to provide advice and, at times, a shoulder to lean on.

Mum was the first person I discussed the idea of this blog with. I was quite nervous at the idea of getting this blog off the ground and Mum was the person I went to to discuss the idea, toss up ideas for names and decide on some of the initial topics.

So, Mum, this blog entry is for you - I love you and thank you for all your support and love over the years.

Quick after-work meals

2009-05-06T09:05:00.000+12:00

I don't know about anyone else but I find it can be a bit of a challenge to get a healthy home-cooked meal on the table for the family during the working week. Over time this is something I have got better at so today's blog entry is all about some of the quick meals I cook.

We do have a couple of limitations in what we cook. The Optimist (my darling husband) can only have red meat once a week due to a cholestoral problem. The result of that is that we eat a lot of chicken. On top of that, I don't eat tomato (makes me ill) so that limits a lot of our choices. I'd like to move to more vegetarian meals but that is something the menfolk of the house struggle with. So here goes with some meal ideas!

Chicken kebabs - before I leave for work in the morning I cube the chicken (usually use chicken breast) and then marinate in a mix of soy sauce, peanut butter and chilli. When I get home it;s just a matter of putting the chicken onto kebabs, grilling them in the oven, getting some rice going in the rice cooker and getting some vegetables steaming.

Chicken burgers - Again I use chicken breasts for our chicken burgers. I slice them through so the fillets are thinner (and this also stretches the meat a bit further) and coat them in satay sauce. I grill the fillets while getting the salad ingredients ready and the bread sliced. The family loves this one, especially when I have bought mini-focaccia breads instead of plain burger buns. If I have enough time sometimes I will cut up some potatoes into generous chips and oven bake them with olive oil and fresh herbs.

Chicken curry - This isn't the healthiest of meals but a real favourite so this one gets on the menu every couple of weeks. I use a curry paste mix for the base of this dish. In New Zealand we have a range called Asian Home Gourmet and our standard is the Chicken Madras (sometimes we will have the Butter Chicken one for a change). To prepare this dish I simply cube the chicken, heat the paste in a non-stick pan, add the chicken and cook for a few minutes before adding coconut milk. I let the curry simmer for 20 minutes or so, cook the rice while that's simmering and then heat some roti bread in the oven. A tip I learnt recently about the coconut milk was to not buy the "lite" version which I tended to do to cut the fat content down. Now I buy the normal version (at the same price as the "lite" one), pour it into a bowl, whisk it up, freeze half of it, add water to the other half and use that. Twice the coconut milk for the same price!

Crumbed chicken - Yet another way of cooking chicken! You can use any type of chicken pieces for this recipe. My family prefers boned chicken breasts but drumsticks and any other portions work just as well. Using my food processor I make a mix of breadcrumbs and dried herbs (could use fresh herbs and I am not sure why I don't do this). Beat an egg in a small bowl and dip each chicken piece in the egg and then the breadcrumb mix. Place on an oven tray. Crush a clove of garlic into quarter of a cup of olive oil and stir. Drizzle the oil over the chicken pieces and bake until cooked. Usually 20 - 25 minutes works for me. I usually serve this with mashed potatoes (or sometimes fresh pasta) and vegetables.

Crumbed fish - this isn't really a recipe! Dip fresh fish fillets in egg and then fresh breadcrumbs and cook in non-stick pan with a little bit of oil (I usually use olive oil but sometimes rice bran oil depending on what I have at the time).

Roast beef - I know, this isn't a quick and easy meal but I am lucky enough to have an automatic oven. This allows me to set the oven to start at a specified time through the day so I can get home from work to find a cooked piece of roast beef in the oven. Fantastic in the wintertime! I buy a cheap cut of beef (usually blade), season it with salt and pepper, place in roasting dish and cover with foil. I set the oven so that it cooks long and slow which results in a lovely tender piece of meat. I wouldn't usually try and have roast vegetables with this as they take time to cook. But sometimes I do my "cheat" roast potatoes - boil potatoes for about 8 minutes, drain, put lid on pot and shake for a few seconds. This roughens up the outside of the potatoes. Put the potatoes into the roasting dish with the meat and cook for half an hour or so. The par-boiling will have partially cooking the potatoes and therefore they won't take as long to roast. The roughened outsides go nice and crispy.

