"...well it's hard to be happy, in a world thats so cruel...

...where the weak just get weaker

where the powerful feud

where the children go hungry

while the soldiers stand by

lay down your weapons 

take hold of your lives

and when will we learn

that its hate that breads hate

only love is the cure

dont leave it to late

get up, and feel it

the truth that wont wait

if we choose to do nothing

then we take all the blame..."

- Fat Freddy's Drop

Lyrics that make my body shiver and send goosebumps up and down my arms.

Fat Freddy's Drop are a 7 piece New Zealand band that are a mixture of funk/soul/house/jazz/ska/reggae whose music makes you get up and dance (even if your not a dancer - just ask the BF!).

I am lucky enough to have seen these guys jam twice already this year, the most recent time on Saturday night at the O2 Academy in Bristol, and even with my high expectations and excitement overload, they did not disappoint. They had the entire crowd (the gig was sold out, as usual) dancing and singing their lyrics back to them, and the band looked like they were loving it!

I can't get enough of these guys and urge anyone who hasn't heard of them, to look them up and have a listen, they really are amazing!

As you can probably tell, I had a pretty good Saturday night, and honestly, the rest of my weekend was pretty good too! I managed to get out for 2 runs (still following From Couch to 5k, and loving it!), went out for lunch and to watch a football game with the BF, played a big family game of Trivial Pursuit (my team won!), and had a very productive cleaning day on Sunday. By Sunday evening, I was totally relaxed and looking forward to the week ahead (although my body/brain had other ideas about getting up at 7am this morning...).

A family game of Trivial Pursuit was a great way to spend a Friday night in, and I do love a good board game. Trivial Pursuit is normally my least favourite, unless teamed up with the BF (who seems to be able to hold a HUGE amount of general knowledge, the more random the fact the better), so luckily I was paired with him and I only had to contribute to a few answers! There's just something really daunting about answering general knowledge questions, maybe because I feel my general knowledge isn't all that sharp, and its pretty embarrassing when you don't know the answer to a pretty easy sounding geography question. However we did have a lot of fun, and I managed to get a few questions right, winning was definitely thanks to the BF but I was happy to be included in the victory. 

Fingers crossed it's Scrabble next weekend!

Do you like to play board games? Do you have a favourite? 

I am always on the lookout for new games to play, especially as Winter is on its way which will mean more cosy nights in with the family, board games, hot chocolates and mulled wine. I'm actually pretty excited by the prospect!

Hope you all had great weekends, and are having exciting fun filled weeks!

Love HanneeNz

x

Adventure South

So it's been nearly a week since we got back from our Southern Roadie and I am still feeling the post holiday blues.

Our road trip was perfect. Better than I ever could have imagined. We played loud music in the car, danced about in our seats (which resulted in funny looks from other road users), ate white chocolate, fudge and jaffa cakes for lunch, and finally made it to Bournemouth mid afternoon last Friday. We were met by beautiful sunny skies and a salty fresh sea breeze and I instantly felt like I was on holiday.

It was lovely seeing the relatives but the nicest part was all the time the BF and I got to ourselves. We spent the weekend being big kids and had an absolute ball, laughing hysterically most of the time. 

We went, to a waterslide park, 10 pin bowling, for lunch at an 'every-type-of-food-imaginable' buffet, to dinner at a gorgeous restaurant, enjoyed a luxury home-made cakes and scones afternoon-tea party, to a nightclub opening to listen to a soul and reggae band and had a beginner surfing lesson! All in 2 days!

The surfing lesson was 2 hours of pure fun, and by the end of it I was exhausted. You may think that as a young girl, growing up in NZ I would have had plenty of opporutnity to learn how to surf, but unfortunately the town where I grew up, was not known for its waves and I missed out on that particular beachside sport. So thank goodness I have discovered it now!

Waiting nervously before the lesson...

Learning (very slowly) how to stand up. I was very pleased with myself!

Okay so the waves wern't huge and I dont exactly look comfortable on there yet, but I sure am going to give it another go!
Next holiday, definitely a surf based one!

Tagged!

