Feb 5

I am alone (avec aged furry dog child) in the campervan staring out over Lake Hayes.  This is day 4 in the camper and the first time, I have camped and been alone.  I was hoping to read the newly opened library bag but decided it was better use of time to blog without  unintentioned interruption by close quartered company. So here I am.

The lure to organise the cupboards has been sated and systems changed for the umpteenth time. In my frenzy I pulled out, unearthing the feeble screw hold, the freestanding pole holding up the table, so will confess my sins on Ant’s return from his run hopeful to catch him in full endorphins mode.  

Our travels to date have consisted of meeting up with people.  As wonderful as that is, it is not “getting away from it all”.  Equal portions of ‘catching up’ and camping is ideal.  

We are still very green at this whole retirement, ‘time to do the things you wanted to do but never had the time to’ kind of thing.  

We tentatively dip our middle age toes in the leisure time pool and this time brought our mountain bikes along.  The almost 17 year old pooch doesn’t really mind being stowed in the castoff merchandising backpack for a couple of hours while we explore the Central Otago locales. 

Lowburn and the adjacent Bannockburn were a pleasant cycle ride away. A mere 15km loop initially following an small arc of lake Dunstan past the vintage village of Cromwell and out to the heights of Bannockburn...wine central.  Mt Difficulty lived up to its namesake and discouraged our custom by abhorring our dog. We spent a paltry $6 on tasting then hastily left with our bulging wallets.  Desert Heart a kilometre down the road took us to their hearts, where apparently the council bylaws did not reach.  There were dogs and diners galore, enjoying all the region had to offer. Denny and co’s relaxed establishment endeared us to the area, as did their share platter that could rival any Michelin man with its delectable delights.  Not your everyday opening of hors de vours jars onto a plate, but a selection of over a dozen differing hand made morsels. Oversize, blown wine glasses showcased their ros'e magnificently and we supped gratefully drinking in the day with our nearest and dearest.  

Another cycle ride of note is from Arrowtown to Peregrine winery.  A 16km ride downhill with a back wind winding deep into the Gibbston valley along well made tracks that take you over swing bridges for a birds eye view of the raging  Kawarau river.  The last bridge even has locals and tourists jumping off it attached to bungy cords.  The blood curdling shrieks are enough to cure your curiosity.

We ended our ride two kilometres after Peregrine winery so passed it without sampling their wares.  Will save that for another time.  

A nighttime dip in the fast flowing Kawarau river was high risk but we survived to tell the tale. I was always going to tell the tale as I was just the anxious observer.  Someone needs to inherit the insurance.

I'm going great guns accomplishing my new weekly blog regime....second one in.  I love January, it's so achievable.


Godley Head is 7.4km from home, a 13 minute drive.  On  Monday we drove our campervan there for the night.  "Why", you say? "Why not", I say. We called on our fellow campers and drove over around late afternoon after almost bailing due to wild and wet weather plaguing our fair city that day.

It turned out to be a 'great call at the intersection' as the sun shone brightly in the sheltered spot we chose beneath some lofty aged pines at the end of the road. We called the phone number on the DOC signpost and got an email sent which gave us the code to open the lock. 

Serious drinking ensued as we enjoyed the last of the sun from our tiny mobile homes.  I had packed a pre made curry and we warmed it up on the stove and served it in the bigger camper with salads from their van.

The next morning, we woke with heavy heads around 8am! Our fellow campers were up and about and chatting surreptitiously near our window.  The day was sunny and the view spectacular. We took a stroll around the camp end of the Godley Head Loop Track just for shits and giggles.

$13 a head, 7.4km travel and views 'you'd save a lifetime for'! "Why wouldnt ya?!"

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm introducing a lot of indoor plants.  Spurred on by a book borrowed from our local library; Matuku Takotako.  'Plant Society' is
a visually pleasing, easy read almost worth buying.  Great
tips on plant care, plant types and plant propagation.  So easy and so rewarding.  According to Mr Google indoor plants:

*give an assist in breathing.  Inhaling brings oxygen into the body, exhaling releases carbon dioxide...
*help deter illness...
*clean the air...
*boost healing...
*help you work better

AND, they bring you joy, Maria Kondo!