These ideas are all stock standard for our winter menus (in New Zealand we are heading into winter now) but a lot of these are dishes I use in the summer too. Instead of grilling in the oven many of these dishes can be grilled on the barbeque and salads made instead of steamed vegetables. I do have a slow cooker but it doesn't currently get a lot of use. That is something I hope to change this winter.

I will post other ideas / recipes from time to time as I know there are plenty of other busy people out there who are looking for quick meal ideas.

Menu planning and grocery shopping

2009-05-04T20:07:00.000+12:00

Our grocery bill has always seemed outrageously high so we decided to sit down once a week and plan the menu for the following week.

Each week I ask people in our household to put forward suggestions for the meals they would like. They're used to the rules of the house (no takeaways, no junky meals, etc) so the suggestions are usually pretty good. I weed through them and decide which meals make it to the menu for the week. I base this on the mid-week meals needing to be quick to prepare and cook so that dinner can be on the table fairly quickly once we're all home from work. Weekend meals are generally those that require more preparation time or longer cooking times.

Once the menu has been set I check what we've got in the cupboards and freezer and draw up the shopping list on my computer. I started keeping a price book a while back so enter the prices into the spreadsheet so we have a good idea of how much the groceries are going to cost us. Of course this does vary a bit as prices rise unexpectedly and when items are on special. Also, through the week I will have put other items on the list that aren't part of the menu plan - such as toilet paper, flour, sugar.

Having a list makes the shopping itself a quick and easy task as there is no wandering around figuring out what to buy.

The only items I may buy between the weekly shopping trips are fish and sometimes fruit and vegetables. Most of the time I don't even need to top up the fruit and vegetables.

I am currently looking at changing our shopping cycle to a fortnightly cycle and later may attempt to make it monthly. For now the weekly cycle is working and we are spending significantly less these days.

Also, I buy a 1 litre bottle of milk each week. When it runs out I mix up more using milk powder and pour it into the bottle. I've been doing this for the past month or so and no-one in the house has noticed or made comment. That's another cost saving for us.

Since I started this mission I've also stopped buying some items, including paper towels, serviettes, breadcrumbs and liquid hand soap. Instead of using paper towels I use old rags and wash them. Same thing for serviettes. I refuse to buy breadcrumbs when it is really easy to make my own using old crusts of bread (stored in the freezer until I need them) in the food processor. I've replaced the liquid soap with small bars of soap that I've collected over the years from various hotels, etc.

My next post will talk about some ideas around simple, quick meals that I make during the week. I hope there was something here you found useful.

Reducing our outgoings

2009-04-28T13:51:00.000+12:00

It was great developing our budget and I felt a lot more relaxed knowing there was a plan in place. One thing that the budget told me though is that we were paying lots of money for lots of "stuff" and I was unsure whether all these items were necessary.

I went through the budget and considered each item carefully. Was this something we really needed? Was this something that truly added value to our lives and to our future? Was there a cheaper option available to us? This produced some interesting results and we were able to make a number of changes as follows:

Cancelled our newspaper subscription - now we read the news online and only buy a newspaper on the weekend - saves $30 / month
Cancelled our telephone messaging service - saves $7 / month
Moved our credit cards and transferred balances to lower interest rates - haven't worked out the savings on that yet
Changed mobile telephone plan - saves $35 / month
Started using the train for commuting to work every day - saves at least $35/week probably more
Started cycling to work twice a week - saves $12 / week on train fares

Currently we are spending a lot each month for various insurances including term life insurance, house and contents insurance, serious condition cover, health insurance and income protection insurance. With no emergency fund or savings behind us we see the level of cover we have to be necessary. As our finances improve we will be able to look at reducing some of the insurances we have.

