Charlie has a new ginger friend...a kitten called Flynn. He turned up for the first time on Tuesday and has been round most days to chase and play fight with Charlie.
He is very playful much to Charlie's annoyance...and he often stops for a little rest until Flynn pounces on his tail again.
Our annual trip with Darryl & Alistair to Taste of Auckland held at Victoria Park. Fortunately the rain held off for us today after the rain that greeted the crowds yesterday.
As always there were lots of fantastic dishes to sample - firstly razor back pig belly with apple, celery and toasted farro from Clooney restaurant.
Our favourite dish of the day was duck leg, penang custard, coconut, micro herbs, peanut and lychee from a new restaurant The Commons based in Takapuna - a must visit now.
Another interesting and tasty dish was wild deer, earth baked kowiniwini, fern curd, blackberry and malt soil from Kermadec Fine, normally famed for their fish dishes they can also do meat just as well. 
There were some kiwi celebrity chefs around, including Josh Emett, a Masterchef New Zealand judge and Gordon Ramsey protege, who was doing a cooking presentation.
Alistair participated in a cocktail making masterclass, learning how to make mojitos, so we will be getting him to put his learnings into practice when we are away at New Year.
There were also several craft beer stalls there as this market grows ever bigger, Royston had to sample some to make sure they were up to scratch.
My company Christmas do was a little early this year...in November, but they picked a great location - the roof top terrace at Rydges hotel in the city with views out over the harbour.
The room was nicely decorated and the perfect size for the company. We had a buffet dinner of ham, roast chicken, salads and veges washed down with plenty of Pinot Gris.
The view was just as spectacular at night with all the city lights and across to the North Shore.
This afternoon we had a good walk around the estate to see more of the new houses and roads that are being constructed.
Some houses have a great view over the estuary and out to Orewa beach.
We have now started to make progress with the side and back garden. Half the grass/weeds are now in dying mode ready for us to mulch over for our native planting. The painting of the fence has also begun...
The back has been split between lawn and preparation for the mulching. The wine barrels will be our small vege garden.
Our accommodation for the weekend was a smal cabin called the Love Shack, situated at Okere Falls on the shore of Lake Rotoiti, about 20kms east of Rotorua.
The view from the cabin was rather nice, and we could have used the rowing boat or kayaks if we had felt energetic...
The view across the lake. A lovely spot for a relaxing weekend of doing not a lot.