Entries from January 2011 ↓

Finally got around to putting a review for Nikau on the Coffee Secrets website.

It’s hard to be objective about Nikau – have been going here for 6.5 years! I guess that in itself is testament to how good it is or that I’m really stuck in my ways – let’s just say a bit of both! Coffee from Supreme is really good – a ‘Nikau’ blend even and I get mine in a special orange cup The staff are friendly but really professional, even though I often sit at the bar and have got to know a few of them, they always cut any conversation short to welcome, seat and serve new visitors. They do a damn good piece of toast (bread made in the basement) and fantastic date scones – with butter soft enough to spread and it’s that butter experience 6.5 years ago that got me back a second time which turned into a weekly visit. If I deviate from toast or a date scone it’s for the morning fruit – sometimes roasted, sometimes with yogurt, sometimes with ricotta – really delicious and surprisingly filling. I really like the open kitchen too – it’s great to watch everyone working and it’s clean and organised and you can’t see those dreadful blue electric things that zzzzzzz flies and bugs like you can in some open kitchens. The food is organic and all made on the premises – the only slight downside for me is that the peanut butter is healthy and good for you instead of supermarket stuff loaded up with sugar and salt (yum) and it’s not my kind of place for lunch as it’s all big-plate stuff that needs a knife and fork – but it’s my problem that I only eat sandwiches at lunchtime!

Woke up this morning to a photo sent by Cousin Grant of what had  greeted him out the front door of his New York morning – look at all that snow! How do you post a letter on a snowy day? The mail boxes are covered!

Matt just got back into the office today after their trip to Nepal, India and Korea and he gave me one of the turbans they had to wear to the temples. Lovely orange, although I’m wearing it wrong!

There’s a sign up at Fuel today – 15 years they’ve been making coffee! And I’ve been drinking it from one or other of their cafes, holes-in-the wall or carts for 13 of those years. I reckon on average I’ve had a Fuel cup in my hand every day for the last 13 years. So great they’re still around – a real Wellington institution.

I realise granola is probably not as good for you as mueseli but it’s so tasty and sweet and when living in New York I rather enjoyed it as snack or with a pot of yogurt as a lunch option. I came across this great picture and recipe in the Martha Stewart Living magazine I got for Christmas and thought I would give it a go … when I finally tracked down coconut flakes and a supply of maple syrup at the Beach Road Deli in Paekakariki!

Lined up the ingredients: oil, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, pecans and coconut flakes

Mixed it all up

Spread it in the baking pan

Baked it in the oven stirring often

Cooled it

Popped it in an air-tight container

And my god it’s YUM. Sweet and biscuity and all kinds of bad! Here’s the recipe on marthastewart.com

Today my goddaughter is 18. I was there as she jiggled in my friend’s tummy and I was there when she was born. Just cannot believe that was 18 years ago! Every single year except for 2 when they were living overseas and last year due to illness we’ve met on or very near to her birthday for a coffee (well, a coffee for her mother and me).

This year I’ve written her a letter – something full of wisdom and worldly advice as she heads off to university – well not really, a little bit of reminiscing and a few words of support. I also decided it was time to give her a piece I wrote about her entry into the world – 18 years ago I sat down at my electric typewriter and wrote what I saw and felt. I thought at the time I might give it to her one day and every few years I’ve found it when moving or tidying but now’s the time. I’m also passing onto her one of my favourite photos of us – her 2nd birthday when we all just happened to be living in England and that day, were at Stonehenge.

Saw this great little photo series on the New York Times website today. And it was especially exciting to see that we’d been to almost all of the places – brought back lots of memories.

So the mystery shrub/tree/weed that’s taken residence in our patio pot is growing tall and so are it’s friends! We’ve changed our mind from our initial guess of hebeis purpleis and also rejected Mother’s suggestion of Asclepias curassavica. Orange Sister put forth a guess of baby pohutakawa which was quite exciting, but sad because it’ll never survive in the pot if it is one … mind you she was guessing by looking at the display on the back of the camera, not having seen the photo previously posted.

So here we are … 2 months on and now much bigger. Any more guesses?

Someone at work sent me this picture and link to get one this morning.

I don’t have the version of the iPhone that this is for … enough to tempt me? Not yet, they’re too heavy and slippery and don’t do any whizbangery that I’d make use of in my own narrow band of self-taught iPhone activity! And still my purchase decisions are less influenced by being a cool kid than they are about orange so if the orange doesn’t do it, it’s going to be a while!

Have enjoyed the ITV series Joanna Lumley: Catwoman playing the last couple of Sundays on TV1 (yes real TV and channel 1 for that matter!) – a documentary on the history of cats and our fascination with them and the dominance they have in our lives, especially for women.

Rather a few freaky bits, a look at what some people do with their cats other than pat, feed, play and keep healthy:

• The Japanese woman who makes cat clothes and dresses up her cats as lords and princesses and bunnies and MICE of all things (how confusing for the cat!)
• The people who buy cute little tiger cubs for pets then wonder what to do with them when they grow to hundreds of kilos and take bites out of them and their furniture so keep them in closets and basements
• The woman who joins together different breeds and has ended up with a bald, short-front legged, normally back-legged cat that’s beginning to resemble a small kangaroo
• The people who are allergic to cat fur but got one anyway and have it shaved – I’ve seen many sheep being shorn in my time but watching footage of a cat being shorn made me physically cringe, just seemed so wrong!