Jane’s First Day using her LED Poi

Having really enjoyed the Full Moon Fire, Dance and Drum Circle in Mt Eden, Jane put LED Poi’s on her birthday list. She has picked it up really quickly. Here are some pictures and a video clip of Day 1!

Jane’s first day using LED Poi

Tiwaiwaka Pinot Noir 2007, Martinborough

This wine was a gift and I decided to open it this evening. Being from a vineyard I had never heard of I did not know what to expect, but Martinborough has its fair share of great vineyards. Deep ruby red in colour, with raspberry and cherry to the nose, these flavours flow through to the palette. A fully bodied wine with light acidity. It was a nice accompaniment to steamed Salmon.

Nice Salad Dressing

Another of those 'so I don't forget' blog posts.

Yummy Salad Dressing

2 T flaxseed oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp full grain mustard seed
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 T mayo

Shake together, pour over salad, toss and serve.  Yum!

Full Moon, Fire, Dance and Drum Circle - Mt Eden

For something different we headed out to an event that is held monthly at Tahaki Reserve in Mt Eden this evening.  There were about 70 people watching fire dancing and drums and an excellent vibe.  Further details can be found at http://www.drumcircle.co.nz

Full Moon, Fire, Dance and Drum Circle - Mt Eden Video clip

Wooing Tree 2008 Pinot Gris Central Otago

With a light kerosine nose, this pale straw coloured wine is a pleasure to drink.  Beautiful light citrus flavours contribute to a full bodied medium-dry wine of long length with light acid.  Thoroughly recommended and drinking well now.

Call to action - Emergency Kit

I am fearful that my timing in posting this may be construed as disrespectful or somehow insensitive, and yet it is prompted by my own feeling of helplessness in supporting Christchurch and Canterbury in this horrific time.  This is in many ways my own tribute to your plight.  I am not near enough to bake, or open my home, but I can stop and ensure I don't take my access to supermarkets, power, water and shelter for granted, and be prepared myself, for something that none of us ever want to go through. Kia kaha and aroha nui.

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We had a long power cut at home after a massive storm some years back, prompting us to actually do something about an emergency kit.  We got as far as buying a bin to put everything in, getting 5 litres of water, a first aid kit and putting in a bundle of supplies I need (on account of having Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES)).  Since then, we've frequently talked about getting some actual food and such like in there, along with a radio, torch, batteries etc.  Well, until today, the kit had got to the point of being full of bottles of Simon's home brew.  The first aid kit was somewhere in the store room, along with my supplies, and the container full of water had expired (seriously?  apparently anyway).

Oddly enough, current events have meant that we're thinking a lot about emergency situations and being isolated, without water, or access to supermarkets.  So we've finally made significant improvements to our emergency kit, and I'd like to challenge others to do the same.  If you, like us have been putting it off, at least begin to asssemble an emergency kit and plan. As we support Canterbury in this unimaginably difficult time (I have agonised over words for the last hour, unimaginable is all I am left with), let us also take a moment and be prepared ourselves.







What we have in our emergency kit to date (click the logo above for the official recommendations):

6 x 1.5 litre bottles of water
1 x 10 litre plastic container of water
4 cans of tuna (each has enough for 2 people for a single meal)
3 cans of salmon (again, 3 meals for 2 people)
3 cans of mixed bean salad
2 cans tiny taters
2 cans green beans
3 cans fruit salad
3 cans baked beans with sausages
2 cans minestrone soup
my CES related supplies
first aid kit (including personal medical requirements)
hand sanitiser

We've made a point of predominantly getting things that don't require additional water, and that don't require heating if we don't have the ability to do so. Oh, and in sizes that we will eat in a single sitting so that there a no scraps left sitting around, in anticipation of not having refrigeration. We've also tried to accommodate the possible need to take the emergency kit and ourselves away from home.

Still to go:
Torch (preferably wind up)
Radio (preferably wind up)
batteries (in case of not getting wind ups above!)
candles
matches
pet food for the cats
rubbish bags
can opener
toilet paper
something like cabin bread maybe
burner from the fondue set, with fuel


and possibly some other things, which I'll update here once I've had more of a think about it - there are probably some glaringly obvious things missing, but as Simon emphasised, lets just get it started and have at least the bare essentials.

We still need to work out a plan - ie what if we're at work, or one at home & one elsewhere, what if we have to leave home, with or without a vehicle, how will we make sure our families are ok, what about the cats etc.

At least right now, if we were isolated for 3 days, we're significantly better prepared than we were yesterday (although some might argue a kit full of home brew might not be such a bad thing!).

Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Marlborough

With gooseberry to the nose, this pale yellow coloured wine is packed with citrus and gooseberry intensity with a nice length.  It is a nicely rounded wine at this age and a pleasure to drink.  I wouldn't however recommend keeping it any longer and really shouldn't be keep Sauv's this long.