2019

A new year and a return to old loves....this blog....not past bfs.  My 'word' for the year.....CONSUMPTION.  This is my mission word. This means I will live my life this year deferring back to this word. How much am I consuming in this world and how is it affecting this world?

Inspired by Suzanne Berens, our 30+ Dutch relative who lives in Amsterdam, I have committed to NOT buy/swap/beg/borrow/steal any item of clothing/adornment for 12 months.  This means I will have to 'make do' with what I have got.

This will clearly not be difficult....as I have a vast personal adornment collection at my disposal.  I am fifteen days in and quietly confident.

That brings me to CRAFT...something I am keen to explore this year.  I have recently bought a trestle table for this specific reason and am contemplating holding a monthly meeting of fellow Crafters around this table.  If I need variety in my appearance, I could upcycle an existing item. #genius #sustainable #consumption

IKIGAI, I'm loving the capitals, aren't you? It really speaks to you. Lessons on how to live a long and happy life. One of my favourite reads this Christmas. Inspired by the villagers of Okinawa, who have an inordinate number of supercentenarians, I am going to fill my stomach to 80% full.  I am not sure, how you can tell, but I do know when I have overeaten,  as I am prone to regular bouts of gluttony.

I've also started some daily regimes....and lasted fifteen days so far. Morning Yoga with Adrienne, five minutes of stretching to begin the day. That's about as long as I can stay interested.  Loving it so far.  5-Minute standing flat belly workout sure beats laying on the floor and wrenching your back.  Gravity can be your friend in this instance. And finally, meditation; Headspace meditation app is good but I have not committed to it and need to set an alarm or something to remind me. Also, 10 press ups daily and thirty minutes of random movements, like cleaning, walking, gardening, cycling or running. #ocd

Sri Lanka is on the radar for travel. A new and uncharted territory for the nuclear family to explore.  We're thinking of booking a one way ticket, which means we can get traction and also add other travel onto it while in Asia. #awaywiththefairies #familyfuntimes #SEA

I have also committed to XERO to centre myself financially and to introduce serenity to all matters concerning money and timely bill paying.  If you Watch the cents, the dollars will take care of themselves. That's the theory anyway. I had a lesson with Sidekick accountants before Christmas and promptly forgot the lot on my return from holiday.  I stared blankly at the 120 reconciliations I had built up, with no idea what to do with them.  A quick call to Ashleigh and Emily fixed that and they had me reconciling like a pro in no time. #nailedit

NOOK tiny homes are the way of the future. A bold statement you say?  I have an ongoing fascination with tiny houses.  Does this hark back to my childhood and doll house play or is it a part of my irrevocable draw towards my mission word; CONSUMPTION.  I am passionate about not buying into the current housing market.  It is inflated, unsustainable, dangerous (mortgage rates are low now, what happens if they soar?) and downright dumb.  Why burden yourself with a 'death grip' AKA 'mortgage' on a property that is average, uninsulated, uninspired and expensive to run? Like I say, dumb!

Imagine a world full of these gorgeous, stylish, inexpensive to buy and run homes.  #affordablehousing #inspired #travelmore

That gets me onto garages....why pay big bucks to house vehicles? Why have vehicles? OMG Ebikes!
This is worthy of another photo....
MATEX e bikes.  Currently under construction via Indigogo, crowdfunding. I'm in the market for one this year.  Not sure which one yet, but I'm liking this one and it's multiuse.  Stick it in the boot of your 'gas guzzler' and bike one way and cadge a ride home. It folds up, so you can.  Go down to one car and one ebike.  #coveryourbases

#hashtags I'm still not over them. So amusing and so succinct.

PHEW.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT....

People are often intrigued by my calorific intake...phrases like "Barry the worm' are uttered in polite conversation. To dispel the myth of Barry and to shed some light on the mystery of eating, I am sharing my philosophy on food...

