Tea & Scones

Mum & I met up with a friend for tea and scones yesterday, and the weather was gorgeous, and the scones were delicious, and the tea was so good.  It was a lovely day.  :)

Martinborough Fair Weekend 2012

One could say I've been slack, having not posted on *this* blog in 4 days (I've done foodie posts though :D http://hannasedibleescapades.blogspot.co.nz/ ) but actually, I've been out having a life!!  It makes a nice change from sitting at home on the couch all day every day (or in bed all day, when I was really sick) being lonely and bored, looking at "food porn" (hah! my new word for my obsession of browsing for new recipes on pinterest.com) all day.  

So what did I do this weekend?  Well, here's a summary! :)

Friday Night

I made a chicken curry in the crockpot for dinner (I did not write about this on my foodie blog - it was a) out of a packet and b) a bit of an epic fail cos even though it cooked for even longer than the 4 hours it specified, the chicken drumsticks were still pink in the middle so we had to microwave it extra -_- Not cool.) and then mum's friend Cathy (aka my 2nd mum) came over to stay the night... so we could all get up early and go out together on Saturday morning to a fair!


Saturday

The fair officially began at 9am, and it's advised to get there early to get a good car park, and also so you don't miss out on some of the specialties that have a tendency to sell out during the day, like the Swiss rosti and the Indian chickpea curry food stalls.  So we got there bright and early, and there were already lots of people there, which was surprising, but also not really, because it is a SUPER popular fair.  People come from all over the lower North Island to go to this fair.  Thousands of people.  It's massive.

We parked on the front lawn of our friends house (who live really close to the centre of the fair) and walked into town.  As soon as we started hitting the stalls, we were bombarded with amazing food smells, and such a range of amazing things to buy.  We'd barely gone 10 metres and Dad and I had bought some breakfast - Dad had a steak and egg sandwich (they put in like THREE meat patties and an egg!  Talk about value for money!) and I had a bacon and egg sandwich (they piled on the bacon too!  Massive!).  Then we stopped at a honey stall and Mum bought me some manuka honey - its normally super expensive, so to get a kg for about $15 was very reasonable.  And so the carrying of heavy items began!

The stalls are set up around the main square of a town, and so it's very easy to go around in a logical fashion, and you don't miss much.  We headed off to the left, because I knew from a past experience that there was a stall that sold Swiss rosti (like cooked, grated potato - like a plate full of hash brown!) and it was amazing.  So we lined up and got some, and then I turned around and bumped into a very good friend of mine and her boyfriend.  Stopped and chatted with them for a while and then realised my parents and Cathy had continued shopping without me, so raced off to try and find them.

It was like finding a needle in a haystack!  Once separated, it was very hard to work out where we all were.  Text messages were delayed, so ended up having lots of phone calls with each other during the day haha!  Anyway, I ended up finding my Dad, and we hung out for the rest of the day, and Mum and Cathy stuck together for the rest of the day.  It worked out well, because Dad and I were interested in looking at similar stuff, and Mum and Cathy were well matched for their browsing interests too.

So with Dad, I attacked the rest of the fair.  We bought and tried lots of food throughout the day, which we shared.  I'm going to write a list of what we had, because truly it was an international culinary feast!  And we didn't even manage to try the famous Indian chickpea curry that sells out, or baked potatoes, or Mexican burritoes - but what we did eat, we were so full we couldn't have fit it anyway!

• Swiss rosti - potatoey hash browny things!
• Spanish paella - rice dish with seafood (which Dad ate) and chorizo sausage
• American hot cinnamon donuts - amazingly warm, soft, yet crispy and crunchy
• Thai roti with peanut sauce, and chicken skewers
• Polish pierogi - like a little pastry case filled with mashed potato
• Polish sausage - just one bite, and the garlic repeated on me all day!
• NZ bacon & egg sandwich

There was also amazing fresh produce, and I ended up buying a box of cherries, and Dad bought a punnet of blueberries and strawberries - delicious summer fruits!

The other main aspect of this fair, aside from the food, is the crafts and things you can buy.  I loved browsing all the craft stalls with my Dad.  There was everything from jewellery, clothes, hats, ornaments, outdoor stuff, gemstones, wood work, candy, soaps, antiques, paintings, artwork, CDs, leather products, handmade crafts, knitting, crocheting, shoes, and more!  There's so much variety I can't even remember it all!  I've posted a picture below of some of the things I bought.

My loot!

My new dress! #impulsebuy

Because I've been sick, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to walk around too much, but it was good, I managed to walk heaps, and not get too tired!  Overall I had an amazing day out with my favourite people, and I loved getting out of the house.  This is the first shopping I've done since BEFORE Christmas!  We also ran into SO many people we knew, which was nice to see them and catch up.  I was SO exhausted at the end of the night, my insomnia had absolutely no chance, and I slept like a baby!!

