Happy Lunar NY - Year of the Tiger

I really must stop talking to people at bus stops – not even 6 degrees of separation!!! Dancing salsa last night with the chauffeur of a lady I met before Christmas on the train to Woodside - my train buddy’s connected to my salsa buddy… quite by chance as I wandered the streets of Wellington the first 24 hours of Year of the Tiger was adorned with people from all decades and the main continents of my life – close friends from student & teaching days, au pairing & dog-sitting, along with family (& more specifically multiple-sister) connections; triplets from Spain, even a passenger from my trip to Borneo surprised me as I walked into the Matterhorn lemington lounge, Ecuatorian nomad ties adding a Latin-American touch & ‘azucar’ on the salsa floor. All this mixed in with calligraphy & emperors robes, celtic & tango music, paua fritters & salmon on cedar, washed down with ale & sauv. blanc… glittery valentines stickers, Cuban connections followed by Spartacus extras from differing British Isles sheltering in an Irish bar drinking threatening cocktails. After a washing of double-water to walk home, headscarves went back in place dreaming of slightly tamer Iranian nights dancing in the desert at the caravanserai. This is what happens when you leave home too often & get back far too late!!! Happy Lunar New Year from the eternal tinker - it's looking like a great one!

RECIPE for LONG LIFE

An uong dieu do
Hoat dong binh thuong
Khong thuoc giam bia
Sinh ly dieu do

(Thanks to Master Tam who always found me slightly off balance at my 5.30am taekwondo classes)

Everything in moderation...