Faces of Cambodia

Homework

Two creative things for Friday - I made a knife holder to hang in a convenient spot in the kitchen.

And then I made a rustic outdoor table for my patio. It cost me $14 for the 4x2 for the legs. I can sit out there looking at the lake and fell like a millionaire. A scavanging and foraging millionaire.

Lake Rotorua

There were beautiful sunsets last week, but this week, along with the end of daylight saving, the weather has changed. Today the lake is bitter navy blue with wild white-caps, and when the far shore disappears in an approaching rain cloud it looks like the ocean at my doorstep.

The eight-or-so local lakes are dropping in temperature, a couple of degrees a day they say. But swimming doesn't stop when you live in Rotorua. I have a monthly pass to the Polynesian Pools. We are so lucky in Rotorua to have a world-class spa - one of the top ten in the world, they claim. A soak certainly eases the aches and stiffness and there is nothing like soaking under the stars for a good night's sleep.

The quince queen

The Cooper Ave house comes with a quince tree. The strange furry fruit have puzzled most visitors.

They have been turning a lovely yellow, so I gathered a bucket-full and spent a day chopping and stirring.

Results well worth the effort. I have many squares of a rich fragrant membrillo - quince paste, lovely with a grainy thin toast and smoked cheese.

Also made a quince jelly, with I have been enjoying on fruit toast with ricotta. Yum!

Kitchen before-and-after pics

This is about as creative as I have been over the last week - painting the kitchen in my new house. One day I will replace this kitchen completely. There is a hot water tank right where the frig needs to be, so that will have to go. In the meantime, I decided to paint the timber. I'm really pleased with the result. It is still a small space, but seems much bigger now.

Cooper Ave

I will post some pictures of my new house at Hannahs Bay soon, but in the meantime here are a couple of shots from just in front of the house.

My patio and the lounge room have lake views. There is one house between me and the lake and it is currently empty, so I can walk through to the lakefront reserve. On Sunday I got a surprise to look up just as the float plane cruised by. Cool eh?

Then tonight there was the most stunning sunset. The lake was very still and the reflections were spectacular.

Change of Heart

Some things change with age. I remember when I first moved back to NZ thinking how quaint were the beds of dalhias in the streets of Rotorua. I distinctly remember telling Uncle Dennis that if I were caught growing them it would be a signal that I should be put out to pasture.

Margaret and I went to the Dalhia Show in Hamilton a couple of weekends ago and I found I was quite besotted. And guess what grows along my front fence at the new house? Lah di dah, they are quite lovely thank you.