food travel life: It’s as if we didn’t plan it at all

Has anything ever not gone quite right for you?

No?
Get out.

This weekend is all about things not going quite to plan.
Part of the problem was the actual lack of planning to begin with…

…then there was just the little bit of bad luck…

…a small incy amount of stupidity (on my part)…

…and maybe a bit forgetfulness.

Despite the hiccups, another four ticks have been added to my list and we’re now at 20/62.

Here we go…

Saturday morning was very relaxed.
Shuffling about home.
Eating breakfast while reading the paper.
All good things.
My mother and I took the dog to the beach for a walk. It was all far too lovely really.

But then, suddenly, I realised the time. It was 2:00…we hadn’t had lunch and the deli I wanted to go to for something different was closing at 3:00. I didn’t know what time our lunch destination closed…but surely not as early as that deli?! There was no time to take Jed home. So I drove…not knowing the address…relying on mum to know despite knowing nothing.

We were looking for a place called Pyrenees Deli on Remuera Rd. I knew they also had a deli and café…but that was in Mt Albert. Remuera Rd is quite long. And we truly had no idea. I stopped three times and asked numerous people. I finally got an answer from a guy in another café…we’d driven past it. About four or five blocks back. We raced back. Parked. It was very hard not to laugh a little when we did get to it…

…I was driving on the opposite side of the road just searching for the word Pyrenees. You can hardly see it in this photo. I had no chance.

Anyway…we got there at 2:30. Turns out I got a few things wrong.

#1. THIS was the deli and café.

#2. THIS actually closed at 3:30.

#3. The deli (in Mt Albert…where I was really wanting to go) didn’t close till 6:00.

But I bought some cheese (which was all the list said to do) and we went on our way.

We then had to find our way to the Pukeko Bakery in Parnell. Mum navigated perfectly and we arrived (I knew the address for this one) at 2:55.

They were closing at 3:00. Meaning the cupboards were a little bare.

But we got a few goodies and went to the Domain to eat them. We had a croissant (which we ate with our comté cheese), blueberry custard pastry and chocolate brownie.

Despite everything tasting wonderfully delicious (the brownie being my highlight), there was a hint of resignation as I realised, once again, I had made a bit of a boo boo. I picked up my list as I was munching on some blueberry delight and realised I was supposed to buy some of their ‘homemade artisan bread’. In the rush of the afternoon and the enticing remains of their pastry selection, I forgot what I was actually doing. Which, let's be honest, is a little annoying.

Although frustrated with the world (because my problems are clearly very important), my mood lifted slightly (although possible not visibly) when my iPod shuffled, and this happened…

…*slash* this didn’t really happen. But I was tapping my fingers on the steering wheel with more enthusiasm than what had previously been displayed.

I then spent the evening cooking a meal using a few strands of the saffron I bought way back when.

I found a recipe for lamb tagine…from the quick look I had before printing, it seemed pretty good. Now don’t get me wrong…it was yums…to quote my dad, “this is good”…*a few minutes past*…“mmm, yes this is good”.

But there were two issues I had with this recipe…laziness and lying.

First of all, never write ‘combine the first 8 ingredients’…there are some people who can’t count and end up mixing the first 9 ingredients together. It’s not fair on those people. Whoever they are.

And secondly, DO NOT call your recipe a tagine if you don’t intend to use a tagine to cook it in.

Me no understando.

It was yummy though. The saffron truly does do magical things.

Then, this morning was a much delayed birthday breakfast for Niki. We were all to meet at Queenies Lunchroom in Freemans Bay at 8:00. I had this dream (not whilst sleeping…an actually ‘I-really-hope-this-happens moment) as I was on my way (an even better reason for it to not be while I was sleeping) that as I entered the motorway both Nelly and Niki would pull up next to me and we would all drive in together. Amazingly, about a kilometre later half my dream came true when Nelly pulled up beside me near the Harbour Bridge. It was so romantic.

We got to our destination and waited in Nelly’s car for Niki.

At 8:02 I txt Niki just to make sure she was all good and not lost. After some minutes has past and we had not heard back, nor had she turned up, we gave her a call.

The phone rang.

And then it rang some more.

Finally there seemed to be an answer.

Yet there was silence.

Then I heard a, “arhhh”

More silence.

“I FORGOOTTTT”