DO

• prepare food ahead
• eat often - 6 times a day
• eat whole foods
• pay the expensive pricetag for what goes into your body
• Treat yourself (in moderation with healthy treats- see below)
• regular exercise - even walk/run streak under 10 mins a day, 10 pressups/day,  anything to get your head in the game.
• read a book/mag for 10 mins/day to meditate/calm down
• buy quality ingredients

DON’T

• don’t starve yourself
• don’t eat processed foods (hidden sugar content makes you fat)
• don’t eat processed sauces/dressings/yoghurts/mueslis
• don’t buy low fat anything (they replace it with sugar that turns into fat)
• don’t weigh yourself

UTENSILS YOU NEED

*A large stainless steel bowl to mix your salads, a lemon juicer, a lunchbox, a smoothie cup, a mini frypan with glass lid.

INGREDIENTS TO STOCK

• Peta Mathias extra virgin olive oil (don’t buy other oils - bad for you) 
• lemons
• Delish primal breakfast (no other flavour or brand - about $17 but worth it)
• Plain yoghurt
• Delmaine Pesto - others have bad oils in them
• Henderson’s Streaky Bacon (no added baddies)
• (Organic) potatoes, pumpkin, kumara
• onions, garlic, ginger
• rice
• rice vermicelli, soba noodles (GF)
• feta cheese, wedge of parmesan
• steak (can cook in a small frypan with a lid on in 4 mins)
• salmon (can cook in a small frypan with a lid on in 4 mins)
• chicken (skinless) (can cook in a small frypan with a lid on in 4 mins)
• tray of free range eggs ( 
• butter/full cream milk
• oranges (try to buy organic), kiwifruit, bananas
• honey
• peanut butter (Pics peanut butter - only nuts, no added sugars etc)
• raw almonds, walnuts, peanuts
• kale, spinach, celery, carrots, broccoli

TREAT YOURSELF 

 When you get a craving...have a small portion.

Mary VT’s Seed Bar Recipe

¼ C sesame seeds

¾ C pumpkin seed

¾ C sunflower seeds

½ C dried fruit

1 C  peanuts

½ C coconut thread

½ C rolled oats

________________________

Cook peanuts in pan for 5 minutes.

Add seeds, coconut, sesame seeds and rolled oats and brown a little. Then dried fruit.

Cook until golden brown.

_________________________

Boil in another pan for 8 minutes:

100gm butter

¼ C honey

½ C brown sugar

Mix altogether and press into slice tray.  Cut before too solid so as not to snap.

SUGGESTED DRESSINGS

1. Mix olive oil and lemon juice and salt and pepper as your dressing

2. Add olive oil to pesto to dilute and call it a dressing

3. sesame oil, grated ginger, soy sauce, more olive oil to dilute

SUGGESTED RECIPES

Roasted vege, spinach, feta and walnut salad

• Cut your veges (beetroot, pumpkin, kumara, or potatoes) into 1 cm cubes and pan fry till golden brown and soft in frypan with olive oil and salt. (Add chopped bacon to pan you like)
• Add chopped spinach and sprinkle with feta and walnuts or (pan fried almonds in olive oil and salt)
• use dressing number 2 if you feel like it.

Salmon on soba or rice vermicelli 

• Boil noodles for 2 mins and drain (add broccoli florets to water with noodles)
• Fry salmon in covered mini frypan till cooked (about 3 mins).
• Add dressing number 3.
• combine all in large stainless bowl and mix gently. Add to lunchbox or plate. Sprinkle with chopped almonds. (Microwave almonds with a drizzle of sesame oil and salt for 1 min)

Beef or chicken fried rice/noodle salad

• Fry steak (or chicken) in butter in covered mini frypan till cooked (about 3 mins).
• Fry onion, finely chopped broccoli, chopped chilli, in pan for 2 mins. Throw in frozen peas
• Add cooked rice or cooked noodles
• combine all in large stainless bowl and mix gently. Add to lunchbox or plate. Sprinkle with chopped almonds. (Microwave almonds with a drizzle of sesame oil and salt for 1 min)
• slice beef and add on top
• also can fry 2 egg omelette and slice and add on top.

