Entries from September 2008 ↓

Gotham was decided less ‘batty’ when we were there for breakfast yesterday. Apparently a bunch of batman lawyers stomped in for a visit and said that they had to tone down all the bat stuff because they were breaching copyright or something. So the bat light has gone, the batman photo show, the bits of batman merchandise and the batman and friends-themed table numbers. I think there’s still a wee sign saying ‘Batman is currently in: Austin, Texas’. Hmmmm, seems a bit rank really.

Well the backs of our heads were. We went to the filming of the TVNZ 7 debate between politicians on ICT issues in the lead up to the election last night. All very grown up indeed! I followed most of it and the debaters were quite funny – esp Rodney Hide, Maurice Williamson and David Cunliffe – they’d all done their research and dug up stories to support their views on broadband, access, Cook Straight cable, data privacy etc.

It was hell of a fun seeing how a TV programme is made too! There were ancient old CRT boxes around the place showing what was running live and you could see in the studio all the different cameras filming at once with the one with the red light being the one broadcast live. When they did a wide shot you could see the back of my hair – Mother spotted it too! It was quite bronzy looking. Whenever there were ad breaks women came scurrying from the wings with little baskets of make-up and any shine powder puffs and drinks of water. Just like the movies!

We weren’t allowed cellphones on at all in the studio but I managed to sneak this photo between the heads of the 2 people sitting in front of us.

If you happen to be passing Superfino this week at breakfast time, and indeed decide to stop in for breakfast, and order toast with raspberry jam – it’ll be the Mister’s jam! He gave a jar to Amy yesterday as they’ve just started serving breakfast there and she showed us their range of specialty jams. The Mister thought his deserved a place in the line up. He can’t wait to hear stories from her next week of diners who said “Gosh this is great jam, what is it?”

I didn’t have a date scone for lunch today – I know I know – something must be wrong! Well, it is … my niggley throat thing hasn’t gone away, well at least it’s not getting any worse but I am sticking to a regime of honey on toast whenever I can get it so I had that instead. While a Nikau we had the displeasure of sitting next to a rather haughty woman who definitely expidited our departure … she ordered the green salad off the menu and when it came decided she was not happy with her choice:

Friendly waitress: here’s your salad m’am.
Woman: oh. It doesn’t have any beetroot in it.
Friendly waitress: I’m sorry m’am, did you order a side of beetroot?
Woman: no. I ordered the Salad of the Day off the menu. It should have beetroot in it.
Confused waitress (taking a menu being handed to her) and pointing: our Salad of the Day today is a Green Salad m’am. Would you like a side of beetroot?
Woman: no! I want a salad with beetroot in it. Why would I order a pile of green leaves for lunch? That’s not a very substantial lunch.
Poor waitress: would you like me to pass it back to the kitchen to have some beetroot added to it?
Woman: yes. Then I would get what I was expecting.

WTF? She ordered a green salad and then had the audacity to tell them a ‘pile of green leaves’ was not satisfactory? The whole mood around the bar was decided grim after that so we left. Sheeesh.

And here they are – the gorgeous little kitties Pip and Pi that we met yesterday. They didn’t really stand still long enough for a photo but this is a relatively good one.

They’re so tiny and all they do is gallivant (as well as 12 weekers can) around the place, chew things (they loved the little wool balls I took them), fart and sleep. The tiniest one Pip slept on the Mister for quite a while – he’s smitten!

Just received this phone photo – look how clever he is now sitting up. On an orange bar stool even!

Going to see the new kitties soon!!! Am making their humans a blueberry lattice pie – I invented it last weekend in Mother’s kitchen and am trying to recreate it now … although Wellington blueberries are nowhere near as plump and delicious looking as the ones from down the road in Whakatane.

A bit later … here it is looking knobbly and homemade and pretty much like the one I made last weekend which turned out to be deLICious!

Started with a tickle in my throat yesterday afternoon, now feeling quite a lump when I swallow … am downing Lemsip and vitamin C in the hope I don’t get a cold or flu or whatever it is that everyone else seems to have had this winter that we’ve so far avoided. Even stayed home from Gotham this morning and had honey on toast at home.

Went to M…M……..M..M…..McDONalds for dinner last night – well we joined niece Amy and her family for her 6th birthday dinner. The Mister thought it was *such* a treat having his OWN burger and I tried (albeit not very well) to join in but it was quite hard to sit in a relaxed manner at a ‘polite’ distance from the table of trays of tumbling food and sauces and avoid strange kids (nothing to do with our family) coughing all over me and shining a torch in my eye and ear and declining all offers of food while maintaining an ‘isn’t this fun?’ expression.

However – we went. We like joining our nieces for something on their birthdays, even if just to call by the house. They’re growing up so fast. I think the next birthday visit is a teddy bear’s picnic in 100-acre wood (now …. where’s my teddy?)

And it made my day when Amy was thrilled her present was wrapped in orange cellophane and spent quite a bit of time lovingly folding it to keep after saying in her outside voice “orange is my FAVOURITE colour!”

4 years yesterday since we moved into our apartment. That first night we sat without furniture for most of the evening on our rolled up sleeping bags marvelling at the incredible view and counting planes – such a change from the concrete jungle of Willis Street.

Last night we had champagne and a carpet picnic to celebrate – our ‘picnics’ are platters (rather than an old bottle with a bit of milk in it, tea bags, thermos, brown bread sandwiches and fruit cake) and last night’s one was pretty amazing. And plain. Not filled with olives, stinky cheese, anchovies, grilled/marinated veg, curried/cured anything or crackers.

The one new thing I made was pesto palmiers – homemade pesto in a pastry log cut into slices and cooked – god they were divine! I’ve tried to make them before but they were awful – I think it was the bought pesto with dreadful parmesan.

Father chopped a few warratahs for Mother to give me to bring home on Monday. They’re stunning.

And in Moore Wilsons they’re going for $6.95 per stem and at the florist down by the post office $10 a stem!!