Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Yay Feijoa Season

Wikipedia: Feijoa also known (but not in New Zealand) as Pineapple Guava. The fruit, maturing in autumn, is green, ellipsoid and about the size of a chicken's egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavor. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly-like seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty, opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked from the tree prior to the drop to prevent bruising.
Like the closely-related guava, the fruit pulp has a gritty texture which is used in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Feijoa fruit have a distinctive smell. The aroma is due to the ester (methyl benzoate) and related compounds.
German botanist Otto Karl Berg named Feijoa after João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese botanist born in the colony of Brazil
The fruit is usually eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon.[3] The fruit have a juicy sweet seed pulp, and slightly gritty flesh nearer the skin. The flavour is aromatic and sweet. If the utensils needed to eat it this way are not available, the feijoa can be torn or bitten in half, and the contents squeezed out and consumed. An alternative is to bite the end off and then tear the fruit in half length ways, exposing a larger surface with less curvature. The teeth can then scrape the pulp out closer to the skin, with less waste.
A feijoa can also be used as an interesting addition to a fruit smoothie, and can be used to make feijoa wine or cider and feijoa infused vodka. It is also possible to buy Feijoa yogurt, fruit drinks, jam, ice-cream, etc. in New Zealand. The Feijoa can also be cooked and used in dishes where one would use stewed fruit. It is a popular ingredient in chutney.


For the last two years we have been out of the country when feijoa season has rolled around which has troubled me greatly. There is nothing like tasting the first fruit of the season but this year it is especially great hving missed 2 in a row.It is certainly one of the perks of being here so long! There is always an over abundance on the trees in every second house so we are being well supplied. I wish this was "smelloblog"or  "tasteoblog" because honestly - if you haven't tried feijoas - you are missing out big time!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Sunny Sunday

Everyone in the circuit was at the Special Assembly Day (we are joining Aarons at his in 2 weeks time) so we had a nice lazy day. We were going to be very energetic but as you can see that didn't quite happen. The weather has been gorgeous although everyone is crying out for rain - they say the Kiwi's (that's the bird - not the fruit) are even coming out during the day in search of food as the ground in some places is so dry! As they are a nocturnal bird - that really is quite serious. We left Cuenca in the midst of a drought too - maybe we are bringing the weather with us where ever we go?
This Mount Maunganui and lots of people walk or run up it on a daily basis.
The stairs leading up to the track were enough for us though!
So we stopped and admired the view from there

Playing on the shell beach is  more our style

Oh and Eating Big Fat Gelatos!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

el grupo de ministerio en español por primera vez

Mark and I were very privileged this morning to attend the inaugural Spanish ministry group here in Wellington. All apart from the Brother and Sister in the very front - Edouardo and Marina - are learners and this was the very first time they got together to preach. We split up and went with various car groups and all in my car got to do their presentation - actually they were concentrating on inviting the householders to the special talk - then I would  offer the mags or whatever. We met an Argentinean, Venezuelan, Peruvian and another unidentified foreign lady. It was a good morning all round and I am sure the newbies really enjoyed speaking their spanish!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Spanish Witnessing

Well we have finally been doing some Spanish witnessing and it has been awesome!

Yesterday we talked to a Colombian woman who has only been in NZ for a few months and has no english whatsoever! She has refugee status here after her husband was murdered and now she is here with her 4 very young children (actually she arrived pregnant). What a sad story and how frightening it must be to be in another country not being able to speak the language. Of course we have been in that situation but we had the congregation as our instant family. This poor lady told me that she only knows the refugee volunteers and that is it! Anyway hopefully we can help her a little while we are here and my family will take care of her when we leave - I am sure.

We also found a woman from Peru and another man (didn't get his nationality) who took the magazines and is happy for us to go back at a more opportune time. On Monday we talked with another Colombian man and his son - we are returning to him this week too. It seems that the NZ government are bringing in these families, helping them get set up etc - while it is obviously great for them to get out of an awful situation, it must be so difficult leaving what they know. My heart just goes out to them.

Today we have more names to contact which is great as the weather here has packed in. You can't beat Wellington on a beautiful day but when it is cold and windy I wonder how anyone can live here (no offence - Wellingtonians!)

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Early Saturday Morning

Wendy does her stuff at the bus stop





I had a great day yesterday with some of the local pioneers taking me out on their early morning start at the bus stops and then we hit the market. It was extremely enjoyable especially the little treat at the end of the morning which you can see us tucking into. It's called a GOLDIE and is it yummy!! Fried Bread spread with butter and Golden Syrup (cane syrup). Decadent and delicious! Of course I am hoping to walk off all the fattening food I am eating, when I get back to Ecuador - oh that's right there is decadent and delicious food there too!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Quick report from Wellington - the capital of NZ - which is at the bottom of the North Island.

View from Catherines deck - as you can see it is very hilly in this part of the country!
I took this photo this morning on my phone camera - way in the distance you can see the South Island.

As I told you - we have come down here to do a pioneer week or two with my sister (actually I came down on Tuesday and Mark follows me tomorrow). So far we have not been spanish witnessing - that will happen next week - but I have been having an excellent time with Catherine. Lots of interest, placements and bible discussions. There is a lot of different nationalities here and so you never know who is going to answer the door. I had an interesting experience yesterday when I approached a lady in the street (Catherine was getting us some hot chips for lunch, cause it was freezing - but that is another story) and we had a nice little discussion. She had some stress going on in her life so was unhappy. After showing her a scripture she made the comment that whenever she had needed someone - a Jehovah's Witness always turns up! Really not coincidence is it - you never know - she may click on to that one day!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

So excited!!!

No it's not news that we have sold the house but it's still pretty darn exciting.

My sister and her son-in-laws are auxiliary pioneering this month (April) and we have decided to go down to Wellington and support them for a couple of weeks. Last night one of the guys phoned to say that he had been talking to a brother who is actually from Brazil so speaks Portuguese but he has many Spanish speaking calls and studies. He translated the Memorial for 18 people! There is no official group in Wellington as yet but it probably won't be too far away. Anyway apparently they have lots of green slips to action but have not the time or manpower to get to all of them. So the upshot is they are going to get us involved in making these calls. We are really looking forward to it and hopefully we can be of some use.