Christmas in July

I've always loved the idea of Christmas in July...especially in SA, where the chilliness of Winter lends itself to story book style roaring fires and turkey dinners much more than our sweltering Summery December Christmas does!

To celebrate, I'd like to offer a special discount to my blog readers for the next two weeks in my Etsy shop. I'd also like to launch a new, funny product I created this weekend:

His name is Lou. You can read more about him here.

Use the coupon code LOUSDISCOUNT at checkout to receive 15% off Lou the frog or any other item in my shop for the next two weeks (discount ends on Saturday, 23 July).

There are more Christmas in July sales items, which will be marked down till the end of July (use the code for double discount up to 23 July...woot!).

So ho.ho.ho. and Merry Pretend Christmas! :-)

The Fat Dog Cafe

An e-mail from my brother-in-law's wife arrived today, announcing their imminent departure from their home in New Zealand on a round-the-world tour before settling in Australia.
It got me to reminiscing about our visit to NZ last year, and a wonderful cafe they recommended to us while in Rotorua.

The Fat Dog Cafe and Bar sits off one of the main streets in Rotorua, a stinky little town due to all it's sulphurous hot springs with a wonderful forest, lake and Polynesian spa that makes up for the smell!

The place is wildly popular with the locals, which is always a very good sign. But while the lines are long, the service is quick and friendly, and there is always more than enough to be looking at. 


I mean, just take a look at the menu, scribbled delightfully on the wall in a multi-coloured profusion of options!

Table numbers aren't used there. Instead, it's a mish-mash of kitsch paraphernalia like turning flowers and plastic red duck tea-pots which take the place of drab old numbers! 

The array of dishes on offer is truly astounding, and yet labelling and knowledge is excellent in terms of what dishes contain/don't contain on the allergy front.
We treated ourselves to the Butter Chicken Curry served with a very unusual side salad (yay for people using root vegetables like beets raw and spiralised!)
We also tried the Kumara Wedges (like roast sweet potatoes), served sprinkled with spring onions (unusual) and with a sour cream dipping sauce (no tomato sauce/ketchup here!)

There is no part of this cafe that is boring....the wall, tables, chairs, roof....they're ALL fodder for artistic inclinations. And the end result is just one of sheer and utter fun!

For more photos, please visit my Flickr Set for the Fat Dog Cafe! Their cool water branding is truly something to behold. :)


P.S. If you're feeling shoppish, or giftish, please mosey on down to my new Etsy shop for some good deals...I'd sure appreciate it y'all!


P.P.S. I'll be back later this week for a giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled (which if you take it literally, could be terribly uncomfortable!)