Tamarillos
Tamarillos are quite a strange fruit. I first came across them in Auckland years ago, and New Zealand is one of the few countries who produce them commercially. They are considered by some to be a bit of a Kiwi icon, and the name itself is apparently derived from the Maori word for leadership (Tama)
Tamarillos are quite a strange fruit. I first came across them in Auckland years ago, and New Zealand is one of the few countries who produce them commercially. They are considered by some to be a bit of a Kiwi icon, and the name itself is apparently derived from the Maori word for leadership (Tama)
They are related to tomatoes, capsicums (peppers) and
eggplants (aubergines), but as for the taste, I would describe it as a cross
between a tomato and a passion fruit. Kind of weird. But they’re in season
right now and they’re great in muffins.
My Piano
We’re all indoors just a little bit more in the winter. We still try to get out as much as we possibly can (basically if it’s not raining, we get out), but the earlier sunsets mean extra indoors time. And this means I actually get to play my piano a bit in the winter. I’ve been playing a bit of new stuff lately. Loving it.
We’re all indoors just a little bit more in the winter. We still try to get out as much as we possibly can (basically if it’s not raining, we get out), but the earlier sunsets mean extra indoors time. And this means I actually get to play my piano a bit in the winter. I’ve been playing a bit of new stuff lately. Loving it.
Friday Nights
While our summer evenings were all about ensuring one of us got up the mountain before sunset (Jake for a run, me for a walk) while the other one put the children to bed, Friday movie nights have become a bit of a winter tradition. We all stay indoors, the kids stay up late, and we have dinner in the lounge room in front of a DVD. Puss in Boots, The Smurfs, Ice Age, that kind of thing. Although I must admit that by the end of the winter I think I will be craving a grown-up film!
While our summer evenings were all about ensuring one of us got up the mountain before sunset (Jake for a run, me for a walk) while the other one put the children to bed, Friday movie nights have become a bit of a winter tradition. We all stay indoors, the kids stay up late, and we have dinner in the lounge room in front of a DVD. Puss in Boots, The Smurfs, Ice Age, that kind of thing. Although I must admit that by the end of the winter I think I will be craving a grown-up film!
(For those who’ve
noticed the picture - yes, 9 years on and we still haven’t bought a TV cabinet!)
Cuddles on the Sofa
Sleepy cuddles on weekend afternoons with hot water bottles and blankets. Need I say more?!
Sleepy cuddles on weekend afternoons with hot water bottles and blankets. Need I say more?!
Baths
OK, strictly this is nothing to do with NZ as you can have a bath virtually anywhere in the world, but as we lived in a house with only showers but no bath in Alice Springs, it’s still has novelty value for me and it’s definitely a favourite thing of mine for winter. Even better when the bath is cleared of all toys and grime, and is surrounded by candles and a glass of wine instead...
OK, strictly this is nothing to do with NZ as you can have a bath virtually anywhere in the world, but as we lived in a house with only showers but no bath in Alice Springs, it’s still has novelty value for me and it’s definitely a favourite thing of mine for winter. Even better when the bath is cleared of all toys and grime, and is surrounded by candles and a glass of wine instead...
Which brings me on to...
NZ produces GREAT wine! We should know – we drink enough of it.
I usually drink white for the majority of the year, but Winter
is definitely all about red wine. We still have a little bit left over from the
wedding but unfortunately 50% of it has gone cloudy/fizzy. We’re not sure why. (Could
it be that we’re simply not drinking it fast enough?)
Reading
Since we first left the UK nine years ago, we have become huge fans of
libraries. With an ex-pat perspective we can now see what we took for granted for
all those years: that Britain has the benefit of phenomenally cheap books. What you can pick up for £1.99 in a British
supermarket could cost you $30 here. So although we used to be big book
purchasers, we have hardly bought a book since and for the last nine years we’ve
been using the library instead.
Alfie and I usually go every Thursday and we usually come out with a big bag of novels (for me), rugby books (for Alfie) and wildlife books (carefully selected by Alfie for his big sister). I am about to go and snuggle up in the window
seat and read some...
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