Quick Chicken &  Corn noodle Soup

• Fry some chopped onion (garlic and ginger too if you want) in a pot for 2 mins.
• Add chopped chicken slices or cooked shredded chicken 
• Add chicken stock and a handful of chopped spaghetti noodles 3 cm long bits.
• Add frozen corn
• Drizzle a beaten egg slowly from about 30 cm above the soup
• Pour into an airtight, microwavable bowl or into a soup bowl and eat.

SUGGESTED SNACKS

Kale Chips (Crunchy and delicious - like Kettles but healthy)

• use curly kale and wash and cut into 5cm bits (cut out stalk)
• dry in a teatowel
• put into large stainless bowl with sea salt and olive oil and massage together
• cook on greaseproof paper in a single layer at 175 degrees for 10 mins till golden brown
• Consume at will.

Smoothie

• Add all (in this order) to a blender and blend till smooth
• frozen berries and banana (frozen if possible) chopped kale leaves or spinach, chopped kiwifruit, dob of yoghurt, chilled water (enough to blend), drizzle of honey

Fruit Muesli

• Use Pure Delish Primal muesli
• add chopped kiwifruit and banana
• combine with natural yoghurt
• drizzle with honey if desired

Breakfast Omelette

• beat 2 eggs and 1 egg white
• fry in mini frypan in a little melted butter and flip when cooked 
• If you want more of a meal; 

add cooked potato (can cube it and cook in microwave first) 

and grated parmesan on top 

add smoked salmon crumbled on top

add cooked spinach - wilt in pan with a dash of olive oil

Day 3 - 8

Day 3 + 4

In an effort at work/play balance, I decided to ride my bike today and went to my writing group yesterday for a shared lunch.  I did leave an email message with the property managers to which they are studiously ignoring.

Two can play at that game.

Also got a call from Kate Fraser of The Christchurch Press Zest fame, who said she would be using my 450 word article on “How to get someone else to Clean your Oven”  in the near future.   So many irons  in the fire.  

Exhausting.

Day 5 + 6

It is too soon to be working weekends and goes against my aforementioned philosophy.

Day 7

 I should be able to multi task today whilst answering phones at our family business when the ‘boss’ is out of the room.  He gets a bit touchy about non-industry related conversations/emails.  I’ve got one phrase to say to him....”Big Picture!”.

Day 8

Am ready for action now.  Everyone else better be too.  Actually spoke too soon.  Only managed a phone call to letting agent and current head tenant.

But did manage to sprint around the entire perimeter of Hagley Park, bike to work for a management meeting at 11am and stop at fish shop and Chinese supermarket on way home, take the dog to the vet to buy pheromone spray, buy weekly groceries and cook from scratch muesli, stewed apple berry and rhubarb topping for aforementioned muesli,  bake ANZAC biscuits for the tins and cook baked salmon and a tofu dish for tea.

I wonder if real real estate agents are this productive.

 Meeting with tenant  booked for Day 10 at 2 pm.

Let the Brainstorning begin...

Day 2 of Project – 1 August, 2012

Today I went out for breakfast (with aforementioned friend in the industry – purely coincidence), met the accountant for our annual accounts talk (second more lucrative income),  went to the movies (Bel Ami – don’t bother) then out for dinner (Japanese). A big day.

I also, bought an E-valuation on line for the paltry sum of $47.95 that told me the property had an estimated value of $461,000 with a medium confidence level of selling.  Go figure. 

I am still unsure of how many bedrooms and bathrooms the property has but have requested an appointment with the letting agent to meet the *tenants.

The insurance broker has also got back to me with a policy that runs out in September this year, that she assures me will be transferrable as long as “the Builders Report” confirms the building is structurally sound and that the purchaser is acceptable to the insurer.  Note to self; arrange builders report.  (Wild note taking has begun on whiteboard).

*Also googled “Can you sell a house while the tenants are on a fixed contract?” and was informed that you could, but, here’s the big hairy but....the tenants were entitled to stay till the contract expires. (Bugger, 8 months from now!).

Very helpful website that I must read that explains this stuff:  www.dbh.govt.nz/

Another huge day of admin.  Must go get ready for dinner.