Day 259 - Flower teaset

Flower teaset

Too pretty to use!

Day 250 - Rose tea set

Rose tea set

Sipping elegance

Day 231 - Coffee mugs

Coffee mugs

I was in need of a coffee fix today but had run out of ground beans to make a brew in my stove top espresso. A couple of local cafés were overly crowded at lunchtime today; on my way to try a third place I came across a shop I hadn't seen before. Coffee Creation opened just yesterday on Jackson Street, Petone - it's so new that they haven't even got their sign up outside yet.

I am really thrilled to have come across a brand new shop which sells coffee beans of all types, coffee machines, crockery, gifts and novelties, as well as a range of tea-related products. There were lots of opening specials, so I bought 100g each of Java and Metropolitan beans to try, freshly ground for my stove top espresso. I'm sipping a Metropolitan now; it's full, rich, and strong - just how I like it. And, to top things off, they were giving away free chocolates to customers! I'm sold, and I think I'll quickly become a regular. :-)

Day 57 - Fish and chips with style

Fish and chips with style
A classier take on a kiwi classic: fish and chips wrapped in newspaper

This was my Secret Santa gift at Saturday's mid-winter Christmas party. Actually, it was the third of my gifts but, being a Yankee swap, I had two gifts ungraciously stolen from right in front of my nose! The first was a gorgeous toy sheep, which baaed when you squeezed it. This was ultimately 'stolen' three times and the third 'thief' reigned supreme as the winner. My second gift was a reusable fold-up shopping bag (which I never imagined would be stolen, but Mr Practical decided it was perfect for him). Finally, I went in search of something which had caught my eye earlier: this cute porcelain French fries cup with matching sauce bowl.