Winter wonderland and Cinema Paradiso

Why would you want to be anywhere else when you can look out the front window and see this...

Erin took the photo - my little point and shoot couldn't do it justice.

Anyway, hello from Wanaka. Haven't been doing much other than going for walks, drinking coffee and drinking wine. The latter two usually to warm up as a result of the walk. It was at a guess -4 degrees when we walked back from the lake last night, but oh so picturesque.

Best things about Wanaka:

The company (I had to put that in because our hostess is two feet from me watching this.)

Snowy mountains and crystal clear air. Chocolate box lid stuff.

Cinema Paradiso!

We took the little folk to see Ice Age 3 yesterday at Wanaka's very boutique cinema. Think low tech seating - sofas (that would do a student flat proud) a few rows of old theatre seating, old aeroplane seating and even a couple of chairs from a Newman's bus. There is also the always popular VW Beetle in the corner that you have to stampede for if you want to get the best seats in the house.

This movie theatre has an intermission - do you remember what they are?! And at this intermission you can buy hot cookies, yes, hot, with melty chocolate bits, or you can order your pizza for half time and bring it in with you, along with your wine or beer. Awesome.

So today we are off to play in the snow. Literally. We aren't ski-bunnies so it will be the low tech approach. We'll be wearing gumboots, and lots of layers of standard clothes and gloves and we'll last an hour if that, then come back cold, and wet, but happy, and drink more coffee and hot chocolate, and may be even, for the adults, wine.

Perfect.