%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  is paved with good intentions... |
|
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Hi, I'm Elle. I'm based in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm the mother of two young adults, the wife of an entrepreneurial gamer and the Queen of Unfinished Projects. This blog will contain poems, short stories, possibly photos and book reviews if you're lucky, and my thoughts on a variety of topics. Hope you enjoy it. |
Vivid blues and sweeping gold are marred by a stain, front and center, that refuses to fade into the background. Set against dramatic reds and depressive blacks, it would have gone unnoticed. Focus on the blues that aren't red. Focus on the gold that isn't black. But your eye is drawn, again and again, to the stain and the reminder that perfection is unnattainable. Form: Free verse Lines: 17 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| I have three Americans coming to visit next month. I met Beth on Livejournal back in 2001. Back then, her daughter was about one year old, and I was expecting my first child. Since then, Beth and I have rarely been out of contact. We've never met though. Next month, her daughter is coming to New Zealand with her boyfriend and her dad. I wish Beth was coming too, but alas. So these are people I kind of know from online, but also kind of don't know. It's a weird situation. They're primarily here to go to Hobbiton, so that's easily arranged. The two kids (who are both in their early twenties) want to do walks and see the sights, which is easy enough, provided the weather plays ball. May is late autumn here, so it might rain, but there's not much we can do about that. The husband, however, is a fairly large guy who says he won't be capable of doing much walking. Which is fine, we can work around that. I don't want him to feel like he's spending the whole week sitting on the sidelines though, while the young people do all the fun stuff. So I asked him what his interests were and he said 'Lord of the Rings and food'. Okay. I can work with that. I had an idea of creating a sort of bucket list / scavenger hunt kind of thing, whereby he can try some foods that you can only get here in New Zealand. I've had fun putting the list together with the help of my family, and I have definitely learned some new things while researching the foods. I did NOT know that scorched almonds, afghan biscuits and ginger crunch are NZ-only!  And I genuinely thought Crunchie bars and Milo were a NZ-only thing but they're NOT!  So yeah, I've actually learned quite a lot as I put this list together.I'd love some opinions on it. Do you think I should leave it as just the NZ-only foods? Am I missing anything? Is anything in the wrong category? Would it be helpful to categorise them into sweets, seafood, etc? Endemic foods (only found in NZ or indisputably originated here):  Whitebait fritters Paua Kina Pineapple lumps Kiwiburger L&P Manuka honey Hokey pokey ice cream Bluff oysters Hangi Chocolate fish Kiwi onion dip Lolly cake Jelly Tip Afghan biscuit Ginger slice (also known as ginger crunch) Green lipped mussels Pixie Caramel Pinky bar Mince and cheese piesNative foods (found in NZ and Australia, but both countries claim it as their own): Pavlova ANZAC biscuits Flat white Custard square (also known as a vanilla slice) Fairy bread Moro bar Scorched almonds JaffasIntroduced foods (that we love and have adopted as our own):  NZ lamb with roast kumara Feijoa Marmite Fish and chips Crunchie bar Tim Tam Lamington Milo |
Here are the books I've read so far this year and the ratings I gave them: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop Prince and Assassin by Tavia Lark Prince in Disguise by Tavia Lark Cold Shadow by Mercy Celeste Nicked: Nordin by Nora Phoenix Brute by Kim Fielding  Prince and Pawn by Tavia Lark Double Play by E M Lindsey The One Decent Thing by Eliot Grayson Dangerous by Charlie Cochet and Macy Blake Taking Flight by A L Lester Dirty Laundry by Richard Pink and Roxanne Emery The Blacksmith and the Ex-Con by Jackie North Deefur Dog by R J Scott Hero by Kiki Burrelli Aisle Be There by Charlie Cochet Silent Luna by Sabrina Noury (re-read) Squirrel Circus by Holly Day A Warlock Called Jacob by Michelle Frost A Hellhound Called Derek by Michelle Frost Out of the Shadows by Jamie Lynn Miller Get Off My Case by Lisa Oliver The Beta's Vampire by Beth Laycock His Fragile Heart by Jamie Lynn Miller An Embrace To Hearten Me by Michele Notaro The Bodyguard's Prince by Caroline Lee Frat House Rulez by Kayci Morgan Heat for Sale by Leta Blake Coast to Coast by RJ Scott and V L Locey Powder & Pavlova by Jay Hogan A New Pack For New Year by Kiki Clark Forever Asher by Rhys Everly The Dragon Heir's Omega by London Kemaker I need to do some reviews for Shaye  's activity. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
does your family know how many people you know?
