Time out in Raglan

Last weekend we went to Raglan but we took time out along the way to do a couple of things we'd been meaning to do for a while. Firstly we stopped off at Bridal Veil Falls for a picnic lunch. Have you even watched a spot of water from the top as it spills over the edge, then spreads out until you're watching a single drop as it falls to the bottom in slow motion? It's totally mesmerising and even a little freaky.

We then drove on to the isolated surf spot Ruapuke. a fair part fo the road is unsealed so you really have to know where you're going to find it. While Steve caught a few waves Ruby and I collected mussels which cooked up later for a pre-dinner snack. Eadie and Ava played their usual "I'm a dog" game. (Do you think they're pet deprived?)



Back at Bow Street Studios we relaxed with a beverage after eating the mussels.


Quite often when we go away for a weekend we forget to take the girls' scooters. Luckily this time we remembered and they had fun scooting around town.

Brain teaser

Can you unscramble these letters to make a word?

DALEOSER

Leave your answer in a comment.

The first correct answer will receive a little something in the post. (If I've got your address!)

Easter long weekend

This year we spent Easter at home. Our time was split between lazing around doing nothing and a couple of easy outings. Here's what we got up to.

Big trees provide hours (ok, maybe not hours but longer than you'd expect) of free entertainment for the kids.


Explored the Winter gardens.


Steve surfed at Port Waikato.


While we ate hot chips. And yes, they were hot!


Played with Lego when it got wet outside.


Made (and ate) Rocky Road.


Drank heaps of coffee.


Made (and ate) pancakes – perfect for every special occasion. These are seriously good. Leave a comment if you want the recipe. Of course, they're gluten-free too!



Personally, I've spent hours putting a Wasgij together. What's a Wasgij I hear you ask? It's a jigsaw but the catch is you don't know what it actually looks like until you've finished.


Got lots of chocolate goodies from E.B. (have seen Hop?)


We also went to the movies to see Hop and played Banagrams. We hope you've had a nice weekend too!

Best we forget

It's not often I give up on gluten-free baking but after many less-than-perfect attempts, I am not even going to try baking Anzac biscuits today.

How I miss them :(

San choy bow

Not to be confused with Sam Boy chow which is basically a chip sandwich.

Worried about my girls growing up not knowing how to cook, I decided it was time to learn how to prepare a few basic meals. They all seemed excited at the suggestion of taking turns to cook a family meal but without a bit of nudging from me, the idea stayed as just that – a great idea! Anyway, a couple of nights ago I told Ruby it was her turn to cook and I had just the recipe!


She really got into it and everyone enjoyed what she dished up. San choy bow is perfect for those nights when you're not super hungry but want something easy and healthy. In our house it's on par with rice paper rolls and sushi.


Whist this isn't the exact recipe I used, it's very similar. My recipe included a bit of oyster sauce (gluten-free) and dry sherry (which I substituted white wine for).


Ruby also made delicious chocolate mousse for dessert. I'm sorry I wasn't quick enough with the camera – it was fabulous!

Tawharanui

Apart from cheeking seagulls attempting to fly away with our packet of chips, the natural beauty of Tawharanui is breathtaking.

Pohutakawa trees along the beach provide loads of shade, not to mention great for climbing. There are caves explore and surf too. Basically, something for everyone. Geez, I even got in the water! This is the second time I've used my wetsuit – quite possibly the last time before next summer!

The smell of fresh bread

Mmmm. Fed up with spending a small fortune on small, hard gluten-free bread that goes stale in no time at all, I decided to drag out the bread maker.

I wasn't sure if it would turn out as the yeast was past the expiry date but I took my chances. As it baked, the smell began to waft through the house. We kept checked the timer impatiently to see how long it had before we could hoe in.

It smelled good; it tasted great. There was no way Ruby would get to keep this for herself. After indulging I took a walk to the local bulk foods shop to stock on ingredients because I think I'll be making this again – very soon.