Our Migration North

I spent most of yesterday crying. I had to go next door and tell my dear, wonderful neighbours that we are leaving. And not just leaving our beautiful house, but leaving Christchurch and after 11 years, the South Island.

We are heading back up to the North Island.

Our decision has come about because of schooling. Having given up homeschooling a year ago, our thoughts then turned to where we would send our children for highschool. Homeschooling was still an option, but after a taste of school life, our children don't want to go back to homeschooling (yes, school has been a good experience, in the main, for all of us).

So we chose our school and applied, never thinking that we would get in straight away. We thought we would still have a year here in Christchurch to find a job and prepare the children and all of us, really, for a big move.

But the school we applied to rang last week to say that - by a miracle - places for all three of our eldest children had become available! And within the week, a job has been provided for my husband! It's truly amazing how God works things out when they are right! We have been amazed and very encouraged. So in two months time, we will be living in Tauranga. Our children will be going to school at Bethlehem College, with three of their cousins. We will be within 2 hours of our beach house and family in Auckland and within 5 hours of my parents and brother.

There are so many things I am trying not to think about leaving behind. My neighbours, who I love to bits and who I want to take with us. My beautiful house - I don't think we'll ever have such an amazing and big house ever again. My aunty and uncle in Marlborough, and the Marlborough Sounds. My childhood friend who is like a sister to me. And just being here in Christchurch as the city is rebuilding. It has been an amazing place to live in, and to experience. We have felt safe and happy here, and we've had snow. There's no snow in Tauranga.

So big changes afoot for us. The next two months are going to be crazy!

I Made Something I Saw on Pinterest!

Yes I did!

I joined the Kiwi Christmas Ornament swap, and made six of these . . .

Little felt jingle mice.

Very quick to make and won't they look sweet on the Christmas tree!

You can get the pattern and tutorial here:

Don't you just love Pinterest - I'm so proud of me for making something I pinned! LOL!

NZ Politics - from where I sit

The 2011 election - 5 sleeps away as I heard our prime-minister say this morning on the radio.
When you realise that New Zealand is smaller than some of the large cities in the world, our politics pale into insignificance in the greater scheme of things, but that doesn't mean that it's not important. Important to us, who live here, anyway.

I am a right-wing voter. And I hate MMP. I will definitely be voting for a change of system at these elections, but probably not for a change of government. Though the National party are far from perfect - far, far, far - I seem them as a stable government which is what NZ needs at the moment. And I can actually see what they're trying to say about the asset sales. Labour's answer to that seems to plunge us deeper and deeper into debt, and National started governing 3 years ago on the back foot because of Labour's financial irresponsibility. They've had to make up a lot of lost ground.

So here's where I stand on the current parties:

National - I like John Key because he's not a politician - what I mean by that is, he's not a career politician, like Helen Clarke was. He's a rich man because he worked hard before he got into politics. He seems like one of us.

Labour - I hate Labour and all it stands for. My working-class grandparents would probably turn in their graves if they knew I said that. But in essence Labour is a socialist party, and when I think of socialism I think of communist Russia.

Act -  I don't actually know much about act, except that they need to get their act together.

Greens - I like Sue Kedgley, but that is about all I like about the greens. Their leader is an Australian, and not that I have anything against Australians, but I do think political leaders for New Zealand should be natural-born kiwis. It's a loyalty thing.

Winston Peters and the NZ First Party - all I have to say about them is that New Zealanders have very short memories!

The Maori Party - I have a lot of respect for the Maori Party - I think they have conducted themselves well since National came into power, but I would not vote for them.


Hone Harawira - uummmmmm.......

Peter Dunn - again I say that New Zealanders have a short memory.

Conservative Party - newly formed by Colin Craig. This is where I pause a little, because I grew up with Colin Craig in Auckland. I know him personally and I know for sure without a doubt that he is honest and that he will always do the right thing; he's very intelligent (it was always hard to win in an argument with him when we'd be doing the dishes after a lunch with his family or mine), a good, kind person, and my brother is also running for the Hawkes Bay for the Conservatives. If they meet the 5% threshold, or whatever it is that they need to get into parliament, my brother's life is going to change dramatically!

So it's either National or the Conservatives for me. I will probably vote national because I want the government to stay the same, but I'd like to be able to vote the Conservatives because I think they'd be a good voice for integrity in parliament.

So that's my take on our current politics. I am sick of the tea-cup saga. I think the NZ media (excluding Mike Hosking and Leighton Smith) are a bunch of socialists and are bordering on gutter-journalism. They should be ashamed of themselves.

So three cheers for democracy! I am so glad I can publish my views publically - it is hard fought for, and hard-won, and I don't take it for granted. I enjoy the freedom to choose and to vote for myself.

Eggs Benedict Heaven

You know how sometimes when you go to a nice cafe or restaurant and you have something to eat that was so good and you just know you can go home and recreate? Well, that happened to me at a cafe in Nelson.

We called in to Cafe Affair of Nelson for brunch one morning, and I ordered the Eggs Benedict.

The Cafe Affair became our favourite place to go for coffee during our three day stay. The staff are lovely, the atmosphere quiet and sophisticated. I loved all the old photos around the wall of early days in the Nelson area, and I so wish we'd gone back for brunch again.

But I wanted to try the Eggs Benedict for myself at home.

So lunch today saw me cooking it up (took 10 minutes at the most), and the first bite was heavenly. It took me straight back to Nelson.

