The Australians' dominance over the Indians in this summer's cricket tests has been a source of much enjoyment and if the wind swirled and the rain threatened, we were quite content to curl up on cosy lounges and settle in for most of the day. If we ventured out, it was to replenish stocks or to take advantage of one of our favourite restaurants, making sure we didn't venture too far from the "hearth"!
We've seen both "Mission Impossible 4" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" on recent weekends and enjoyed both of them immensely. I was a late uptake on the Millennium series, but I devoured them when I finally got to read them. Cass was a fan as well, and the film version of the first book did what all great film adaptations do, that is, give the film a concise and necessary edit. Hopefully the next two films will continue this trait, as the they both needed a trim, especially the 3rd one. Mission Impossible was great fun as well, plenty of seat gripping action, spectacular stunts and clever tongue-in-cheek dialogue: nothing like a modern action film that has the guts to take the mickey out of itself....refreshing!
We've also been to "Eat Burger", our super favourite burger joint and ventured out on our wedding anniversary to the quaintly captioned "Yummy Town" (yes, really!). It was a real find and we enjoyed a multi-course meal, a fine NZ fillet steak and a bottle of French red wine for lunch on Sunday: Cass surprised herself being so bold, drinking so much wine on a "school night"....she's just going nuts in her more mature vintage, don't you reckon?(!)
Well, just as we were getting used to the weekly grind again, we're set for another break at the end of the week to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, not that we're complaining! Shops and restaurants will close and traffic will slow to a bumper-to-bumper crawling snarl over the week. Therefore, looks like we'll be set for a fair bit more hibernating, although I'm sure we'll venture out for a surf, movie, meal, hike, party or two along the way!
Photos: Year 'o the dragon, Spice Shop (yes, again!), another great sign, the boys at Uli's, cricket lounging, Cass window shops down Chung Shan, our new bonsai, and on the verandah after we returned from Yummy Town. I'm reading my 3rd Lee Child, Jack Reacher book in a row ("Die Trying") to break from my heavy reading of late and Cass is reading "The Summer Without Men" by Siri Hustvedt, to continue hers!
