A love of cook books

There's nothing quite like flicking through a pile of cook books while sipping your morning cuppa or a cheeky afternoon g and t. I've been pretty restrained lately and haven't bought many new ones at all but this week splashed out in the new Donna Hay. It's full of light and tasty meals perfect for summer. I was happy to find a heap of recipes using quinoa including quinoa sushi. Yum! 

I also spotted these gems in the bookshop shelves. Perhaps next month...

 

 

 

Auckland

Last week I got my first days off in a month so rather than hanging out at home doing housework like I should have,  I took a flight to Auckland to catch up with some family. 

First stop was mini golf as it's right by the airport.  It was my first time actually and so much fun. It appears I'm not a natural but all 3 of us managed the same score in the end -all winners or all losers depending on how you look at it.

Then it was across town to the zoo. It was easy to find with the combination of Google maps and GPS on my phone.

I hadn't been to the zoo there in 10 years. It's changed so much and I particularly loved the new New Zealand area. I saw my first antipodes island parakeet. It was also neat to see the elephant and hippos. We don't have those down our way. The orangutans were also particularly cute hiding from the sun under their sheets and vintage blankets.

After the zoo we decided to go out to west Auckland to find the house that starred  outrageous fortune. By then my phone was out of battery so no GPS to help us. We got there and took some snaps in front of it. Photos of that to come.

Then it was time to head way out east to spend the evening with family. Read: knitting time.

New habits

It was pay day today which is always nice, but even nicer when 4 stat days fall within one pay period! I splashed out a little on mince and bacon for empanadas and a nice bottle of central Otago pinot noir.

Yesterday I made the most of a sunny afternoon and walked up mt Victoria.

Next week I'll be joining the gym in the hopes of shedding a few kilos and looking after myself a little better. In 2012 I actually lost about 10kg purely by running around too much at work and eating sporadically. Not healthy at all. So 2013 heralds some better habits and fitting in exercise around my mad work lifestyle. The gym's open 24 hours so no excuses. 

Right, time for bed. I want to get up early for a walk, finish the empanadas and meet a cheese supplier at the farmer's market.

Happy weekend!

Knitting resolutions

Happy 2013!

 

My year started with a heck of a hangover and it's still a week until my next day off but nevertheless, it's time to think about my knitting goals for the next year, despite having zero time to pick up the needles right now.

 

So here goes:

 

• Make myself a sweater or cardigan. Perhaps this or this...
• Finish the other sock
• Make a lace something
• Make something awesome with the Manos del Uruguay in my stash
• Use the strawberry lemonade 4ply that's been sitting prettily in the knitting crate for over a year now.

 

Should be able to achieve that.