Entries from June 2007 ↓

A knitting experiment that has worked out well in terms of warmth but not sure about them as a fashion accessory. Giving them a go at work today.

Update: ommigod, only been wearing them at work for half a day and I’ve got an order from someone already!

Because the Mister is a Jon Stewart fan we’ve started watching the Daily Show most nights it’s on over here. Obviously I don’t get the political rhetoric and jibes – but Jon is *very* nice to look at and has a fantastic laugh. And he’s on a bus around town!

• Whenever I have a day, or a substantial period of time to myself, I clean and iron and polish and tidy our stuff. And feel depressed that of all the things I could do for myself in the time that is mine alone, I choose to clean. I don’t have a thing to choose.
  
• Is it a boy/girl thing or just a me/Mister thing that we can quite clearly see traits of my parents in my behaviour (or in some cases the exact behaviour) yet in the Mister they are fewer and much less recognisable?
  
• You have to take toiletries in a small clear plastic bag in containers of no more than 100mls on international flights now.
  
• I don’t know my sister’s address, not in a lemme-just-get-my-address-book-to-confirm kind of way, but I just don’t know where she lives anymore.
  
• I still feel guilty after laying what I suppose is a complaint against the new barista at Hunter Street Fuel. He has a somewhat challenging attitude and maybe I am a self-centred coffee snob expecting special Fuel customer treatment but to be told that I can just order a flat white like everyone else instead of trying to tell him how to do his job by being specific in my order of a double latte which he told me is just the same, is not a confrontation I expect to encounter at Fuel. I think he’s in trouble and now I have to avoid Hunter St.

Heard an amusing (but undoubtedly true) comment on the news the other night – it was during a segment about damage to motorbikes and small cars during crashes and the topic of close following distances came up. An Auckland motorist said:

“There’s no 2-second rule on the motorway in Auckland, or anywhere in Auckland. If there was a 2-second rule they’d put a car park in there.”

Saw these two in the window of a strange little shop off Cuba Street.

Oh. My. God. I have adrenaline instead of blood pumping through my veins. Well, mostly the veins in my legs! I am not proud of this (well, maybe little … ) but for the first time in my life I went a bit sideways while driving. I must say I’m a bit guilty of believing that because it was a decent car that it would sort itself out but I could in that sliver of time hear my father’s voice saying “Turn into the skid” so I am taking credit for handling myself well in a very scary situation without my passenger wetting themselves!

Breathe ….

Made a couple of belly-warming meals last weekend – all entirely invented! We were very pleased with ourselves.

Saturday: Sausage & tomato peperonata on roast kumara mash

Sunday: Potato & leek strudel

Nothing more appropriate for a grey wintry day than to do a bit of baking so I tried the cupcakes. No shortage of websites with recipes either! cupcake.com, cupcakes.com, cupcake-creations.com, cupcakerecipes.com, cupcakerecipes123.com, cupcakeblog.com … etc etc! I didn’t realise it was such a popular hobby/food group.

I decided to start with something pretty basic and obviously without chocolate. Not my greatest work – the cake itself is a bit solid and the frosting incredibly sweet – they’re more like Alex’s Chinese Fighting Muffins. I’m a pretty good baker and I followed the recipe and was so very patient even though they have got to be the most painstaking things I have ever made! Gently spooned the cake mixture in to the tiny cake papers and carefully spread the frosting over the 18 little cakes. The only upside to them being solid is that I could get a good grip on them when applying the frosting! Speaking of which – I only used about a third of the frosting - cupcake people must sure slather it on.

Anyway, they look very pretty on their orange plate and I did finish one whole one with my coffee for afternoon tea.

Lemon cream cupcakes with vanilla butter frosting

Update 12-6-07: the cupcakes are now 2 days old and the Mister and I both agree that with age they’ve improved! They haven’t softened up any, but the sickly sweetness has definitely subdued and they’re just delightful  

Oh! Just read about Sprinkles and saw their site … might have to make some cupcakes myself … yum

We had a work function at the NZX last night (first day listed – v.exciting) and they have a proper commercial machine there … it was on … Jiff really wanted a coffee … the caterers didn’t know what do to. So I bowled on up to an NZX’er and asked if I could use the machine, assured him that I knew what I was doing, and with many an onlooker, produced a coffee that Jiff said was great (for those of you who know him, just imagine that rising excited accent of his and you’ll realise how great ‘great’ sounds when he enthusiastically says it!).

I was very proud – look at those smiles!