There are so many things to love about Christchurch. So many things that go beyond the family and friends that we have there. The resilience of the community shows itself in the tenacious way they have clung to each other and their city through the earthquakes that have wracked them.
It is amazing to see the centre of town being rebuilt using shipping containers. Shipping containers as shops, shipping containers as banks, shipping containers as a mall … Would you like to know more?
First and foremost it must finally be Summer! Windows have begun sprouting school satchels, which means that school is over and someone has passed their exams!
We had a night celebrating a little while ago, Would you like to know more?
Along with several thousand other people, we made our way to the Prinsengracht to watch the Amsterdam 2012 Pride Parade on Saturday.
The Parade was as wonderful as any I’ve been to or participated in. Though it was interesting to watch the crowd, as I’ve never seen a crowd so difficult to rile up! Only one float got a real reaction out of them in the 4 hour parade, and that was the group doing the actions to YMCA.
My large camera brings all the boys to my yard … ?
These guys were wonderful and everyone did stop and respond when the bugle played and they saluted the crowds.
The queens.
The queen Queen. Good ol’ Bea!
Some of the expressions I captured were just priceless!
The Dancers are always full of energy! (I’m not sure anything could have stopped this guy!)
There is s unique logistical problem with holding the Parade on the canals. For the first time ever, I’ve seen the floats actually float. But they also have to get under bridges. So what you get, is a lot of floats being air filled, like jumping castles, that get hauled down and deflated at the last minute.
Though this solution was elegantly executed also …
The other popular theme this year was ticker tape cannons. So I’ll leave you today with this shot.
Have a Rainbow filled day, and life, My Fabulous Fishies! *air kisses*
I know it was a few days ago now, but I thought I’d share a little local colour with you! And that colour, was Orange.
On Queen’s Day every year, everyone gets their orange on and hits the streets to celebrate Queen Beatrix’s Birthday. Though Queen Beatrix was born on 31 January, the holiday is observed on 30 April as it was the birthday of her mother and predecessor, Juliana. (Follow the link above for more information)
We stayed to the Centrum given where we began from and the fact that not only were we on foot, but the entirety of the public transport system was not operational owing to the sheer magnitude of people that converge on the city centre.
I actually wish we’d been closer to Vondel Park and the activities there, or that crossing Amsterdam on foot to get there wasn’t such an epic journey through the crowds.
But we had a LOT of fun watching the party boats on the canals!
I’d love to be on a boat next year! Just ambling our way around waving at everyone. Or dancing our way around the canals.
It was all so loud, and the City such a mess (I have to get used to outdoor urinals I guess) that it was kind of a relief to get home.
You might want to turn the volume down on your speakers before pressing play on the video!
But still, I can say that we have partied our first Queens Day! Happy Koninginnedag everyone!!!
As an interesting side fact, there were 100,000 LESS people in Amsterdam for Queen’s Day than there were last year!
I had this recipe saved as a favourite on my allrecipes.com phone app for the longest time, just waiting for the perfect opportunity and occasion to splash out. That occasion presented itself this weekend, and it was off to the Sydney Fish Market to pick up the juiciest piece of salmon we could find!
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of white wine
1 tablespoon of honey
100mls balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
6 Salmon fillets (approx 100-140g each) with skin on
Obviously we got 2 pieces at about 300g each.
It’s summarised as “A glaze featureing balsamic vinegar, garlic, honey, white wine, and Dijon mustard makes baked salmon filets extraordinary.”
1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat; add garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in the white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Take off the heat and add the oregano.
3. Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down on the prepared baking tray. Brush the fillets with Balsamic Glaze.
4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush the fillets with remaining glaze. Use an egg slice to transfer fillets to a serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the tray.
As you can see, I paired it with the current favourite of beans, asparagus & prosciutto. To drink we had a Pendfolds bin 128 2008 shiraz. (We were celebrating after all!)
I cannot fully describe to you how wondrous this dish is! It seemed seriously restaurant quality, and I kept having to remind myself that I had done it! Highly recommended!
ghoti industries 