Merry Santa Parade to All!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year's. This year we went to the Farmer's Santa Parade in Auckland City, it was lots of fun with the bands and the floats. There were so many Mini Cooper cars being used which surprised me, as well as a whole bunch of segways!

Here some pics from the Santa Parade, hope you all celebrate the season with your loved ones, and keep the joy through the next year. May you discover many things around where you live :)

 

I also did up a little video from the day, I have no clue what the Time Warp has to do with Christmass but maybe it just belongs in a parade ;)
Ho Ho Ho!!!

Decortica Live at the Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland

A quick musical interlude.

Last Monday one of my friends asked me if I liked music... and then if I liked loud music, and in the evening I found myself with her at the Kings Arms Tavern in Auckland.

 

This is one of the homes of alternative music, and the band we were seeing, Decortica, fit right in. 

Here's some before pics - the setup...

and the sound board... was kinda cool :)

The band is a merry crew of three and they have a real synchronicity going on, they play very well together, reacting off each other in each song.

 

There was also some mad lighting effects going on.

Even with the complimentary earplugs they now hand out at these 'LOUD' Live music gigs, my ears were ringing by the end of the night.

I had spent so much time basically at the stage front attempting to get some decent shots with my little camera, by the end of the evening I was feeling like a groupie!

Here's a bit of video I took on the night, this is not my style of music, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this talented bunch get up there and strut their stuff.

There ain't nothing like live music! Shinkansen, Shinkansen, Shinkansen, Shinkansen Aooooooo!

Eating at Rotorua : Fat Dog Cafe

Quirky, Quaint, Quick Quiches and liquids to Quaff... ok, maybe we didn't have the Quiche.

Fat Dog Cafe, we loved it so much we actually had dinner there 2 nights in a row, and made up a song about the place.

The Fat Dog, The Fat Dog, the name might be weird, but the food tastes great, the Fat Dog. 

Ok, so it wasn't a very long song, but we all sang it a lot. The Fat Dog has some of the best things you can find in family orientated fun casual dining.

Firstly, the decor. Almost every wall is a different colour to the wall next to it, and many of the walls have stories written on them.

No chair actually matches any other chair in the entire cafe, and many chairs have sayings painted on to them.

The tables are also uniquely painted and many of those don't match each other either.

 The menu is full of good stuff, I looooved their lamb shank on Kumera Mash, just amazing!

The roof has footprints on it, and the toilet is appropriately named.

They'll even put your food in takeaway containers, so you can head back and relax in your own hotel room to eat.

mmmMMMMMmmmmm Lamb Shank... *drool*

The Fat Dog, The Fat Dog, the name might be weird, but the food tastes great, the Fat Dog.

Beautiful Rotorua - the Scenery

We happened to be in Rotorua at the perfect time of year.

They take great care with their gardens along the streetside, and when we were there they were filled with row upon row of stunning tulips, and the tulips were in full bloom.

We simply couldn't take it all in, every street through the main part of town was stunning!

 At the front of the local buildings.

 In the middle of the roundabouts.

On the street corners.

Down the main street.

Sarah and I were so amazed, we walked to the middle of the main street for a few photos.

 

Everything was thriving... perhaps the flowers like the smell of the place... want great flowers? Throw rotten eggs on them, Rotorua Style your own home!!