markets – The Vanninis' Manoeuvres

Next stop Kerikeri

On to Kerikeri next. Not a long drive today, just under 2 hrs with a stop or two along the way. The NZMCA park at Rainbow Falls in Kerikeri was quite empty when we arrived, however by the end of the day it was very full and busy.

Parked up at Kerikeri before the crowds arrived.

We settled ourselves in for the next few days, with a list of things we wanted to do and see before heading further north. Garry will be joining us in a couple of days.

Roy went off to visit his cousin Stuart whilst I got stuck into some chores. There’s always plenty to keep ourselves busy so it seems either that or I keep inventing jobs for myself!

Just over the fence from the NZMCA park is Rainbow Falls, and when I mean just over the fence, I mean probably only 20metres to the first viewing platform.

View of the Falls from the first viewing platform

Looking downstream at the pool beneath the falls.

It’s a lovely walk through the trees to the pool at the base of the waterfall but it was a little chilly to go for a swim.

There were markets to visit, a tiki tour around the town was had and of course a visit to the historic Stone Store. Oh and there was a bit of a ‘holiday’ from touring around that will be the subject of the next blog, before we head away further north.

Our few days here were very enjoyable and relaxed giving us a chance to restock the fridge and pantry with lots of local produce. A visit may have been made to the Makana Chocolate factory, but I cannot confirm nor deny that purchases may have been made.

We enjoyed our brief few days in Kerikeri, it’s has a lovely subtropical vibe to the place and a liveliness about it making us feel very comfortable here. We look forward to a return visit soon.

In a pickle

It’s that time of the year again, time to do some pickling, relishing, saucing and chutneying. We went to the market garden in Mangere, South Auckland to get what we needed. A few kgs of the last of their tomatoes were found for us as well as a pile of other vegetables, and at reasonable prices too.

Once back at the van, the veg were prepped and left to soak in a salt solution overnight for making Giadienera, pickled vegetables. Next courgettes and onions were sliced and brined overnight ready to make zucchini/courgette pickle before boiling beetroot ready to peel slice and then cook in the pickling liquor and bottled.

All done, top Giadienera, bottom left zucchini pickle and right beetroot

Tomatoes are being made into my version of a kind of passata which can be used to make soup, added to sauces, pastas and lots more and as we shall be heading back in the direction of the market garden later next week I shall pick up a few more tomatoes to make some relishes and sauces.

The cupboards are replenished with a few bits and pieces to keep us going over the next few months. Next we need to go fishing to replenish the freezer stocks!

Around Bristol

Another day in Bristol where we continued our adventures. Today we did a hop on hop off bus trip to see some of the sights which are further out of the central city and walking distance.

I took a screen shot of our route today, and noticed something familiar.

A suburb named Cotham, a variation of spelling of my maiden name Coatham.

Callum listening to the audio descriptions

We hopped off the bus in the town centre for lunch at the market.

Crossing another bridge looking across to old and new buildings

After lunch we returned to our bus journey around the city .

Clifton Suspension Bridge. Clifton Suspension Bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. A young and innovative engineer, he was 24 when he was appointed for the project which came about through a competition. Brunel described the bridge as ‘my first child, my darling’, and the ingenious bridge, which took 33 years to complete opening in 1864, marked the beginning of a great engineering career.

Some people thought they’d get a good selfie with the Clifton Suspension bridge as a backdrop…..until someone photobombed them!!

At the viewing platform for the suspension bridge I watched a young lady climb over the barrier at the top right of the photo, she then proceed to slide down the rock face. Apparently this is a ‘thing’, you can see the dark line in the rock face where many others have slid down before her. Eeek, not for me!

Brunel statue outside the Railway Station

View of the bridge from the Avon River side

Quakers burial ground plaque at the entrance to a small garden. Nearly 200 of the headstones that once covered the area were neatly stacked and placed in the nearby Hermit’s Cave, where they can be seen today through the gated cave opening at the back of the small garden.

