Flavor of the Month: July

Queenstown

View of the ranges on the way to Cardrona

Last Sunday morning I flew with my Dad down to Queenstown, a surprisingly small skiing village in the South Island. What ensued on the following four days was mainly eating and skiing, with the odd bit of sightseeing thrown in. The village is great for eating out - my favourites include Fergburger, Winnie's Pizza, Amisfield Winery & Patagonia chocolates. But one cannot ignore it's true purpose. Thanks to a light sprinkling of snow on Wednesday, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Coronet Peak ski fields offered fresh powdery skiing for the week. I could say more, but I think the pictures below speak for themselves…

beetroot, apple, celeriac soup from Amisfield

The Remarkable Sweet Shop in Arrowtown

Dad's half-demolished Fergburger, "Sweet Bambi"

Getting better

Being sick sucks, but the light at the end of this germ-ridden tunnel is the feeling of 'hey, my throat doesn't heart anymore' or 'I shouldn't need this medicine tomorrow', and just that general feeling of wellbeing that you yearn for when you've got five layers of clothing on indoors and you're still feeling a chill. Hot lemon & honeys (with ginger, if you have it) helps. So do vitamin C and eccanacshia tablets. Or, you know, not getting sick in the first place.

My hot lemon, honey & ginger and Dad's pint at the Historic Cardrona Hotel

Correspondence

Old-school postbox in Arrowtown

Gone are the days when "the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail". Thanks, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and company, and even their predecessor - email. As much as the lovely internet is convenient, writing and receiving letters is personal, thoughtful and nostalgic. I wrote postcards to two of my friends from Queenstown, one friend is fairly local with the other far far away, while my Mum completed her weekly letter to my sister who's at University this morning. To be honest, I write letters because I like to receive them. When you open your mailbox to find a hand-written envelope addressed to you, the world's a better place.