It has been really cold here. Have been off work looking after a sick child and the best place to be has been on that wee wedge of couch between the cushions and the cat...in that sliver of sunlight. Funny how winter sunlight even tho' its watery and opaque can be such a source of warmth when the chips are down!

Today we woke to a very frosty morning, car under inches of ice. I love it, so bracing and soooo pleased that I don't have to be outside in it.

It is cold here today. Colder than the French rugby teams' showers after their abysmal performance against the mighty All Blacks, in fact.
And that is why I am going to share one of my favourite winter recipes with you! You can't beat slow roasted pork, veges and hot, spiced cabbage.

Chop and onion, peel some garlic and fry for about 5 mins in oil and butter. Then add a chopped, peeled apple, grated nutmeg (about a quarter teaspoon), a teaspoon of caraway seeds, raw sugar - 3 tablespoons, and chopped RED cabbage. Then pour in 4 tablespoons of water and 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Cover and simmer for 45 mins, add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. I usually add the pepper after I have dished up the darling daughters' as they don't like it too hot. Namby pambies.

Ah, the wonderful weather continues! Usually at Queen's Birthday wkd you can bank on some crap weather at some point but this year we have lucked out BIG TIME. Sunny and "chocolate box" weather, clear blues skies and stuff all wind. Perfect. Our wedding anniversary too so even more special. We had some visitors from Sydney, so decided to fire up our pizza oven and make our own. We even concocted a Black Pudding Pizza, with (surprise) Black pudding, feta and pickled onions on our homemade tomato sauce. The Significant Other made the pizza base himself. Great night, food washed down with some very cheeky bubblies and forthright reds. I think we even managed a spot of dancing into the wee hours.

I went to Auckland yesterday and spent the day productively trying to think of ways to prevent injuries - not just to my nearest and dearest but the whole country! How cool is that!!!
I had a great flight home and sat next to a very personable young man (yes, am on the wrong side of 40 to describe in as the hunk he was) and found out all about fire fighters, what they do and how they do it. With hoses apparently.

Hasn't the weather been fantastic here lately! I kid you not, spent a delightful afternoon at the Christchurch Art Centre yesterday. Sunshine, stalls, great friend for company...all topped off with a visit to the nearby Dux De Lux for an ice cold Ginger Tom. For the uninitiated, Ginger Tom is an alcoholic ginger beer. Very nice, quaffable and very, very sunny Sunday afternoonish. Sans enfants. I even managed to over-park by an hour and escaped the evil ticket-nazis (yes, yes, they have a job to do and honestly I don't over park often if I can avoid it....)

Mothers Day. Where did that come from, anyone know?
My wonderful girls started early today. 7.50am to be exact, the youngest one clambered into bed with me (Daddy had gone off to a mates to watch the thugby on SKY TV) and made up a story for me. Very funny, I asked her if she would come and visit me in the ol' folks home and tell me stories. She replied that she wouldn't put me in a "fossil farm", I can stay with her and she'll look after me "and make sure you don't smell funny". Yup. It would appear I've done something right somewhere along the line. They girls made me a card and a sign to stick on the mirror that says "love you Mum" so that everytime I look in the mirror I get a reminder that they love me! Oh, I also got a cook book which I had been hankering after but the copious cuddles during the day have eclipsed that.

Ah here we are again. The modern age confuses me and the computer spat its technological dummy...it isnow back from the pc-vet.

What have we been up to? Well, Autumn has drifted onto us. It is so beautiful at this time of year. The trees have all put on their flame and gold edged with green waistcoats...so lovely. I remember that when I was younger I wnated hair the colour of the autumn trees. red/gold. Never did achieve the exact shade.

We are lucky to live near a park, so we have been on butterfly hunts and leaf hunbts for pressing. The leaves that is not the butterflies! I do,. however, have a box of "deaprted butterflies" which the children have collected over the years. I am not sure what to do with them but have a kind of smug feeling that if I leave them to find when I have popped my clogs they can do with them what they will. I can hear their "Why did she keep these?" gasps already!

We did a last visit to Sumner beach before the weather gets really cruddy (been years since I've seem that word let alone used it). I went into one of the caves and took this photo looking back towards Christchurch city. I like it.

I went to the library today and I'm going to read myself silly for the next week or two!!