A cactus, seeds and garden surprises

The terrace, or garden, or yard, has been really neglected of late, partly as it has been winter of course … More

Spring time, muffins, and a report on the yams

September is here and spring is well and truly here, with flowers blooming everywhere and a wee bit more heat … More

Yams, tulips and Dancenorth

I really don’t know where last week went.  It’s hard to believe it is already Saturday afternoon and that it … More

Spring flowers, hiding cats and a new cook book

This week I have been working mostly at home since I have had a pile of essays to mark.  It … More

Swans, snapper and a trip to Auckland part 2

My second day in Auckland began with a thunderstorm. We were woken up in the wee small hours by flashes … More

Swans, snapper and a trip to Auckland part 1

After last Friday’s earthquake and aftershocks, it was a pretty normal week, though I kept thinking my office was shaking … More

Cakes, flowers and spring is in the air

Spring is definitely in the air.  It was 16C today and the sun was shining, and as well as our … More

More quakes, more shakes and a beef and mustard pie

On Friday afternoon we experienced another big earthquake, this time 6.6.  We were at work, so I ducked under my … More

6 Things: Reading Matter

It has been a while since I have done a Six Things post, so here we go!  The theme is … More

Tastings, tangelos and tasty treats

The weekend seemed to fly by, and hard to believe that here we are at Monday again and the start … More