This is how I did it . . .
I didn't use the traditional muffin for the base, as I'm trying to go easy on wheat intake at the moment. Instead I baked 4 small hash browns, poached two fresh eggs and fried some bacon.

Layer the bacon on top of the hash browns, top with rocket lettuce (this is the secret ingredient to give it a wonderful nutty flavour). Then carefully place the poached eggs and pour drizzle hollandaise sauce over the top. Sprinkle with a little salt if desired.

Here is a photo of my version:

 

This is my favourite store-bought Hollandaise. I'd love to make my own, but sometimes it's just more practical to buy it ready-made. Seriously, I could drink this stuff - it's so good.

I'll be making this for my husband this weekend - he had the French toast at the cafe, so he doesn't know what a treat is in store for him.

Now . . . to go and add more hollandaise now that I've taken the photo! Haha!

Chilling Road Signs

Everytime I travel around New Zealand by road, I always think I'd like to try and take photos of the interesting, but sobering road signs along our highways.
But sometimes I miss them.

But on our way home from Nelson last week we drove through the beautiful Lewis Pass (the day after they had a heavy dumping of snow - in November). I caught three signs - with beautiful backdrops.
The signs are effective to slow you down. I have a tendency to have a 'heavy foot' as my grandfather would put it, while driving, but I have no danger of drink-driving as I don't drink alcohol, and I have been guilty of propping open my eyelids, especially on the half hour drive to Cromwell from Alexandra to visit my hairdresser in the days when I had young babies, but the signs do make you stop and think when you see them.
I'm interested to know if other countries have these type of signs along the highway.

The Boat Shed

Our first evening in Nelson, we were wandering alongside the seaside boardwalk, watching the sun set and checking out the menus of the scattering of restaurants along the harbour.

We came to the Boat Shed Cafe - it jutted out over the water on high wooden stilts - just like an old fashioned boat shed you can see anywhere in New Zealand.

We were looking for the menu display, when a dark-haired waiter opened the door and said hello and invited us in. "Don't be shy." he said to us in his foreign accent. When we explained we were looking for the menu he handed it to us and we quickly decided to stay.

The restaurant was quite full, so the waiter took us up a small flight of stairs to a little attic room right at the top. The window looked right out over the water. We sat at the little retro table with the red vinyl chairs and preeeded to enjoy ourselves. Tucked away in our own private dining room, where tomatoes and peppers ripened on the windowsill, we had the best view in Nelson, overlooking the islands, the ships and watching the sunset. When the waiter bought us our whitebait entrees, we were in Heaven. It was the best whitebait we have ever had. Not patties, but it seemed each whitebait was coated in a crumb and cooked individually. I don't know how the chef did it, but the result was divine! A truly memorable meal. We actually regret not getting it upgraded to a main, but as we had been travelling for nearly 6 hours, our appetites were not huge.

Halfway through our meal the waiter bought up an American couple. They were obviously tourists as they asked the waitress what the name of the Bay was, but were not happy to be in the little attic room, and asked to be moved down to the main dining area. Fine with us! We were asked if we would like to move too, but we declined. In my opinion we had the best table.

I truly regret that I did not have my camera with me. I so wish I could have recorded that night and that meal. For desert I ordered the tiramisu, and Robin had the Eton's Mess. They were both outstanding and by far the best dining experience that we've had in a long time. The tiramisu was soaked liberally in some kind of alcohol. I don't know what it was, but it was strong and it was good!

As we left, the sun had long since gone to bed and the lights from the restaurant were flickering on the tide under our window. I wish we could go back to Nelson, just to have that meal all over again. If you ever go there, you must go to the Boat Shed Cafe, and order the whitebait. It's one of the best decisions I ever made.

Nelson's Coronation Street

When I was little Nelson was a place to get through on the way to our summer camping holiday. It was where we picked up our large bottles of apple juice to put in the camping cupboard.
Now I will always associate Nelson with a beautiful weekend away with my husband, with some lovely memories of fine dining, country jaunts and antique shops.

We chose Nelson for our little holiday because in all the years we have lived here in the South Island we have never been up to Nelson. We've been just about everywhere else, except Nelson and Stewart Island.

The first day we left I felt a little separation anxiety, mostly from my younger children, but when we were settled in our hotel, with a text from my parents to say that the children were all safely tucked up in bed, I felt I could relax, and savour every single moment. And our hotel was wonderful.

I called it Coronation Street goes romantic. The hotel complex is designed in a style that resembles that long-running British soap opera, and the classic one down, one up cottage of living areas downstairs and the bedroom upstairs.

An orchard in the middle of the hotel gardens.

Love, love, love this little garden gate.

The inside was so lovely and welcoming. And look at the four-poster. First time I've ever slept in one of those! And I loved the soft, French fabrics used for the curtains and furnishings.

 

 

The gardens at the hotel were beautiful. Each cottage had climbing roses over the front door and at the back around the french doors opening onto the outdoor eating area.

I don't know if we will ever get back to Nelson. I sure would like to one day, and to stay in this place again. We had such a lovely weekend together, talking (without interuptions), going out to eat at late hours, planning for the future. It's the first time in nearly 10 years that we have had the opportunity to get away on our own, and I can see why it is suggested as a priority for marriage. It really helps to reconnect with each other and to talk about the important things without distractions.

And Nelson was the perfect place to do it in. I'm looking forward to sharing with you the markets, the places we visited and the food we ate.