Plans for today (2025)

Drinking tea, going to make some brunch omelets shortly, then washing sheets, cleaning bathrooms, and vacuuming.

I will start packing Saturday since we leave Monday. I know, it seems early, but I need to go through some packed away summer clothes and put some aside to donate and try on a few things I haven't worn in awhile.

My plan is to get my packing down to one suitcase. I am a notorious overpacker, LOL. But in all fairness, when we drive instead of fly, I can take 2 suitcases if I want, and we do need a carryon size for the hotel stays on the way to the resort and back. This time we are flying to our destination so no overnight hotel stays on the way, and the airline charges a checked bag fee, so just 1 checked bag each for me and DH. His suitcase will be smaller than mine, LOL
 
We left yesterday at 11 am to drive to Kaikoura for a wee break.
2 1/2 later arrived to a beautiful day. Went seal watching..the whale watchiboats were out. 4 of them. My wife's brother daughter ( illegitimate) found each other 10 years ago is a captain on one of them. Wwnt to pub and had tea then played pokies. I turned 20 into 70.
Shirl got a mini jackpot $120
Went back to motel i opened a bottle of gin my son got me for father's day. 44 proof. I was out like a light at 10pm.
We've just got home at 2pm. Food stops along the way were pathetic.
I
A bakery that doesn't sell sandwiches. Drink cabinet had 1 fanta 1 lemonade and 2 coke. Heaven forbid a bus stops there.
Stopped for " comfort stop " where we saw the ugliest couple I've ever seen.
I waited until they were back in their car before went. Lol

Russ
 
A pic from kaikoura

Russ

Russ today.jpg
 
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I mentioned in another topic that tomorrow is my mom’s memorial/family gathering/potluck, and that the place we’re having it has a commercial kitchen.

One problem - while it’s full of ovens and fridges and prep tables and gas burners…if it’s not something that can be fixed to the infrastructure, it’s not there - meaning for whatever cooking anyone (like me) is doing tomorrow, they’ll have to pack in every last little item, right down to paper towels, they’ll think they might need.

So that’s what I’ve been doing today, going through everything in my brain, trying to anticipate every last item I’ll need, and making a list.

I’m bringing four things: homemade bread that I’ll throw together here, but bake there, cookies that are already baked, a salad I’ll make there, and a pot pie, which has the filling already made, I’ll just assemble and bake it there.

That doesn’t sound too bad…until I began tallying things up: baking sheet and parchment paper for the bread, serrated knife & serving board for the bread…platter for the cookies…pie tin, pie guard, egg & bowl & fork & brush for the egg wash, cake server for the slices…chef’s knife for the salad, serving bowl, serving tongs, colander for draining salted cucumber and tomato, whisk, chopping board…plus things like dish towels, an apron, measuring spoons - I’m packing half my damn kitchen…and that’s not counting the ingredients/food!
 
I mentioned in another topic that tomorrow is my mom’s memorial/family gathering/potluck, and that the place we’re having it has a commercial kitchen.

One problem - while it’s full of ovens and fridges and prep tables and gas burners…if it’s not something that can be fixed to the infrastructure, it’s not there - meaning for whatever cooking anyone (like me) is doing tomorrow, they’ll have to pack in every last little item, right down to paper towels, they’ll think they might need.

So that’s what I’ve been doing today, going through everything in my brain, trying to anticipate every last item I’ll need, and making a list.

I’m bringing four things: homemade bread that I’ll throw together here, but bake there, cookies that are already baked, a salad I’ll make there, and a pot pie, which has the filling already made, I’ll just assemble and bake it there.

That doesn’t sound too bad…until I began tallying things up: baking sheet and parchment paper for the bread, serrated knife & serving board for the bread…platter for the cookies…pie tin, pie guard, egg & bowl & fork & brush for the egg wash, cake server for the slices…chef’s knife for the salad, serving bowl, serving tongs, colander for draining salted cucumber and tomato, whisk, chopping board…plus things like dish towels, an apron, measuring spoons - I’m packing half my damn kitchen…and that’s not counting the ingredients/food!

Sounds like me doing a $100K compressor replacement and the nearest supply house is 6 hours round trip away and you've got hired union contractors on the job to boot! 🤪

(You can't forget the 5 digit grid sliding armature...)
 
hat doesn’t sound too bad…until I began tallying things up: baking sheet and parchment paper for the bread, serrated knife & serving board for the bread…platter for the cookies…pie tin, pie guard, egg & bowl & fork & brush for the egg wash, cake server for the slices…chef’s knife for the salad, serving bowl, serving tongs, colander for draining salted cucumber and tomato, whisk, chopping board…plus things like dish towels, an apron, measuring spoons - I’m packing half my damn kitchen…and that’s not counting the ingredients/food!
...and I bet there'll be something you've forgotten, but that's the fun of it. Improvise, like we all do in the kitchen. Good luck! :bravo: :bravo:
 
...and I bet there'll be something you've forgotten, but that's the fun of it. Improvise, like we all do in the kitchen. Good luck! :bravo: :bravo:
It helps that all my siblings but one live within a five-mile radius of the place - if I have to, I can send out for something, so to speak.
 
Plans for today include making a steak and onion pie that my son requested for his birthday (it’s such a basic pie it won’t take much brain power - cubed steak, onions and gravy, topped with crumbled hash browns) and I’m having round two of Doenchang-Jjigae. The first round confirmed for me that it’s time to give up on tofu. If the delightful flavours of a Korean recipe can’t make me like it then nothing will! I really thought if I persevered, cooked different types of tofu in different ways eventually I’d find a way to like it but unfortunately not 🤷‍♀️
Then I’ll be wrapping up birthday prezzies and writing a card.
 
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He didn’t get a graduation ceremony because BIMM (the British and Irish Modern Musical Institute) is run by musicians who are disorganised and so laid back they’re horizontal so they couldn’t get their sh*t together in time and now can’t be arsed.
Not nice for the students after 3 years graft and accruing 60k of debt to have no finishing ceremony when they’ve worked their flippin socks off.
Mama bear is not at all amused by this - “how dare they treat my son and his peers with such contempt!” (you can imagine the rest 😂) it made me pretty cross. I’ve decided to try and fix it in a way that he’ll hopefully find amusing.

So we’re also having a surprise graduation ceremony for him after birthday lunch tomorrow. The cap and gown should be arriving today, my husband and son have their club blazers and caps ready to go and I have a nice dress pressed. I have scroll ready (they haven’t recieved their certificates either 🙄), a graduation banner, a little gift, nice things to say so we can tell him how pound we are, I’ve cued up Edgar’s Pomp n Circumstance and rapturous applause sound effect on the ol’ iphone ready for the occasion 😂

When he unfurls the parchment paper scroll on his fake degree, he’ll see this

IMG_3681.jpeg

So I also have a fair bit of stuff planned today for that 😊
 
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Today is the penultimate day of the Indian food festival. It's been a long but edifying month and the festival has been well-accepted. It's also been a wonderful chance to put Indian food on the map over here. In the 40-odd years I've been here, no Indian restaurant has ever taken off; they've all been flops.
 
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