Sunday

Sunday was a day at home, doing bits and pieces around the house.  Dad went out for a motorbike ride (all day!) and Mum and I went over to the other side of the hill for some (more!) shopping.  We really needed to do the groceries, which I was very excited about because it's the first time I've been to the supermarket since I developed a new found passion for cooking.  I was very excited by the prospect of visiting the spice aisle, and spent ages looking at everything.  

We also went to the mall and I got some bits and pieces to send to my friend in America who is doing a project on New Zealand for his high school class, and I also got the latest book from one of my favourite authors, as well as a copy of "The Kings Speech" which we watched that night.  I was terribly impressed.  It's a great movie, if you haven't seen it, you really should!!

Monday

Monday here in New Zealand was Waitangi Day - a public holiday.  It's kind of like our national day.  We spent the day at home, and Dad's friend Keith, and our friends Tracy and Ashleigh came over which was nice.  We had a delicious BBQ lunch (with the most amazing steak I've had in a VERY long time... *drool*) and then Ashleigh and I chillaxed inside, while Dad, Keith and Tracy played music outside.  It was a very chilled out and relaxing day.

So overall, I had a WONDERFUL weekend! :) 

Mamma Mia

Just a bit of fun, because I can, and sometimes, believe it or not, these can be funny!! :)

1. Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Dangerous to Know (Hilary Duff)  Ask at your own risk?

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Brilliant Dance (Dashboard Confessional) I wish

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?  
Radio (The Corrs) Preferably not actually physically inside of them.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Suck My Kiss (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)  uhm wtf? I sincerely hope not.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Don't Be Stupid, You Know I Love You (Shania Twain)  Naawwww

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Light In Your Eye (Sheryl Crow)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Lovefool (The Cardigans)  is it weird that I read that in a Mr T voice...?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
My Angel (Kellie Pickler)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Be Strong (Delta Goodrem)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Skinnydippin' (Vengaboys) ok I swear to God I only did that once, and it was only topless...wtf?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Not Me, Not I (Delta Goodrem) Well that's reassuring... :/  ie anything except myself?

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
You Won't Find This (Carrie Underwood)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Boots & Boys (Ke$ha) okay that actually made me lol.  So unlikely.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
My Vietnam (Pink)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Have You Met Miss Jones? (Robbie Williams)  I admit I would be a bit peeved they got my name wrong.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Cheekah Bow Bow (That Computer Song)    (Vengaboys) I'm vaguely ashamed that their music has appeared twice now.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Cold as You (Taylor Swift)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?  
Little Wing (The Corrs)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Take On Me (A-Ha)  It's true, I really do hate confrontation.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?  
That's Where You Take Me (Britney Spears)  Sounds like I'm going to be kidnapped or something like on the Lovely Bones.  Eep.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Mercy (Glee Cast)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
When I Think About Cheating (Gretchen Wilson) no, okay, it lies, the answer to this question made me laugh!  holy moly.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? 
Mobile (Avril Lavigne)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?  
Ready To Love Again (Lady Antebellum)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Ma Philosophie (Amel Bent)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Starts With Goodbye (Carrie Underwood)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Nothin' New Under The Moon (LeAnn Rimes)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
You're Beautiful (James Blunt)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Mamma Mia (ABBA)






Okay so basically, what I gather from that, is that its a whole lot of rubbish with a few funny coincidences, and it would have been better to use my favourite playlist rather than my entire music library (at least then I would know all the songs haha!)  Anyways I hope you enjoyed a few of them, and repost at your own peril... Pfft. :)

Memory Lane

The best place to take trips.  I used to post "bulletins" all the time on my MySpace back in the days when it was cool NOT to be on Facebook, and it was lumped in the "too hard" basket.  Here's one for old times sake, and because it's fun to do this again... oh dear survey, it's been too long.

Do you like your name?

It annoys me because people never spell it right.

Could you ever date someone who was two years older?

I have, so yes.

When was the last time you were mad?

Today, but then I got put in a draw for a radio competition so I was happy again (talk about roller coaster!)

What are you listening to?

Holy MOLY perfect question right there - I'm listening to BROOKE FRASERs new album FLAGS.  Go buy it.  I love it.  This is my sixth listen!!

Is there a specific reason you're not dating the last person you texted?

Yes, its a girl.

Are you angry with someone right now?

I'm trying not to be, it's bad for your health.

What do you have to do tomorrow?

I have work, and then, whatever I want. :)

Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?

I like to sleep alone, other people annoy me, especially if they snore or make night noises.

The last time you felt honestly broken?