Artwork of Captain Sir Tom Moore, this has been altered from the original, with a stencilled phrase removed from above his head, it said “Be your own hero – never give up!…” fangs have also been added. It begs the question – why?

After spending the day seeing the sights of Bristol we headed back home along our route we found a Roller Disco having a very good night. Callum was intrigued by the whole concept and wanted to have a go!

BUMP – roller disco along the waterfront

It was already late so we headed home ready for another days adventure tomorrow.

Pontefract

Saturday 10th September: We had a couple to hours to spare after breakfast before we were due at the reunion so with the ever patient Martin at the wheel we were back into Pontefract to search for yet another flag. You see I had messaged John to say we had been successful on our search as we had the blue flags with the white Yorkshire rose on them, and he messaged back to say could I find him as West Yorkshire flag!

Top: Yorkshire flag, Bottom: West Riding Yorkshire flag

I know what you are thinking, what a sucker you are Bernice! He even told me the shop to go to that sells them. Just as well I like to take on a challenge. We headed into Pontefract but unfortunately the shop he directed us to is no longer in existence but not to be put off, we went on a mission into the main market square to see what we could find.

After an extensive search I had no luck finding flags, however I did find Pontefract cakes. Pontefract cakes (also known as Pomfret cakes and Pomfrey cakes) are a type of small, roughly circular liquorice sweet stamped with an image of Pontefract Castle. These sweets are a family favourite, we all enjoy a bit of liquorice, the said brother in particular likes them a LOT! I may have also purchased a quantity of them but I will make sure I ration them and give him just a few at a time! Liquorice Root was grown all around this region for many centuries however over the years most of the farms have disappeared although I understand one farmer is growing it again to reintroduce the farming of liquorice back into the region.

Whilst wandering the town trying to find out where we could find a flag or two, visiting the museum, town council, and numerous shops before deciding I would forget this mission, we came across Pontefract flags being flown. Apparently they were made by the local chamber of commerce but were not for sale.

Salter Row in Pontefract, first recorded as a street in 1368.

There is plenty of history in this area but with a reunion to get to, there wasn’t any time to dilly dally. Back to the hotel where we bade fond farewells to Sue & Martin with promises made to plan another Yorkshire trip on our next visit to the UK.

Another busy few days

Another few days before we are off again and there is always plenty to keep us busy.

Alex spent a morning baking with Callum (grandma supervised) which he really enjoys.

Another afternoon and the blokes went off to the local pub whilst Roy, Alex and I were off doing other things…..I have to admit now that I can’t remember what we went off to do but I’m sure it was important!!

Ian, Matt and Callum having light refreshments

Another day Roy & Ian went off to Charleton again to watch a game of football.

Meanwhile Alex and I took Callum off to a local farm to see the animals and gardens. Callum enjoyed trying his hand at milking.

There were playground visits

And Roy and I went into Greenwich one day. We were on a mission to find a couple of books Roy had seen at the bookstore on our previous visit to Greenwich but he only now decided to purchase them. Of course the store had sold them and so plan B is sorted to get them delivered.

But whilst in the bookstore, I noted a display of books with an interesting selection grouped together.

Of course we took advantage of being near the Greenwich market and had lunch there.

Of course there were the usual trips into Bexleyheath, Abbey Wood or Crayford for shopping where no pictures were taken as these form a part of daily life. But now it’s time to head away for a few days so best I get packing!

Here, there and everywhere

We’ve been to playgrounds, parks, markets and woods, here, there and everywhere it seems. The week starts with Monday Club – Callum goes to Ian’s parents on a Monday, as well, Ian’s brother Hen goes along with his youngest Beth for the days outing and now we tag along as well.

Callum at the playground at Danson Park on an outing with the Monday Club

Looking out across Danson Park from the main house and café.

Alex and I went out one afternoon and we left Callum at home with Grandad, we came back to find them having a lot of fun with grandad having sorted out some paints and doing a bit of artwork.

