Round the Bays 2016

It's Round the Bays day once again. Wellington turned on ideal warm and overcast race conditions today for this annual event, leaving the sun to make its well timed appearance at the post-race celebrations. The coolness of the southerly was welcome even if the extra resistance it provided was less appealing.

A group of us from work entered different races. Some of us met at the start line before heading off to our various starting points. We somehow managed to be back at the office afterwards at almost the same time for an informal debrief. I entered the 10 km walk for the third year in a row. The course is a picturesque journey around Wellington's coastline with an extra few kilometres thrown in at the end in the form of a there-and-back jaunt to just past the Miramar cutting, finishing at Kilbirnie Park.

There is much fanfare at both ends of the race and plenty of encouragement along the way. Highlights this year included the percussion band at Balaena Bay and the family fun zone at Kio Bay, where jet plane lollies were on offer to passing racers. It's always disconcerting to see St John ambulance staff taking someone off the course and driving them away for treatment. I passed three of these along the way and was grateful that first aid was so readily available for those who needed it.

After last year's time of 1:27:17, I had ambitions of slicing a couple more minutes off to finish somewhere around 1:25:00. A sneaky glance at MapMyWalk at the 5 km walk had my time at 44 minutes, when I was aiming for around 40 minutes. I really wish I hadn't looked as I spent the next half of the walk realising I probably wouldn't be able to reach my goal. I powered on but started losing juice around the 8 km mark. I finished up at 1:28:18, disappointed with my time this year but still glad to be part of such a large scale positive event.

Cicadageddon

We've had a fantastic summer this year. Lots of warm, sunny days with very little wind and rain. Occasional weather tantrums have quickly given way to more of the good stuff. This is the kind of summer that future childhood memories are made of.

My own childhood memories of summer include a soundtrack of cicadas chirping happily from dawn til dusk. Cicadas hung out everywhere when we were kids: on tree branches, on the roofs of tree huts, outside windows and even up lamp posts. I always thought cicadas chirped when the temperature reached 17°C (or somewhere around there), so chirping meant it was a lovely warm day, but apparently it's more like 28°C. Whatever the actual temperature, there's something about this summer chorus that summons up memories of happy days and long, hot holidays.

I was alarmed to discover this week that not everyone feels as sentimental as I do about cicadasong. During an early morning shuttle ride to the airport this week, my driver complained of not being able to sleep because "the skaders" keep him awake all night. He had a reasonably thick accent so I wasn't exactly sure what he meant until he explained further: they're everywhere outside the house, banging against the window all night and some of them even come inside and make a noise! Ah. Not skaters.

Cicadageddon has even been compared to a horror movie. Here's where I confess my unpopular opinion: I love cicadas. Not so much the insects themselves, but what they represent. The chirping sound is male cicadas singing their lungs out to woo their women. It'd almost be romantic, if they weren't so creepy looking.

I say let's enjoy the sound of summer for the few short months it lasts. It'll be winter again before we know it and no doubt we'll find other things to complain about.

How to feed a sourdough starter

I've really come to love baking all types of bread. The only bread I regularly buy nowadays is two loaves of everyday sliced bread for sandwiches and toast each week. I bake everything else, either by hand or with the help of my trusty Panasonic breadmaker.

Sourdough has always been one of my ultimate bread making goals. I've been on a sourdough baking binge these past few months after acquiring a cup of starter and accepting the challenge of keeping it alive. After much experimenting, I think I've found a stress-free way to make it work.

You'll need to find a recipe and make your own starter. It's probably easier and more reliable to ask a regular sourdough baker for a cup of their starter that you can maintain. My starter came from a bread making class I took late last year. I scrawled copious amounts of notes on my recipe sheet, putting instructions in order then crossing them out or reordering them as someone remembered another vital step. I got dreadfully confused so ended up just jumping in the deep end and trying it a few times for myself at home.

I'm pleased to report that, after successfully maintaining my original starter for about three months now, it's not too hard after all - even though I'm yet to find a name for it. (The theory is that you're more likely to look after something that has a name - but seriously, what do you call flour and water??)

I use a one litre glass jar with a hinged lid to store my starter. The jar easily stands upright to hibernate in the fridge. It's possibly too big for one cup of starter but the extra space is handy if you decide to 'grow' your starter to nearly double its size (like I did). You grow your starter by feeding it twice (a half measure at a time) without using any of it.

Sourdough starter, freshly fed

After just a few hours at room temperature, or even quicker on a warm day, you'll see your starter grow and begin to activate. You'll know it's been activated when it expands in size and bubbles. It'll also smell like it's starting to ferment. The more the starter activates, the more sourdough flavour your bread will have.

Activated sourdough

Remember that I'm not a professional baker and these instructions are based on my entirely unscientific sample size of one.

How to feed a sourdough starter

1. Remove jar from refrigerator and leave to activate at room temperature for at least six hours, or overnight.
2. Use however much you need. Most recipes require 1 - 1 1/2 cups of starter.
3. Pour remaining starter in a large bowl. Feed it with equal portions of high grade (bread) flour and warm water and whisk until smooth. (To replace one cup of starter, feed with approximately 125 grams each of flour and water.)
4. Wash and thoroughly dry your glass jar. Use a spatula to refill the jar with your starter.
5. Put the lid on and leave to grow for at least six hours, then refrigerate to hibernate.

