Life

I love a kitchen gadget. Cooking is a passion and a source of relaxation and to be fair, I do use all the bits and bobs in my collection regularly (except perhaps the pasta machine, but it is great fun when I get it out).

Ah summer. The perfect time to pack the car, cancel the paper, ask the neighbours to collect the mail, book a bach, check the dog into a kennel, drive in lines of traffic for hours, cook for large groups in small unfamiliar kitchens and then race home in

I missed getting his photo by 10 seconds, 15 at the most.

This week we have interesting tips from far and near, from wedding dresses to tofu, along with a question about socks!

There's some pretty smart observers around when it comes to wildlife, and maybe one of the smarter ones I've come across was an old mate who lived, by choice, considerably outside the city boundaries.

David Hartnell may not be one to gossip, but is a jolly fine chap to sit and have a natter over a cup of tea with! On a grey an otherwise uninspiring day, he's an absolute ray of sunshine; polite, positive and so entertaining.

It's Christmas and that's a time for oily rag households to breakout the home brew and celebrate their frugality with low cost feasts

I don't know what it's looking like where you live but I've just scanned through the weather forecast and it predicts lousy weather right up until Christmas.

It's not often I venture into the dangerous arena of firearms ownership and use, because invariably when I do someone who has little or no understanding of guns decides I am fair game and promptly puts me - and all those like me - in their sights.

Two of New Zealand's best loved cooks had an amazing time in India recently and recorded their journey in Hot Pink Spice Saga: An Indian Culinary Travelogue with Recipes. It's a great read.