Callum and Grandad showing off their art work

One late afternoon after Ian & Alex finished work we all headed off to the local playground to give Callum a run around before dinner.

Alex and Callum at the playground near their home

Another day and it was sports day at Callum’s nursery so we went along to watch the teachers trying to ~~herd kittens~~ organise the children into some semblance of order.

Callum after receiving his certificate and medal at his nursery’s sports day.

Monday Club rolled around again, this time both Alex and Ian joined in as they both had the day off work. We met up with Chris & Barry, Hen & Beth for a walk, play and picnic at Shorne Park which is about a 25 minute drive away .

Roy and Alex help Beth on the agility course

Ian supervising with the rest of the family in the background

Someone thought this machinery in the car park was the best

A few more projects have been completed around the house with shelving units built for the garden shed along with wardrobe shelves being built and installed and the under-stairs shelving also completed.

Helping granddad and mum make shelving units for the storage shed

We have managed to keep an eye on what’s happening back in NZ and even watched the All Blacks play Ireland.

Watching the All Blacks play Ireland….this was the first game, less said about the second game the better!

Bedside tables have been installed on the wall in Alex & Ian’s room and other little jobs are done so we decided it was time to head out for a bit. Alex, Roy and I went out for a nice lunch in Eynsford to a lovely pub which looked out over a small stream. We had lunchtime entertainment provided by a group of school children out for a picnic beside the stream.

This was my pathetic attempt at a selfie!! Sorry about the blurriness….or maybe it’s just your eyesight 😜.

Sunday rolled around and another market, this time at Lesnes Abbey just a short bus ride from here.

Seen at the market, a black cab converted to become a stall selling pie, mash and liquor.

I hope you have noticed the abundance of clear blue skies in the photos? I must say that it’s very warm which is reminiscent of our last visit in 2019 when temperatures again soared. Do you think we can claim that we bring the hot weather with us?

Now it’s time to spread our wings a little and travel further afield but that’s a subject for another blog.

The cost of living

A number have people have asked us the prices of various staples here in the UK so I thought I’d do a quick blog entry on basic items here in the UK and rough NZ price equivalents. The exchange rate is currently around 50p to 1NZ$, so just double the British pounds to get the NZ$ equivalent.

The first major one that is a global talking point is the price of fuel. Diesel seems to be very expensive here compared to NZ with it being more expensive than 91 grade petroleum. Today 91 is priced at £1.89 and diesel at £1.99 (roughly NZ$4 whereas in Auckland we understand 91 is retailing at around $3.03 and diesel a few cents less).

At the supermarket we did a quick price check…butter is £2.40 for 250gms, a 500gm pack which is the usual size in NZ is a rarer sight here but I did find a 500gm pack at Sainsbury’s for £3.50, which is about the same full price in NZ although we buy it when it’s on special for around NZ$5.

Milk is £1.35 For a 2.7litre bottle (4 pints) whereas it is anything upwards from $NZ4 for a 2 litre bottle.

Cheese (tasty) is £4.40 for a 550gm block, again, kilo blocks of cheese are hardly in UK supermarkets but in NZ a 1kg block of tasty cheese can be up to NZ$21 in some supermarkets. Again, we buy it when it’s on special.

Price for 4 tins Baked Beans. We don’t eat/buy these so I have no idea of the price of them in NZ but a quick look online and they are $1.99 each so I would suggest they are around the same cost.

A tin of tomatoes is 28p….and anyone buying tinned tomatoes in NZ will know that since the pandemic the price has risen considerably and it’s now hard to find a tin for under NZ$1.

A whole chicken is as low as £2.50, of course you can pay a lot more for larger sizes and free range/organic but I’m pretty sure that a standard chicken is around the NZ$10. Meat, specifically beef, is expensive in the UK as you can see from the photo below, admittedly this was taken at Borough Market where prices are much higher.

