Bonking in New Zealand: a slight difference of language

Dave went to a conference recently and met someone who convinced him to take part in the Taupo Cycle Challenge.  'A little ride around a lake', he thought.  'Should be nice and level'.  Ummmm, Dave - Lake Taupo is not exactly small.  And after agreeing to the idea, he discovered that the perimeter is not exactly level either.  And the race route is 160km.  Oh well, at least it's an excuse to buy more kit - viz, a road bike and new bike shoes.

Then last week, Dave came home from work with a bike magazine that a colleague had lent to him and there on the cover was this perplexing offer:

Superstar Reuben

We've written before about Reuben and his vivid imagination, so we thought you'd be interested in proof of this other than complicated plots and plans involving his teacher, whoopee cushions and robot snakes.

Why we are currently not welcoming vampires

Do you know what 1 kilo of garlic looks like?

Flying high

Tilly in charge of steering, Reuben offering helpful advice

We had some gorgeous winter weather one weekend recently (we've also had lots of rain this winter in case you're feeling too jealous) so went down to our local beach with the children in the afternoon and took the kites with us.

What we have been eating recently 1

You know me folks, I'm really into my cooking (and eating the fruits of my labours), so I thought it would be good to post occasionally about what's been happening in the kitchen here in Auckland and share some of the triumphs and disasters.  My original plan was to take you on a tour of Kiwi specialities, but I haven't got round to testing anything yet, so here's something from - of all places - Austria instead.

Grab one quick, these don't last long!

Little messages

We've had some mysterious messages appear round the house recently.  Given the focus on bodily functions, we suspect a certain 6 year old might have had something to do with this...

Semple Burdekins - book your seats now!

Well folks, we thought we'd give you an advance opportunity to book front row seats to an exclusive interactive performance coming this Christmas.  That's right, not one, not two, not even three or four, but five, yes five moving, breathing, talking (well maybe not the youngest) Semple Burdekins will be appearing in England for a limited time over three weeks in December and January.