A religious experience

9am, Sunday morning, Ikea market hall.

No other customers. Then the Spice Girls came on over the audio-system. 

The highlight of our trip.

Ozzie ozzie ozzie

We have spent the last ten days in Australia - Sydney and Canberra. There was lots of family time, and lots of friends time.

Our boy had his first ride on a ferry (and loved it):

He rolled down the hill at Parliament House in Canberra:

And stood in front of a sculpture by his namesake:
 

He painted:

And we ate:

We also stayed at a house in a small place called Cunjurong Point, where we swam in the ocean twice a day. It was amazing - the water was clear and warm and beautiful.  I didn't get any photos, but I did get this video one night (in the dark - not the best time to video something).  It rained. A lot.

We came back exhausted but happy.

Procrastination blow-out

I mentioned in a previous post that I am back blogging again, in part because I have an exam on Friday and it is super procrastination. 

Other anti-study things I have been doing (apart from baking, and cleaning) include:

1. Buying super cheap plants (5 for $10!) and potting them and arranging them in strange ways around the house:

I think the stairs are a no-go. Looks totally stupid. What was I thinking?

2. Quilting. I've only just finished the last one, and I'm back on the quilting wagon. And I have two on the go at once! Woah! Crazy times!

But, in my enthusiasm, I have killed my trusty old Bernina machine.  And, to makes things worse, when I pulled out my back-up machine (another not-quite-as-old Bernina), it worked for about one minute, then started buzzing and emitting smoke and a funny smell. Doh!

The Bernina repair shop used to be in Sydenham, about five minutes from my house. But after the earthquake, it moved to Papanui. So now I have to drive both my machines up there to be looked at...blah blah blah...

So sorry to those peep who I promised quilts for - looks like there will be a delay. Hopefully I'll be back in action in a couple of weeks.

Pork delicious-ness

We had dinner with friends on Wednesday - they cooked the most delicious pork. The piggy was grown in a loving, friendly environment... and you could taste it.

...the crackling was the best!  We washed it down with plenty of wine (a bit too much for me, I realised on Thursday), then followed up with a nectarine tart, made by yours truly. 

 Yummo.

In other cooking news, I had to make an urgent brownie this afternoon - this morning at work I accidentally stabbed a nurse with a needle - it had just come out of a cat's vein, and I managed to stab it right up to the hub, into the muscle of her hand....oops.  She's ok (not growing whiskers or anything...tee hee), but hence the urgent brownie.

The Dog Co-operative.

We have Mac staying with us for a few days while his owners are away.  He and Boo are well-matched. Of course, he will never replace Digby's role as the love-of-her-life, but it's great to see them getting along so well.

Not a giant?

On Monday we had a wee aftershock. Not a big deal (we have had something like 60 in the past month, but most are too small to feel), except this time my kid felt it too.

We were in the kitchen, and he was on a stool. When it started he went dead still and stared at me with massive saucer-eyes. I held his hands and smiled at him.

"What's that?" he asked.
"An earthquake"
"What does it do?"
"The ground shakes, and it's noisy, and it makes the house jiggle and wiggle"

[silence, and frown]

"Not a giant?"
"No, not a giant..."

Later, he drew me a picture, and declared that it was a picture of 'an earthquake':

 

Admittedly, it looks very similar to other pictures he has drawn - of horses, and pancakes and flying to Auckland, but still.....the resemblance to an actual earthquake is uncanny.

Making the most of these summer nights..

 Another summer night, another outdoor dinner and drinks..

Everyone in these parts is talking about how amaze-balls this summer has been. And it's true.

...and I still can't believe we actually have friends who have a garden as amazing as this one.

Rooftop sunset

Last night,  I was lucky enough to share a bottle of Moet on a rooftop in town. 

For a short time, we were able to forget that we were surrounded by cranes, rubble, and empty sections.

ps. why yes, I am blogging a lot right now....it may have something to do with the exam I have in a fortnight...that I should really be studying for...

The chair thing...

Matt has always had a thing for furniture - he loves good design and always has a few things on the TradeMe watchlist. 

Generally, we only purchase when we need something - a dining table, or a desk chair. 

But insidiously, over the past few years, his chair thing has gotten out of control. 

Until recently, we had twelve chairs in our house, one in the garage, two at an upholsterer, two at a friend's place in Auckland, and at least four at his work. 

Then, when we were in Melbourne, he spotted a couple of safari chairs...

...and couldn't resist. We now own about 22 chairs (I'm sure there are at least a couple I have forgotten). Ridiculous.