When I was growing up we didn’t go to the movies very often. Going to ‘the pictures’ was a real treat. You dressed up for this very special occasion and arrived at the theatre in plenty of time to purchase your tickets that were for allocated seating only. A very polite usher in a smart […]
Steamed Treacle Puddings and…Finding Ourselves
July 2, 2012 By 48 Comments
When I graduated from primary school at the age of 10 I was sent to an Intermediate School which was for two years and covered what today would be Sixth Grade and Year Seven. In those two years we were supposed to ‘find ourselves’ and so were exposed to a range of subjects we had […]
Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding and…Chilled to the Bone
June 28, 2012 By 78 Comments
When I think back to my childhood in New Zealand my most powerful memory is that I was cold. Permanently. As in, all the time. And having just googled the average temperature in Wellington (that doesn’t take into account the wind chill factor) I’m actually not surprised. Because the average temperature is 12.5C (55F). I […]
First Kiss Memories
June 12, 2012 By 34 Comments
I remember my first kiss very well and it doesn’t seem like it was all those years ago, it is a memory so vivid it is as if it was just the other day. I was in my early teens and I’d gone to New Zealand all by myself for a holiday. It was a […]
Chicken and Quinoa Salad and…Near-Death Holidays
May 22, 2012 By 36 Comments
Some holidays are not relaxing and you arrive home just grateful to have survived. When I was a teenager some friends of my parents thought it would be a fabulous idea for us to go away with them and another family for a week on three boats we would hire from a company in Akuna […]
The Riddiford Baths and…Leek and Feta Quiche
May 4, 2012 By 52 Comments
I was at swim squads a few days ago and after the session I was in the change room talking with another swimmer who has recently joined our group. It turns out she is from New Zealand, so I asked what part of New Zealand she came from and discovered she lived a few streets […]
Dark Choc Chip Cookies and…The Sheep Farm
April 30, 2012 By 40 Comments
The prelude to this story is on Unaccompanied Minors My sister and I took the NAC flight as unaccompanied minors from Wellington to Christchurch for our two-week holiday on our cousin’s farm. It’s probably best if I don’t mention that going on a plane was the one thing we were most looking forward to. We […]
Massaman Lamb Curry and…Unaccompanied Minors
April 28, 2012 By 46 Comments
It was the August school holidays and I was 12 years old. My mother told Em and I that in a few days the two of us were going on a plane to Christchurch to stay on our cousins sheep farm for the holidays. I didn’t hear anything after the word ‘plane’. It was all […]
Vegetable Tagine and…Dinner is Served – On a Shoe!
April 27, 2012 By 30 Comments
The sleeping arrangements weren’t to either of our satisfaction. My father said she had to sleep downstairs in her basket in the kitchen and not upstairs with all of us because she was a ‘guard dog’. But Sophie didn’t like sleeping downstairs, she wanted to sleep in my bed. So under the cover of darkness […]
Konnichi Wa, Ogenki Desu Ka
April 26, 2012 By 46 Comments
When I was a teenager I attended the local high school that was only a short level walk from home. There was nothing terribly remarkable about this school however it did become known for having educated a girl named Elanor McPherson who for many years has been better known as ‘Elle’ or ‘The Body’. Besides […]
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