"It's A Date...."

Shared Pancakes & Eggs Benedict for breakfast at Ground Floor Café in Riccarton followed by Punting on the Avon in the afternoon. This is what My Husband planned for our Date Day.

We stopped to watch one of the Buskers at the Festival in Hagley Park. We also went to the Whiskey & Cocktail Bar in New Regent Street for a wee nip & a Mrs Higgins Cookie.

On the way home we grabbed some DVDs & snacks for a night in.

The weather was lovely for such a nice day!!!

"Year 2014 - What will you bring??"

Okay so I have been trying to write this blog since the year started & it is not one week left of Jan I have yet to succeed.

The title for today's/this month's blog is the question for me - an answer I'm not all that sure as to whether it'll be all that I wish it would be. Not to sound negative but rather realistic. I am itching to travel again, its over 2 years since we went to India & 10 years this month since I was on exchange in Germany (the above photos of the gummi bears are two tubs my brother got for me - sweets that I fell in love with in Germany) but my husband has changed study institutes to do a more specified website course which is to take ALL year instead of only studying the 1st semester. So we will see what this year will bring.

I, however, have plenty to keep myself occupied while my husband studies away in the spare room. I am trying to complete the Taj Mahal cross-stitch - I'm almost there - so the aim I to finish it in the next couple of weeks - back stitching included (I have a habit of finishing the cross part but then leaving it for a while before sitting down & doing the back-stitch weeks later.)

My next step will be to start & complete the "Honeymoon - Singapore" Scrapbook -  I have pulled out the stuff to go in it, and it is all ordered together, just need to print photos & get it started!!! Yes I will share photos.

So far this month/year Simon & I have celebrated our 3 year Wedding Anniversary. We didn't go away this year but instead jut hung around Christchurch. We went up the Gondola for lunch, we spent a couple of hours up the top there, wondering around, enjoying the view of the city (as below) & Lyttleton Harbour. They have a time tunnel in the bottom floor of the building, you ride in a wee car & there are video clips talking about the beginning of Banks Penisula through to today.

Christchurch CBD - not so much left of it now. Seen now as a flat area, rather than tall buildings

We spent the afternoon wondering along the beach front in Sumner. Got a little red but it was nice just casually strolling along together. It's nice seeing all the houses that are along the Esplanade that have a view of the ocean. There is one house there that it's rateable value is $4 million. It is a stunning place, with a pool & the selling point for us - a 10 car garage!!! Not that we're buying of course - just a little out of our price range at the moment.  

 

New Brighton Pier

For dinner we went to Cafe Valentino - an Italian restaurant - the food was great, we had pizza & pasta with cheesecake for dessert. Yum!! It was a wonderful day together. And I till look fondly on our wedding - it was just what we planned. Plus I still LOVE my wedding dress.

 

 

For the last couple of months I have been uumming & ahhhing about getting an iPhone - not because its an 'iPhone' but because of the versatility of having one. Reasons being - I accidentally left my lovely pink iPod at the gym and low & behold I never saw it again, so I wanted that again. I like iTunes layout, so I knew I'd get one again rather than MP3 player. I've had a baby galaxy & it was nice enough (in fact I'm still using it as my alarm) but I found it too slippery. And a Galaxy III or IV wasn't my thing, they were too big + too slippery. I liked the iPhone because I could put music on, use iTunes, and the newer ones are squared off, which for me made it easier to hold & handle. Soooo after hunting around ebay, shops & trade me I managed to find one at a reasonable price - I wasn't going to pay the full price for one, because I don't think they're worth it, but I did have to pay a little more than I wanted to. But yes I bought one - and so far I haven't been disappointed. The screen is really clear - I have plenty of room for all the stuff I want on it - apps & music etc. I have 'Learn the Bible in 24 Hours' by Chuck Misler.



My new toy - with Guess case & 2 covers, I will be getting more - I'm considering a 3D Dispicable Me Minion Cover.

 

On the sporting side of things - My husband decided we were going to become Tennis Bunnies this summer - so we went & bought tennis rackets last week.

 

We have lived next to tennis courts for the last few years and talked about it but never one anything till now. We played last weekend & the day after my arm felt soooooooooooooooo sore, at work I had to use both hands to squeeze the stapler. So tennis bunnies it is. It's kinda fun - especially when I hit the ball to far & Simon has to go running to get it.

That would appear to be the start of 2014 for me - now I shall continue with my cross-stitch Taj. Oh we're going on a date tomorrow - apparently leaving the house at 9am & can't eat breakfast before hand..... Looking forward to it.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

 



"11.1.11 - 11.1.14 --- 3 Years Married"

3 years, this Saturday gone, since this photo was taken. Simon & I have now been married for the half the time we've been together. We are considering having this photo put onto canvas to hang in the lounge.

