Putting the "H" in place names

Well it's happened, the recommendation that what was Wanganui should be changed to Whanganui ... not quite set in concrete yet, but it's a step closer ... in honour of that, I'd like your suggestions as to other NZ placenames that could do with an additional letter or change of existing letter to give a more apporpriate meaning ... and perhaps a short explanation if you're being a tad cryptic.



Let me get you started ...



Shamilton (where it's happening? could this be a sham?)

Anzac biscuits

Simple? yes ... delicious? of course!

Here's a recipe cobbled together from many sources ... from memory, mostly from the side of a packet of Uncle Tobys rolled oats ... simple but effective ...

Get the ol' oven on and heating up to ... you guessed it ... the standard 180 degrees ... (160 on my dodgy oven)

Melt 125g of butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add a couple of tablespoons of golden syrup, a tablespoon of water, and half a teaspoon of baking soda ...

While that's melting, sift a cup of flour into a mixing bowl, add a cup of white sugar, half a cup of coconut, a cup of rolled oats, and mix it together ...




Make a bit of a well in the middle of the dry stuff and pour the melted butter etc in .. then stir it all together to a regular consistency ...



Roll spoonful size portions into balls (about golf ball size or slightly smaller - personal preference - and don't compress them too much unless you want to bake tooth-breakers!) and place on a greased tray (or a tray with baking paper on it), push them gently down with a fork if you want them a little flatter ...

Whack 'em in the oven and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes ... keep an eye on them though, don't wanna overdo it! Take them out just as they start to darken around the edges

While they're baking, melt some chocolate buttons or similar and use a piping bag to drizzle the molten chocolate over the biscuits when they come out of the oven ... *** note: i made this bit up without trying it ... must say it wasn't that successful ... ended up spooning a dollop of choc on top and running a fork through it ***

Babies and weeks

So, it was quite some time ago, PC (pre-children as it seems it's called) and i wrote here about not talking in weeks when it comes to childrens age ... i must now revoke that request, now have a child, and seeing the milestones reached sometimes daily, sometimes weekly.

We've hit 15 weeks, no, in fact 16 weeks today ... week 15 was an absolute joy ... he's really turning into a little man now, regular smiles, giggles, chats, he's found his hands and holds them quite often, sleeps great, wakes happy ... ahhh if only it would last huh? I figure we've got 4 or 5 weeks till the teeth start breaking through, and it all turns to custard ... but for now, may there be many more week 15's!

Strange Headlines

we've all seen them .. strange newspaper headlines ... things that make us go 'hmmmm' ... so i thought i'd start collecting a few and putting them in here ...

Wednesday, 17 September 2008 on stuff.co.nz

Broncos say toilet sex was consensual

can't say i've ever herd a toilet say no??

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:09AM Sunday Oct 12, 2008 on nzherald.co.nz

Police conduct post-mortem after death

I've always found after death is the optimal time for performing post-mortems ... the little buggers squirm too much if you do it before death ...

This is not our puppy!

Home and Garden

Lavender anyone?

The lavender had become something out of "The Day of the Triffids" .... it was time for them to go ... there's actually a letterbox in there somewhere, but you needed to fight off the bees and vegetation to get to it ...




So, 2 trailer loads to the tip later, a few natives planted, letterbox moved and painted, and we're done!

Wine Wine Wine

Here we are at the Katikati Avocado and Wine Festival ... Saturday 12 Jan 2008 ... lovely day out in the sun ...










Start 'em young ...








And finish as you mean to go on!

Dogs Dogs Dogs

Don't get me wrong .... I like dogs ... but - as the saying goes - "I don't think I could eat a whole one" ...

It's for a great cause

Finally, the last day!!





16 Movember ... are we there yet?



November, now more commonly known as MOvember, has arrived. Time to miss the top lip, and the handllebars, with the razor in the mornings, raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer. I offer my advance apologies to my lovely lady who far from enjoys this time of year, but a man's gotta do ...

Sponsorship is easy .... click HERE to be taken to the website, click on "Sponsor a mo", and search for my name ...

I'll post weekly updates of the facial furriness progress, i bet y'all cannae wait for that!