In addition to cutting things from the budget, we looked at what items we had that could be sold online. Due to a long-standing elbow injury my golf clubs had gathered dust for over two years. I thought long and hard about it but then decided they could be sold. Other items cluttering our house and garage were also sold online. All proceeds went straight into paying off debt.

One area we were spending a lot of money on was our grocery bills. With no budget in place we were spending a minimum of $1200 / month (and up to $1500 / month). We decided that we should be able to easily live on $250 / week groceries (bearing in mind that we were catering for between 6 and 9 people for evening meals each day). To ensure we could stick to the budget we started doing a weekly menu plan and developing a grocery list from the menu plan. Menu planning and saving on groceries will be covered off in my next post.

Where are we at?

2009-04-24T15:53:00.000+12:00

The first thing we needed to do when we started this mission was to figure out where we were at.

I pulled together all of our bank statements, credit card statements, etc and created a spreadsheet with outstanding balances. The total was really scary!

I then created another spreadsheet where I entered all our transactions for a month - incoming and outgoing. Those totals were scary too. How could we possible be spending that amount of money every month? The good thing about this was that it made me even more determined to find a way for us to live within our means (the old spend less than you earn thing).

I knew that the next step had to be putting some sort of budget in place. This was quite tricky as the Optimist (my lovely husband) has an income that fluctuates every month - working on commission can be lucrative but, obviously, not all the time. Regardless of this we had to put together a budget. What I worked out in the end was that our fixed income each month was enough to live on - all commission could then go straight into debt repayment / emergency savings.

The key thing that makes our budget work is to re-set it every month. At the end of each month we sit down and work out what will be happening within the next month that we need to cater for. For example, any planned trips away, birthdays and other special occasions. We also have a good idea at this stage of the amount of commission we can expect to be paid. If it's been a slow month then the amount to pay off debt is low (we haven't had a month yet where we couldn't make a payment at all).

I don't use any specific tool for our budget other than an Excel spreadsheet. In this I enter the budget amount against each category and then, during the month, I enter in the actual spend. I leave our credit card payments until later in the month so if other unexpected expenses come up I can jiggle things around. I'd rather do that than tap into our emergency fund.

The other thing I learnt from putting a budget in place is that we were paying for lots of "stuff" that didn't seem to be critical to us. The next step was to work through all of our outgoings and decide if we could live without the service or product. That will be the subject of my next post.

Blog kick-off

2009-04-23T09:57:00.000+12:00

Greetings to all who have stumbled across this blog.

I've thought about setting this blog up for quite a while now. I starting following a number of blogs last year when I hit a point in my life where I knew I needed to change my way of thinking, especially in regard to my finances. So this entry is to introduce you to me and explain a bit about what I hope to achieve here. This blog will cover financial planning, frugality, healthy eating and other related topics.

I'm in my mid-forties and I am married to a wonderful guy (let's call him the Optimist). I have two adult sons (one still at home with us) and the Optimist has an adult son (currently travelling overseas) and three daughters who live with their mother but visit and stay with us frequently. We live in a suburb of Wellington (capital city of New Zealand). We both work full-time and earn a great combined income but our overall financial position is not one to be proud of. I think it's a case of thinking that because we have a good income we can then afford to do what we want, when we want to do it. This has resulted in us carrying a significant amount of debt (one credit card and two personal loans) and having no real savings. For quite a while we have lived from payday to payday and the overall position has not improved.

Late last year I sat down and looked at our finances, read a few blogs and decided we needed to take action. So I ordered Dave Ramsey's book (second hand from the US), read it from cover to cover and started the process of getting things in order. Since then we've set up a budget which we re-do each month and have made many changes. The next few articles I post here will explain each of the steps we've put in place.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has feedback or who would like to contribute their own ideas.

Cheers
KC