Looking forward to many many more years together.

"Fireworks, Fun & Walking..."

1. New Brighton Fireworks....

Guy Fawkes Day 2013 we decided to trip it out to New Brighton to see the fireworks display that the Christchurch City Council put on each year. It was themed this year '50 years of Bond Theme Songs'. It was pulled of rather well - the firework bangs went off in time to the music. It wasn't too bad getting out there & didn't take too long to find a park. We got there in plenty of time & there were people all over the place.

It was a lovely night. After it finished though, came the trying part. We had decided to get to the car & just sit and wait for the traffic to die down before attempting to leave for home. We sat in our parked car for an hour before attempting the drive home. Once we got out of the side street it was fairly straightforward in getting home, thankfully.

The sad part of the evening though is driving through the eastern suburbs & seeing how they now are more than two & a half years after the February Quake. There are many many many homes gone, land just left to grow grass, yet many many many homes still standing, waiting on EQC & insurance. I firmly believe that Christchurch has been ripped off by EQC & insurance companies who aren't honouring the contracts that people have been paying for. I do not think the government has done anything to help this mess, only worsen it. And people who have claimed for damage of things that was not damaged by either or any earthquakes are pretty much just as bad. I really feel for those who are STILL fighting for their rights under the agreements after more than 3 years since the September 2010 quake. It is NOT on!!!

2. Fun....

Last Saturday my package from Amazon.com arrived & I felt like I was 13 again!! Can you imagine why?? I'll tell you. In this package (which the estimated delivery date was up until 5 December) was the new Backstreet Boys Album "In a World Like This" - it is fantastic & takes me back nearly 20 years. Plus it also contained Nick Carter's Autobiography - "Facing the Music & Living to Talk About It". And Yes I have started to read it (meaning I'm now in the process of reading 4 books at once). We were headed out when we saw the packaged in the mail box. My husband wouldn't stop the car so when it was slow I put on the handbrake and rushed over to get it, ripped it open & immediately put the CD on - I was transported back to my teens, it was great, it is great, will continue to be great. With the husband working tomorrow morning I will just have to do the house work with it on UP LOUD!!!!

I look forward to finishing off the book & listening to this fantastic album over & over & over again - until I know all lyrics by heart no doubt.

Love It!!!

3. A Walk Through Town...

It is a long weekend for those of us in Canterbury, NZ - known here as Show Day/Anniversary Day. Thinking/believing the weather was going to get to 21 degrees, we decided to walk into town for lunch & wonder round to see what was happening. However the wind was a nor-easter which called things down immensely. But we still headed through the park to town. Had delicious kebabs from Demetri's for lunch sitting by the Avon, with construction for 'The Terrace - the new Strip' behind us. It looks interesting and promising.

Oxford Terrace - formerly 'The Strip'

Broken Windows in a Building where only birds accommodate

Cnr Oxford Terrace & Worcester Street - Cathedral in back

New Regent Street upper storey of the buildings

And then we finished the afternoon off with fresh, warm Mrs Higgin's cookies for afternoon tea, before heading back through the other side of the park for home.

"Want to Know More - read on about me..."

Having read a few blogs every now & then people tend to share some things about themselves that others may or may not know about themselves, so I thought maybe I might give this a shot too....

***I love, love, love the Gilmore Girls series - I have the box-set & have watched more times than I can count on my hands***

***My favourite alcoholic beverage is "Jaegemeister & Red Bull" - however due to cutting back on the Red Bull side of the drink I now also enjoy a lovely Cranberry, Lime & Vodka as my runner up & when we're out***

***I absolutely LOVE the sound of rain on the roof - it's magical***

***I am somewhat OCD - detail is everything - prime example is my husband's 30th Birthday month & you should have seen all the planning that went into our wedding day***

***I am training in  & receiving Theophostic Prayer Ministry - it is a FANTASTIC prayer ministry - it is dealing with lie-based pain (that we all have) through God & Christ - the results are AMAZING - 110% reccommend it***

***I would love to live & work in Manhattan, New York for at least a year (in a fancy apartment) - to experience all the seasons***

***I want to build, out west of Christchurch, that would have two floors (rectangular shape/layout) with a piece on top - the Master bedroom (with my office off the side) designed in an A-frame style & a few of the Southern Alps***

***I only want two children - twins - that's it = done***

***James Bond is the only reading & viewing material that my husband & I can agree on 100% of the time (any other possible movies take a lot of umming & ahhing)***

***My dream OE is to travel the world following the Formula 1 circuit - it goes almost everywhere***

There we have it....10 things about me.....