It’s difficult to compare prices of fresh fruit and veg as they are very seasonal with it summer here in the UK and winter in NZ but you can buy 2 large punnets of strawberries for £3 or NZ$6. Bananas were 78p/kilo, cauliflower 82p for a whole one, tomatoes 75p/kilo.

You can buy spirits at the local supermarket with a litre bottle of Captain Morgan Rum for around £15 whereas that would be $60 in NZ.

House prices seem to be on a par with Auckland prices, you cannot get very much for the equivalent of NZ$1million in the suburbs around London. Apartments, flats, maisonettes and the like are also similar prices to Auckland. But in other areas there are much more affordable prices depending on your budget.

Electricity and gas prices are difficult for us to compare…..but I am assured that prices have risen in some cases over 150% here in the UK over the past year making it a major expense.

Car insurance is compulsory and each driver must be named on the policy for the specific car to be road legal, something that NZ should consider, even if it’s just 3rd party insurance. No insurance? No excuses, your car is seized immediately and you make your own way home.

The cost of living and inflation rates are high on the news reel each day with some speculating inflation will rise to 11% in the UK in the next few months.

Generally we have found the cost of groceries to be about half of what we would pay at the supermarket in NZ, taking into account the exchange rate. However, we tend to think of a pound as a dollar and don’t bother to convert, otherwise we’d end up doing very little!

Out and about

The day after the birthday celebrations I went to watch Alex play her final netball game for the season, it was an important match as promotion/relegation was on the line. The game was being played in Canterbury which is about an hours drive away. It was a lovely trip there, I am always amazed how here in the UK it quickly changes from cityscape and you are suddenly in the countryside.

It was really fantastic to meet up with the players and friends of Alex again, it was a fest of greetings, hugs and talk. Alex and her team won convincingly and are now in the top grade in the county competition for next year.

The following day we were invited along to Monday Club….what is Monday Club you may ask? On a Monday Callum spends the day with Ian’s parents – Chris & Barry, brother Mike aka Hen and Hen’s youngest daughter Beth, and we were invited to tag along on the morning out. Today they had planned to go to Hall Place, an historic house and garden not too far away.

It has extensive grounds where the kids can run around and play then for a treat Nana & Grandad take them to the cafe for morning tea.

From there it was back to Chris & Barry’s for a bite of lunch before later in the afternoon we are all dropped off at home.

The next day Roy and I ventured into London city to visit Borough Markets. It’s a short walk to the next road to catch the 301 bus to Abbey Wood Station and then the train into London Bridge Station. The new Elizabeth Rail line also runs to Abbey Wood but we are not going into Paddington Station today so it’s the other line for us.

Into Borough Market on the train, the Shard, and flags flying.

I have to say that the weather has been glorious, getting up in temperature as well so those autumnal clothes we brought with us have been well and truly put in the back of the cupboard….for now!

Roy had to be dragged away from the cheese shops, but we did get a good look at the fish mongers wares as well…note the price on those sea urchins/Kina, and they were tiny, easily fitting into the palm of my hand. An export potential for some enterprising person in NZ?

A few cheeses may have been purchased as well as some fresh fish for dinner.

Another morning out and we went strawberry picking, we have been here before, actually almost 3 years ago to the day as we did the same the day before Callum was born (you can recap that entry here).

There has been plenty to keep us busy and occupied and lots more in the planning stages.

A day at the market

Time to have a day off gardening as well as give Alex a bit of space so we headed off into town to visit the Borough Market. With our Oyster cards in hand we first caught the bus from outside Alex & Ian’s house down to the train station, then onto the train for the ride into London Bridge train station. It takes around 30minutes to get into town on the train, it’s a very pleasant journey and we both commented that everything looked very familiar as we pulled into stations along the route. It all felt very much like we had come “home” – well, to familiar territory at least.