Broke = Right now.  Broken... well that's a hard one.  Ask me later.

This time last year, can you remember who you liked?

Yes, and this time last year I was in USA with said person, and we had so much fun.

What made you mad today?

Just being ditched again for a planned event.  But I'll get over it.  (2 times!?  In as many weeks.)

Have you stayed up past 3 AM in the past week ?

No.  I try not to.

Did 2009 go by too fast or too slow for you? 

Slow until August, then from August to October, waaaay too fast.  Being overseas does that to time.

What are you going to be doing Saturday night?

Having dinner with some friends at a local Indian restaurant.  Yum.  Nothing better than a curry with friends.

What were you doing last night at midnight and why?

Sleeping.  Because that's what you do at midnight.

Have you eaten a live fish?

Negatory.

Today, did you see someone who makes you smile?

I spoke to someone who makes me smile, I think that counts.

Can you honestly say you're okay right now?

 Sure, why not.

Is your room clean?

Yes.  I cleaned it on the weekend.

Do you check your texts straight away when you receive them?

Usually.  Unless I'm busy at work.

Can you fit your hand around your wrist?

Yes.

Do you like winter?

I prefer it, because in winter you can always put more layers on, but in summer, there are only so many layers you can take off.

Have you ever slept on a couch with someone?

Yes for on a couch, no for with someone.

Are you proud of who you are?

At the moment, yes, because I finally have direction.

When was the last time that you were genuinely happy?

This morning, when I got my offer of study from the university.

It's 4 in the morning, your phone rings, what do you do?

Stay asleep, because I have my phone on silent at night.

Do you pay with cash, credit/debit, or checks most often?

I'm trying to stick to a budget, and cash helps me do so.

Do you miss the way things used to be?

Yes I miss being innocent and carefree.  But I like the challenges to come too.

Do you currently have any bruises?

Most likely.  I'm always walking into one thing or another.

Are you a patient person?

Depends on what I am being patient about.  If I have a choice, I can be impatient.  Otherwise, I'm pretty patient.

When is the last time you were hugged?

I believe it was this afternoon.

Do you just want to yell in someone's face right now?

No, I'm good.

How was your summer?

Last summer was cold.  I was also in Europe for part of their summer, which was INCREDIBLE.  This coming summer, I hope it will be nice.  I have a road trip planned.

Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater?

Flying would be fun.  Pretty views, I'm not afraid of heights, and ability for international travel without paying airfares which are ree-donk-ulous.

Whats better, amazing eyes or amazing smile?

I choose option c.  Personality tops them all.

Has 2010 been good for you so far?

2010 has been average, with quite a few really good moments.  Feels like I'm waiting for something to happen though.

If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you?

If I changed anything, I may not be the person I am right now, and off the top of my head, no immediate regrets spring to mind, except for the fact that if I could take back any hurt I have caused, I would be pleased.

Do you like to cuddle?

Not really.

Do any lights stay on while you sleep?

No, if I do, they annoy me so much that I get up and cover them with blue-tack.

What first pops in your head when you think of last summer?

Not a lot.  Being a bit ill.

Are you scared about the future?

Yes.  I have no idea where my study will lead, but it will be interesting to find out.

Do you feel like your life is flying by?

Since I left high school yes.  I also don't feel my age.  I don't feel like I could possibly have been alive that long.

Out of all your school years, which was the best?

All the odd numbered years really (except Yr 7 & 11)

Are you hard to make conversation with?

Sometimes.  If I'm not feeling particularly talkative.

Do you want any tattoos?

I have one.

What color was the last pill you took?

White.

Whats something you're looking forward to this weekend?

Sleep.

Who sung the song you last listened to?

Brooke Fraser!

Do you know anybody with the same middle name as you?

Yes.  I know someone whose last two names are the same.  Only our first names are different.

Kill the spider or let it out?

If it's little, then it's cute, so let it out.  If it's big and mean looking, I get my dad to kill/let it out.

Is there something wrong right now?

Yes, I just realised my candle went out and I didn't relight it.

Have you ever been a vegetarian?

Yes.

Do you find it hard making friends with people?

For the most part, yes.

Do you like the sun or the clouds better?

Sun

Are you good at hiding your feelings when you're upset?

Yes.

If you got jumped right now, what would they take from you?

Jumped?  Does that mean mugged?  Well, they'd have the contents of my room I suppose.  If you just mean what is on me right now, all they'd get is my lip balm!

How many pillows are on your bed?

4

Is there someone of the opposite sex that means a lot to you?

Yes.

And thus concludes my trip down memory lane.  Feel free to poach this survey and take your own trip.  I now remember why I stopped posting these bulletins... who really wants to read weird details of your life!!

If you did read,I applaud you.