Remake/Remodel

I wanted to make morning tea for the team I'm leaving behind at work. I made them orange and sultana scones, and chocolate brownie. If you read the KitchenMaid blog, you'll see that her recipe is based on some legendary scones around town. I'd not heard of them until I read her post.

Then I had dinner with a bunch of gals, most of whom were locals to the cafes where these scones come from, and there was much murmuring around the table about their greatness. I don't like dates at all, though. I figured it'd be a dealbreaker.

Anyhoo, I ventured out on a walk that landed me in Lyall Bay a few days later. Sitting on the beach, watching the morning kick in, drinking a delicious coffee and feeling apprehensive about eating something with dates in. Here's a really silly photo of it:

Reader, I married that scone. Or near as dammit. Go get one. As soon as you can. I figure they must soak the dates, so they bake up like ribbons of date-tasting goodness, without that gritty texture that puts my teeth on edge.

Because, as nicely as my interpretation - I substituted stewed apple for an egg - of Lucy's version of these scones turned out, it wasn't anything like so splendid as what they're knocking out at Queen Sally's.

And the brownie?? I went vegan on it because we were out of eggs, and it needed a fully ripe banana, which suited very well.

In other news, it's Hallowe'en party time. I went to a little shindig after work last night, and snaffled a beautifully cut jack-o-lantern to take home. Sweeney and Harper loved it in their room with a tea light.

We took it to Bela's party this afternoon. It performed very well. Note special, festive horns.

 Then I took some photos of it in action, along with the special, festive horns. The tea light had extinguished, and the only other candle short enough was a bit of a whopper, so it's fairly blazing here ...

Then we went back downstairs and about three seconds passed before the smoke detector went off. As a result of all of this, Sweeney really likes Hallowe'en now. And he doesn't even know about trick or treating yet.

Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win

Sweeney's fresh back from two weeks in Christchurch with his Nana. Sounds to me like they had a fabulous time - reading books, watching Fantasia a bunch of times, gardening, going for outings, chatting, eating delicious food, and on and on and on ...

Meanwhile, I was here in Wellington, indulging in time to myself, which usually took the form of looking at things in shops on the way home from work, or hanging out with terrific people I don't see much. Or on one day, going back to bed with a great book, a pot of coffee and a pile of marmalade on toast. That was an ace day, to be sure.

Even the fact that Sweeney's picked up chicken pox hasn't spoiled the vibe. He's on the home strait now, the spots are fading. And to be fair, he hasn't seemed that bothered by it, apart from a tiny bit of head scratching. But he's hanging at home for the rest of the week, even though I expect full-scale cabin fever any minute now.

And with his spots, he reckons he's "just like a cheetah, Mum".

He certainly can run fast, and for ages, these days.

In other news, what about that rugby, eh?? What about those enormous men swigging beer from that teensy tiny cup??  Always makes me laugh.

And I won $15 in the sweepstake at work, for Australia coming in third.

It's Oh So Quiet

Sweeney and I went to Christchurch on Saturday, to see his Nana. At his request, we spent a bit of Sunday at "the twisted bridge", that runs between Avonside Drive and River Road. For whatever reason, he really digs that bridge.

It was a lovely weekend. Apart from a terrible incident at the Northlands mall, involving a balloon animal in the shape of a motorbike, a rubbish bin and a boy with red hair, it was splendid. I came back to real life on Tuesday night. Sweeney's still there, hanging out for the rest of the holidays with his Nana.

And from the Department of Things You Never Thought Would Turn Up on This Particular Blog, what about that rugby, eh?? Piri Weepu winning the game against Argentina almost by himself?? Sonny Bill and his nifty offloads?? That try from Brad Thorn??

And can you believe that there are wikipedia entries for these chaps??

If New Zealand makes it to the final - and I'm sure they will - I'll take Sweeney to the Fanzone at Hagley Park to watch it with the rest of the population of the South Island. It'll be rowdy, for sure.

But in the meantime, this house is about 500% more tranquil than usual ...

Never Never

Bed's made.

Books are where they're supposed to be.

Shoes are on the rack, clothes are in the drawers.

Cars are put away.

The floor is clear.

Even the planes have been detangled on the mobile.

So where is the little hero who managed all of this today?? He's spraying the sunroom with lego now. Oh well, we can clean that room up tomorrow ...