ROAST BEEF AND VEGETABLES

Our butcher has just started cooking roasts.   No extra cost for the cooking but one, obviously, pays extra for the vegetables. 

We decided to try it today and it will be good in the heat of summer to have a roast meal without having the oven going.  

The meal was delicious.  I cooked the greens to go with it (no meal is complete without greens.)

LATER;

We had this for lunch as, where possible, we are having our main meal at lunchtime.  Tonight,  I have just had some of the beef with a salad of lettuce, rocket, tomato, cold roast parsnip and home made cumin and turmeric hummus.  It was delicious.

125 YEARS

Yesterday, it was 125 years since women got the right to vote in New Zealand.  I always vote, partly because I like to have my say as to who is on Council or in Parliament but also because of the women who fought so that we could have a vote.

On 19 September 1893 the governor, Lord Glasgow, signed a new Electoral Act into law. As a result of this landmark legislation, New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world in which all women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections. 

On Saturday there will be a "Suffrage Strut" hosted by the

 Krakens Lair (Steampunk Whangarei).  

BATHROOM

When Doug purchased this house it had been a rental.  He had a sick wife to care for and had a lot of renovation to do.  The bathroom was made to provide lots of storage for all the medicines and bandages etc. that were needed.  He also removed a wall into what had been the policeman's "cupboard"  as the house was originally built for the local constable.  In this space he had a second toilet installed.  It was practical for his situation at the time.

A while ago he removed the old door and built a new wall.  He has now gibbed it in and repainted the bathroom.  We also removed the old cupboards and installed a new slimline mirror cupboard and a chest of drawers.

A shelf now holds various shells and pieces of kauri gum and the carved seahorse has been moved in here.  

Doug has also made the toilet roll holder and new towel rails.  We also had a man in to install a showerdome to reduce the amount of steam in the bathroom, something we are very pleased with. One more room finished.

 

SEAHORSE

Yesterday, Doug came in from his workshop with this seahorse.  Apparently, he carved it many years ago and it has been sitting in his workshop all this time.

I think it is delightful.  The cotton thread around its neck is so that I could hang it below a picture.

It is about 6 inches long.

GLASS HEN

Since Doug finished the sunroom we have started to sort our possessions. Of course, there is too much as we have the "treasures" from both our houses and lives.  One item that I am using is a Glass Hen that Doug had.  It only holds 5 eggs but is useful to just have them on the bench and the rest somewhere cooler.

Monarch Butterfly

When I went down to the letterbox to collect the daily paper at about 7.30 this morning I noticed this Monarch Butterfly enjoying the morning sun.

Today there was snow in the South Island - enough for one ski field to finally open.  Here rain was forecast but we only had a couple of short showers during the day.

Fine for our Parkinson Walk to the Paranui Falls.

SPRING

The start of spring is on Saturday and we have signs of it in the garden now. In the first photo are some delightful miniature daffodils.  They have been flowering for a week or so now.

The geraniums and other daffodils are just coming into flower.

The forecast for today was rain but, although it rained during the night, it has been a lovely sunny day and really feels like spring.