kiwiana

I finally managed to get my UFO out of the cupboard this week and it felt GOOD! Maybe its because Ive been busy thinking about NZ lately and to get out all of my NZ fabrics was fantastic. Anyway here is a sneak peak of some of them.

Ive been collecting NZ fabrics for a while and some of them are extra special to me as they were given to me by special friends who knew that I collected them.

Isnt it funny how fabrics can invoke special memories of a place or people! (maybe that only happens to quilters)

The younger kids had their christmas production yesterday and it was really nice. The kids sang and danced their little hearts out and they looked fantastic wearing all those lovely christmas scarves!! (all 103 of them). Speaking of christmas:

Orchard road (the main shopping area) is beautifully lit up with christmas decorations. There are huge christmas trees everywhere. The bigger the better it seems! Im hoping that all my christmas shopping is done (even got something for misty the dog). Just a few more things to get to take on holiday with us.

I think we will be having a quiet christmas this year with a nice dinner at home. The condo will be quiet as a lot of people are going away. Ive been looking up christmas songs and found a really great kiwi version of the 12 days of christmas:

Written by Kingi Ihaka in 1981
A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree(The 12 Days of Christmas)

On the first day of Christmas My true love gave to me A pukeko in a ponga tree On the second day of Christmas My true love gave to me Two kumera And a pukeko in a ponga tree .

On the third day of Christmas...and so on, until... On the twelfth day of Christmas My true love gave to me

Twelve piupius swinging

Eleven haka lessons

Ten juicy fish heads

Nine sacks of pipis

Eight plants of puha

Seven eels a swimming

Six pois a twirling

Five - big - fat - pigs !

Four huhu grubs

Three flax kits

Two kumera

And a pukeko in a ponga tree!

Translation

Pukeko:A native NZ Bird
Ponga :Native tree fern
Kumera :Sweet Pototoe
Huhu grub :Edible larva of a flying beetle found in decaying wood (maori delicacy)
Pois: a small white ball swung on a string in maori dances
Puha: Watercress
Pipi: small shellfish
Haka: Traditional maori war dance
Piupui :traditional flax skirt

We all love eating indian food and the kids love butter chicken - however when you order it from the indian restaurant here, the butter chicken has enough spice in it to burn a small hole in one's nostrils. Not great for the kids.

Anyway I was browsing my recipe books (a sure sign of desperation for me) and found an Alison and Simon Holst one. They have an easy peasy recipe for butter chicken. Its was REALLY YUMMY and more importantly REALLY easy! Maybe I'll end up enjoying cooking after all!

well thats all from us

We wish you a very merry christmas and a happy new year.

Marianne and family