You should aim to use or feed your sourdough every 10-14 days. Mine has survived being accidentally frozen in the fridge, then revived at room temperature. Most importantly, it's still alive and well.

Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! - Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and a completely colourful individual. Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character is an edited collection of anecdotes, stories and undoubtedly tall tales that was published in 1985, three years before his death. They paint him somewhere between adventurous, eccentric and downright dodgy. Even though it's been many years since I studied physics (or science in general) and I found myself caught up in trying (and failing) to follow his logic, it didn't distract from Feynman's knack for storytelling.

The way the anecdotes are collated makes me wonder when Feynman actually found the time to do the physics he was renown for. From his obsession with safe cracking, to learning how to draw then play the bongos, Feynman's stories are recorded in a way that I can imagine him reminiscing in front of an audience. It's hard to get a sense of time lines with some, although it doesn't distract from the book's overall flow. Funny, nostalgic and embellished in all the right places, some rambled while others were sharp lessons in life. All gave a glimpse of a scientist's view of the world and an insight into how they see everyday life.

I'm not sure where the imagination ends and the truth begins but Feynman's memoirs certainly make for an entertaining read.

High tea at Hippopotamus

Having done most of the rounds of high tea in Wellington these past few years, I've been determined to save the best for last. High tea at Hippopotamus Restaurant in the Museum Hotel is one of two grand high teas that I've been looking forward to for a very long time. Today's high tea celebrating a friend's birthday was a very grand affair.

There are several high tea menus to choose from. Given that Hippopotamus is as well known for its celebrated cocktails as for its food, I had the hip high tea of savoury and sweet treats, coffee (instead of tea) and a refreshing apple daiquiri for $45. What was even more special for me was the attention paid to special dietary requirements. I'd asked for capsicum-free food and mine was specially presented deconstructed on an elegant board. Others shared the traditional three-tiered presentation.

Deconstructed high tea at Hippopotamus

We worked our way through nine impeccably presented items across three courses. There were so many flavours presents that I couldn't identify them all (or remember them afterwards), but included a ham club sandwich, arancini, egg savoury, salmon terrine, lemon meringue tart, cherry and chocolate cupcake, mandarin and coconut creme mousse and chocolate custard filled mini eclairs.

The silver service and ambiance of the Museum Hotel makes high tea at Hippopotamus Restaurant an elegant step back in time to enjoy the finer things in life for a few hours.

Mission Estate Winery

No wine or food trip to the Hawke's Bay region is complete without a visit to Mission Estate Winery in Taradale. After our wine tasting evening in October, we decided to take up Cellar Door Manager Trevor Mason's offer of a guided tour of the homestead and cellar if we visited. Trevor had already told us some of the history of the homestead and how it was constructed then moved to its current site. It was wonderful to be able to see it first hand and also look through the much more recently built cellar.

Mission Estate main entrance

The rain was just about to fall but this didn't put a dampener on our arrival at all. We meet Trevor in the tasting room and went straight downstairs to the cellar. There weren't too many cases being cellared when we visited but I really liked how the displays were set out.

Cellar display

This well is a tribute to the French missionaries who built the original homestead and established the vineyard in 1851. It also provides hydration for the wine being cellared.

Cellar well

From the other end of the cellar, you can walk out to the back courtyard of the homestead and look over the rows and rows of vines. It's no surprise that weddings are continuously held on the grounds as it's such a beautiful venue.

Mission Estate back courtyard

This is the view across the vines, moments before the rain came down. This part of the vineyard has no artificial irrigation system due to a river flowing to the right of this picture that keeps the vines permanently hydrated, even during drought-like seasons.

Vines

The former chapel has been deconsecrated and can no longer be used for weddings. It is now an elegant stand-up function room. Staff were busy setting it up for a large function when we arrived, so we moved back to the cellar door for a wine tasting.

Former chapel, now a function room

Wine tasting costs $5 and you can choose whichever wines you want to sample. You also get to take home an elegantly boxed Mission Estate-inscribed wine glass as a keepsake.

Wine highlights:

• NV Mission Fête. There's a lot to be said for wine tasting in situ. This non vintage sparkling wine was a maybe during our earlier wine tasting but a definite yes at the Mission. We came away with a bottle of it for Christmas Day dinner, where we absolutely loved it.
• 2014 Mission Estate Riesling. Once again, this aromatic riesling was a delight. We already had a couple of these bottles in our wine rack so didn't buy more but it's now a definite favourite.
• 2015 Low Alcohol Pinot Gris. Who knew low alcohol wine could actually taste good? This light pinot gris is unexpectedly fruity, tangy and smooth.
• 2015 Mission Estate Rose. A refreshing and fruity Malbec Merlot rose. This would make a great summer wine.

And then there is the award-winning Mission Estate Restaurant. Being a busy time of year (first weekend in December), the restaurant was fully booked for two of the nights we were in town. We returned for a fabulous Sunday dinner two days later, which I will eventually review on Zomato.