It's taken me a little while to respond to Curly J's tag on Running From Cupcakes, as my weekend was full on and tonight is really the first moment of free time I have had since last Wednesday! I am definitely not complaining, I have had a great few days, but I hope you can forgive me for being a little slack.

The idea of this tag is to answer some fun questions and in turn ask your fellow bloggers the questions too....Check out my answers to the questions Curly J asked me.....

1. Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate?
I am all about the dark choccy! The darker the better, I just love that slightly bitter taste combined with the sweetness. My favourite at the moment is by Green & Blacks and a block usually lasts me quite a while as I can only manage a few pieces at a time. The BF is rather partial to a bit of white chocolate so sometimes I will treat him (and me!) to a block to share.

2. What's your favourite colour?
I don't really think I have a favourite colour, there are loads I love but all for different things...
To wear - I love grey, navy blue, and black.
Cheers me up - YELLOW
Girly indulgence - Pink. I don't wear a lot of pink but I do love pink accessories, like nail polish, purses, lipstick, shoes, key rings. A hint of pink always makes me feel gorgeous.


3. Do you have any creative hobbies?
I like to dance in my kitchen, bake delicious cakes, scrapbook memories, sing in the shower....

4. What was your favourite subject in school?
French without a doubt! I had a fantastic teacher for all 5 years I was learning, and a great group of friends to learn along side of. I went on some fantastic trips - one to Noumea in New Caledonia and one to Paris on an exchange, we ate pastries once a month in class and sometimes were treated to Chocolat Chaud if we were good! I spoke French as often as I could and even enjoyed entering regional French speaking competitions - now that is love!
I'm not sure what started my obsession with all things French but I've still got it and it just keeps getting stronger, I can't wait to pick it back up when I go to university, and am already browsing French books for potential reading material.

5. What is your favourite season and why?
I love the inbetween seasons because they start the big season build up.

I love Autumn as Im usually tired of the heat of summer and look forward to wrapping up warm in coats and scarves. I love the crunch of fallen leaves under my feet as I walk to work and the changing colours - so many beautiful reds, oranges and yellows. Autumn has begun here, and I am pretty excited!
I love Spring because of all the new beginnings. Baby birds, lambs, daffidols, cherry blossom, the evenings getting warmer and longer and lazy afternoons in the park.

In saying that, I also love Summer and Winter.Summer brings family trips to 'The Lake' and Winter means snow on the mountains and weekend ski-trips. As you can see, I'm pretty happy no matter what the season!


6. Who inspires you to sing like crazy when no one is around?
Fat Freddys Drop - My all time favourite band.
A fantastic New Zealand group - soul, reggae, ska, 'roots'. You really have to hear it to believe it. BF and I always sing our hearts out when listening to their music. We are lucky enought to be seeing them in Bristol next month and I am so excited! I plan on being at the front, next to the stage and will dance my socks off and sing all night long.

7. What is your favourite dessert? Can you make it?
Creme Brulee and I haven't tried to make it but I will! My beautiful Mumma makes a delicious one and I bought her a kitchen blow torch recently so that she can get the perfect golden top without using the grill! (To be fair, hers were still fantastic even before the fancy torch!)


8. How did you learn to cook?
All thanks to my wonderful Mumma! She truly is a kitchen goddess. My childhood was filled with cakes, cookies, cupcakes, brownie, puddings and desserts, not to mention stunning home cooked meals that were delicious and nutritious. I was thoroughly spoiled.
When the BF and I spent 3 months in NZ between Dec - Mar this year we both threw our healthy eating plans out the window and succumbed to diets of sweet and savoury treats. The BF (who is 5ft 11 with a very sporty, fit body), claims that if he had grown up in my home he would be the size of a daddy whale.
It is all thanks to her that I have such a love of cooking and we frequently swap recipes and tips over the phone and email.

Now to tag some of my favourite bloggers in the hope that they too will give us a little insight into their fave choccy/subjects/colour.

Inspirations by D
Jin Curly + Nerdy
Julies Blog
My Favourite Fashion
My Teacups in Peony
Pastor Girls Ponderings
Unconventionally Beautiful
Capture the Moment

Love Me. x