Tis the season :: South Island Wine and Food Festival

I'm not sure what I'm more excited about. The fact that Christmas is only two weeks away or that summer is upon us holding the expectation of another fabulous festival season! Wait... I just reread that last sentence, paused and then totally laughed out loud to myself... What a beautiful contradiction for a girl from the Northwest corner of the United States to ponder... I really don't think I'll ever get use to living in the opposite season as the calendar I was raised on says it is....

Anyway, the impending season was oh so evident on Saturday at the South Island Wine and Food Festival. The weather could not have been any more gorgeous bringing with it a mob of sunshine seekers keen to soak in its rays. I was so distracted by all the great sundresses and cute, strappy sandals that it has me itching to do some serious summertime dress shopping!

It felt so good being out in the sunshine enjoying some of the south island's finest fare, entertainment and sharing the day with so many great people. For the first time since moving here, Drew and I found ourselves toggling between multiple groups of friends from different circles all out for a good time. It finally feels like our network is growing and I had such a great time meeting new faces and getting to know a few of Drew's workmates a little better.

This season is already off to a great start and I'm eagerly looking forward to all that is in store!

A Day At The Races

It's Show Time! Drew and I have been hearing this phrase and seeing posters for Cup and Show Week for at least a month or so, but I don't think either of us really clued into the gravity of this festival... Kiwi's do love any excuse to party. There's really no denying they love their festivals even more, and let me tell you this annual spring festival does not disappoint!

We originally planned to go wine tasting and stay out at Hanmer Springs last weekend since Drew had Friday off work to celebrate Canterbury's anniversary, however we decided last minute to save a little money and stay in town. We knew Cup and Show week was in full swing, but didn't really know what was on, so decided to check out what all the fuss was about... next year we'll be better prepared! 

After doing just a quick search Thursday night we realized C&S week is a full-on festival that kicked off the weekend before with a raging block party, an urban assault obstacle course competition, a fashion show, horse races, greyhound races, the A&P Show (similar to a county fair), and much more! (If I hadn't been out of town for most of last week maybe we would've done a better job earning participation points.) Anyway, after realizing what we were missing we immediately purchased tickets to Saturday's event - Christchurch Casino 150th NZ Cup and New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas Day horse race.

We knew we wouldn't win for best dressed, but quickly scavenged through our closet to find something decent to wear and I'm glad we did! Oh the finery! Ladies in their Sunday best. Dapper gents. Hats galore! I wish I had taken my Nikon and actually captured some better photos... Oh well. This was my first time to a horse race and it was such a blast! We even managed to win 3 out of the 5 races we bet on! We didn't actually win any money, but we did break even. I think that counts for something. :)  For those of our friends weighing a visit next spring - this would be a good time to consider!  We took notes, so next year we can really do it up!

(Oh and I should (although hesitantly mention) it is also Mo-vember, which my husband is proudly supporting... I questioned posting a few additional photos of him intentionally 'photo-bombing' several pics that would have otherwise been rather nice... They were however quite hilarious so I may put them up on FB. We'll see....)