The Traveling Kiwi

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, hope everyone is spending Christmas with the people that have a special place in your heart. I am planning a quiet Christmas with a couple of Barney’s young friends (96 and 93) over for Christmas dinner. We will eat nice and early so as not to interrupt nap time which starts at 2. My jersey bennys ( new potato’s for the Americans 😎) got blight and I was a bit worried when suddenly the plants just died, luckily the spuds themselves are fine and I have been enjoying them with green beans and courgettes from the garden. Christmas menu – pepper hot smoked salmon on sourdough with cream cheese and lemon for appetiser – filet steak marinated in smoked garlic, red wine jus, roast lamb and mint sauce, new potatoes in butter, steamed green beans and garden salad. Rhubarb croissant bread pudding with ice cream for dessert. Just trying to decide if I will make some crime brûlée as well. All my favourite things and leftover delight for the rest of the week. I love cooking and it’s so much more fun when you have an appreciative audience. Fingers crossed we have a nice sunny day. Fortunately ribs have healed and its time to get active again.

After all the torrential rain the gardens are starting to get some colour back. Visited my friend June, she has a small but delightful garden that has been keeping her active. She is on a mission to get me to drink tea, I might even succumb one day as she makes the best biscuits and scones and always has some just baked ready to tempt me to stay and chat.

I had a wander along the new waterfront to see how they have spent the 70 plus million they got from the growth fund. I discovered where they have put the old steamboat that used to live on the lake . Not enough tourists to keep it going, but before you feel sad, when there was, it was making a mint and has not been updated or had any money spent on it since the 70s. Those who have been out on it said it was an expensive blast from the past with weak tea and crap food. I know many in the tourist business who are struggling but at the same time there are some attractions that have needed a makeover and investment for years but were making too much money to stop and do it. I would like to think that someone may reimagine the old boat in some way but with it’s coal puffing pollution it’s going to need to be a pretty major makeover.

~ by kiwikris on December 22, 2021.

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