Surprise vintage

The sun has returned. I have hung out some washing in celebration. 

Bean has been celebrating by lying on all her favourite sun-drenched beds one by one throughout the day. I swear she's been smiling.

And of course there was no discussion whatsoever about whether or not to have a walk...

Our total rainfall for the three days was 63.5mm: a goodly amount which is enough to give everything a boost and not enough to cause any damage. We were fortunate to be on the outer edge of the system which centred on Dunedin and Clutha - to our south. They are having a horrible time clearing up the mess delivered by the deluge. And it will take a while.

Today was the day to replenish the chutney supply in the kitchen, which required a trip to the cool store to gaze in wonder at the shelves of preserves, and to decide what to open next.

To my surprise I found this jar of Tomato and Bean Chutney from 2014 hidden behind some 2018 and 2019 varieties on the bottom shelf.

It was made when I was living in Oxford (NZ, not UK), when I was still working full time, stressed beyond reason, and when I had little idea that my dream lifestyle would become reality just three short years after I filled this bottle.

Writing this down makes me realise how fast it all happened. I left work in mid-2015, I moved to North Otago in mid-2016, I moved into Chez Mima in mid-2017. Since that flurry I have stayed put, although hardly idle.

The chutney tastes fantastic by the way.