This station was under major reconstruction last year so this part of the journey was a new experience for us. The station is at the base of the Shard, the Shard is the tallest building in the UK standing 309.6m (1016 ft) and 95 stories tall.

From here it’s a short walk to Borough Market. The Market is at the southern edge of London Bridge and claims to have had a market on this site from 1016 if not earlier. Trains rattle overhead on the overpasses as we wend our way through the market streets and alleys, stopping frequently to sample goods and look at what is on offer.

Roy wandering through the stalls

Just after I took this photo I turned around to see a woman hooking her arm through Roy’s, within a moment they looked at each other with astonishment as she realised Roy was not her husband!! It turns out her husband was wearing nearly an identical Katmandhu jacket and after a bit of a laugh and talking to them, we realised they too were Kiwi’s and were on holiday in London. We chatted for some time before continuing on our separate explorations.

Now those that know Roy well will know his penchant for cheese, in fact last time we were here he was banned from buying any more cheeses until he had eaten through the stash in the fridge. So when we came across this sign, well, we just had to take his picture besides it. However he was under strict instructions from the pregnant daughter that he was not allowed to bring smelly cheeses home as apparently the smell is not one she can handle.

The next hour or two was spent wandering amongst the stalls including the fish markets.

I did purchase some fish, Gurnard to be precise as it was less than half the price of most other things on offer and on talking to the fishmonger it was not a usual fish that they have on offer. In fact he admitted that he had never eaten it himself, we told him that it was a variety that we enjoyed in NZ. On weighing the fish and telling us the price, he offered a very good discount on the advertised price plus offered to fillet and pin bone the fish. There was enough in the two very large meaty fillets for two meals for the four of us to enjoy later.

Further along there were these huge paella pans, cooked ready for the lunchtime crowds. And no we didn’t partake in it this time.

Roy’s other passion is good, flavoursome tomatoes so when we came across these beauties we just had to get a cross section to try.

After a delicious late lunch purchased from one of the stalls, it was time to think about heading back to Erith on the train reversing the steps we took earlier in the day.

Train route

I’m sure we will be returning here again very soon for another round of sampling.

Antony arrives

Back tracking a little, late Friday afternoon the week before Christmas Alex, Roy and I headed off to Heathrow to pick up Antony who was arriving after a loooong trip from Auckland to London via LA and Munich. Unfortunately we got caught up in some very heavy traffic which was then further complicated by a breakdown in one of the lanes and we ground to a complete halt for some time, and as a result we were running late.

traffic at a standstill in the rain.

We arrived a little late however Antony was through customs and had collected his luggage and was waiting for us, wearing shorts and jandals! Brrr, he might just be changing into something a little warmer once we get home. We had a good run home where we organised dinner whilst Antony had a shower to freshen up as after 36 hours of travelling all you want is a nice hot shower, a bite to eat and then bed.

The following day was spent doing a bit of shopping and getting organised in readiness for Christmas Day as Alex & Ian are hosting the day this year. Then in the late afternoon, Antony and Ian went off to a local pub to watch a football match and undoubtedly down a few pints whilst Alex, Roy and I went off to see the pantomime Cinderella at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford.

view of the stage from our seats.

The panto was hilarious with humour aimed at both adults and children, but the best part of the whole show for us was watching the young boy in front of us becoming totally involved in the show, yelling at the villain and shouting out the traditional “he’s behind you” or “watch out” or cheering on the hero/heroine. It was a really lovely night out.

The following day we all went into London to the Southbank Christmas market as well as the regular street food market a few hundred metres away. We enjoyed a variety of street food first finding some shelter from the drizzly cold weather under a marquee before we headed off to the Christmas market. We wandered around the stalls imbibing on a little mulled wine along the way, just to keep us warm of course, before deciding to adjourn to the bar under the bridge purely to stay dry on the outside.

Alex, Antony, Ian, Roy and I.

sign at the bar!

The next couple of days were spent going off to visit museums, more markets and generally getting prepared for Christmas.