Also all my Christmas presents this year have been hand made or with the aid of the computer so as well as working with my budget I have tried to put lots of love into everything I have sent out. At least everyone has got them now which is such a relief so thank you to all the lovely postmen out there - it's not your fault the cost is awful! And funnily enough, a friend made a comment on FB about having to wait in a post queue and the staff being rude when she had waited half an hour. That's not on really is it? I mean a smile and thank you for waiting doesn't hurt anyone wherever you work. That is one thing they get right here in the South Island of New Zealand. They always have a cheery smile, an apology even if it is only a minutes' wait and they have time for you too. I suppose that is the benefit of a small community but hey, everyone lives in a village of sorts even in a big town. So come on everyone, smile and mean it, it doesn't hurt and it brings huge benefits when you get one back!
So today is Christmas cake day and I followed a recipe done by Kirsty Allsop on one of her 'crafty' programs that are being re-run here. It tasted great before it went in the oven - that's what scraping a bowl is all about - so just hope it will be OK when it comes out. My oven is cooking 'hot' at the mo so I will have to keep an eye on it. That and the fact that I am not too sure about whether I used butchers string to tie on the paper either. Oh well, I'll soon find out.
I did the second BOM from Jacquelynne Steves the other day which was a little more fiddly than the last one as the flowers were quite small but here is my effort.
It's going to be a bonny quilt when it is finished and these colours are so pretty.
OOOOOhhhhhhh -
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Leave some of the nuts to sprinkle on top of the ice cream then either leave in the original bowl and cover and freeze or use 'Tuperware' etc.
It is so simple and six hours later you have the above. You can see I tested some then dashed out to the shops to buy some waffle cones and had this for lunch!
I also cooked up a batch of her 'Kasundi' too which is spicy and garlicky and very yummy. I am going to use it as a base for a curry on Saturday so if it turns out nicely, I'll write that out for you too. It is in two big jars in the fridge at the mo.
Derek was home for a few days at the end of last week and just wanted to flump so we did. I finished my book and loved it so have to find another. I picked up one, read the first ten pages and decided that was no good, so tedious.
We did go in to Clyde on Saturday afternoon to watch 'Interstellar'. Derek loved it, his second time in a week and he was still as wrapped up in it. You can't fault the acting, the filming of it is great and some of the scenes made me jump out of my seat, literally, but .................... I don't know. It was a little 2001 Space Odyssey and I wanted more detail of how Earth got like that in the first place so maybe I will have to watch it twice. Not a bad thing when Matthew McConaughey is in it. Gosh that man is easy on the eye and I love his slow Southern accent.
Scrubs up nicely too doesn't he?
I also took these photos by the Cinema itself, it is such a quirky place.
So anyway, Derek is away all week again. I took him up to Queenstown Airport on Sunday morning and will pick him up Saturday lunchtime. I think I am much more confident driving again now. Our little Suzuki Swift is easy to drive and belts along, just hasn't got the solidity of our Rav but that's OK. I still cringe every time I go passed the accident spot which I have to do on my way out of town every time as there is really only one way for us to get to Queenstown, going via Wanaka would be silly and the road on the hairpins down from the plateau is precarious.
So I'll leave you with one more of the lake and check on my cake!
Take care and love each other lots.