By 
Here is a list of the top 10 things I experienced in the holidays, in no particular order. We stayed in Hawke's Bay apart from a couple of brief trips to Taupo.
1. Lunch at Elephant Hill Winery with my family.
2. Dinner at Vidals with my sister and brother-in-law.
3. Blackberry Bold. George got one for Christmas. It was brilliant until she poured fruit drink into it. Then the buttons stopped working and it wouldn't work any more. It lasted 2 weeks. But in its brief life it was definitely the most amazing gadget I've ever seen.
4. Lake Taupo when it's 25 degrees and there's no wind. Pretty rare this summer.
5. My brother-in-law got an in-car navigator for Christmas and I downloaded the voice of Arnold Scharwzenegger for it. "Great, we made it. Now let's go and pump some iron!"
6. Ocean Beach - cold when you get in but you get used to it.
7. Fantastic Mr Fox - wonderful movie for the whole family.
8. Pipi Pizza - packed, chaotic, great food, wonderful service.
9. Smirnoff vodka cocktails - RTD's for grownups.
10. Watching Blu-Ray discs on the Playstation 3 - even watching Harry Potter and his dweebish chums poncing around becomes an epic life-changing experience.
A pretty lame list, I know. Did you do anything more interesting?
19:39, 18.01.2010
I just finished the Millennium Trilogy (Girl with the dragon Tattoo etc). They were so good I’m now depressed I haven’t got anything else good to read. My usual man-fiction seems a bit simplistic now.
21:42, 18.01.2010
D.I.Y.
Family staying over
D.I.Y.
Friends staying over
D.I.Y.
All liberally sprinkled with trips to Waimara, Maraitotora, Splash Planet, Pakowhai Park, Te Mata, anywhere dogs can be dogs and children can be run ragged so they are too tired to interupt Dads afternoon nana-nap.
07:29, 19.01.2010
Rod – I need no. 3 if you have it!
12:15, 19.01.2010
I had the curse of a thousand visitors. I now know why a lot of locals flee the Bay during holidays
14:28, 19.01.2010
Taupo – Te Awanga drive trip 3 times like a yoyo. 2 days without visitors or visiting. 2 days in vegas.
Mastered bbq bread making:
1 sachet yeast
4 cups flour (white)
2 cups warm water
pinch salt
chopped garlic
chopped rosemary (optional)
olive oil
Mix yeast flour and water into a firm dough. leave to rise under a wet tea towel in the sun until it puffs up. punch down. do it again – over about an hour or so. if you want to nuke it – do it for about 2 mins on high and rest for 10 – do it again. its better much better in the sun.
Roll out dough into flat pita bread like shapes. i use a blush bottle but use whatever. you can either use flour on the board to roll or olive oil.
sip your drink.
Throw these on the hot plate and brush a little garlic olive oil on the top. the hotter the better i found. dont let them burn. turn over and hey presto you have fresh bread.
.
14:57, 19.01.2010
Just started reading the trilogy on Sunday. I’m about 20% of the way into book three now. Yesterday, for the first time in around a decade I didn’t bother firing up a computer after work. An excellent series.
19:14, 19.01.2010
I spent ten days @ Waipatiki – heaven on earth… even managed to catch my first crayfish (one in 3 days in two pots – nasty really!)
Also started Lord of the Rings (the books). Bit of a slow reader so still only half way through book two…. better than my first attempt back when I was 15 years old – took my about 18 months!
21:39, 19.01.2010
C’mon ladies – time to fess up… who read the Twilight books over the holidays??
18:07, 21.01.2010
Ok, ok – I confess. Its not something I am particulary proud of but yes, I read the Twilight series (for the second time) over the holidays. And yes, I saw the New Moon movie. Its all very sad really – not the movie, but that a woman nudging 40 went to see it (and enjoyed it). Worse still, she has now publically confessed to it. So changing the subject, I too spent the holidays at Waipatiki. Husband set cray pots with a kayak and managed to feed the whanau on a daily basis with riches from the sea. Not a lot, but a little, often. Living the dream!
15:34, 24.01.2010
Ditto on the trilogy – read it in a week – couldn’t put it down.Thing was by the time I got to the third book I was amazed how it all started…so what about the conspircy theory over the author – heart attack – tui! Movie I’ve heard is fantastic – raw, grewsome, even with subtitles – but not for the faint hearted.
15:36, 24.01.2010
oh and just got back from mahia – best beach on our east coast – a week is not enough
21:34, 24.01.2010
Heh well done Mandy. My tribe was underfed on the crayfish front, but definitely over-indulged in the standard christmas fashion so no huge loss! Roll on winter when there are less people to share the kaimoana with
23:26, 24.01.2010
Was just reading they shot all three films at once and the 3rd movie is being released in March. I think I’ll hold off until they’re all on Amzon and grab them for marathon movie night.
10:43, 25.01.2010
Best book to read is OPEN by Andre Agassi. An amazing insight into the world of tennis and what’s it’s like to compete in professional sport.
14:45, 25.01.2010
And did he also give an insight into what it’s like to be a meth addict?
08:38, 26.01.2010
Not a book that jumps off the shelfs at you but a very good read was the autobiography of Kathleen Turner.
17:56, 13.04.2010
I think it sounds like a pretty good holiday. I’m on an extended holiday myself and have enjoyed the wines of Hawke’s Bay, seen the seals at Cape Pillisar and warmed my feet in the thermals of Rotorura!