Lavosh and Smoked Kahawai Dip

We made Jo Seagar's version of Lavosh tonight to go with our smoked Kahawai dip (still eating our way through Max & Joel's huge catch last weekend). We used a pasta maker to get the dough super thin. Good!

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Olive Nearly Crawls

8 months old and so so close. She has been up on her hands and knees for a while now but largely only managing to push herself backwards. But over the last couple of days she has managed some forward propulsion via this caterpillar-style move.

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Winter Sun

Today the wind dropped and the sun shone giving us a much needed dose of warmth and the outdoors. The winter weather had been getting me down more than I'd expected. In London we'd had only one months warm weather after the "coldest spring in 60 years" (AKA seven months of winter...) before moving to NZ. As I've told anyone and everyone will listen that one month was positively revelatory for me in terms of how much easier my life became. Toddlers are happiest outdoors, somewhere there is nothing that they aren't allowed to touch/climb on/jump off etc. So instead of saying "stop that, get down, leave that" all day you can just pack a sandwich, bung the baby on a picnic blanket and head to the park/playground for the morning. Easy peasy, happy campers.

Anyway after a short month of this new found freedom we are back to "coats on, hat and scarf packed, in the car, pushchair and storm cover, off to the library etc" and it's just been a little bit, well, tiring.

Anyway today we packed a sandwich and headed down to East End reserve. There was sunshine, there were ducks, there was incredible scenery, there was coffee, there was the coolest playground ever (a working digger!) and there were friendly people. It was wonderful, affirming, great.

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Pincer Grip!

I suspect Olive's had this mastered for a wee while now but today I got the hard evidence courtesy of Else dropping a trail of sultanas on the floor. 

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Grandma's Garden

Roast chicken for dinner tonight. I had a wander around the property to find some bits to go with it.  Here is the haul. Joel and I have been loving living the "good life" courtesy of all Max and Marjan's hard work in the garden.  Last week it was operation "eat cauliflower". My cauliflower risotto was not what you'd call a runaway success. This week it's "focus on broccoli"...

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Rocking Horse

Grandad restored a knackered old rocking horse for Elsie (and Olive one day!)

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Into the Lounge

Tonight we went to an exhibition opening for one of my very good friends, Sarah Sampson. The exhibition is on at the Kina Gallery and features a group of women who have created a vintage lounge using traditional crafts and skills. The opening was a great party with many guests in vintage dress. It didn't seem at all odd to greet my old friend for the first time in two years with her swathed in a fabulous 70s kaftan. The catering was also fantastically retro.  Asparagus rolls were a big hit with Olive.

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Local Media

The caption reads 'Magnolia Grower Vance Hooper with "Deryk".

Deryk!

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Local Media

This leapt out of the Midweeker, a Taranaki newspaper, today. The article opens with the line "as we recover from the excitement of the National Brass Band Championships..."

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Olive Swings!

Today I took Olive on the swings at Kawaroa park. It was the first time she's had a proper swing and she loved it. Not sure Elsie is enjoying sharing the attention though. Check out that face!

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Spinach and Ricotta Canneloni

Home grown: spinach, tomatoes, garlic, onions
Home made: passata, pasta and the casserole dish!

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Puke Ariki Playground

I reckon Matt could do a cross fit session at this playground. Elsie did a great job of climbing.

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Roctapus

I'm sure this toy has been in this playground since I was a kid.

Today we scoped out Brooklands Park. Absolutely loved it - what's not to love? A petting zoo, aviary, great playground, monkeys (!), it's free and you can park right outside.

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Wrong Way Olive

Olive's 8 month birthday today. She's trying so hard to crawl but mainly managing to move backwards away from her toys. Frustrating for her!

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Grandma's Garden

So here we are in Taranaki! We've been here for five days and Elsie is LOVING having a garden to run around in. Grandma's vegetable garden is a source of delicious delight for all of us but Elsie in particular just loves to go and pick her own vegetables for dinner. She's eating all her carrots and cauliflower and broccoli at meal times too. Probably because she's had a role in collecting them and also because they taste amazing!

This morning we worked in the strawberry patch (very dear to Elsie's heart) clearing away all the weeds and dead leaves and snipping off all the new plants and runners. We ended up with so many plants that we had to dig a whole new bed to put them in.

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Goodbye London

Bye Bye 445 Merton Road. End of a legendary era. Beginning of a new one.

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Last day in London

So it ended the way it began. Sun shining in a heat wave, the air heady with pollen, beautiful parks and an impossibly perfect breeze. So Enid Blyton. So lovely.

We spent the morning at Wimbledon Park. Packed playground, sailing on the lake, roses in full splendour, fluffy signets and green ice cream!

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Fish and Chips with the Hartshorne Jewells

Today we headed to Highbury Stadium Square for 'Fish n Chips' with Kara, Jonson and Romey. It was the first of our significant farewells to close friends. London turned on an amazing day. It reminded me of when we first arrived in London - heat waves, late light evenings spent in idyllic parks drinking wine with friends. It was very sad to think that Else and Romey won't be playing together for a long while and also that we won't see Kara again until well after she's had her baby.  The girls were very sweet together today and Romey's fascination with Olive continued.

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