YAY

What a great couple of weeks, been SO RELAXED but SO COLD. Temperatures here have gone insane with the average in the mornings when I am driving to work being around 3-4 degrees! Yikes! With ice on the car, frost on the grass - crazy. But anyway, more of what we have been up to.

Last weekend we had the MOST idyllic time with our best male friend John at his bach (holiday home in NZ talk) in Orua Bay, Manukau Heads, which is about an hour and a quarter out of Auckland. Bliss! Nothing to do but eat, drink (we did ALOT of that - the joys of John being the Retail Manager for one of New Zealand's best known wine brands Coopers Creek) sleep, read, play cards and generally R-E-L-A-X. Check out the pics for an idea!

Also last night (Wed 9th July) we met up with great friends Rob and Jen who are off to the big bag land of Australia to live. We agreed to all meet at Blakenberge Beer Cafe, which is situated in Takapuna and is a traditional Belgium Pub, with Belgium Ales, Food and surrounds. What a great place! The beer was divine - for those of you that know me you know I like to drink - but have NEVER been a beer fancier - but thought what the heck when in Rome - so anyway as I know nothing about beer and do like sweet things, so spoke to the bar lady and after much discussion I ordered a raspberry based beer - a Timmermans Framboise - gosh it WAS beautiful but at - eek! $12.50 a glass I won't be hurrying to buy that again.

And tonight (Thursday) we are off to the opening day of Mamma Mia at the movies - can't wait. Ian is STILL unemployed (has had the odd bit of contracting work - nothing definate) he is getting a bit down so hopefully a bit of ABBA and the Greek Islands will work the trick.

I was a HUGE ABBA fan in the 70's but for some reason the show of Mamma Mia never appealed. I hope tonight I am proved wrong. As everyone knows now a days going to the movies is NOT a cheap date and I usually wait for the DVD to come out and just purchase it - works out much cheaper normally but am hoping that this will be just the thing for a cold winters eve in Auckland.